Battlestar Wiki:Administrators' noticeboard/Archive5

Archive - Between March 6, 2007 and June 5, 2007
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Advertisement from hotest-tgp-pics.com

When accessing a page on BSWiki just now, I ran into a very annoying advertisement. Before the page had even loaded, I was redirected to hotest-tgp-pics.com (not even in a new window or tab, so it overwrote the page I was viewing), which in turn resized my window to minuscule proportions, then put up a message box over it. Because my PC is slow, I can follow this, but on a fast PC it would seem like my browser window had disappeared. The message box was a misleading advertisement from SystemDoctor, stating there were errors in my Registry (I'm running Linux, so I don't even have a registry) and telling me to click OK if I wanted SystemDoctor to check my non-existent registry, or click Cancel if not. After clicking Cancel, I was led to SystemDoctor's download page. I used the Back button to go all the way back to BSWiki, where I finally got to view the page I was visiting in the first place. When I (voluntarily) revisited hotest-tgp-pics.com, I got a similiar advertisement from ErrorSafe, which was just as misleading and annoying as SystemDoctor's. A third visit led me to errorprotector.com, advertising (less obtrusively, though) a product similar to ErrorSafe and SystemDoctor.

I propose that this advertisement be banned from BSWiki for the following reasons:

1. It is misleading (it always says there are errors in your Registry, even if your Registry is fine or you don't even have one);
2. It is obtrusive, as it overwrites the page I'm visiting. Compared to this, popups would be a service (at least they leave your current page intact);
3. It may confuse unexperienced users, because their browser window seems to vanish and multiple clicks on the Back button are needed to go back to BSWiki.

--Catrope 14:05, 6 March 2007 (CST)

On a more detailed look, I noticed errorprotector.com and systemdoctor.com are identical except for the name and the color scheme ^^ Go figure how honest this company is. --Catrope

Pffft ad companies. A word with AdBrite might be worthwhile. In the mean time add the urls to the blacklist. --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 15:46, 6 March 2007 (CST)

Kara Thrace and Maelstrom Discussions

Admins: I just put my virtual foot down in the Character Elimination subtopic in the Humanoid Cylon Speculation article, asking discussions to cease, because unnecessary and circular debate on Starbuck was going on. The talk was a perfect example of what we're not a place to chat forever. I know that Wikipedia has had a similar problem with other popular pages there, like the various articles for the TV show "Heroes." I don't want our wiki to look like an ugly Windows operating system with more banners and warnings than content like what Wikipedia has become, so let's be on our toes throughout the week to keep talk page discussions relevant and brief, warning users on their talk pages if necessary. Hopefully I'm not being too brash, but understandably there are many fans who are unglued by "Maelstrom" and we have to keep the consistency and accuracy of the wiki as well as managing questions but limit talk page speculation. In a way it's a good thing; Starbuck and the show have become dear to our hearts. But "it's just a TV show: we should really just relax..."--Spencerian 21:28, 7 March 2007 (CST)

No problem. Thanks Kevin! -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 21:40, 7 March 2007 (CST)

But... but... but... That's fine with me. If there were novel arguments being made, I would advocate continuing the discussion. As it stands, it seems to be one person attempting to argue against a crowd. This is NOT a democracy, so the sheer numbers shouldn't be the only deciding factor. A lone voice making an impassioned, logical argument CAN sway consensus. That being said, the consensus seems pretty clear in this matter, and unless new evidence comes to light or there are novel arguments to be made, we should just let that one drop for right now. --Steelviper 07:43, 8 March 2007 (CST)

Yeah, I didn't want to just end the discussion because it was annoying, but because it become less a debate than what should be in the article based on its subject matter. Starbuck's resurrection (if it happens) isn't a real topic appropriate to that article, nor is the metaphysicals of other SF in comparison to BSG. It really got off a tangent from the article subject. If a similar discussion (if kept brief) happened on Thrace's character page, I'd be less likely to ask the discussion to end given the circumstances. --Spencerian 10:17, 8 March 2007 (CST)

403 Errors

I have a note about this on the Crossroads Pt. 1 talk page 'cause that's where I was having the problem first, but it's been spreading, I keep running into pages where it tells me I'm forbidden to go there. I dunno what might be causing it :/ --BklynBruzer 12:46, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

