Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 13:54, 25 October 2007

For older threads see User talk:DirkvdM/archive 1 and User talk:DirkvdM/archive 2 or the first nine threads below, which I wanted to keep here. Most of those are reminders for myself, except for:

• Photograph Identification - for those who have identified contents of photos of mine
• Philosophy - a glimpse of how my mind works (for those who can stomach it)

Photograph Identification

If you recognise any of the plants or animals in the photographs in my Photograph portfolio, please tell me here. Thanx :) DirkvdM 13:37, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

• Hi, Dirk. The rhinoceros beetle on Image:Rhinoceros beetle.jpg is probably Aegopsis curvicornis trinidaensis, in the tribe of Agaocephalini. --ja:利用者:Ons 08:26, 18 October 2005 (UTC)
  • Hi. Yes, according this research, it's A. curvicornis trinidaensis. Beetle on Image:What beetle is this.jpg is dung beetle. --Goliathus 11:26, 18 January 2006 (UTC)

Your hummingbrd photo looks like a Buff-tailed Coronet. Google it with images. Crickie 22:36, 21 October 2005 (UTC)

• The land hermit crab photo (http://en.wikipedia.org/Image:Hermit_crab_corcovado.jpg) looks like its Coenobita compressus to me, take a look at this link: http://www.tonycoenobita.com/species_compressus_eng2.htm . Scroll down to "Body Colour / Spot" and look at the second row, right picture. Looks very similar. I have several C. compressus as pets but your photo looks somewhat different, I still think its a C. compressus though. --Quigabyte 02:09, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

Thanks. The photo is now at Wikimedia commons. I've added the info. DirkvdM 06:06, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

• The photo you posted in the Banana talk section Image:DirkvdM_bananaflower.jpg is Strelitzia reginae, otherwise known as "Bird of Paradise." They grow all around my office here in San Diego, California, USA. That is a nice photo. Cheers! Intelligence3 23:27, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Don't forget

Talk:A_Turning_Point_in_National_History#Request_for_Comments zo dan

DYK

Did you know? has been updated. A fact from the article Sociocracy, which you recently created, has been featured in that section on the Main Page. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently-created article, then please suggest it on the "Did you know?" talk page.

Photos

Hi Dirk, you've uploaded some great photos. I was wondering why you have uploaded them as {{fairuse}} given that they are your own images? You may want to consider adding a licence to the image like {{PD-user}} if you want to release them into the public domain, {{CopyrightedFreeUse-User}} if you'd like to maintain copyright, the {{GFDL}} is the licence most used by Misplaced Pages's contributors, and there is a host of Creative Commons Licenses. --nixie 07:24, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the tip. I still needed to look into this, but you've made my job somewhat easier. I've decided for the moment to use the creative commons license. I've found out how to use it with just the 'by' tag, thus: {{cc-by}}. That will do for the moment, but I don't know how to aloso add the 'nc' and 'nd' tags. Could you tell me? DirkvdM 08:53, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm trying to identify your hummingbird image - it would narrow it down a bit if you could say where it was photographed - not in the Netherlands!

Don't bother, it's a Costa's Hummingbird, so probably in [[california

Nope! That's a photograph that was already there. The one I placed is the green flying one next to the text about flying (seemed appropriate). You're half-right in an odd way, though, with the Costa bit, because it was photographed in Costa Rica :) .

By the way, if you know about other animals than butterflies (or plants) you might also take a look at these: User:DirkvdM/Photographs#Plants_and_Animals. Or just enjoy them! I'm quite a bit proud I must say (and this isn't even my best selection). DirkvdM 20:01, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Hi there. I've identified Image:Butterfly panama.jpg as Heliconius sara, and also wrote an article for it: see Sara Longwing. I would have edited the image description, but you left a note indicating that you'd prefer to do it yourself. Thanks for contributing so many excellent images! -- Hadal 20:17, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Me again; I've also identified Image:What butterfly is this-2.jpg as Chlosyne janais, and wrote up an article for it too: Crimson Patch. Cheers, -- Hadal 05:20, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks, Hadal. I've also uploaded a side-view of the Crimson Patch and put it in the article. Not as nice-looking, but scientifically equally interresting, I suppose. DirkvdM 07:32, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Hi DirkvdM - your pic image:treemoss_panama.jpg is almost certainly a Tillandsia, not Usnea, hope you won't mind that I've moved it out of the Usnea page - MPF 01:04, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

I wanted to put the photo in the Tillandsia article, but I see you've already put it in the Spanish Moss article (which is also a Tillansia although it doesn't look like the other varieties). You might have pointed that out to me (and you might have put it in a bit bigger - sob, sob :( ). At first I thought you were referring to the smaller Tillandsiae (is that a correct plural?), but then I realised that Spanish moss looks like Usnea. DirkvdM 07:11, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

I only added it to the Spanish Moss page after adding my note above - I needed to check that the species occurs in Costa Rica (which it does) before being sure of the ident. The 'beards' are too long, and in too exposed a position for Usnea, but match Tillandsia usneiodes perfectly. Sorry about the size, but it's difficult to fit lots of large pics around the small amount of text! - MPF 10:09, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Hi DirkvdM I'm running a fanpage of Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart: http://www.automuseum-stuttgart.de You have uploaded a photo of the old Mercedes van of Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany which is now owned by a Dutch Family. Would you allow to post this photo on the Museum Fansite? It would be be very nice. Thank you in advance. Bernd mailto: bernd.schray(at)beejees.net

First of all, it was owned by my grandfather. I don't really know what happened to it. If you know, tell me. Else, I will ask my mother if she knows. Of course you can use the photo. The Misplaced Pages rules say you have to give Misplaced Pages credit, though. It would make sense to link to . DirkvdM 14:36, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Moved from User page

Hi Dirk. I know this is not the place, but I am very curious. So forgive me the next question:The combination of this discussion about "the Big Bang theory" with your names makes me thinking. Are you the Dirk from Hemelrijken, Eindhoven?

