Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Spawn Man (talk | contribs) at 12:23, 6 October 2005 (New Leaf:). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Welcome to my Talk page. "Discourtesy is unspeakably ugly to me." --Dr. Hannibal Lecter So please use rubber bullets, ok? ;) READY...AIM...FIRE AWAY!

--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 18:29, 18 July 2005 (UTC)

Greetings

Always happy to help, and it's nice to see a fellow TFC player here on Misplaced Pages. Hope you enjoy your stay. No one has given you the welcome message yet, so I'll go ahead and do that for the hell of it:

Welcome!

Hi R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine)! I noticed your contributions and wanted to welcome you to the Misplaced Pages community. I hope you like it here and decide to stay.

As you get started, you may find this short tutorial helpful:

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Happy editing! Nufy8 18:48, 24 July 2005 (UTC)

Thank you for the welcome! And please feel welcome to come visit our server at empyre.no-ip.org:27015. Tell em you're a friend of BadMojo and the red carpet will be rolled out. Unless I'm on, in which case I'll roll it out for you :). --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 18:47, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

Steam (content delivery)

I really don't think we should be replacing accuracy and detail for simplicity. Subscriptions dip into legal territory - that shouldn't be ignored. Be bold! ;-) --Tom Edwards 20:12, 31 July 2005 (UTC)

This is an article on a free encycleopedia, not a corporate-legal brief full of spin and double-speak. We are striving to be informative and objective here, not sock puppets for the gaming industry. On certain matters you will find me quite bold, sir. :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 01:47, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

Personally I find that explanation is itself biased. You recently edited the paragraph describing how Steam has completely locked out illegitimate users from its network from being 'very' to only 'somewhat' successful: I would have thought 100% internal security would be the very defenition of success! If you aren't going to be a little more moderate, it might be for the best to call in an admin to sort things out. --Tom Edwards 12:56, 1 August 2005 (UTC)

There is simply no such thing as 100% security. Valve and those who tote their party line are deluding themselves by believing otherwise. But that is no reason to delude our readers with a deluge of circumlocution. You accuse me of being immoderate? I merely changed one word in that entire biased paragraph. I could have, would have, deleted the entire thing, but I do not wish to engage in a editing war with you. By all means, please, call in the admins. I trust their judgements far more than yours, which I believe are biased in favor of Valve. Moreover I think you have ties to the gaming industry which makes for a clear conflict of interest in writing any fair, unbiased article on the subject. Have a nice day:) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 00:35, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

As far as internal security is concerned, Steam has had complete success since crackers gave up early this year. It's a fact. --Tom Edwards 08:14, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

Oh really? Do you know any of these crackers you mention, personally? Have any of them confirmed this as fact? Do you now or have you ever worked for Valve?

I'm curious...fellow :)

--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 08:36, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

It's hardly a private thing. Even if it has been broken the best thing to do would be to say so, not allude to it. --Tom Edwards 09:01, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

No, that would be just as bad as saying Steam is uncrackable. Besides, if I knew it had been cracked and how and posted about it here, that would constitute original research...a Wiki NONO :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 09:14, 2 August 2005 (UTC)

Theudobod

No problem. It is nice to find articles such as the one your wrote :).--Wiglaf 14:05, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks, and it is nice to have maps such as the ones you contribute...the Wiki needs more quality maps. --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 14:23, 12 September 2005 (UTC)

Welcome:

Welcome to WikiProject Battles R.D.H. I hope you enjoy belonging to our group. If you need anything just ask... But if I need anything from you, will you accept old German beer as payment? Bye... Spawn Man 04:27, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

Thank you S.M. I will do. Old German beer, new German beer, it's all good...but please not old light beer...ICK! See ya on the battlefields:) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 16:23, 13 September 2005 (UTC)

The Great Retreat

Thanks a lot R.D.H for polishing some of my articles. It's good to get fresh eyes & words on the articles. The German beer I ordered from Poland as payment got drunk by this guy on the ship, so now I have to order a whole new crate. It'll be a while... But in the mean time... My newly finished article Great Retreat is now up for some of that life's supply of turtle wax you have... I've asked around, but no one really cares, so I thought I'd ask you... I myself have no idea how to put pictures on articles. So I would love if you could "polish" the article & maybe add a few pics or maps? If you can't, that's okay... Bye... Spawn Man 07:34, 18 September 2005 (UTC)

Hey SM, glad to be of help. I will most certainly have a look at your Great Retreat and see what I can do. Getting pics is easy. But they 1) Have to be in the Wiki Commons. If they are not then you must upload them there..which can be done simply by pressing the upload option under toolbox. And 2) You must know the name of the image you are trying to upload. That name (including extension) goes in the image tag which can be brought up anytime simply by clicking the "Embeded Image" icon.

File:Monkeys-feces.jpg.

