![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Quick Mediawiki question
Feb. 4th, 2011 08:03 pmIn Mediawiki, is there a special page that lists which users have most/least contributions?
I bought a couple cornish game hens to make a small chicken soup with. They're about the size of, oh, a nanday or mitred conure. Bigger than a cockatiel, smaller than a gray.
I wonder, when the Carolina parakeet was hunted to extinction, I wonder how they tasted? There was no reason at all for their hunters to not eat them.
How sad, Wikipedia says the Carolina parakeets tended to flock around their dead.
Also sad, the binomial name for Carolina parakeets is conuropsis carolinensis, and the genus conuropsis is today called aratinga Kappa is an aratinga weddellii (Dusky conure). Aratinga solstitialii (sun conures) were just proclaimed an endangered species within the last 2 years or so.
η: Link to some up-close photos of a Carolina parakeet and a passenger pigeon in the Duke University collection. Don't click that link if images of dead birds squick you out.
I wonder, when the Carolina parakeet was hunted to extinction, I wonder how they tasted? There was no reason at all for their hunters to not eat them.
How sad, Wikipedia says the Carolina parakeets tended to flock around their dead.
Also sad, the binomial name for Carolina parakeets is conuropsis carolinensis, and the genus conuropsis is today called aratinga Kappa is an aratinga weddellii (Dusky conure). Aratinga solstitialii (sun conures) were just proclaimed an endangered species within the last 2 years or so.
η: Link to some up-close photos of a Carolina parakeet and a passenger pigeon in the Duke University collection. Don't click that link if images of dead birds squick you out.
Gawd. This is just horrible - it's not just my students who are internet illiterate. A student studying media tests Wikipedia's influence by vandalizing the page of a recently deceased musician with a falsified quote. The Wikipedia page is pretty quickly reverted, however journalists worldwide cite the quote in their obituaries of the musician. After a month passed without any of the fakes being caught, the student finally contacted the newspapers. Many did not alter their incorrect obituaries, many removed the incorrect quote but made no other changes, and only one publicly acknowledged their error.
Bird Trivia!
Nov. 21st, 2008 05:51 pmFollowing a conversation about training Kappa to go to the grocery store for me while sick, I ended up looking up homing pigeons, and the Wikipedia effect led me to the homing pigeon named Cher Ami, the only animal to receive the Croix de Guerre, akin to our purple heart.
*I started out a bit doubtful at this speed, as a mile a minute is 60mph, but more Wikipedia hunting says they can top 130km/h, or 80mph.
And it was to that hanging leg that the message was attached! Thevets army medics gave Cher Ami amazing treatment, and his life was extended by 9 months, but he did eventually succumb to the injuries. He's now stuffed and mounted in the Smithsonian collection "The Price of Freedom".
As Cher Ami tried to fly back home, the Germans saw him rising out of the brush and opened fire and for several minutes, bullets zipped through the air all around him. The men of the Lost Battalion saw Cher Ami shot down, but he was soon airborne again. He managed to arrive back at his loft at division headquarters 25 miles to the rear in just 25 minutes*, helping to save the lives of the 194 survivors. In this last mission, Cher Ami had delivered the message despite having been shot through the breast, blinded in one eye, covered in blood, and with a leg hanging only by a tendon.
[Wikipedia]
*I started out a bit doubtful at this speed, as a mile a minute is 60mph, but more Wikipedia hunting says they can top 130km/h, or 80mph.
And it was to that hanging leg that the message was attached! The
When teh intartubes flood...
May. 30th, 2007 09:34 pmWikipedia vs. LJ!
And for more LOLz, check the history on that section, it seems to be changing every 5 min.
η: Heh, and even the name of the section changed, so I changed my link. :-P
And for more LOLz, check the history on that section, it seems to be changing every 5 min.