Once upon a time, yes! Now you get me thinking (I love a good puzzle). Who did I know then who only knows me from that period (apparently) and recognises my style in this theory. Also someone who would be nosing around in Misplaced Pages enough to encounter this. Leo? DirkvdM 08:27, 8 October 2005 (UTC)

I probabely would have the same guess, but it's not Leo. If you know the answer, you can mail me:"my complete name without any dots"@planet.nl

Rats! I probably shouldn't have said that I love a good puzzle. So you know Leo too. And well enough to 'would have guessed that too' (if you wouldn't have been you, that is - but then would you then have known Leo - or me for that matter....). And I'm still assuming you didn't know I live in Amsterdam now. It's Rinie with an 'e' at the end, right? DirkvdM 07:21, 9 October 2005 (UTC)

(and I was right....)

Philosophy

Hi! I liked your response to my question about philosophycal skepticism at the humanities reference desk...thank you. I think it's awesome that you have studied philosophy!, do you know how can I use or join philosophy wikiversity? I don't understand it...maybe you can point me in the right direction, thnx. :).--Cosmic girl 00:19, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

You're welcome. About philosophy wikiversity; I never even heard of it. Thank you for pointing it out to me. Apparently there is a Wikiversity, of which the humanities division has a philosophy school. And a ancient Greek philiosophy course is being set up. Other than that, I don't know, but since it is very new and the courses are set up by the students themselves, I suppose at this stage you'd be more involved with research elsewhere to contribute by writing about what you fond. But, as with Misplaced Pages, that is part of the fun. What's more, it forces you to organise your thoughts, which, especially in the field of philosophy, is one of the better teachers. It's not just the knowledge that counts, it is much more the organisation of that knowledge, sort of like the difference between data and information. A table contains data. Seeing a structure in that data is information.

And if I may point you to a specific field of philosophy; try Logic. I think that should be a compulsory subject at schools. So often I hear people make elementary mistakes with logic. And if anything you say lacks logic there is no point in saying it. In other words, Logic will help you in other studies and in life in general. For example, if A has quality b then that does not mean that everything that has quality b is A. Makes sense right? However (I'm bringing up a favourite subject), even though people may not say it out loud like this, a lot of people will have this idea in their head that since State Socialism in the USSR led to atrocities, that means that atrocities are a part of State Socialism. You might not see the link at first, but what if you take A=atrocities and B=State Socialism. That makes the reasoning sound upside down. But something is not just defined by its qualities, one could also say that a quality is defined by the things that have it. (There is a name for this, but I'm a bit rusty and can't remember it now.) Excuse me for throwing you in the deep. :)

May I add that I'm not a communist and not (particularly) in favour of State Socialism. I just hate bullshit reasonings, so if I detect un unfair attack on anything I will point that out. Here's another one: a protest against the formation of the EU in the form of a poster with the head of Hitler and the text "United Europe? My idea!" Alas, people's unfamiliarity with basic rules of logic often leads them to actually be affected by such reasonings.

End of class. :) DirkvdM 08:12, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

I think you are right...and I use those illogic arguments sometimes...=P, maybe if I study logic I won't anymore. And you are githt about knowledge organization being more important than knowledge accumulation also. Do you know of any easy introduction to logic online?, because I don't think I'll be able to understand anything that isn't meant for beginners. :D and, thnx for the class teacher.--Cosmic girl 18:29, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Oh, another thing...hehe, I hope this question isn't too stupid, but since you like logic so much,I figured you may be able to answer it...ok, do you think that it's possible that our logic is not the 'real' logic and can be a 'fallacy' or some logic that is 'consistent within itself' but not 'beyond itself' since that logic was created by some 'smarter, truer' logic, but a logic that is totally unlike ours, so different that we can't grasp it, and if we did, it would seem really illogical to us...do you think there is a possibility to this? or is there a logical way to disprove this possibility?.--Cosmic girl 18:58, 24 February 2006 (UTC)

Well, you certainly start with the right questions. I spot a great philosopher in the making. :) Don't take what I say now as official doctrine, but all any Logic can do is try to be internally consistent. What lies outside it, what Kant called 'Die Welt an sich' or 'the world in itself' can not be known. We are born with apriori knowledge, a set of rules, which, through experience, interacts with that world and thus creates our world view. Because we are bound to those rules, we can only know the world as we know it (now there's a nice tautology). We can speculate about the existence of a Welt an sich, but we cannot know it, so there's little point in thinking about it any further. Or so one could say. That would then be one of those things you have to think through as a philosopher and then let go once you realise you cannot know it. Then again, mathematics and formal logic are attempts to describe these rules and knowing the rules might be a way to escape them. I've let go of this a long time ago, but now I'm starting to think about that possibility again. Thanks for giving me another sleepless night. :)

About learning Logic. The book I learned Logic from is in Dutch, so that won't be of any help to you. The standard serious (!) introduction to philosophy in general is History of Western Philosophy (Russell), but that doesn't really deal with Logic. Other than that, from the top of my head, I can't think of anything. Except Logic maybe. Haven't read it, but there are loads of articles on the different types of logic. The most basic form is Propositional calculus and the table in that article looks like a handy reference if anything. But it doesn't look like it's for beginners. And there's no Spanish version (if I remember correctly you are a native Spanish speaker). Checking articles in other languages can give interresting insights, such as language-specific POV, but more in general they provide different angles. Anyway, that was a long way of saying I can't help you there. :( DirkvdM 16:06, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

Ohhh...too bad, nevermind! I'll find a useful intro. Hey I have another silly question for you, I hope I'm not too anoying... ok here it goes. suppose Die Welt an sich is conscious...right? like God for example...then, Die Welt an sich has some sort of logic...maybe like ours, or unlike ours...but then...Die Welt an sich can also fall prey of skepticism and paranoia and believe that 'beyond it' somehow lies another kind of logic of which it has no knowledge and may be 'simulating' him/her/it ... and even if Die Welt an sich is infinite...there can still be some different logic beyond it to 'simulate it'....and so ad infinitum... have you ever thought about this?...this means that even God can fall prey of pyrroism.(I don't think I spelled it right). ok...there's another sleepless night for you! =P . ps. I'm trying to comprehend set theory and cantor's work too so that I can 'get to the bottom of this' LOL... =P.--Cosmic girl 00:30, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