If an image is too big and you want to scale it back then add |thumb to the tag like thus:

So it is very much like the ] internal links tags for articles and users, except it has Image: in front and an optional |thumb afterwards. If all else fails, there's always the old Copy and Paste :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 06:20, 19 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the info... If only monkeys threw cash though, the world would be a happier place... Spawn Man 00:40, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Golden Monkey droppings...now that would be something. It would have big implications for the Jewlry and mining industries;) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 11:32, 20 September 2005 (UTC)

Battleboxes

Great work on the battleboxes! A small request, however - please don't use the thumb attribute on the images, since this will override the explicit 300px size attribute and force a strange box-in-a-box display. Kirill Lokshin 00:37, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks, shall do. However, not all image tags have the 300px attribute. Should I replace the |thumb with it instead? (By the way, note I used your "white flag" icon in the box for Battle of Aquae Sextiae to denote the fate of King Teutobod:)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 00:42, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

It's nice to see that the icon is actually useful :)

As far as the image tags go, the 300px attribute should replace the thumb attribute if it is present, or just be added if there are no other attributes. (I think a note to that effect was inserted into the instructions for {{battlebox}} at some point, but I could be entirely wrong about that). Kirill Lokshin 01:17, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Don't see it there, but I'll take your good word for it. I'd rather be creating/editing/expanding articles and boxes than reading rules anyways:) I've just used your flag again in my latest box on the Battle of Ulm.--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 03:19, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Awesome:

Thanks sooooo much for the map in the Great Retreat!!! It's awesome!! It's better than I expected!! I am forever in your debt Sir R.D.H. Ghost in the machineious III. If you need anything please ask... (Still waiting for the German beer though). Spawn Man 03:55, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

Hey it's all about the beer for me...the beer is the life:) But I'm so glad you like the map, young Sir. I only wish I could've found one from the GR itself, showing the armies' routes and engangements rather than from the, slightly later, Race To The Sea/Battle of Aisne phase. But one must work with what one has..what? I'm also glad you've taken such an avid interest in WWI. It too often gets treated as the bastard stepchild of military history or as a mere prologue to WWII. This is a shortsight and injustice. There are so many unsung heroes and almost forgotten battles from that conflict which deserve greater attention. Cheers M8!

Your fellow Wikipedian and comrade in arms, DOOD Ex Machina:)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 06:31, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm glad we're friends... By the way, how do you get one of those little stars on your user page for doing something on articles? Do you put it on there yourself or wait for someone to actually recognise your work & give a toss about you before putting one on? I'm amiss.... P.S. Check out my new article; Maurice Tillet. Just like your opinion on whether it good or crap... You're my opinion man... If I need an opinion, you're the man. P.P.S. What is DOOD Ex Machina?. Spawn Man 04:24, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

1) Those lil stars have to be given by someone else. They wouldnt really mean much if you could just give em to yourself all the time, now would they:)

2) Sure! I'll check your latest out, then post my findings either on its discussion page or on your talkpage.

3) DOOD Ex Machina is a pun on the Latin phrase Deus ex machina. I like puns, especially if they are obscure or in bad taste :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 09:01, 22 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks for the info.Spawn Man

DYK:

We will forever be immortalized in the Misplaced Pages universe. I myself, am surprised the fact made it to DYK, since it was the first fact I've submitted. Of course, it wouldn't be as good as it is without your help. Bye, Spawn Man 02:50, 26 September 2005 (UTC) P.S. I noticed a few people have been editing the article lately, so at least the article got that out of it. Plus I also left my sources on the article's talk page to clarify the whole sources discussion. Could do with 1 mil however... P.P.S. I'm thinking of putting a "Wikifriends" sections on my user page. Do you want to be on it since you're my main colaborator in the war of facts? Mull it over...

Nothing to mull over here, Sure! I'd be honored to be on your WikiFList..:)As for the edit orgy...it comes with the territory, I'm afraid. Some, like Jeff Q, will make positive suggestions and changes, whilst others will make crap edits which add little or nothing and a few might even outright vandalize our work. We need to keep our eyes out and our fingers at the ready the next couple days. Besides, it will be good practice for when you get a Featured Article.--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 08:10, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

KK, nice phrase.."edit orgy". It's catchy... Spawn Man 08:15, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Perhaps I should've said "edit frenzy" as in feeding frenzy. Sigh..here I go again corrupting the youth :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 12:45, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

Muahahahaaaa:

I was going to add you anyway. Muahahaa... By the way, if you want another chance to be immoralized like with Maurice Tillet, you can help me get the Great Retreat article up to FA status so I can submit it. We can be like a team. S.M.R.D.H.T. (Spawn Man and R.D.H Team).After all, you make my articles all pretty with your polishes.. Bye... Spawn Man 08:13, 26 September 2005 (UTC) BTW; I've left a list of stuff to do about the Great Retreat on its talk page. It would be awesome if you could see if you could do anything on it to help. I'll try my best to do the list, but you're much better at pics & better with your words than I am.

