User talk:David E. Volk: Difference between revisions

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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0.5em solid rgb(200,200,200); padding: 0.5em;">This author is no longer active on the ''Citizendium''</span></div><br />
[User bio is in User:Your Name]
[User bio is in User:Your Name]


== Hurricane is coming! ==
== Resigning Biology Editorship ==
Wish us well in sleepy Galveston, Tx.  It looks like Tropical Storm (or Hurricane) Edouard is set for a direct hit on Galveston tomorrow morning about 8 am or so. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 10:57, 4 August 2008 (CDT)
I signed up for CZ and requested to be a Chemistry Editor, based on my PhD in Chemistry. After looking over my publications, Larry Sanger approved me to be a Biology Editor as well. Given the mood of the current Editorial Council, a council on which I once sat, and their new standards, I feel it only appropriate to resign this editorship. I do so not to make a public statement of any kind, but because I am unsure that my education, research interests and publications would necessarily qualify me under the current standards. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 19:15, 26 January 2011 (UTC)
 
:I keep my fingers crossed--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 11:12, 4 August 2008 (CDT)
 
 
== Now Hurricane Ike is coming ==
Being about 11 miles east of Galveston, TX, in Jamaica Beach, it looks like what Eduardo left behind Ike is about to fully destroy.  News reports have the current storm surge at 8 ft, and the hurricane hasn't even hit the Galveston area yet. This one looks to be a truely devastating storm for the Galveston-Houston area. For those of you watching the news,
Jamaica Beach is about 11 miles west of 61st in Galveston, which they keep showing on the news.  Wish us well and I hope to be back to working on CZ soon. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 13:47, 12 September 2008 (CDT)
 
I wish you all the best...I hope you are prepared, and "godspeed" to your return! --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 13:55, 12 September 2008 (CDT)
 
:: Thanks Larry.  We are holed up and safe in SW Houston area to avoid the storm surge. Unfortunately, my house, my mother-in-law's house, and those of many friends are in great peril on the west end of Galveston Island where there is no Seawall.  Family, friends and pets will all be saved, and that is the important part. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 14:50, 12 September 2008 (CDT)
 
:::: I'm very glad everyone is safe, at least. --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 15:09, 12 September 2008 (CDT)
 
Well, David--it's passed now, I see.  I hope you, your family, and your property are all right... --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 18:42, 13 September 2008 (CDT)
 
== Tornado rips roof off of my hotel ==
Well, we had to be saved by the Jersey Village Fire Department after the hotel that I evacuated to had its roof ripped off during the huricane.  It was the second (top) floor that I was in.  About 3 am, firemen pounded on our hotel door, Motel 6 in Jersey Village, demanding evacuation.
About 100 ft. of our hotel roof was ripped off by a tornado as the hurricane passed by. We leashed the dogs and rushed into the 80 mph winds and huddled in the office until the 80 or so of us were bussed to the Jersey Village Baptist Church a few blocks away.  We were evacuated from our evacuation!!  Pictures of the hotel have been playing all over Texas, so you might have seen it nationally as well.
 
On a brighter note, I saw my house in a new satelite image and the living quarters are still standing.  The bottom storage area has been ripped away.  My mother-in-law's house suffered similar damage.  Everyone is very curious as to why the government refused fly-overs above Jamaica Beach and surrounding areas for so long. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 02:00, 17 September 2008 (CDT)
 
Thanks for the update, David--amazing.  I'm very glad things weren't worse than they could have been. --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 22:23, 19 September 2008 (CDT)
 
== Rental house - water up to top of front door ==
I was able to inspect our rental house, and the water line was exactly up to the top of the front door.  What an unholy smell inside!  Our poor renter, a medical student, has lost everything.  Yesterday, six scientists, including me, ripped out 5000 sq. ft. of muddy filthy carpet from our [[NMR spectroscopy]] center so we could save millions worth of electronics from getting ruined.  Previously we determined that all four electomagnetics were still doing running, not a single quench.  The university emergency power saved our pumped magnet. I still haven't been able to get to my residence yet.  [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 08:03, 20 September 2008 (CDT)
 
:How's it going? Having a break from the hard work of cleaning up?  Sounds like misery. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 08:25, 24 September 2008 (CDT)
 