Relax, you're not in the least bit annoying. I now see that your first question could be interpreted as referring to a god. I don't generally think in such terms, so I didn't pick up on that. I don't know much about set theory, but it seems you've got a nice set there (oops, that's not meant in a sexist way :) ). But it's no shocking new theory. That is something you'll have to get used to as a philosopher. Whenever you think you've found some brilliant new insight it turns out someone else has already thought of it. Seeing gods in everyday object is animism, and that has to be very old. Seeing reality as a whole as one entity is holism, I believe, which sounds very new age but is probably very old too. Seeing it as a sentient entity is a 'logical' next step and seeing that as a god is then almost unavoidable. And a god automatically leads to your paradox, although most religious people oddly don't seem to wonder who created the creator (probably because they didn't come to their belief through deep thought but simply by copying their surroundings, which is usually pretty compulsory anyway). This whole idea of yours has even been made into a film, except that it's people simulated in a computer program. I forgot the title, but that's just as well because if you ever get to see it you don't want to know the explanation beforehand - that would be a major spoiler.

You mean pyrrhonism. At first I looked for Pyrrhus, but that's not the guy, it's Pyrrho. I had forgotten what the guy stood for, but then I looked it up in Russell's History and there I see his philosophy explained with "there could never be any rational ground for preferring one course of action to another. In practise that meant that one conformed to the customs of whatever country one inhabited. A modern disciple would go to church on Sundays and perform the correct genuflexions, but without any religious beliefs that are supposed to inspire those actions." That's almost exactly what I said between brackets here-above. But he goes on to say that that was a reason for sceptics to continue their habits. There was no way to prove them wrong, so they might as well continue their religion. Now that's weird. Philosophy can do funny things to your mind, so be warned. DirkvdM 07:19, 26 February 2006 (UTC)

I think Pyrrho ruled!, but only when he said that we have to 'suspend our judgement'...not when he said 'we have to follow the customs of the place we live in'.lol. ok, first I want to clear some things... When I say God... I mean 'truth' actually...God is just a catchy word...I don't mean God like most theists...When I say 'God' I mean a truth that can be accesed by us and be known by us, and to me, if truth is unknowable to us, then there is no 'God'...that's kinda how my reasoning goes...I don't believe in animism...it might be true , who knows, but I don't like it nor believe in it...holism...I don't know, maybe I sort of believe in holism just because reality is a whole, but not the way new agers believe it and say that prayer can heal and stuff like that...not that kind of holism... Hey, what's the name of the movie you said? I wanna watch it. :D --Cosmic girl 02:46, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

I still can't remember the name of the film (I'm very bad at names). But, like I said, with this discussion in mind you'd get the plot way to quickly, so that would be a major spoiler, so that's just as well. About God (as an all-knowing, omnipotent entity this time), if he's so superior we can't know him. Like you said "so different that we can't grasp it, and if we did, it would seem really illogical to us". But I've pretty much given up philosophising about gods, because it has proven highly improductive. People always start thinking about gods with preconceptions and one may argue for ages witout either party having reached any insight. Actually, something similar goes for the whole sceptic thing. It doesn't lead anywhere. But still every philosopher has to 'go through that stage', so to say. DirkvdM 07:42, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Cool! I see what you mean...seems like I'm still stuck on that stage.LOL!...what would you say is the next step? or the next stage?...like, for example, what is your personal philosophy, and how do you think philosophers 'get over' the skepticism 'stage'?...I mean, for example, how did Russell 'dismiss' or 'get over' Pyrrho?. ( I hope I'm not boring you :( )--Cosmic girl 16:17, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

No worries, I'm not that easily bored, and if I were you'd notice by me not esponding anymore. I don't know how Rusesll got over it and I don't really know how I did. It's a gradual pricess and actually, it isn't over yet. It's a basic thought (or is it a way of thinking?) that is so inescapable I come back to it every now and then. But one has to get on with everyday life. A bit of a boring answer (you're not boring, but my answer is :) ) but there you go. You can't escape the truth of it but you have to because else you're stuck. I suppose that's what made the sceptics accept religion as it is. You can't find the truth so you can't reject anything so you might as well go with the flow. Descartes managed to find one truth, "I think therefore I am", but then got stuck and went on with a lame proof of God. And even that one truth is rather lame if you think about it. It doesn't say anything. By using the words 'I' and 'think' you already assume that such things things exist. And then he goes on to conclude that they exist. But he already assumed that. I've even heard of a proof of God that says the name exists, therefore the entity must also exist. Yeah, right.

Oh, by the way, the Moody Blues came up with a nice variation on Descartes; "I think ... I think I am ... THEREFORE I AM! ... I think ...". DirkvdM 20:10, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Hahaha! yeah I have to agree, Descartes was lame... I mean, how could he not tell if he was just an illusion? and also, descartes's proof of God is really the same thing as the proof that says the name exists so God must exist...same circular reasoning... So...are you a graduated philosopher?, or did you only study it for a while?, where did you study it?, what's your job?.--Cosmic girl 21:03, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Ah, so it was Descartes who used that proof of God, I forgot (it's ironic that he used that when it points out the nonsense of his first 'truth'). I studied philosophy for about two years (in Amsterdam), decided that wouldn't get me a job, so I switched to computer science for a while, which I didn't finish either, so I still don't have a job now. Where do you think I find the time to do so much editing on Misplaced Pages? - I wonder how many unemployed people hang around here. At the moment I'm putting together some ideas for a political party. A bit more than just something to keep me busy. I really want to try that, but for that I need to break away from Misplaced Pages because it consumes most of my time. I can't live with it and I can't live without it. Aaaargh! :) DirkvdM 21:16, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Cool, I don't work either, I just study psychology... I think I also wanna study computer science but I don't know where or what branch exaclty... I wish I could have hacker skills, but not for bad purposes lol, and also know about programing , flash cartoons and stuff like that... I'd loooooooove to learn that!...I think it complements my wish to be a cognitive scientist since that will help me understand AI and stuff like that. How old are you? do you live with your parents? how is amsterdam?...I think we are way off topic but philosophy tends to get borring at times lol.--Cosmic girl 23:05, 28 February 2006 (UTC)

Don't expect too much response from me these days because I'm trying to get a bit organised (so it's nothing to do with being bored, as you might think after the remark two postings back :) ).