No worries, You will become good with words and pics as well with time and practice (Only A few weeks ago I didnt know how to play with Pics on the Wiks either). I'll have another look at the GR and see what I can do. Am busy with other things too though, so many battle articles need expanding or rewriting or just decent boxes. Plus now this completely unexpected Tillet thing. But hey, we already are a team! Maybe not the A-Team but a team, of sorts. One thing though, why does your name get to be first huh? I have seniority as well as senility ya know :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 12:53, 26 September 2005 (UTC)

How bout R.S & S.R. Ltd? Heheheee.... P.S. Left a site which has paranormal story on Tillet talk page... P.P.S. I also expanded the Great Retreat a bit too...

I see..Good job! --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 04:30, 27 September 2005 (UTC)

Heads up:

Just thought I'd give you a heads up; I'm going to be creating the Second Battle of the Aisne soon (tomorrow or day after), & then I'll be able to enter it in the DYK section. So when it's up & going, you could polish it if you want, & get credit for working on it before anyone else (much like the Tillet article). Just so you know... Spawn Man 05:39, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

Roger that SM! Let me know when it's ready...have Turtle Wax(tm) will travel --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 13:12, 28 September 2005 (UTC)

KK... Just don't try & change to much, cause I think this is really awesome... Spawn Man

Plus I've also finished the nephew project, the Nivelle Offensive just now. Spawn Man 10:25, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

Just so you know, the Nivelle Offensive appeared on the main page as a DYK... I hope the Aisne will be appearing on Monday... Spawn Man 03:49, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

I See, you're on an honor roll this week SM! I'll wait until the edit frenzy/orgy dies down before I do anything major with it though. Better that than ending up in another pointless arguement on the discussion page about every little change. We must be bold, but as in battle the timing of our boldness is everything :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 05:17, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

Forget about edit frenzy, I'm on a DYK frenzy!! The Second Battle of the Aisne appeared today on main page. Give me a high 5!!! Spawn Man 21:29, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

• HIGH 5*! I too like the map better in the Battbox, but I wasn't sure if you agreed. I see now you do:) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 14:09, 1 October 2005 (UTC)

Spring Heeled Jack

Please stop removing the fac-error temp. as long as the 35 (!) listed problems aren't adressed. --217.186.222.229 09:36, 29 September 2005 (UTC) Talk

Please discuss this with the article's creator, chief author and contributor first, User:Shauri. I see you are part of the German Misplaced Pages. So please join the English Misplaced Pages also, if you wish to edit here. Of course you don't have to, but it will give your edits here a lot more clout, along with your obviously firm command of English :) Danke --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 09:48, 29 September 2005 (UTC)

Richard O'Connor

Not a problem, it's a good article you've written so I was happy to do the boring stuff to polish it up a bit. Leithp 07:46, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

Thanks! I spent a LOT of time on that article. But the subject ORDERED me to :) I discovered this unsung hero of WWII after reading his obit in 81. I wrote a short term paper on him for one of my history and JROTC classes in High School. Got A's and some acclaim, but I now shudder to think of how juvenile it was (shudder). In many ways, O'Connor was the closest the British had to a Rommel or a Patton in terms of his operational daring and brilliance. The Brits gained a reputation for being a small, plodding army in a vast maneuver war. He showed that with the right leadership they could blitz with the best of them. Unfortunately, he was denied the opportunity to prove this with adequete forces against a first-rate opponent. Rommel and he never really had a fair showdown, which had it occured, would have doubtless been one of the war's most spectacular clashes of commanders. Much as Rommel, later, would never get a fair chance to show what a conniving buffoon Monty truly was. Typing of whom, I could not help but subtly imply Monty had a hand in hamstringing O'Connor's late war career. I recall reading, in one of the less flattering Monty biogs, he even secretly felt O'Connor had been "Compromised" somehow due to his time as a POW. Such was Monty, as a General he was a great politician. C'east La guerre, Mon Frere...--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 09:28, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

I'm not sure I agree with your assessment of Montgomery, as an operational planner he was one of the best, if not the best, of the war. I doubt the D-Day landings would have been remotely as successful without him. Interestingly he seems to have a very poor reputation among Americans, possibly because of his criticism of Patton (and generally behaving like a prima-donna). My personal favourite British general is Bill Slim though, probably the best general the western allies produced. Leithp 09:59, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