::They are letting the masses back into Galveston today, so we are taking the day off to avoid many hours of traffic delays.  I got to our house in Jamaica Beach, and the living quarters, being about 14 feet high, are fine, only flooding underneath in the storage area, which received about 4.5 feet of water. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 08:41, 24 September 2008 (CDT)
 
:::If you ask me, [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Jamaica+Beach,+tx&ie=UTF8&ll=29.079088,-95.125422&spn=0.025316,0.038452&z=15&layer=c&cbll=29.070726,-95.12392&panoid=KhINcdxUS13ooK6gtVHAyA&cbp=1,66.86994199245129,,0,0.13586313643180128 these people (click on Street View)] are very, um...brave. --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 08:54, 24 September 2008 (CDT)
 
== Please join us for Biology Week! ==


<table><tr valign=top><td>
== New Chemistry editor, [[User:Joel M. Williams‎|Joel M. Williams]] ==
Hello David,
 
Yeah, with you digging out of mud, I'm sure this is going to happen, but I thought I'd just give you this anyway.
 
I am giving you this personal invitation to join us this week for Biology Week!
 
Please join us on the wiki and add or edit biology articles.  Also, please let your friends and colleagues who are biologists, biology students, or naturalists, know about Biology Week and ask them to join us, too.  Any way you can help make it an event would be most welcome.  Think of it as a [[CZ:Biology Workgroup|Biology Workgroup]] open house.  Let's see if we can kick up activity a notch!
 
Thanks in advance! --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 12:36, 22 September 2008 (CDT)
</td><td>{{Biology open house}}</td></tr></table>
 
== broke my right hand==
I will be inactive due to breaking my hand and hurricane recovery.  i hope to be back and active  by mid november.[[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 06:11, 30 September 2008 (CDT)
:Good luck with both! [[User:Daniel Mietchen|Daniel Mietchen]] 06:14, 30 September 2008 (CDT)
 
== Thanks for nominating [[Henry's Law]] ==
 
David, thanks a bunch. How is your hand now? Has it recovered fully? [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 20:29, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
 
Not a bit I think.  The alignment seems too poor.  Might need to find a better quack. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 20:38, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
 
:David, I had a hip replacement last December and I've spent the next 10 months trying to find someone or something that will relieve the pain I am still having. I'm sure that's no consolation to you, but I thought it might be of interest. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]]
 
== Piquet ==
 
Your change was not done consistently. [[User:Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson]] 08:30, 24 October 2008 (UTC)
 
Thanks for pointing out the lack of clarity in the explanation of point. That's exactly the sort of feedback I need. I think, subject to decisions by the games workgroup, that the reader should be assumed to know almost nothing about playing cards & their terminology, though it would be rather impractical to explain some very basic terms like shuffle & cut. Anyway, see what you think of my revised wording. [[User:Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson]] 08:18, 25 October 2008 (UTC)
 
== Circularity ==
 
Thanks for looking at [[Incentre]]: I have made some comments at [[Talk:Incentre]] and [[Talk:Incentre/Related Articles]] explaining why I arranged things the way I did. [[User:Richard Pinch|Richard Pinch]] 07:25, 26 November 2008 (UTC)
 
== Definitions ==
 
I see you are a man on a mission, your last four hours work is very impressive. By the way, how is your hand doing?  [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 22:39, 29 November 2008 (UTC)
 
:David, is that you or your definition writing machine!  Nice going.  We definitely need a definition write-a-thon. Any way, your efforts are not going unnoticed. :) [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 17:35, 7 December 2008 (UTC)
 
== Not a problem on nominations for article/draft ==
 
I have no difficulty with your suggestion. Frankly, I'm much more concerned with trying to find other editors for Approval; the "of the week" isn't that big a thing other than that I thought it was a way to draw that attention.
 
Several other articles are in the close-to-approval stage, but there just don't seem to be active Computers, History or Military editors. Even lower-case e-diting is nice but not happening. When I'm not actively writing, my efforts seem to be in dealing with either trying to guide either non-neutral or orphaned articles, or to try to get new contributors to focus on an article itself rather than metadiscussions about CZ policy and practice.
 