I'm 43 and live in a sort of student house; same layout but bigger rooms. With plenty of room for a visitor to sleep (I'm also a member of Servas), so if you ever want to find out for yourself what Amsterdam is like, you'll have a place to stay.

So you study psychology. Some philosophy makes a lot of sense for that. Then again, I think every student should get some philosophy education, even at secondary school. Not in the sense of reading big books by long dead guys with long beards, but in the sense of just thinking about things, learning how to take a step back and come up with some insight (your own, not someone else's for a change).

About flash cartoon, just make sure you don't put them on any webpages, because I hate that. I go to webpages for information and it is very hard to read when there is something flashing in the corner of my eye. Even worse is when you can't access a site without a flash plugin. That has to be one of the top ranking irritations on the Internet. But do dabble in programming, if only to have some notion of what makes a computer (and thus our society) tick. I have done a course in Prolog and that taught me that AI thinking is still largely focused on databases, which is the wrong way. DirkvdM 07:07, 3 March 2006 (UTC)

That's very nice of you, thanx! I'll let you know if I ever travel to Europe and tour Amsterdam. :) hahaa and I hate flash cartoons on webpages also, I wouldn't do it...--Cosmic girl 17:27, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

I have a question for you.lol...do you know what was Russells opinion on Deontology? or what ethical system did he have?.--Cosmic girl 21:34, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

No, I don't know much about the philosophies of specific people. I remember the ideas, not who had them. And I largely only remember those ideas insofar as I managed to integrate them into my own thinking. This fits in with what I said above about how philosophy should be used in education. The main idea is to get people to think for themselves. And that's mostly what I do. Remembering who said what is a form of administration and that's boring. :) I sometimes refer to Kant, but that's because I think the same as he did about the way people build up their world view, using the apriori knowledge (formalised in Logic) to order the data that comes in through the senses. And that was also my main interrest in philosophy. I haven't done much with ethics, esthetics and especially metaphysics. DirkvdM 07:48, 5 March 2006 (UTC)

VWN en WCN

Beste allemaal Al enige tijd is er een Nederlandstalig chapter in oprichting, te vinden op http://nl.wikimedia.org . Dit wordt de Vereniging Wikimedia Nederland (VWN). Je kunt je interesse om lid te worden van deze vereniging hier aangeven.

Deze vereniging gaat eind augustus/begin september een Wikimedia Conferentie in Nederland (WCN) houden, volgend op Wikimania in Boston, gedeeltelijk erop inspelend middels een aantal discussiegroepen. Om iets dergelijks te organiseren is imput erg gewenst. Dus als je wilt meehelpen, of als je interesse hebt om bij een dergelijk evenement aanwezig te zijn, geef dat dan aan op nl.wikimedia. Ik hoop daar snel je imput tegemoet te zien! Met vriendelijke groet, effeietsanders 13:41, 25 February 2006 (UTC)

COPIED BACK HERE FROM THE SECOND ARCHIVE (kept these in that archive, though)

Space race

Note to myself: keep an eye on the merger of the following:

• Timeline of the Space Race (the old incomplete one)
• Timeline of space exploration (the same, after my expansion)
• List of space exploration milestones, 1957-1969 (too limited in time)

and the discussion over that at Talk:List of space exploration milestones, 1957-1969#Merge w/Timeline of the Space Race. DirkvdM 10:44, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Wikitable

Note to myself: for how to use the style of a wikitable see http://meta.wikimedia.org/Help:Tables#Style_classes which leads to http://meta.wikimedia.org/Help:Tables#Style_classes but then I'm stuck. Still need to look into this. DirkvdM 18:26, 20 February 2007 (UTC)

DUTCH ELECTIONS-HISTORY

The following is for my own reference. I use this table a lot, so I put it somewhere where I can easily reach it
The present 'permanent' location is Template:List of cabinets of the Netherlands

The following tables show the national election results and cabinets in the Netherlands since WWII. Per table, only parties that ever got seats over that period are listed (the number of participating parties in Dutch national elections is usually around 20).

The numbers give the number of seats for each party. The total number of seats in parliament is 150, so a coalition needs at least 76 seats for a majority.

In each table, the parties are split in three groups; parties that have been in government, minor parties and extinct parties. Within each group, the parties are grouped roughly according to the scheme leftwing - christian - rightwing.

       Party name abbreviations
GrL = GroenLinks (a merger of PPR, PSP, CPN and EVP)
ChU = ChristenUnie (a merger of RPF and GVP)

In 1977, KVP, ARP and CHU merged into CDA.

DS'70 split off from PvdA
KNP is former Lijst Welter, which split off from KVP in 1948, but returned to that party in 1955
PvdV is the forerunner of VVD

minority caretaker cabinet
extra-parliamentary cabinet

COLOURS

Another reference table, with the basic colour variations:

Fuel efficiency

This is a subject I want to delve into, but here is already a good rule of thumb for the fuel efficiency of cars (from Misplaced Pages:Reference_desk/Science#Fuel consumption on 16 October 2006):
Power(t) = M * A(t) * V(t)
So fuel consumption is mostly dependent on mass, acceleration and speed. So a nervous SUV driver would consume many times over what the driver of a normal car using cruise control would consume. I just wonder about the speed bit. Too low a speed (below 80 km/h) is supposed not to be too fuel efficient either.
Another thread about this is 'Power used by a car' at the science ref desk on 22 august 2007. No definite figures just suggestions that efficiency is at 20% and maximum power output at 160 kW. Power consumption would then be 800 kW. A megawatt, which comes close to the power production of a modern windmill. But of course a car rarely uses its maximum power output.

.