I can shoot down Monty's rep as "best operational planner of the war" with two words-MARKET GARDEN. But I won't:) I actually fault him less for that than most do. I even admire the audacity of it. The problem was, when he did come up with a good plan, he picked the wrong chaps to execute it and kept them on too short a leash. He seemed to have a phobia of being overshadowed by one of his subordinates. If he had put a hard charger, like O'Connor at the head of XXX Corps and given him operational leeway, much as Wavell did in N. Africa, then it could damn well have succeeded. As for Overlord, I think he's given far too much credit. I conceed, though, he was a good planner and therefore an excellent staff officer, but that does not mean he was a great battlefield commander. In this was he was more like unto Eisenhower than his arch-rival Patton. No arguements from me about "Burma Bill" Slim, though. He was/is one of the best indeed. I also hold his comrade, Orde Wingate in very high esteem. --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 13:59, 1 October 2005 (UTC)

Ooh, now you've touched a sore subject. Replace Brian Horrocks as leader of XXX Corps! Sacrilege! Glad to hear you like Wingate though, there's nothing like putting a raving loony in charge of an army to get things going. I remember reading Wilfred Thesiger's autobiography and he wasn't too enamoured with having to work with Wingate in Ethiopia. Apparently Wingate travelled during the Gideon campaign on the back of a donkey wearing only his dressing gown. When they found water, Wingate would get off the donkey and place his bare arse in the pond to cool it off while the others were drinking. The guy was a head-case (as we say in Scotland). Leithp 09:25, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

(LAUGHS) Well one can't go through the desert on a donkey without getting a hot ass, now can one?! ;) Yes, Wingate was a madman, but there was a metheod to his madness. He got results, and got them with limited resources against superior enemies. And most, if not all, liked, if not loved him, an impressive achievement in itself. Give me a metheodical madman any day over an, obviously, very gallant commander whose chief gift seems to be a talent for getting himself wounded and captured. Not that I think Horrocks should have been left out of the game completely. By all means give him a command, such as VIII or XII Corps but let XXX Corps be run by blitzer, such as O'Connor or perhaps even Neil Richie.

A very innovative commander, and definitely a tonic for the morale of the Fourteenth Army. I doubt that I would be too keen on him were I on the first Chindit expedition though. Horrocks though was one of the best corps commanders of the war and a very likeable guy to boot (which counts for a lot in my book). And as for saying that Horrocks had a tendency to get wounded (true, but partly why I like him) then you might as well dismiss Rommel for getting ill at inconvenient times. Incidentally, since you seem to have an uncanny knowledge of British generals (for a non-Brit), how about Claude Auchinleck? Rarely has any general been treated so badly by his superiors. Apart from Neil Ritchie maybe, or Wavell. Hang on, there's a link here! Leithp 15:43, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

(Nods) Oh indeed, except for maybe Belisarius, I can't think of another great general who was treated worse by his political "superiors" than The Auk. He was the one who truely beat Rommel at Alamein (with help from Hitler and Ultra of course). Rommel seems to have held him in a very high regard, another indication of his abilities. Auk also deserves credit for the earlier success of Operation Crusader, which I tried to give him in my article on the subject. He also had the bollocks to stand up to Churchill, who could be a real bully with his commanders. This is what ultimately cost him his job and wrote his ticket to India, where great Brit WWII desert generals went to watch their careers die (Wavell, O'Connor, Richie too...hey, there's another link;).

And yes, being liked counts for something in my book as well. Perhaps I was a bit unfair to "Hard Luck" Horrocks.

But regardless of who was in charge in the field, though, they must be given enough operational leeway to carry out their mission without constant interference from but with the full support of headquarters. Monty seemed loathe to give them this. Thanks for the compliment, the collaboration and a good discussion! --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 11:04, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

That sounds like a good idea, none of the articles I've worked on has ever reached FA status so I'd be happy to help. I'll have another look through it at the weekend. I must admit that my knowledge of O'Connor is fairly scant though. A brief section in a book I read about Alamein, a short biography in a book of WW2 generals and a few fleeting references in books covering the whole war. Funnily enough I was re-reading John Keegan's World War 2 last night and he explicitly referred to the Western Desert campaign as not being an example of Blitzkrieg warfare, it being more akin to old-style cavalry battles. I think he referred to O'Connor's campaign as being colonial in character, with long mobile columns rather than the armoured spearheads of Guderian. Do you have an opinion on this? Leithp 10:20, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

Hey, great new pic! Thanks! If we continue in this direction, I think we can have it up to FA quality in no time. I still have to fill in a few "gaps"..interwar stuff mostly..just brief mentions for the sake of completeness. Don't want to bog down the article and have sections of it read too much like a resumee, but place the focus on O'Connor's WWII career where it belongs. I have the UTMOST regard for Sir John Keegan. I'm proud to say my well-worn copy of The Face Of Battle (he wryly noted its condition :) bears his autograph. But on Operation Compass he is, essentially, making the same arguement others have, namely- So what? It was against the Italians. To call it a "colonial" operation, is tantamount to comparing the "Eye-Ties" to a spear-wielding horde instead of a modern, mechanized army. Granted, they were a pretty poor army, but then again, so were the Ottoman Turks Allenby and T. E. Lawrence took on a generation before. So were the Iraqis, more recently. It's the quality of the victory, not the lack of the opponent's which should matter most. O'Connor used maneuver, combined arms, coordination between air, ground and naval units. As well as concentration of force (especially armor) at key points to achieve breakthroughs, then by-pass, isolate and eventually reduce strongpoints. If this was not a blitzkrieg, I don't know what is. Now how much credit O'Connor truly deserves for it, as opposed to Eric Dorman-Smith, is to my mind much more an issue than if was it a great blitkrieg-style victory or not. Thanks again for the pic, the help and the "brain food" M8:) Cheers--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 13:59, 1 October 2005 (UTC)