η: Heh, and even the name of the section changed, so I changed my link. :-P
Oh, Arizona
Mar. 22nd, 2007 07:55 pmFormer AZ governor "comes out" that he believes a famous "sighting" in in 1997 called the Phoenix Lights was an alien spacecraft, and says the burden of proof otherwise is on the DOD. *rolls eyes*
Evolution of a Delete
Feb. 15th, 2007 10:11 amHistory
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Checkerboard_Nightmare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Ugly_Hill
Latest
http://starline.livejournal.com/262017.html
http://www.halfpixel.com/2007/02/15/delete-wikipedia/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Starslip_Crisis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents#more_webcomics_stuff
And my own contributions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Sir_Nicholas_de_Mimsy-Porpington#Articles_for_deletion.2FStarslip_Crisis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_review#Starslip_Crisis
Most of these haven't been webcomics that I personally read, but I do not like the vindictiveness and arbitrary nature of the process. If this were a contract, the webcomics would have grounds to grieve, and would probably win.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Checkerboard_Nightmare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Ugly_Hill
Latest
http://starline.livejournal.com/262017.html
http://www.halfpixel.com/2007/02/15/delete-wikipedia/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/Starslip_Crisis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents#more_webcomics_stuff
And my own contributions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Sir_Nicholas_de_Mimsy-Porpington#Articles_for_deletion.2FStarslip_Crisis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_review#Starslip_Crisis
Most of these haven't been webcomics that I personally read, but I do not like the vindictiveness and arbitrary nature of the process. If this were a contract, the webcomics would have grounds to grieve, and would probably win.
Music of the Ages
Jan. 30th, 2007 08:25 pmThis video of someone playing the Legend of Zelda theme on a theremin would've been amusing even if it didn't introduce me to the only instrument I know of that operates on the same principles of an RLC circuit.
Meanwhile, Gabe prefers this one, chirruping in time to it, and on pitch too. :-P
ETA: Oh, and if you can get me a better description of the physics behind the theramin, you get a virtual cookie!
Meanwhile, Gabe prefers this one, chirruping in time to it, and on pitch too. :-P
ETA: Oh, and if you can get me a better description of the physics behind the theramin, you get a virtual cookie!
Surreal...
Dec. 19th, 2006 01:44 amI've decided that whenever I'm bored now I'm going to try and visit the Spanish Wikipedia and see what I can puzzle my way through. I can already read "subway Spanish," meaning simple phrases, small vocabulary, present tense; this is to help me with more vocabulary, and to see things in the proper context.
I started this evening with learning about the historical ways of classifying living things before the current three-kingdom ("reina") system, and then I hit Random Page (Pagina Aleatoria - just figuring out which was the random page link took a bit of puzzling). And ended up with an article (in Spanish) about a Japanese term. I should check out the English version just so I know WTF's going on. Or else just skip to something that I can understand better from the context.
I started this evening with learning about the historical ways of classifying living things before the current three-kingdom ("reina") system, and then I hit Random Page (Pagina Aleatoria - just figuring out which was the random page link took a bit of puzzling). And ended up with an article (in Spanish) about a Japanese term. I should check out the English version just so I know WTF's going on. Or else just skip to something that I can understand better from the context.
(no subject)
Nov. 13th, 2006 07:04 pmIf my next vacation isn't to Australia, it's going to have to be to Telegraph Hill, San Francisco, to visit with the "Wild Parrots" - a flock of feral red-masked parakeets aka cherry-headed conures mostly descended from escaped/released pets.
as usual at my yearly checkup this past week my doc told me i should exercise more - or at all. she also pointed out that i could use my inhaler before exercise to prevent an asthma event (i wouldn't call them quite attacks for me). so i did so today, and then went for a 20-minute jog/walk.
omg, asthma-wise it was awesome! never had a single asthma-related thing. usually i start feeling wheezy when my heart rate gets around 140-145. today i got all the way up to 178 and never felt an asthma thing. however, i did feel horribly short of breath and dizzy and even a little nauseuous. it occurred to me to look up what's supposed to be a good exercise heart rate. i'm resting and recovring while doing so, heart rate at 132.
According to Wikipedia, my theoretical max is 192 bpm (by the 220-age method). My asthma usually acts up at 140bpm or 73% of my max, which is actually in a good zone for exercising. Today I got to 178 bpm or 93% of my max. Um, that's actually NOT all that good, that's in the "Red Line Zone" where they say you shouldn't be exercising w/o doc's approval. Bleh, no wonder I'm dizzy and my temperature's all off and my fingers are tingling and I had a bit of dry heaves. Whee.
i'm almost done lying down, getting back to feeling normal. 90bpm. (70bpm was my rest at the doc's) Hm, another method of calculating theoretical max says that mine should be 187bpm. that means my 178 bpm was at 95%. Scary.
omg, asthma-wise it was awesome! never had a single asthma-related thing. usually i start feeling wheezy when my heart rate gets around 140-145. today i got all the way up to 178 and never felt an asthma thing. however, i did feel horribly short of breath and dizzy and even a little nauseuous. it occurred to me to look up what's supposed to be a good exercise heart rate. i'm resting and recovring while doing so, heart rate at 132.