AFTER THE ARCHIVE (stuff before this has escaped archiving (1 and 2)

.

Image:Kaiser Wilhelm car.jpg

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Image:Schunck old business.jpg

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Rainbow family

Hi Dirk,

I m Fabian. Hospitality Club /Couchsurfing und BEwelcome Member from Germany. I saw on wikipedia that you ve took the picture from the Rainbow Gathering in Costa Rica. I ve been to several gatherings here in Europe but I m going to move to Costa Rica for one year studying. I would love to meet people from our Family over there. My you ve got some contacts or mailinglists for me where I could stay up to date withthe scene over there?

Greez Fabian Kern

Contact for Fabian Kern: http://fabzgy.20six.de/fabzgy/contact

It was an international gathering and almost everyone there was from outside Costa Rica. So I don't have any addresses of locals. But there was some pretty serious talk about buying the land the gathering was held on. So maybe there's still some family living there. It's near the Panamanian border, just south of Parque Internacional La Amistad. Take a bus to first Neily and then San Vito and then (hitch)hike uphill (about two hours if I remember correctly). I can't remember exactly now, but I believe it's west of Santa Elena. Of course you can ask in San Vito, but, as you'll probably know, not everyone is happy about having 'those weird folk' around. But there should still be enough helpful people.

And when you're in that corner of Costa Rica, make sure to visit Parque Nacional Corcovado (I wrote that article). I envy you. I wish I were also headed there. Probably one day I will. DirkvdM 04:58, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Image:DirkvdM_havana_casa_bolivar.jpg

Dear DirkvdM,

I am writing a mathematics textbook with a chapter on geometry and your wonderful photo of a courtyard (havana casa bolivar.jpg) is a great illustration of curves. The title of the text is Fundamental Mathematics for Elementary and Middle School Teachers. May I please have permission to use the higher resolution version in my text? This is a very low budget production, with only about 400 copies being produced. Thanks for considering this request. You are a great photographer!

Betsy Darken, Professor of Mathematics, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Chattanooga, TN USA betsy-darken@utc.edu

Thanks. That photo is indeed one of my favourites. I want to eventually make a living out of my photographs, so I feel obliged to ask some money for it, even if it's for only 400 copies. What about 20 euro? Of course under the strict condition that no more than 400 copies are made (including reprints, if any), and only in that book. Does that sound ok?

Ah, I see on your page at the UTC site that the book has already had a second edition, only 2 years ago. This makes my remark about reprints extra important. Do you expect any more editions/reprints?

Or maybe we could do a package deal, if there's also a chapter about spirals in the book - see Image:DirkvdM natural spiral.jpg. DirkvdM 14:12, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

Hi Dirk,
That sounds manageable to me. I will get back to you on Monday about arranging payment. Of course this payment would be good only for this edition, for only 400 copies. If there is another edition or reprint, we would request permission again and pay another fee. My publishing company (Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co.), which specializes in custom publishing, is quite reputable.

Betsy

Great. I will email you, so you will also have my email address, and then we can work out details somewhat more in private. :) DirkvdM 07:03, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

Would you consider changing the licensing to http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/  ?

Hello Dirk van der Made,

I am interested in using your work: http://commons.wikimedia.org/Image:DirkvdM_love-bugs.jpg

But was wondering if you had considered any of the Creative Commons licenses options specifically Attribution ShareAlike 2.5: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5/

Please let me know if you would consider this.

Thank you, Kevin

Why? I still need to look into those licenses, and I have no idea which one to pick, really. What difference would it make to you (or me)? You can already use it freely, right? DirkvdM 19:17, 11 July 2007 (UTC)

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Voor mArt

U als mArt medewerker/vrijwilliger wordt hierbij gevraagd of u zou willen meewerken aan de organisatie van dit unieke voetbalspektakel (uiteraard tegen een vergoeding).

De bedoeling van de Copa del Media is de band tussen de verschillende media/tv-teams te bevorderen en te verstevigen, alsook de onderlinge band, de verstandhouding tussen de mArt medewerkers. Als u in welke vorm dan ook uw medewerking hieraan wilt verlenen, dan horen we dat graag vóór maandag 06 Augustus 2007.

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"Passive"

Hi Dirk. Can you explain what you mean in your question at the Humanities Desk? I'm not familiar with this term and, as you point out, Misplaced Pages doesn't seem to be familiar with it either! --Dweller 10:57, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

Active voting right is the right to vote. Passive voting right is the right to be elected. Te word is a literal translation from the Dutch word 'passief kiesrecht'. Strangely, suffrage doesn't seem to deal with it, even though it is rather essential to a democracy. Only in the very last line (external links) is it mentioned. I can't find anything on this in Misplaced Pages, not just the word, but the whole subject. Which is strange - in the last year or so I have grown used to Misplaced Pages covering everything that is of any importance. Is this one of the last remaining major omissions in Misplaced Pages? Is there a task for us here? DirkvdM 11:30, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for explaining. I'll reply at the Desk. --Dweller 11:35, 7 August 2007 (UTC)

Clio

You musn't mind my style. I can be a little cutting at times, but I assure you this is not intended to be taken personally. I'm in a particularly good mood just at the present, so I will try to draw my claws in future as far as you are concerned. All the best from super cat herself. Clio the Muse 22:19, 14 August 2007 (UTC)

Looking at your user page I get the impression that, although complete opposites at the surface, we're alike in a way that is bound to lead to clashes. I have something similar with StuRat; politically we disagree completely, but that is only an incentive to have lengthy discussions during which our claws aren't always drawn, but blood sometimes is. :) But always with tongue firmly in cheek. With StuRat it helps that we are usually of one mind at the science ref desk. You and I don't have that advantage, but if you understand what I say here I'm sure we can coexist quite happily at the humanities ref desk.

