User:Mikeblas: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 13:57, 12 November 2007

Userboxes

This user is an administrator on the English Wikipedia. (verify)

This user repairs links to disambiguation pages.

This user tries to do the right thing. If they make a mistake, please let them know.

prog-N

This user thinks in bytecode and dreams of electric sheep.

SQL

This user uses SQL queries to locate his car keys.

C++-N

This user has written C++ compilers, or tweaked C++ runtime libraries in Assembly language.

asm-N

This user is a native assembly language programmer.

C#

This user can program in C#.

vb

This user is a fluent Visual Basic user.

-3

This user is an advanced Mathematica programmer.

Perl-3

This user is an advanced Perl programmer.

File:Dual apple monitors.jpg

This user has a dual monitor configuration

This user uses Windows Vista.

This user contributes using Microsoft Windows XP.

This user prefers the metric system.

This user supports Formula One.

This user tracks his money on Where's George?

en

This user is a native speaker of the English language.

ja-1

この利用者は初級の日本語ができます。

Position

Yeah, I'm the guy who wrote the letter to the editors that appeared in the April, 2007 issue of Business 2.0 about the magazine's overstatement of the size and accuracy of Wikipedia.[1]

I wrote the letter because I'm tired of reading articles here that are wrong, unreferenced, or about meaningless subjects. I'm weary of people insisting that Wikipedia is useful. While it's a marvelous concept, the execution has left us with lots of problems. Are we concerned enough with fixing them to make it right before some damage is done?

We learn that Wikipedia is used by more and more people every day,[2] and used as a primary reference, despite disclaimers that the information isn't accurate--or, is at least--fluid and unverified.

From media outlets to school children, people are relying on this information -- they're educating themselves and formulating opinions and learning. But because Wikipedia is so lax in assuring it is correct, and because people have been conditioned to "walk through" disclaimers and just get their work done, what they're learning and reading and thinking about is most likely incorrect.

If we let Wikipedia continue to publish and grow without fixing what it has, we're slowly poisoning the common knowledge of the people. An incorrect fact published here, gone unverified, given the credibility, replication, and reach the site has, means that bad information is spreading very fast. And it's lodging in people, where it's possibly the hardest to work out.

I hope you can help Wikipedia avoid becoming a bigger problem than it already is: either by working to correct and improve existing pages, having marginal information eradicated altogether, or by working to improve the policies that govern the site and cause these fundamental problems.

Position on Content

I'm disappointed at Wikipedia's focus on quantity rather than quality.

Numerous user pages boast about articles that have been created, but I've found few that describe how articles were improved or how crufty, non-notable, or directory-or??iented articles were deleted.

While the number of articles continues to climb, Wikipedia's value doesn't. In fact, I'd argue that it drops as authors edit articles without citations, create new articles on obvious content without any value-added, and build lists out of thin air. While spending time cataloging frivolous but commonly appealing topics, articles with academic merit go unedited.

Interests

I like to race cars, drift around on my boat with my wife, dabble with electronics, and take pictures. I work as a software architect. I want to learn how to weld, and get better at flippin' wrenches.

Awards

Working Man's Barnstar

The Working Man's Barnstar

For your work disambiguating links Dina 18:53, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Queues

This section helps me keep track of AfD, prods, copyvios, and other "Come back" work I've initiated. Too bad there isn't an automated way to do this in the Wikipedia UI, huh?

AfD queue

Prod queue

Speedy queue

empty

Copyvio queue

Notability tags

Braum's

Merege queue

Personal sites

This is a list of websites I maintain. Or, pay for -- maintain would imply that I work on them:

Notes to self (and maybe you, too!)

{{Redirect}} is a handy list of redirect templates
{{tl}} is a neat way to link to templates without typing a bunch of punctuation
Wikipedia:Administrators' reading list
Category:Administrative backlog
Wikipedia:WikiProject Disambiguation/Malplaced disambiguation pages

Frequently used Templates

{{nofootnote}} for articles with references but not footnotes
{{Nonspecific}} for unspecific claims that are too weaselly to verify
{{refimprove}} improve references

My machines

These lists are a little ostentatious; you'll never catch me with something like this in my sig in a forum. But it turns out I actually find it helpful to remember what machines I have, and which are doing what with which parts. I hope you'll indulge me, then.