According to Wikipedia, my theoretical max is 192 bpm (by the 220-age method). My asthma usually acts up at 140bpm or 73% of my max, which is actually in a good zone for exercising. Today I got to 178 bpm or 93% of my max. Um, that's actually NOT all that good, that's in the "Red Line Zone" where they say you shouldn't be exercising w/o doc's approval. Bleh, no wonder I'm dizzy and my temperature's all off and my fingers are tingling and I had a bit of dry heaves. Whee.
i'm almost done lying down, getting back to feeling normal. 90bpm. (70bpm was my rest at the doc's) Hm, another method of calculating theoretical max says that mine should be 187bpm. that means my 178 bpm was at 95%. Scary.
Argh! Someone left me out of the loop! They've finally officially named 2003 UB313 ("Xena") Eris, but I don't know when, or why it's not a creation god. *grumble grubmle* I'm going to have to go huntin'.
ETA: Ah, there we go, it was on Sept 13, this past Weds.
ETAA: And care of FFS!, here's the NY Times link.
ETA: Ah, there we go, it was on Sept 13, this past Weds.
ETAA: And care of FFS!, here's the NY Times link.
Throughout her teenage years at a private Catholic school, she was often teased for her looks, and considered herself to be an ugly duckling. This prompted her to throw herself into her studies, and she went to college, preparing for a competitive career. She spent years of hard work, never a moment off of her efforts striving to be the best. She speaks three languages (English, Ukrainian, and Spanish), and knows a scattering of words in other languages.
Her career is very time demanding, and she has very little time to herself between working at home after hours, and business travel, yet somehow she has managed to write a book. Unfortunately, her fast-paced career has taken a toll on her personal life, and although she has twice been married, the first one was annulled and the second ended in a divorce. However, many analysts believe her career is still rising, as she has recently agreed to a major contract, and is working on another one.
( Who am I talking about? )
Her career is very time demanding, and she has very little time to herself between working at home after hours, and business travel, yet somehow she has managed to write a book. Unfortunately, her fast-paced career has taken a toll on her personal life, and although she has twice been married, the first one was annulled and the second ended in a divorce. However, many analysts believe her career is still rising, as she has recently agreed to a major contract, and is working on another one.
( Who am I talking about? )
Nuestro Himno III
May. 1st, 2006 08:53 pmNPR to the rescue! Their translation seems a lot better (that is, both more coherent, and less offensive) than the Chicago Tribune -based one I cobbled together before. The reason for that? There's apparently two mixes of it, one with a rap breakout section, and one without, and the breakout is the controvertial part.
And in case you're curious, Wikipedia has all four verses of the original English, as well as another English translation of the Spanish version, different from the NPR translation.
And in case you're curious, Wikipedia has all four verses of the original English, as well as another English translation of the Spanish version, different from the NPR translation.
In the attempt to read more about Blue Laws regulating the sale of alcohol and other goods on Sundays, I stumbled across the original set of Conecticut Colony laws, which were called Blue Laws after they were published on blue paper (or one of various other stories as to why the name).
Some were amazing to me to read today, including the establishment of one of a few state religions, though Friends (Quakers) were not one of them - converting to Quakerism was punishable with banishment (better than Islamic nations!), but if you tried to return you'd be put to death (well, not much better, though only one religion was explicitly persecuted). You could be disenfranchised if you twice voted for an atheist. You're not allowed to kiss your kid on Saturday, because it's the Sabbath. Premarital sex was punishable with forced marriage, and adultery with death. If you don't live with your spouse you'll be thrown in jail. Bowl cuts were mandatory for men.
And I'm not sure how to interpret #42: "A wife shall be deemed good evidence against her husband." Does this mean a woman could be a witness against her husband? Or that a woman's word was as good as her husband's word? Or that anything a woman promises the man must be held liable for? Or vice versa?
Some were amazing to me to read today, including the establishment of one of a few state religions, though Friends (Quakers) were not one of them - converting to Quakerism was punishable with banishment (better than Islamic nations!), but if you tried to return you'd be put to death (well, not much better, though only one religion was explicitly persecuted). You could be disenfranchised if you twice voted for an atheist. You're not allowed to kiss your kid on Saturday, because it's the Sabbath. Premarital sex was punishable with forced marriage, and adultery with death. If you don't live with your spouse you'll be thrown in jail. Bowl cuts were mandatory for men.
And I'm not sure how to interpret #42: "A wife shall be deemed good evidence against her husband." Does this mean a woman could be a witness against her husband? Or that a woman's word was as good as her husband's word? Or that anything a woman promises the man must be held liable for? Or vice versa?