So please do use your claws, but use them intellectually. DirkvdM 03:38, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

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Your recent edits

Hi, there. In case you didn't know, when you add content to talk pages and Misplaced Pages pages that have open discussion, you should sign your posts by typing four tildes ( ~~~~ ) at the end of your comment. On many keyboards, the tilde is entered by holding the Shift key, and pressing the key with the tilde pictured. You may also click on the signature button located above the edit window. This will automatically insert a signature with your name and the time you posted the comment. This information is useful because other editors will be able to tell who said what, and when. Thank you! --SineBot 07:39, 2 September 2007 (UTC)

I realise I'm talking to a bot here, but it would make more sense if it pointed out where I forgot to sign, in case there is a structural cause for it. DirkvdM 09:37, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Medical advice on the Ref Desk

Dirk, please try to avoid offering medical advice on the Reference Desks as you did in this thread . It's one of those things that Just Isn't Done around here. While I appreciate that you're just trying to help, offering up an anecdote like this can give the questioner the impression that you're giving a diagnoses or a prognosis for his condition.

Even offering opinions as to whether or not a condition is serious or dangerous isn't a good idea; giving the impression that we'll always tell people if their symptoms are serious may lead questioners to (inappropriately) rely on those evaluations.

Your cooperation in the future is appreciated, and your continued contributions to the Reference Desks are welcomed. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 16:06, 3 September 2007 (UTC)

It wasn't medical advise. I just recounted something similar that happened to me and even mentioned that it was potentially dangerous. More effective than brushing people off with 'go see a doctor', I'd say. Please stop treating people as if they're morons. There are often questions about guns. A whole lot more dangerous. Why not fight that windmill? Or what about that recent discussion about the safety of someone's gas stove. With the lmited info available that person should never have received any advise. Look at what is really happening instead of blindly following the rules (which, btw, is also potentially dangerous - "Befehl ist Befehl" is a very bad attitude). DirkvdM 09:31, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Seriously? You want to draw comparisons between my request and the actions of Nazi war criminals? To clarify, I'm not 'blindly following the rules'. I'm quite capable of thinking for myself, and I recognize that the policy against medical advice exists for sound reasons and to achieve sensible aims. I'll briefly elaborate below; please take note that none of those aims involve the extermination of the Jews.

The reason why we discourage the giving of any medical advice on the Ref Desks (or anywhere else) is that such advice has such great potential for harm. That harm extends from the obvious physical harm that may result from bad advice, through emotional trauma associated with overly pessimistic advice, to harm to Misplaced Pages's reputation through being associated with bad advice (or just the general phenomenon of unqualified individuals playing doctor), to potential legal harm for the person who answered the question.

Offering up your anecdote – which, incidentally, doesn't even match the guy's symptoms – offered him a possible diagnosis (nerve damage) and prognosis (irreparable, no recovery)—exactly the sort of medical advice he asked for, and exactly what we're not supposed to offer. While I can see the appeal of offering answers that are designed to 'scare' people into seeing a doctor, it's a temptation that we have to avoid. The editors at the Ref Desk, by and large, aren't trained in medicine. (Though I know of one or two MDs who are probably shocked by some of the answers they see on a fairly regular basis.) Deciding whether or not an answer is too scary, sufficiently scary, or not scary enough to encourage someone to see a doctor in just the right amount of time without instilling unnecessary panic is beyond the training and qualifications of the people who write at the Desks.

In the real world, people don't go to the library reference desk and ask the librarian to look at the oozing sore on their finger. If they did, the librarian would send them to the walk-in clinic or emergency room down the street. By the same token, we don't encourage people to bring their injuries, ailments, and symptoms to our Reference Desk. Particularly over the internet – where we don't even have the opportunity to speak to the individual or see their symptoms firsthand – it behooves us to refer people to appropriate, qualified, competent medical professionals, and to discourage medical questions from coming to the Desk in the first place. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:35, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

If a kid had an injured finger and presented it to the Ref Desk librarian I suspect she would apply first aide (maybe some disinfectant and a Band-Aid) before sending the kid home with instructions to see a doctor. To do otherwise would be irresponsible. But, perhaps a better example of medical advice would be if someone came in sneezing, saying that they always sneeze for a few weeks at that time of year, and asked the librarian for help diagnosing their problem. The librarian might say "it could be an allergy, here's some books on allergies", and then recommend that they see a doctor. StuRat 21:51, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

I'm not talking about nazi criminals. I'm talking about those who were not considered criminals because they were 'just following the rules' given by the criminals. Anyway, it was not meant that seriously. But it was a warning that following rules for the sake of rules is potentially dangerous, because if enough people start acting like that, that will give breathing space for more dangerous elements. Without their minions, those war criminals would have been completely powerless. Btw, a comparison is not the same as saying things are the same, a very common mistake.

About the original issue, let me put it more succinct. I told him to go see a doctor. I was just cleverer about it. And again, it was just a comparison. I didn't say he had that, just that I had something similar. I refuse to assume the stupidity of others.

Are we librarians? Interesting thought. DirkvdM 06:39, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

DirkvdM, this topic is also being discussed at the Ref Desk Talk Page. StuRat 11:16, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

Merrer

So why do you call American football "merrer"? I'm curious. Recury 19:06, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

If Asociation Football = Soccer then American Football = Merrer. DirkvdM 05:42, 18 September 2007 (UTC)

Stationary in the Netherlands

Where's the cheapest place to get stationary in the Netherlands? In particular, I need "dividers" (http://i24.ebayimg.com/04/i/000/ba/8d/7dff_1.JPG). I havn't noticed any shops that specialise in stationary in NL but then I havn't been looking. They might not be cheapest place anyway... Any idea? Thanks! --Seans Potato Business 15:21, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

I haven't a clue about cheapest and that stuff can't be too expensive, can it? Unless you need really large amounts, for which a wholesaler might be a good idea. In Dutch, search for 'kantoorbenodigdheden' ('office necessities') in the Gouden Gids (yellow pages). In Maastricht, there's one at the eastern end of Grote Staat (centre of town), north side, I believe. Or else try V&D across the street or somewhere else in that pedestrian area (which extends across the old bridge). DirkvdM 18:06, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

Please don't blank the template

For later reference, here's the thread this is about. And this link should work once it's been archived.