Ok this is getting frakking annoying. It's stopped happening on Crossroads Pt. 1 but now I can't look at the Main Page. --BklynBruzer 13:12, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

I just reproduced the error. I have no idea what caused it though. Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 14:01, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

I get it from time to time as well. No idea what could be responsible for that, though. When I refresh the page, it just loads normally. --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 14:51, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

I just saw a text-only version of the Recent changes page after waiting nearly 5 minutes. But once I accessed this page, the speed of the wiki appears normal. I use the nested javascript-powered view in Recent changes, and I have also experienced that 403 error. --Spencerian 15:19, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

I'm thinking there's a squid thing... Where's the Seaview when you need her? -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 19:17, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

Aye. I just increased and spread out the directories more than space. We just are to darn popular. We need mirrors. :-) Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 19:20, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

Still getting a 403 error, though. Heh. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 20:45, 17 March 2007 (CDT)

source on character´s pages

Hello!

My computer forgot to add the stylesheet one day and your pages came in view: white page, text and pictures only, no frames etc. ALL hidden text was revealed and to my surpise, it said under every character ...is a Humanoid Cylon.

Source :

Lee Adama is a <a href="/wiki/Humanoid_Cylon" title="Humanoid Cylon">Cylon</a> Lee Adama is an Original Series Cylon

Hm, according to you everyone (...) is a Cylon? Only one click away.

Ps. I´m very glad I recently found this Wiki-pages. Dutch television is still halfway season two and have delayed the rest of the season...again! A!&&"(_&"(A!! Looking forward to take a good look around when you´ve finished. So much to learn!

Good hunting, —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ristridin (talk • contribs).

Hi, Ristridin. Our template that allows us to change the status of a character is revealed a bit too much if the site is viewed without the style sheet. We know that Lee Adama isn't a Cylon, but we're still sorting out what the season 3 conclusion gave us. You're going to love it. --Spencerian 16:06, 31 March 2007 (CDT)

The problem is actually even worse. In the week after "The Son Also Rises" aired, someone Googled Romo Lampkin (a character introduced in this episode), and Google came up with the "Romo Lampkin is a Cylon" part of the page. Now Romo Lampkin is not a Cylon (as far as we know...), but it made him think he was spoiled. The templates we use should not output unwanted info at all instead of just hiding the table cell. It's easy to do with an {{#if:condition|then|else}} construct (Shane knows what I mean).

Also, as you haven't seen the entire series yet, I recommend you only read the articles about the episodes themselves (i.e. Miniseries, Night 1 through Resurrection Ship, Part II, the episodes that have aired in NL). Other articles (like William Adama) may contain spoilers. --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 10:09, 10 April 2007 (CDT)

Ahead Warp Factor 5, Mr. Sulu

Oh my gods -- the wiki is practically smoking with the stronger web server and Apache. Very nice work to everyone responsible for the upgrade. --Spencerian 08:29, 9 April 2007 (CDT)

So say we all! JubalHarshaw 08:30, 9 April 2007 (CDT)

It's running like a dream, nice job! --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 08:44, 9 April 2007 (CDT)

And squid isn't even running yet. LOL ;-) -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 18:42, 9 April 2007 (CDT)

Once Squid's up, I'm sure the wiki will move so quickly it'll get to the 12 colonies before Galactica gets here. --BklynBruzer 19:10, 9 April 2007 (CDT)

User Page template

Hi everyone. The red links from new users' User pages hit me wrong every time I view recent changes. Can we set up a standard new user User page template? I was thinking something along the lines of Shane's (with suitable modifications, of course) as that is what many of us use anyway :) ... but even a generic "This is your user page. You can use this to help other wikipedians get to know you" etc. etc. etc. would work. Possible new project? JubalHarshaw 13:20, 15 April 2007 (CDT)

While I'm not a fan of red-links by any means, I've always felt that the user page was their page to do with as they please, as so long as they obeyed the guidelines and policies. To force people to have a user page doesn't strike my fancy at all, since it's more or less their space, not the community's. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 14:48, 15 April 2007 (CDT)

Makes sense to me. Thanks. JubalHarshaw 18:16, 15 April 2007 (CDT)

user page

Hi. I´m new in here and I want to create a user page and dont know how. Where can I find a tutorial ? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by BattleStar Orion (talk • contribs).