Do you want to put it through peer review now? Hopefully there might be some constructive comments before it goes through the mauler at WP:FAC? Leithp 11:18, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Sure! if you think it is ready....do you? I'm pretty sure it is. There's bound to be some minor quibbles or ommisions still, but we'll let them find those :)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 12:25, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Okay, let's put it up then. I'll let you have the honour, since it's 99.9% your work (and sterling work it is too). Leithp 12:43, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

One other quick note; can you provide a source and copyright tag for the portrait of O'Connor? If it's official the copyright should have lapsed (being pre-1955). Leithp 12:47, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Well I'd say more in the range of 85-90%, but thanks M8, I will take the honour ;) I believe I got the photo from a book...I think it was Cyril Nelson Barclay, Against all odds: the story of the first offensive in Libya, 1940-41, including extracts from O'Connor's personal narrative (Sifton Praed & Co, London, 1955) which I've added to the reference list. Of course the Photo itself is pre-55. Some fussgut is bound to bitch about it, but if they do so too much we can just UL a new version and relink, recaption--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 13:23, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Okay, I slapped a PD-BritishGov tag on and that should cover it. BTW you made my day by making a reference to Belisarius, I knew that reading that John Julius Norwich book would come in useful one day! Leithp 13:48, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Ahh perfecto bro...that WILL cover it! And you made my day yesterday with that Wingate story ;)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 13:54, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

The deed is done...the die is cast.--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 19:36, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Well, gosh *blush* you gave me far too much credit in the talk page, but I like your summary of O'Connor there. Like all the other British generals of WW2 (with the possible exception of Slim), he now resides in the shadow of Monty and his reputation (and the controversy over that). Your article is, in my opinion, exactly the sort of thing that Misplaced Pages should be aiming for. I doubt that any other general (no pun intended) encyclopedia has such a comprehensive and well-written article on O'Connor , if they have one at all. I missed the moment when you put the page up for FAC as I had an important engagement but, at the time of writing, the only response so far is a positive one. Here's hoping that they remain that way (or at the very least constructive). Leithp 22:26, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Gracias bro! But I'm more than happy to give you co-authorship and due credit. You have made a good article even better. I thought a nice long note on the talk page would help the cause better than a long speech on the nom page. Seems the case, the voting so far is 2 - 1 in favor. The only major problems seem to be the intro para is too short and some of the sections need to be merged. But those can be taken care of easily enough if others also bring them up. You really did'nt miss much...except my slight embarassment. Being an FA newbie, I didnt know you were supposed to add a template, then I found out you had to add another template, and that I put the temp in the wrong place. It was yet another learning experience ;) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 09:28, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Jaxl's RfA

Thank you for your support on my RfA! Robert 16:15, 1 October 2005 (UTC)

My lovely Ghost

Well, it's official: I've become an admin, and it is largely thanks to you. What can one say to thank a trusting, caring friend like you on such an occasion? Words are useless. There is no need to confirm our friendship; such things need no words, but facts, and you've always been there when I needed you. My dear Ghost, just a big THANK you!, from the heart. You'll always have a wikifriend over here. My warmest hug to you! Shauri! Yes babe? 00:12, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

(Blush)once more you flatter me, sweet lady! Not that I mind it...by all means please continue! ;) However, you give me far too much credit. You EARNED the title of admin. It was our friend Wiglaf who nominated you. I was only one voice in the chourus singing your praise and a single vote in the long line of your supporters. So a big CONGRADULATIONS to you, my dearest friend. It is a joy to collaborate with you! You are a great contributor and will be a great admin as well. *MEGA WARM HUG* from your Dood Ex Machina --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 13:33, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

Back off, he's my friend.... Muahahahahaaaaa....cackle....splutter...*chokes to death*... (Just kidding, we can share him....maybe...). Spawn Man

Now Spawn, no need for jealousy, I'm your friend too. And both of you can share me...at least here as a collaborator. Otherwise, however..well she did find me first ;)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 13:33, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

I was joking.......Never mind, most don't get my humour... Me & miss Shauri will have a firm little chat......:< Muahahaaaaaaaaa...Spawn Man

I know you're joking...you may sit down now you stand up commedian ;)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 14:37, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

Riddle me this, is it possible to be a stand-up comedian in a wheelchair?...Spawn Man

Good question, let's put on in a wheel chair and find out :)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 11:11, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

No, I was hinting that I was already in a wheel chair.... Spawn Man 03:53, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

DoH! My bad! Sorry about that M8 :( --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 08:41, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

I meant as in office chair with wheels.... But hey, it works for the ladies & for sympathy.Spawn Man

Aisnes:

All the Aisnes, 1, 2 & 3 are all up!! You may proceed to polish them if you want....