I suppose I'm not sure what energy does get generated by "of the week"; I had been hesitant about adding anything else. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 18:33, 1 December 2008 (UTC)
 
== Thanks and why? ==


Hi, David:
Hi, David:


Thanks for nominating [[Bar (unit)]] and [[Partial pressure]] for approval.
We have a new Chemistry editor. Perhaps you may wish to post a welcome message on his Talk page. Regards, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 02:49, 14 February 2011 (UTC)
 
I don't understand why you nominated [[Henry's Law]] for re-approval. It was already approved. Would you please explain why you felt it needed re-approval ... not that I really mind what you did, I just want to understand why.
 
Thanks, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 15:55, 2 December 2008 (UTC)
 
:(With tongue in buccal cavity) While I recognize this term is disambiguated, I find myself, at least until more coffee is ingested, unable to get the "Davy Crockett" song out of my head, with the verse "killed him a b'ar when he was only three" being especially persistent. Should this persist, I may need to visit a bar (place of serving of flavored ethanol).[[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 16:34, 2 December 2008 (UTC)
::Weren't ''piano bars'' particularly in vogue in the 1980s? [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 04:28, 3 December 2008 (UTC)
 
== Asian names, especially Vietnamese ==
 
I have not tried to follow that sorting convention in the Vietnam metadata, although I'd be perfectly open to having it in redirects. I recommend extensive use of redirects, but use of the form in which the name is most commonly written.
 
While I can't speak specifically to the origin of Bao Dai, that's a specifically royal name. When he abdicated, he was known as Vinh Thuy for a time, and I don't know which, if either, was the family name.
 
There are many ''names de guerre''. I forget the exact translation of Ho Chi Minh, but it wasn't his birth name, [[Nguyen Tat Thanh‎]]. For many years, he was known as [[Nguyen Ai Quoc]], or Nguyen the Patriot.
 
One of the leading Communist theoreticians was called Truong Chinh,  which is sometimes written Chinh, Truong. He was born Dang Xuan Khu. "Truong Chinh" is the Vietnamese for "Long March"; he was a Maoist. Should he be indexed under "March, Long"?  The two-word names often are not family name-two word personal name. For that matter, I created a redirect [[Chinh, Truong]]. Should there be a redirect [[Chinh Truong]] as well, neither, or both?
 
We have no simple answer, but I don't think assuming that Bao or Dai is the family name. While I'd have to verify it, I believe he was of the Nguyen dynasty. Should we be indexing Elizabeth Windsor; Windsor, Elizabeth; or Saxe-Coburn-Battenberg, Elizabeth? [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 18:06, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
 
:Hey, I'm delighted that someone is looking at the Vietnam articles at all. As you may have realized, I've been trying to deal with that whole area of articles, perhaps to make it a case study of how to deal with a complex subject such as a major war. WWII would, however, be a lot tougher if everyone seemed to be named Nguyen. Unfortunately, I don't read Vietnamese, so I get stuck on how to deal with things like the Annamite House of Nguyen and Bao Dai. There are lots of Asian nuances, such as "Hirohito" properly being called "Emperor Showa" after his death. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 20:33, 6 December 2008 (UTC)
 
== Approvals! ==
 
Hi David, I was able to perform the mechanics of approval on [[Bar (unit)]], but since you wrote most of the other article [[Ketoconazole]], I have to wait till you get two more editors on board.  Congrats on the other one! [[User:D. Matt Innis|D. Matt Innis]] 20:21, 15 December 2008 (UTC)
 
== Dien Bien Phu ==
 
A pleasant surprise! Do the French still lose in this production?
 
Seriously, there's been some very substantial of what has been [[Vietnam War]], and there's talk page discussion of retitling. I've put a placeholder at [[Wars of Vietnam, 1858-1987]]; more eyes on the existing main article and subarticles are welcome. It would nice if we had someone with expertise on the post-1975 wars, but we don't even ''have'' an article on [[Cambodia]].
 