Depends on what you want on it. If you want a really fancy user page like some people here have (for example User:Spencerian or User:Mercifull) it might be best to copy the content from theirs and edit it as you need. If you just want a user data field, then this will explain the user data template: Template:User Data --Serenity 12:38, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

A tutorial about how Battlestar Wiki works can be found here. Also please sign your comments with --~~~~; it will automatically expand to your username and a time stamp. --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 12:46, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

Racy Ads?

Hi folks. Well, let me propose this and see if gets shot down. Is there any way the advertisements for sites that are selling pornography could be removed from the site? The only reasons I can give are (1) I find them rude (2) My family members find them rude (3) I think they detract rather than add to the experience of the site. (4) I don't think they have anything to do with the subject matter at hand. Mokwella 13:25, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

Those ads shouldn't be displayed in the first place. --Serenity 13:27, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

That's true. --Steelviper 13:28, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

Definitly 100%! I havnt seen them (probably because im not in America) If i see Joe ill get him on it. Do you know the url of the advert? --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 13:56, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

If you can get me the URL, or even a description of what the ad looks like, please feel free to do so and I'll get right on it. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 14:55, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

Now that we've mentioned it I haven't seen it repeat. I know they were getting blocked by my work filters, though, so it would have been hard for me to report the url. Right now all I can seem to get is gottabet.com and the car advice site for women (which seems odd considering the demographics of our editors... perhaps we have more female readers than I am aware of). --Steelviper 15:15, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

I just had an ad scream at me that I am eligible for an Apple iPhone. Loud, brash, and annoying. Can we add that to the list of bad ads? Ah, necessary evils. If only I were independently wealthy. JubalHarshaw 22:22, 18 April 2007 (CDT)

It seems all the "bad ads" are all 3rd party ones not specifically AdBrite ones. Joe, you should set the ad zone to manually accept network ads. It doesn't add much work and it means you can deny the ads that you dont feel are appropriate. --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 03:04, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Jubal, if you can let me know what ad was playing at the time, I can be sure to run across it and reject it. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 05:24, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Ok, I've set it so that all ads have to be approved by me before they are run... There are 441 of them to go through, so I'll have to go through 'em sometime tonight. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 05:12, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Its easier that it sounds. Most of those 400 will be text only ads and you can approve 25 at a time so it doesnt take too long. Its the 3rd party ones which are probably causing the trouble. I dont allow them at all. --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 05:59, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Well, if I were to bulk add or reject ads, then yes, it's easier than it sounds. But I'm more interested in reviewing the content we're essentially linking to before I make a determination on accepting it or not. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 17:55, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Thanks! I appreciate it. Mokwella 16:50, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

New article: Eddie Seidel, Jr.

I'm new here, but do edit Wikipedia quite oft. I'm just wondering if an article on this suicide is worth making around these parts. Here's an external link that details this kid and what happened: TV Death . DrWho42 08:14, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

For those who don't see the connection immediately, this is about a 15-year old kid who committed suicide after ABC canceled the Original Series. I don't believe it belongs here, but then I don't really have authority here. Better wait for an admin response. --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 08:43, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Interesting story, one that I had never heard of before, but I don't think it's BSGWiki content. --BklynBruzer 09:10, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Hi, DrWho42. Since Battlestar Wiki isn't a news site or general information source, an article for this is probably not the best since the boy was not a cast or crew member and had no other affiliation with the show. Many of us here would probably want to document the international heartbreak of psoriasis, gnashing of teeth and lamentations of our women when Galactica 1980 aired, but for the same reasons it wouldn't make for a germane article. Thank the gods that the kid met his demise before he saw THAT train wreck. (You did give me an idea for a silly page, however.) :) --Spencerian 09:19, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Yay, more silly pages! --BklynBruzer 09:45, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

We should note this as an unfortunate reaction to ABC's cancellation of BSG in the Battlestar Galactica (TOS) article, but not as an article by itself. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 17:14, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

Done. I also updated the page to fit more of the after-story of the series and later developments. --Spencerian 18:57, 19 April 2007 (CDT)