• First Battle of the Aisne.
• Second Battle of the Aisne.
• Third Battle of the Aisne.

I'm gonna try & work on some related links now. Hopefully they wont be deleted in some misunderstanding... Spawn Man 07:31, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

Aye'm on my way, Turtle in tow. Oh, best leave off the links until I've had time to go over the article some. These copyright zealots tend to delete first and discuss later. Tis a wee-bit underhanded, but better than losing the entire article or ending up in an edit war or (mass) debate. --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 14:33, 3 October 2005 (UTC)

I like the job you did on the Aisne article. As the guy who deleted my other article said, it's hard writing about obscure people, cause they usually only have one or two sources... Thanks R.D.H....Spawn Man 22:52, 3 October 2005 (UTC) P.S. I guess you have to be an administrator before people start to recognise the work you do round here aye? Even all that work I've done on WWI, & still, not even a thanks from Project Battles, (apart from you), & the only way to become an administrator is by people recognising you?!? It becomes a vicious cycle... BTW, you should put your articles on your user page so I can see what you've done. P.P.S. Another of my articles appeared on DYK. P.P.P.S. Why was the third aisne a "rough" one?

Some guy, or girl, vandalised my user page.... You're at the top of my list buddy.... I'm watching you carefully... Spawn Man 11:35, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Oh no, my dear Spawn, quite the opposite-you get recognized for your work FIRST, THEN you become an admin, that is if you havent made too many enemies along the way (or even want to be an admin in the first place, which is another matter). It is not quite the Catch-22 you make it out to be. The key, as with so much in life, is PERSEVERANCE. You've had 4 articles now featured on DYK, so you are getting recognition. You are on the right course. Fret not! Chin up! Good point too about my contribs. I need to assemble them in some semblance of an order. Not really sure how, though, (what format I want to present them in etc) and to be honest I'd rather spend time reading, writing and editing than doing this "chore", though it must be done eventually. Now about that 3rd Aisne...it was in pretty rough shape. You left out several important details. For instance there was no mention of the Kaiserschlacht to give it a greater strategic context (which is especially important given that you mentioned so many other related offensives and operations). No mention of the Strosstruppen or their infiltration tactics, which was of great significance to the operation's initial success. Not even the name of the offensive itself, Blucher-Yorck. All of this was readily available right here on Wiki, you could have easily found and added it yourself (there's a reason why we put in all those Infernal Internal Wiki-links ya know;). So this operation turned into more of a rewrite than a polish job. Still, I'm very happy with the outcome too. I think we have a good article on an important, but largely forgotten, battle. In fact of the 3 Aisnes, pain in the arse though it was, I like this one best. Cheers M8:) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 12:14, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

You think I was gonna make editing my work easy for you? (Laughs). Yeah my sources weren't the bestest. But cause you think it was a rewrite rather than a polish, you can be the article's co-writer? Mmmmm, Polish sausage..... Spawn Man 22:33, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

Well I was going to raise my fee...but ok I'll take co-authorship;)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 08:16, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

BTW; Your German beer has arrived. I've all ready sent it to your house in South America, it should be there soon okay? Spawn Man

The deed is done

The dice are tumbling. I submitted the article on Richard O'Connor, Leithp and I've been working on for Feature Status. Please take a look at it then go HERE to cast your votes. --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 20:05, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

I'll see what I can do R.D.H..... Spawn Man

I voted for object against your article....(Just kidding) There are too many red links, but I'll work on that, it's the least I can do...On second thought, after looking at them, they're way too advanced for me. I'd best leave them to the WWII experts. Spawn Man 22:43, 4 October 2005 (UTC)

LOL, thanks bro! Appreciate the good words and STRONG SUPPORT;) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 08:42, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

O Mi Freakin Gosh!!!

Both the articles Battle of Le Cateau & Battle of St. Quentin (1914) have been removed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did those articles ages ago & other people have contributed to them, yet they still get blocked!!! Is there a way to get them unblocked???? This is just crazy!!! I'm so angry it's not funny. I didn't even use the source they stated!!!???!!! They said I used firstworldwar.com, but I got my info from another site & books!!!

::And someone keeps vandalising my user page!!!