[[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 23:19, 16 December 2008 (UTC)
 
== Nomination of [[Ideal gas law]] for approval ==
 
Hi, David. I have just nominated [[Ideal gas law]] for approval. Since I worked on that article to some extent, 2 more editors are required to join in the nomination. I am inviting you and Paul Wormer to join me in the nomination. Regards and Happy New Year, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 17:54, 3 January 2009 (UTC)
 
:Please excuse me if I am "nagging", but I would really like to have you collaborate in improving [[Ideal gas law]] to the point where it can be Approved. Regards, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 23:31, 8 January 2009 (UTC)
 
== The Nosy MC strikes again, this time with accomplices! ==
 
So, Davey-boy, I nominate you to put yer $$$ where yer mouth is and host the first experimental write-a-thon adjunct Sunday session on the 11th January 2009 for the working folks, and let's see how it goes. Heeeeeee!!! [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 00:48, 7 January 2009 (UTC)
 
== NMR Approval ==
 
Hi David, please see [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Talk%3ANMR_spectroscopy&diff=100435430&oldid=100435428#Approval_potential this].  Thanks, [[User:D. Matt Innis|D. Matt Innis]] 02:23, 17 January 2009 (UTC).
 
I request you to review the [[NMR spectroscopy]] article for approval. Can you suggest a third editor for this? [[User:Sekhar Talluri|Sekhar Talluri]] 04:58, 17 January 2009 (UTC)
 
Thanks for your approval.[[User:Sekhar Talluri|Sekhar Talluri]] 23:00, 17 January 2009 (UTC)
 
:Hi David, can you please take another look at the changes I made since your approval? Besides, I just noticed that clicking your "Email this user" link produces an error message:
No e-mail address<BR>
This user has not specified a valid e-mail address, or has chosen not to receive e-mail from other users.<BR>
Return to Welcome to Citizendium.
:--[[User:Daniel Mietchen|Daniel Mietchen]] 01:54, 9 March 2009 (UTC)
 
::: Sorry Daniel.  I had to re-allow e-mail from other users after I updated my e-mail address in January.  Silly me, I assumed that my old prefs would still apply!  Anywho, I will look at NMR stuff this weekend. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 18:08, 11 March 2009 (UTC)
 
== Supercool ==
 
As distinct from supercooling, certainly a form of high approval in various dialects and subcultures. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 19:26, 17 January 2009 (UTC) :-)
 
:Apropos of silly observations, is Sympathetic Magic a change to the Citizendium page, or to a similacrum of the Citizendium page? I don't think I want to look to closely at sympathetic magic versus virtual reality, or even virtual software. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 23:11, 17 January 2009 (UTC)
 
== Psychopharmacology of guilt ==
 
Now you are making ''me'' guilty to have filled in the disproof of the [[absinthe]] myths. :-) [[Benzodiazepine]], probably; I'd guess a longer-acting one like clonazepam.
 
Seriously, did I get the redirects right? I always thought of AZT as zidovudine, as well as ZDV, the original AZT coming not from the nonproprietary name but a contracted chemical name.  The motivation for me to do this was [[AIDS denialism]], which is well meant but needs some clarification and sourcing.  It appeared that the previous AZT redirect should have gone to ATZ. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 22:05, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 
::Whatever acronyms I used in the articles came from the 3 big drug sites. They should be correct, but of course many acronyms are used for multiple things. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 22:09, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 
:::Might have been a transposition typo on ATZ and AZT. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 23:08, 19 January 2009 (UTC)
 
== Arrow + text ==
 
:<math> A\; \stackrel{(90)_x}{\longrightarrow}\; B </math>
 
--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 08:05, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
 
== Literature editors? ==
 
David, in your capacity as an Editorial Personnel Administrator, do you know whether we have any ''currently active'' Literature editors? Thanks. [[User:Bruce M.Tindall|Bruce M.Tindall]] 01:14, 26 January 2009 (UTC)
:If they exist, they have sure escaped *my* scrutiny! [[User:Hayford Peirce|Hayford Peirce]] 01:43, 26 January 2009 (UTC)


==Semi-automatic==
David,
May I ask you to revert "semi-automatic"? Also, please don't change [[full-automatic]], [[half-duplex]], [[full-duplex]], etc.  I can clarify the article further, but the term, in engineering, is not limited to firearms. It's used for any number of industrial tools (e.g., think of a nail gun that requires a trigger pull for each firing, as opposed to a production line tool that inserts fasteners until the magazine is empty.). Duplex modes are not unique to cables.
Your opening quote is still true several hundred years later as I can attest!! My observation is that most scientists are the most rigid folks imaginable; spouting the party lines rather than thinking - PhD's being proof that they know the party lines. Has to do with peer-pressure and the desire to maintain one's job. Thus, few are reluctant to challenge the status quo! Frankly, the folks who should be most able to evaluate matters and come up with new approaches are the retired.Unfortunately, most are too tired or just no longer give a crap! [[User:Joel M. Williams|Joel M. Williams]] 20:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)