I know it's cute and clever and all to remove the boilerplate template (Template:rd-deleted) where a question has been removed from the Ref Desk and replace it with something sarcastic , but please don't. I'm not particularly attached to the template, and I don't care one way or the other if you have something funny to say. What does concern me is that by removing the template you've also removed the explanation left for the original question's poster—he's not going to know why his question was pulled, and he's going to have more trouble finding the relevant policies and guidelines. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 21:29, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

I know it's cute and clever and all to remove a question from the Ref Desk and replace it with some template, but please don't. I wasn't particularly attached to the question and I don't care one way or the other if you have something destructive to do. What does concern me is that by removing the question you've also removed any reasonable means for others to have their say. I'm having problems finding the relevant policies and guidelines (because, like just about anyone else, I really can't be bothered)

See how irritating this is? That's all I wanted to say. DirkvdM 06:14, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

If you don't like the policy, take it up on the discussion page. Don't penalize the original poster of the question, who may not be familiar with our policies and guidelines, and who may be left confused as to why his question has disappeared and been replaced by jokes. If you'd prefer to replace the template with a personalized, courteous, non-sarcastic statement explaining our policies in each place where it is used, go ahead—just don't replace it with nothing. You're only pissing me off (your stated goal) to the extent that you're being unnecessarily rude to the original poster of the question. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 12:20, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

My stated goal is to do unto you what you do unto me and others. You're pissing a lot of people off. My intention is to explain in a personalised (so not a template), courteous and non-sarcastic manner that it is better to ask a doctor about certain things but you frustrate that by deleting posts so that it becomes practically impossible for me and others to respond because we can't see what there was to respond to (and don't give me the history-bull - if you don't understand that that is highly impractical you lack the brain to work on Misplaced Pages). If you don't like that, take it up on the discussion page if you wish. But don't penalise the original poster and hardworking volunteers who don't care about your policies and guidelines. This is not a joke. It's not funny at all. It's vandalism. DirkvdM 17:17, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

I suppose I should be glad that you're just calling me a vandal instead of alluding to Nazi war crimes like the last time. If you want to suggest improvements to the template or modifications to policy, there are appropriate ways to do that. If you don't want to have a civil discussion, I don't think I have anything else to say. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 17:36, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

You still don't get the point. I want to have civilised discussions, but you get in the way. And what's that about nazi war crimes? DirkvdM 17:47, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

You really haven't gone out of your way to present yourself as someone interested in 'civilized discussions'. The last time we discussed medical advice on your talk page (about three sections up there ↑) you pulled out the quote "Befehl ist Befehl" ("Orders are orders"), most famously used by military and civilians in Nazi Germany to attempt to excuse their roles in committing atrocities. At the same time you accused me of failing to consider a situation and said that I was just "blindly following the rules".

This time around, you're blanking templates because you think they're rude and to try to "piss off", without leaving any information or guidance for the person whose question was deleted (which, frankly, is even more rude and confusing). Your discussion hasn't been polite—it's been sarcastic. You're assuming that anyone who doesn't agree with your way of doing things "lack the brain to work on Misplaced Pages". You blame me ("your policies and guidelines") for rules that have come out of a lot of painstaking discussion and negotiation involving a lot of editors, and use that to justify abusing me and ignoring both the rules and the lengthy discussion and reasoning behind them. You're accusing me of vandalism. If venting at me on your talk page lets you get your frustrations out that's fine; just don't let it spill on to the Ref Desks to annoy, confuse, and inconvenience innocent bystanders. And don't try to label your confrontational, rude, sarcastic discourse as 'civilized discussion'. TenOfAllTrades(talk) 18:33, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

I still stand by what I said. I didn't call you a nazi war criminal, as you suggested. Not 'said', but certainly 'suggested', as was presumably your purpose - throwing mud now, and suggesting I am not interested in civilised discussions? Once again (sigh) it's you who delet4es stuff in such a way that others can't figure out what is going on. Have you read the comments on searching through the history in that thread? Quite pathetically, you hide behind the template, blaming it on that, but still using it. As I said, 'blindly following the rules'. Please don't let your bile spill over to the ref desk anymore. That's the place I was referring to when I talked about civilised discussions.

But you still don't seem to get it. I take your style and methods and throw them back in your face. Don't like that? Then what does that say about you? DirkvdM 18:44, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

This post has been removed. Per nothing specific, just to make a point.

Sigh. DirkvdM 18:51, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

It's fine to disagree, but there's a right way and a wrong way to go about it- that's all I'm saying. Friday (talk) 18:53, 5 October 2007 (UTC)

And yours is the wrong way. You're gagging people (or blanking them, in your parlance). In how many ways can I tell thee. I'm copying your childish and arrogant behaviour to show you how irritating it is. DirkvdM 06:25, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

I feel this link is important. a.z. 18:11, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

Ah, that was several links away, but ok, the Wikiversity help desk is not as squeamish. Good. But then we'd have to send people off to another desk, which is a bit too bureaucratic. I'd rather see the one ref desk take over all questions on the Internet, just as Misplaced Pages could and should take over all info on the Internet one day. Yes, I'm a fervent inclusionist, and if everyone else were too, that would certainly happen. This is why I hate deletionists so much - they get in the way of creating the Grand Unified Encyclopedia (holding all human knowledge) that this could become. Bloody vandals. They should be deleted. See how they'd like that. :) See also this section on my user page. DirkvdM 18:31, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

Ascension

"At the moment, ascension is a specific article. But as I explained at Talk:Ascension#Ascension (disambiguation) it would make more sense to make that the disambiguation page. I suggest having this discussion there, to keep it all in one place. DirkvdM 07:44, 28 September 2007 (UTC)

Not if you maroon the article on the liturgical festival (and the biblical event it commemorates) as you have done, surely. Where can the article be found now? Masalai 09:02, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

I replied on that talk page. DirkvdM 11:32, 7 October 2007 (UTC)

Volapük

Just wanted to leave a short note of thanks for introducing me to the bizarro world of Volapük. This is why I go to Misplaced Pages. Donald Hosek 20:40, 8 October 2007 (UTC)

For the outstanding help you have given me and others

		The Special Barnstar
		For going the extra mile in your contributions to the Reference Desks lately. Your answers are consistently detailed and informative. --S.dedalus 01:18, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! --S.dedalus 01:18, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Thank you! The ref desk section on my user page is getting a little crowded. :) DirkvdM 07:06, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Btw, I can't remember where, but in one thread I thought "given how touchy people can react to my straightforwardness, I hope I'm not pissing this guy of." Seems I didn't. Or if I did I must have made up big time. :) DirkvdM 07:55, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

Trivia

Hi. I just read your thoughts on trivia and I was wondering if you would be interested in this.