Yay!! Crisis was overted thanks to EvilMonkey!! I'm lucky, my head was gonna explode...Spawn Man 02:24, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Whew! Glad things got sorted out! It seems you're a marked Man, Spawn. SIGH...this is another, unfortunate, side effect of getting 4 DYK's in a short length of time. The envious and the anal are gunning for you. If it gets really bad move those articles to your sandbox where they cant get to them, then let me have a go at them. Then repost once the Fuhrer (as we WWII-headz like to say:) has died down. It is flattering, in a way, to be a high profile target. Though personally, I'd rather be a fast-moving target below the radar. Chin up bro! --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 09:06, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

It turns out that the guy who blocked my article thought that because my article & the source's article had the same stats, (Number of casualties/dates etc), that it was a copy right problem. So we explained that that was not actually the case, so now all is good in the Misplaced Pages valley. Spawn Man 09:20, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

I did not want to seem to be dressing you down on your talk page. Nor seem ungreatful for your friendship. But here's a word from the wise to the not yet as wise-Please Back off this whole confrontation with Wiglaf and Shauri. They've made every effort to make peace with you and get along. You should have accepted their offers and moved on. If you wish to hang out with a group of adults and be treated accordingly then behave as one. I know you are capable of this. Otherwise I fear for the future of our newly formed team here. And I really don't want to see you gone. We have a good rapport and work well together. Take care, my friend and please show them you are truly a Spawn Man and not a Spawn Boy.--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 17:22, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Not to sound rude, but R.D.H. all I freaking said was;

Wiglaf:"Nice pictures on your user page" (to Shauri)

Spawn Man:"A bit creepy,....".

Now how was I supposed to know that he would start attacking me & threatening to block me for that???????

I get enough of this shit in the real world. I thought someone would support me, obviously not. I guess you're not my real friend, because a real friend would tell Wigwam to calm the fuack down, as it was only a joke!! I don't care if you or your friends block me, cause as of today, there wont be a user spawn man.... I don't need you, or anyone else. I already have another user I've created & will either be doing work anonymously or through that. I thought a person with a Phd would be a bit more sensible that a freaking two year old. I didn't want to do this, but I'm sick 7 tired of being bullied for anything. I'm sick of it. I've had my share of shit in this life & I would like to be funny & make a joke once in a while to take the spot light away from what utter shit the world is. How was I supposed to know he had a crush on Shauri? He's acting like some alpha male, eg, the warning on her user page, the crude remarks, the who's your daddy personality... I'm done with all this. I don't expect you to contact me R.D.H., cause I know who your buddies are now. Hope you have fun with them. (You're not getting your beer now). Now if you excuse me I have some deleting to do... Spawn Man 00:43, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

I'm truly sorry it has come to this. But the choice is yours not mine. The world can, indeed, be a shit sandwich but bitterness, paranoia and tantrums only makes it worse. Clearly, you have a keen intellect but also some growing up to do and issues to resolve. I only wish I could help you with those as much as I do on your articles. But we must chart our own course and fight our inner demons. In the end we are just a bunch a flawed people trying to make a decent encycleopedia together. Please take care of yourself and try to have a good life. I sincerely hope you do and maybe, one day, if you change you mind we can be a team again...if I'm still around. In the meantime I will still regard you as a friend. Best to you, --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 10:16, 6 October 2005 (UTC) PS/For the record, I may have known my "buddies" here, for a bit longer, but I've collaborated with you a lot more over a much shorter period than I have with any of them. I'm going to miss you.

Richard O'Connor

Hello Ghost. You have written a fantastic article on O'Connor (or Ristard Ua Conchobhar as his people would once have called him). It should be FA. Listen, I don't suppose you know much about his ancestry? With a middle name like Nugent I suppose his roots lay in Leinster? Just curious. Fergananim 15:17, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Hello Fergananim and thank you for the good words. Interesting question! I have done little research on this beyond his parentage. His father was Major Maurice O'Connor, of the Royal Irish Fusiliers (as I mentioned in the article) and his mother was Lilian Morris. However, I suspect, his roots are more Scots-Irish, specifically the "Borderers" among whom are many families with long traditions of military service (including some of my own ancestors BTW :). This would make him more of a British "Mutt" than a true son of Erin. He obviously had strong attachments to Scotland and its people (can't really fault him for that ;) but whether this was due to ancestery or not I'm uncertain. The "Nugent" part is very curious, indeed. I'm not sure where that comes from. It had me looking through the Wiki here the other day and I found a line of Earls of Nugent with lands in County Westmeath, but they became extinct in 1850. I doubt he had any connection to them, though it is not unimaginable. Wish I could provide you with more info on this. But thanks again for the compliments, the support and the "brain food" :)--R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 16:10, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

