Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 13:52, 28 December 2006

Old messages are at

• User talk:Giano archive 1(2004)
• User talk:Giano archive 2 (2005)
• User talk:Giano archive 3 (2005)
• User talk:Giano archive 4 (2006)
• User talk:Giano archive 5 (2006)

Please leave new messages at the foot of the page

Architecture notability

To counter spurious time consuming AfD's, I've had a stab at a draft policy for architectural notability here. I've attempted to restrict the scope of the proposal to actual 'works of architecture', architects, building technology and legal aspects of the profession. Buildings and structures notability enmasse should probably be a separate enterprise, or at least a later one. I need to give some thought to threshold notability and have shied away from minor works by major architects, because buildings are not like music or literature, they cannot generally be ignored by the public and play some kind of role in most built environments, so I argue the impact is beyond just they're effectiveness or otherwise as a work of art. Comments (by anyone) gladly received. Cheers --Mcginnly | Natter 21:35, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

the dreaded infoboxes

Disruption

Thanks Slim nice request there they have plotted this on IRC I have all the logs. It was one hell of a mistake on their part. Now it is payback time. Giano 23:10, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

Oh yeah almost forgot some food for thought - Kelly Martin is now editing again - as a sock - anyone besides me know who? Just a little taste of things to come Giano 23:25, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

Giano, no paybacks. Come on. Having the logs is perfectly licit, of course. Posting them would not be. I'm quite sure that Kelly is editing. Although it would be deceptive and hypocritical to claim to have left and yet not, she wasn't blocked, so there's nothing to that, except that a user whose behavior was corrosive, in my view, is still here. If the behavior has changed, then there's no big deal. It's always the actions. If you really do want to go after the misuse of IRC as a parasite on Misplaced Pages, then I think the best way is to just do so frankly, with a policy or guideline proposal. On that, I would be happy to help. However, there is no reason to go down to the personal and petty world of the small minded people who care so much about their online pride that they have to go looking for the insults that they constantly fear. Such attitudes as that are pitiable, if obnoxious. You can't cure them, and neither can I, of the sorts of insecurities that make them glom to "avatars" for the succour they lack in their real lives, and so the only thing that matters, the only thing that can be demonstrated, is actions. Geogre 04:30, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

I think Geogre is giving good advice here. Food for thought is nice but I often prefer food for eating, can we have some more pleasant Giano cuisine? Some nice piping hot Arancini? Or some frutta di Martorana? How about a nice mint raison and blood orange pie? Paul August ☎ 21:40, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

You are highly valued

You are a highly valued and respected editor, and I love you for it. But really, I hope that at least for the next 72 hours, you will agree to be calm and non-attacking while we ALL sort out the difficulties that have emerged. Good people are fighting, and that's unfortunate and sad. I unblocked you, even though I did agree that the block was fully warranted.

In April I will be visiting Taddy Belcher in South Africa. He is the head of Cida City Campus. What is this? It is a free (free as in beer) university which serves the poorest of the poor in South Africa. People who live in shanty towns can come there and get a free education. Thousands of graduates are making a better life for themselves through Taddy's work. Can we support him? Can we, in our own small way, make a beter world? Yes. And so my point is, those who are angry with you, AND YOU, can try really hard to put aside your differences and recognize that our work really can matter to the world. Let's try to do it in an atmosphere of peace and love... all of us together. --Jimbo Wales 00:30, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

• Jimbo, thank you for your message, I shall be replying to you later, when have full formulated where I am going with all of this. In the meantime, I note you feel a block is fully warranted for being terse to an IRC stooge sent by a lying admin on IRC is valid. Giano 08:15, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