Here is a wikiproject proposal for trivia and a fresh look at trivia policy by the admins. Support the wikiproject proposal. Add your name to the list here:

Please send this link to other users that you feel would be interested. Thanks Ozmaweezer 18:39, 17 October 2007 (UTC)

Course numbers

For reference, this is an answer to Misplaced Pages:Reference_desk/Humanities#101 (which will become Misplaced Pages:Reference_desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2007 October 18#101 after archiving).

I figured I'd give a more complete breakdown of how my university (University of Evansville) handled course numbers here. We used 3-digit course numbers, with the first digit (1-4) corresponding roughly with the year of study. The latter two digits more-or-less ascend with difficulty, but only as a very rough guideline. For instance, my curriculum was based on page 11 of this pdf. You can see the general 1xx-4xx trend, though there are deviations -- for instance, math courses start at the 200 level because Engineering students are expected to have a higher-than-basic understanding of math already. The overall university catalog (page 208 in this case) notes that 100-level math courses are algebra and "survey of calculus", or "calculus for arts majors" (note that it doesn't satisfy the prerequisite for a 200-level math class). Engineers, on the other hand, jump into the 200-level calculus sequence. Further looking at the calculus sequence, why is it 221-222-323, particularly when the catalog shows no 201? Most likely, an older catalog had a different calculus sequence that started with 201. At some point, though, the curriculum was adjusted. Rather than making people keep up with whether they'd had old-style Math 201 or new-style Math 201, the new one became Math 211. The next revision then went to the (now current) Math 221. The third course (323) combines the notion of being an additional year advanced (the leading 3) with the notion of being part of a sequence (thus incrementing the trailing 22). Once out of the common sequences, though, number assignments become rather arbitrary. Note that the junior year in the first PDF provided shows generally unrelated course numbers, as these are all more independent of each other. There's minimal rational for the latter two numbers, though there are some two-part courses that are numbered consecutively (they're not shown on this page). For an alternative system, Vanderbilt University uses half the range of Evansville: 100-149, 150-199, 200-149, and 250-299 are the four undergraduate years, and 300+ represents graduate-level coursework. The latter two digits follow similar patterns, and I expect that they remain quite similar in style across the US. Hope this helps! — Lomn 05:31, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Thanks. But why did you put this on my user page, instead of the ref desk? Are you reluctant to make your studies too public? :) DirkvdM 06:53, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

I just figured I'd not plaster that with the massive wall-o-text, and then I was too lazy to change my mind. — Lomn 19:25, 19 October 2007 (UTC)

Despite not being lazy enough not to write the wall-o-text. I know the feeling. :) DirkvdM 05:58, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

Using the ref desk to draw attention to a poll

Hello Dirk. The purpose of the Ref Desk talk page is to discuss issues relating to the Desks. Not the other way around. However, if you choose to attempt to draw wider attention to the poll by placing a message on one of the Desks, could you at least do it in a slightly more meaningful way. i.e. put it somewhere static t the top of the page, avoid the rainbow colouration, and title it something a little less offensive (even if that is the section title used on the talkpage, it doesn't mean we have to propagate the potentially offensive language elsewhere). Thanks. Rockpocket 07:38, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I copied the title and used the colours to make it easier to find for people and make it clearer what it was about. Maybe not necessary, a link would have sufficed. I would indeed have preferred to put it under the sidebar, where Froth put the collaboration note. But I don't know how to do that. Why didn't Froth put a message there this time? If you know how to do this, could you please? DirkvdM 08:11, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I see I reverted your revert. I pondered on it, decided against it, but probably hit 'enter' or something. Sorry. (Misplaced Pages is also acting up, for which reason I have several windows open, which might be part of the cause.) Still, a message should be somewhere because most ref desk users will not know about the poll else. DirkvdM 08:24, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Oh, and if you put a message below the sidebar, could you make clear it's about the sidebar, not the colour scheme? Something like "Do you like or dislike the above many coloured sidebar? Vote on the talk page." With a link there. Thanks. DirkvdM 08:26, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

I know what you mean about WP playing up, I'm having all sorts of trouble. I left it with a minor edit, but Tagisimon deleted it again. I don't know how to, personally, but perhaps Froth could be convinced to add a little link to the sidebar itself? Though, if someone cares enough about the colour schemes they will come to the talk page to complain about it. It looks like there is no consensus for the change anyway, so I expect it will change back soon. Rockpocket 16:09, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Note that the opponents only started pouring in after I placed that message. Could be a coincidence, but I suspect it's that they had already had their say in the thread above it, so they didn't check again until they learned through my message that there was a poll. DirkvdM 16:57, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

SHOUTING on the Ref Desk

Hi Dirk. When you're chastising a newbie for using all-caps on the Ref Desk (or anywhere on Misplaced Pages), could you try to be a little more polite about it? I doubt that the poster was deliberately trying to be rude. He most likely had his 'elbows on the table', as it were, because nobody ever explained to him that aspect of netiquette. A friendly explanation of why ALL CAPS isn't appropriate and a request not to do it again is, hopefully, all that's necessary to keep him from making the same mistake again. (See an example here.) I'd much rather he come away from the experience thinking, "Oh. They're right; I shouldn't do that anymore, and I can see why it might be annoying." instead of "THOSE GUYS ON WIKIPEDIA ARE MEAN. WHY DON'T THEY LIKE ME?" TenOfAllTrades(talk) 13:54, 25 October 2007 (UTC)