HDR

Hi again. You keep putting the HDR para under the Steam article with the same comment, that it affects all Steam games. Besides the fact that it doesn't (HDR is purely a Source feature), Steam itself performed very well, distributing the update without any noticable number of problems. The fact that the update harmed people's games has nothing to do with the service, as it does not attempt to audit updates to make sure they work. True, there is (still!) no option to decline updating, but not only is that is covered elsewhere in the article, through the same mechanism Valve could have cleanly reverted the update. In short, the section is for centralised Steam issues, whereas this is a centralised Source issue. Thanks. --Tom Edwards 16:31, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

The paragraph raises a valid problem which DOES EFFECT Steam and SHOULD be addressed. Perhaps the para needs some editing by your arguements, but that does not justify deleting it entirely as you have repeatedly done. By your same logic, why did you edit instead of delete the section on problems with DoD:Source? This is part of a persistant pattern of behavior. Anytime someone makes a legitimite cricism of Steam or Valve, you jump in give some pro-Steam/Pro-Valve Spin or you delete it entirely under some flimsy justification or for some twisted legal/technical reason. Your edit history on the Steam article clearly bears this out. And you still have not addressed my question in our earlier discussion regarding your connections to the gaming industry in general and Valve in particular. Be Bold and be HONEST:) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 16:54, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

The DOD Source problems, which, for your information, I expanded and improved upon, and in fact the whole section, which also for your information, I wrote from scratch, are examples of problems that affect Steam, legitimate criticism you might say. Steam not being able to connect, Steam crashing, and Steam not accepting credit card details in that order. The HDR update on the other hand does not affect Steam in any way, unless you know something I don't, in which case please tell.

I'm not in the industry or anything like that. --Tom Edwards 18:45, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Your self-proclaimed "expansion and improvements" involved side-stepping and belittling the issue. For example, by pointing out that the 10% discount amounts to $2 US. It's the fact of the thing and not the small dollar value which matters. And I'd say not being able to PLAY games via a Steam, such as Dystopia, is also HIGHLY RELEVENT. You automatically assume that this is an HDR problem and Steam is blameless, when Steam has had numerous compatability issues in the past in which it WAS part of the problem. Again, I question your neutrality and your motives. So you are not in the industry, but do you have or have you ever had connections to it? Please tell :) --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 11:33, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

Your request!

Hi Ghost babe! Impressive article! It is excellent, and I think it will surely become FA right away! I also happen to know Leithp, although barely, and he surely struck me as a great editor. So, with your talent and his combined, it's no suprise to see such a great piece of work! I feel that a couple of minor tweakings should be made as to dodge the objections that had been addressed, but I'm not willing to touch the article unless you feel it's the right course of action. The "Assesment" section is the only section where I would recommend a small rephrasing; as it is now, it's basically the only thing people are opposing to. You can count on my support, that's out of the question, but that by itself won't help to get the article to FA imho. What do you think? I know that you have expressed that you don't want to touch that section, so I'm sure it's important to consult you and Leithp as you are the experts and the authors of this beautiful creation. I'm all ears :) Warm hugs! -- Shauri smile! 23:34, 5 October 2005 (UTC)

Hey Shauri! Thanks for your support! It means a lot to me. I, of course, welcome any improvements you see fit. Please have a "Go" at it...even the dreded "Assessment" section, which seems the main contentious bone. This section was entirely my own as are all its flaws. Leithp has no blame in it and I'm sure he will welcome your help as well. I've considered shortening/reworking it a bit myself. This aside, most of the objections seem to be questions of style. We have the facts (IE the expert stuff) down, But YOU have style aplenty M'dear:). As I've said, there are places where it sounds too much like O'Connor's Resumee (Which is one reason I think the assessment section, stylistically counterbalances this). A few choice additions and edits by you could improve it. Again, I'm DELIGHTED you like like it and truly appreciate your advice and help. Warm (and Retaliatory) *HUGS* --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 11:00, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

FA Nomination

What are your thoughts about the comments on the assessment section? I agree with you that there should be some kind of summation at the end, to wrap the article up, but perhaps it could be edited to address the concerns? Currently it doesn't look likely it'll get FA status unless we can convince some of the nay-sayers. BTW I am heading off for a short holiday tomorrow so I won't be able to assist editing the article until Tuesday. Sorry about that. Leithp 11:07, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

Yes, it will come down to that too I'm afraid. I agree with you, it must be rewritten. So I'll do the deed, it is my mess afterall, only fitting I should tidy it up. You have a great holiday, bro! And as they say in The Village, Be seeing you! --R.D.H. (Ghost In The Machine) 11:42, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

New Leaf:

I'm getting a real friend to archive my talk page soon. I want to put all this behind me & never look back. I now know who to stay clear of & what certain people think of me, such as I should grow up. Well when you live my life R.D.H, then we'll see who goes crazy over someone being stuck up. Maybe one day we'll be friends again, maybe never. I DON'T want another message or post about this topic on my talk page after it has been archived, or I'll archive that as well. I'm starting a new page & don't want it ruined. Wearily... Spawn Man 12:23, 6 October 2005 (UTC)