Machine	Operating System	Motherboard or OEM model	Processor(s)	Memory	OS Disk	Storage Disk	Video	Case	Role
burner	Windows XP Pro SP2	P4C800-E Deluxe	Pentium 4 3.2 GHz at 3.36 GHz	2048 megs	120 gigs	500 gigs	RADEON 9800 Pro	LianLi PC-V1000B	eMail, surfing, media burning
caliper	Windows Vista Ultimate	Asus G1	Core 2 Duo T7400 2.17 GHz	2048 megs	160 gigs	—	NVIDIA GeForceGo 7700	Laptop	mobile gaming, software development
chicane	Windows XP Pro SP2	Intel D845PEBT2	Pentium 4 2.66 GHz	1024 megs	120 gigs	150 gigs 500 gigs / RAID 0	NVIDIA Vanta	LianLi PC-V1200B	data storage, backup
dexter	Windows 2003 Server	Tyan S2882	Opteron 254 x2	4096 megs	160 gigs / RAID 1	2300 gigs / RAID 0	ATI RAGE XL	LianLi PC-V2000BplusII	Microsoft SQL Server
downstairs	Windows XP Pro SP2	Asus P4B533-VM	Pentium 4 2.20 GHz	1024 megs	300 gigs	—	NVIDIA 6200	Cooler Master ATCS Home Theater case	Media, gaming
enduro	Windows XP Pro SP2	Asus P5AD2 Deluxe	Pentium 4 3.2 GHz at 3.76 GHz	3072 megs	300 gigs	—	NVIDIA 6800	LianLi PC-60BplusII	network downloads cluster processing
hairpin	Windows Vista Ultimate x64	Asus A8N-E	Athlon 64 X2 4400+	4096 megs	150 gigs	150 gigs 600 gigs / RAID 0 500 gigs / RAID 0	XFX NVIDIA 8800GTS	LianLi PC-V1200B	Software development Gaming
mikeb	Windows XP Pro SP2	Asus P5W DH Deluxe	Core 2 Duo QX6700 2.66 GHz	4096 megs	250 gigs	250 gigs 750 gigs external	8800GTX 768 MB	Antec Sonata	Software development
mikeblas-hp	Windows XP Pro SP2	HP Pavilion ze5700	Pentium M 3.0 GHz	1024 megs	60 gigs	—	RADEON IGM 354M	Laptop	Mobile diagnostics
runoff	Windows XP Pro SP2	Dell PowerEdge 600SC	Pentium 4 2.4 GHz	1664 megs	40 gigs	100 gigs, 100 gigs	ATI Rage XL	Dell mini-tower	Backup domain controller ISA Server
mikeblas5	Windows Vista Ultimate	Asus P4P800	Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz	2048 megs	200 gigs	200 gigs	RADEON 9550	Generic mini-tower	Cluster processing
montoya	Windows 2003 Server	Dell PowerEdge 600SC	Pentium 4 2.4 GHz	1152 megs	150 gigs / RAID 1	600 gigs / RAID 0	ATI Rage XL	Dell mini-tower	Domain controller backup storage
musicroom	Windows XP Pro SP2	Asus P4S533	Pentium 4 2.66 GHz	1024 megs	120 gigs	—	RADEON 8500	Generic desktop	Music playback and capture
paddock	Windows 2003 Server	Tyan S2460	Athlon MP 1800+ x2	2048 megs	160 gigs	160 gigs	RADEON 9600	Chieftech Tower	offline

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This is not an encyclopedia article or the talk page for an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user whom this page is about may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia. The original page is located at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Mikeblas.

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 * [[Drizzt Do'Urden's scimitars]]
 * [[Sony Ericsson K600i]]
+* [[Alias (Forgotten Realms)]]
 ===Speedy queue===