• Finally Jimbo time to find a few words and formulate some thoughts. The IRC logs continue to be fascinating don't they - comparing me to Everyking is fine - at least he knows where he is going unlike poor old G Maxwell and Kelly and co who are running around like headless chickens suspecting the wrong people of passing me logs (totally oblivious that any nerdy computer mad kid can be IRC's Achille's heel) they appear unable to see what is coming up behind them. They are even horrifying their own former supporters. Poor Kelly with her banal blog and aggressive questions on IRC seems unable to realise that to be a Machiavellian mastermind one needs to wear ballet shoes not wooden clogs. Yet another IRC plot has miserably failed. (It now seems James Forester does not control IRC as he once claimed to Mindspillage - odd that she never bothered to contradict him) and the "clean kill" of me plotted so openly by Betacommand and Chairboy (in front of a "highly" distinguished audience of Wikipedians) not only completely missed but is having some very wounding ricochets. I support 100% this site's commitment to education and particularly your commitment to universities which serves the poorest of the poor in South Africa - or for that matter anywhere else.

However, If you truly believe what you wrote here that my terse comments to a IRC stooge warranted a block are true, then just say the word and I'll bother you on this site no longer. Kelly Martin thinks you are deliberately encouraging my wikipedean-suicide, I loathe prolonged and dramatic deaths, if that is the case just say the word, and I'll be out of here like a rabbit out of a trap. It's your site, you call the shots - time to decide what you want. Giano 22:28, 26 December 2006 (UTC)

Hummingbird!

Awwww, cute!

Nice choice of image. DS 01:38, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks, it's a rare Italian love bird, I find it soothing. Giano 17:45, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Request

Dear Giano,

I noticed that you have a lot of experience with getting articles to FA status. I have been working on the Ohio Wesleyan University page article and am trying to get it to FA status. I was wondering if you could provide some advice on how the article can be improved? Also, any contributions to it will be even more appreciated! Thank you so much for your time! I greatly appreciate it! WikiprojectOWU 01:55, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Not a threat

Giano, if it would help to have another viewpoint, please hear mine, about Peter saying,

"Giano, I would suggest you didn't do that without permission. The reason is alluded to above. If you give out information given in confidence without the permission of all involved, then there could be legal implications, and I certainly wouldn't want that happening with anyone here."

I interpret that as not a threat by Peter to anyone, but rather as expressing Peter's fear of a lawsuit by those quoted without their permission, under laws against violations of privacy.

Yes, that means the public discussion of how decisions are reached here is being made subject to the permission or forbidding, even by whim, of those involved in private discussions. Yes, that contradicts the whole concept of open governance and open records. Yes, that forsakes transparency for opacity. Yes, it's wrong to have such decision-making discussions kept secret.

But that isn't by Peter's doing or choice or decree. He's looking ahead to how other people might respond, not threatening to take any action himself. Please don't take that as a threat by Peter. – SAJordan _contribs 02:30, 24 Dec 2006 (UTC).

I share your frustration. IRC is such bullshit. Therefore, here's a bird. Merry Xmass!

El_C 03:12, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Buon Natale, Giano! I look forward to a share in your projects. For a bird, don't you rather need an ox-pecker? --Wetman 04:03, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

Military service

(Ugh, what a nightmare that suggests. But fear not, this too is not a threat.)

We read that Adolfo Farsari —

was born in Vicenza, Lombardy–Venetia (then part of the Austrian Empire, now in Italy), on 11 February 1841. He began a career in the Italian military in 1859. . . .

My knowledge of the history of the Veneto is almost non-existent, but I believe that (i) Vicenza was still Hapsburg in 1859, and more hazily that (ii) few speakers of Italian (loosely defined) would have wanted to join the Austrian military. Varsari could have hopped over the border into Italy but I don't suppose the Austrian authorities would have looked kindly on his military career there. Or perhaps I've got it wrong and Lombardy–Venetia was only nominally Austrian, its military attracting people from the Veneto as well as speakers of German, Hungarian, Romanian, etc. Any comments or guesses? -- Hoary 12:22, 27 December 2006 (UTC)

season's greetings, my friend

Giano, thank you for standing up to the arrogant, self-satisfied clique that seems to be wiedling all too much power around this place. We rely on people like you to bring sanity to WP. Tony 13:52, 28 December 2006 (UTC)