S.C.I.F.I. World

Since we already have an article covering the Sci Fi Channel, I was thinking an article covering this would be as helpful due to the frequent marathons of Battlestar Galactica along Intergalactic Land (and so on). It's also mentioned through this 2005 article: The strange saga of Biodomes Galactica. Additionally, the airdates thereof could prove useful (my main resource for past Sci Fi schedules tends to be: The Inner Mind. DrWho42 20:23, 26 April 2007 (CDT)

Hi there. The articles Battlestar Galactica (SDS), Battlestar Galactica: The Second Coming, and Battlestar Atlantis cover the revival efforts (which are noted on that page). The "biodomes" thing appears to be a story concept that never made it to any level of significant development from the Singer/DeSanto project, so it can be included there. It doesn't seem that another article need be made, and the article should be taken with a grain of salt as they are subjective articles with no sourcing. --Spencerian 22:46, 26 April 2007 (CDT)

Visibility of articles about "meta" topics

With meta I mean articles that deal with the show as in very general ways. Specifically Themes in Battlestar Galactica (RDM) and Philosophy in Battlestar Galactica. These are pretty interesting topics, but they are kinda lost. Mostly because they are entirely out-of-universe and thus can't be linked easily. So I'm thinking of creating something like "Twelve Colonies" series for these to make them more visible.

Though that alone won't make them instantly visible either. They need to be linked to from somewhere. A start would be Battlestar Galactica (RDM). Any other ideas? --Serenity 16:46, 2 May 2007 (CDT)

They can be placed in a "See also" section of the Battlestar Galactica (RDM), and maybe linked from episodes where these themes are apparent. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate - Sanctuary Wiki — New} 17:12, 21 May 2007 (CDT)

Right, I totally forgot about the general BSG page. --Serenity 17:17, 21 May 2007 (CDT)

Nationality tag broken

The nationality flags, as I see it in Leo Li Chiang, shows it broken. Flags don't display, and a "void" message appears. -- Spencerian 12:07, 4 May 2007 (CDT) ^{(Talk - Contrib Skillz - Edit Skillz)}

Been trying to fix a create a problem.... this "what links here" is the resault of non-filled nationality tags. I been trying to make it go away so that's why it's like that. :) Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 15:09, 4 May 2007 (CDT)

Nielsen ratings chart.

Since we have the ratings listed for every RDM episode, I would think having a chart as this one* would be helpful. *(example for Star Trek: The Next Generation) Though, what is our source for the posted Nielsen ratings? It seems like the Nielsen Galaxy Report is often cited along Sci Fi Wire, but I can never seem to find a website for this. DrWho42 16:53, 5 May 2007 (CDT)

A problem with Nielsen ratings is that they're apparently copyrighted.[1] I'm not sure how that works, how can you copyright a number :-(? Matthew 18:21, 5 May 2007 (CDT)

You can't... You can copyright how those results are achieved, in addition to a full text, but not a number. In any event, creating a chart for educational purposes would arguably fall under "fair use". Also, what I think the Neilsen people are ultimately concerned about are people who wish to repost their results as their own. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 23:23, 5 May 2007 (CDT)

Ah, so we could a chat here? I can see its usefulness. Matthew 02:48, 6 May 2007 (CDT)

the futon critic on its ratings data policy: "[According to Nielsen, publication of] historical data (a.k.a. archived information) is strictly forbidden." --Pedda 08:28, 6 May 2007 (CDT)

Maybe we should just contact the Nielsen folks and ask them if we can get a chart of all BSG ratings (or make the chart ourselves with their numbers). Just to make sure that we have the correct numbers and that we won't be bothered by copyright issues. --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 15:04, 8 May 2007 (CDT)

Sounds like an idea. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate - Sanctuary Wiki — New} 17:13, 21 May 2007 (CDT)

If we ask, we should ask what their rating include so people can click on the Nielsen rating link and understand what the numbers mean, as most people do not. What does the information mean, what sources, etc. --Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 05:21, 22 May 2007 (CDT)

Aye, that'd also help. The only thing I've figured out about these ratings is that higher is better, but I have no idea how they're calculated or what exactly a rating of 1.5 means. --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 08:48, 22 May 2007 (CDT)

Professional Photographer copyright

While communicating with a photographer re: permission to use a photo of Mark Sheppard I came across a mistake in the Cast Data template (he also requested the image been kept in a smaller resolution but that wasnt really a problem and i sorted that easily). There was an option for a "credit" filed but when you filled it out it didn't show on the actual page. I have now corrected this and added it in. See Mark Sheppard but perhaps we should go through some of the other pictures and add copyright information to them on the article pages too. Covering out backs for copyright and fair use etc. --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 10:09, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

Yeah, that's fine. Also, we'll need to make sure we credit the photographer / source on the image's description page as well. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 10:37, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

It would be wise methinks to go thru as many of the images as we can checking everyhting is tagged etc before Seson 4. --Mercifull ^{(Talk/Contribs)} 11:57, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

I'm generating a to-do list, which should be up in a few days. Obviously, I encourage people to come up with their own, so we can determine what we need to do before 2008. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate} 12:05, 14 May 2007 (CDT)

Problems with Image Placement

I've had problems in adding pictures to cast/crew biographies. See Geller and Desperate man for successful uses of an image there. When try to use the same image in the actor's cast bio article, I get a red link. See Mike Mitchell for that example. Thoughts? --Spencerian 22:53, 24 May 2007 (CDT)

I'm at a loss to explain it, perhaps Shane can take a look and see what's going on. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate - Sanctuary Wiki — New} 23:27, 24 May 2007 (CDT)

Ok, the issue is that you can't leave the "size" attribute blank. Otherwise, it'll act as if the image doesn't exist. To fix this, it's best to just remove the size field from the {{Cast Data}} template whenever it's being used. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate - Sanctuary Wiki — New} 23:46, 24 May 2007 (CDT)

Official series end announcement

Hollywood North Report

So the series will officially end with Season 4. Also "Razor" (the DVD movie) will be released in November. According to SciFi and the BSG staff, ending the show was a creative decision. --Serenity 01:24, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

Strangely, this news hasn't appeared on Sci Fi Wire (yet?). Shall we wait for Sci Fi to post it before we put it up at BW:NEWS? --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 06:43, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

"Mrs. Ron" has confirmed matters prior to the official announcement to come in a message on Sciffy, so that's good enough for me. There's still a good season's worth of fun to come. --Spencerian 09:11, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

Nothing new here, move along. ;-) -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate - Sanctuary Wiki — New} 09:23, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

It's official. Too bad, but let's hope Eick was right about "going out with a bang". --Catrope^{(Talk to me or e-mail me)} 09:54, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

The Spanish Version of the Wiki - error creating account

I tried to register on the Spanish Battlestar Wiki site but when I try to create an account, I get the error: "reCAPTCHA: Domain not authorized for key". (This is for the word recognition part of registration.) I'm not sure how to contact the person who can fix the error at the Spanish site - any ideas? I'd really like to help beef up the Spanish site - it's pretty outdated. For example, it lists Chief Tyrol as unmarried, etc.

Is there a way I can log into the other site with my English-wiki account info?

Thanks! --Aheaslip 02:02, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

I need to know the excat error. Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 03:55, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

Never mind. Joe will need to add the es domain as vaild reCAPTCHA account. Shane ^{(T - C - E)} 04:01, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

Fixed. Not to sure what the error was, though. -- Joe Beaudoin ^{So say we all - Donate - Sanctuary Wiki — New} 09:04, 1 June 2007 (CDT)

New Zealand Broadcast Dates

If these could be added to the international section:

Season Two has just started it's first-run screening in New Zealand, on Tuesdays at 11.15pm on terrestrial channel TV3. On the 12 of June, the next episode to air will be Fragged (ep 203). Satellite channel Sky One (NZ equivilent, not related to the UK version) previously screened Season One over January & February but this has now ended.

Also, it would be nice if you could list Australia AND New Zealand when it comes to DVD releases. Generally we are 2-3 weeks behind OZ when it comes to DVD releases, and our sets are usually identical (IE we only got Season 2 as a 20-episode set, none of this 2.0 & 2.5 nonsense). I will try and keep you up to date with what happens over here. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Triton (talk • contribs).

Thanks, Triton. We rely on international contributors for just this information and will try to enter it on the main page. --Spencerian 17:56, 5 June 2007 (CDT)

Re-imagined Series definition: Battlestar Group ^{(TRS: "Water")}. It also doubles as an acronym for the television series itself.

Re-imagined Series definition: all-purpose vulgarism; Colonial version of "fuck" (see: frak)