In any event, an adjective is often more descriptive than a noun phrase in both describing an idea, and also in linking without piping. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 18:07, 14 March 2009 (UTC)


:I really have to disagree. Even if one was speaking only of things that fire ammunition, "semi-automatic firearm" is not the military usage for other than small arms; "firearm" is much more a legal than a military term. Depending on size, one speaks of machine guns, autocannon, and semi- or full-automatic artillery.
==Thanks==
Thanks for the nudge on adiponutrin - it had flown below ny radar, but I've added a para.[[User:Gareth Leng|Gareth Leng]] 10:16, 18 February 2011 (UTC)


:Wearing my hat as a computer scientist, "full-automatic" is not used for such things as debits: something is either automatic or indefinite, while individual electronic transactions are just that. The idea that adjectives cannot be article titles, as far as I know, is not an established policy; I personally object to it based on customary usage in a number of fields. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 19:19, 14 March 2009 (UTC)
== [[Liquefied natural gas]] ==


:: Once again, you are looking at this with a Military/machine mindset.  To you, semi-automatic implies first weapons, and then other machines, not processes.  The fact is, this adjective could be used in many ways that neither of us can think of.  I am simply trying to make the title more specific. Semi-automatic is an adjective, not a noun. So write articles about [[Semi-automatic firearms]], [[Semi-automatic weapons systems]] or whatever, but not semi-automatic.  If we were writing an encyclopedia of limited scope, such claiming of adjectives for title would be ok.  If we can be more specific in titles, it saves us all time in the future by avoiding renaming and redirects.  If, however, you actually plan on changing the article to cover all areas of [[automation]] and [[semi-automation]], then these terms could be used.  If you are restricting your discussion to military or machines, then these terms are not correct for the article. So I won't change it back, but I can't stop you from doing so either Howard. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 19:37, 14 March 2009 (UTC)
David, I would appreciate any comments/edits/discussion you may offer on the new article [[Liquefied natural gas]] (LNG). [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 05:03, 23 February 2011 (UTC)


::: In this same way, I won't rename [[Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy]] to [[Nuclear]], leaving out the implied words used in my world.  Nuclear also doesn't imply a [[Nuclear Weapon]], even though it does for many people without physics and chemistry backgrounds.  [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 19:41, 14 March 2009 (UTC)
== About [[Hydrogen sulphide]] ==


::::I'm quite aware of the reason that "MRI" has replaced imaging (as opposed to nonimaging) nuclear magnetic resonance. Indeed, I wrote [[nuclear weapon]], never having thought to use other than the phrase. Nevertheless, there are different types of weapons (as well as industrial processes) that use semi-automatic or full-automatic as qualifying adjectives for terms other than "firearm".  A rocket launcher, for example, can be semi- or full-automatic; many discussions of weaponry do not treat rockets (i.e., reaction motor operating outside the launcher) as firearms (i.e., all reaction inside the launcher).
David, if you have the time, I would appreciate it if you reviewed [[Hydrogen sulphide]]. It could use some more content. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 22:08, 4 March 2011 (UTC)


::::I'd also note that I would agree with you had I said "automatic", but I was very careful to write "semi-automatic" and "full-automatic".  In a computing standpoint, different adjectives would be used such as "automated", and I would never use "automated" as a standalone term.  Semi- and full-automatic are principally terms for weaponry, or for a subset of manufacturing equipment whose operating principles are drawn from the feed and actuating mechanisms of weapons. Note that the articles were assigned to the Military Workgroup and made no claim of applicability other than to that field. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 21:06, 14 March 2009 (UTC)
== New author you may want to chat with ==


:::::Sounds like you should move the articles to [[Semi-automic weapon]] or [[Semi-automatic (Military)]].  If author disambiguate their own articles, others like me won't change them to undesired new names.  My beef is with the whole idea of using adjectives to create ambiguous article titles. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 21:18, 14 March 2009 (UTC)
Hi, David -- we have a new author, Samuel Herec, an undergrad at Northeastern who is a musician and is insterested in biomedical devices as well as audio technology. You seem to be just the guy to welcome him. [[User:Bruce M. Tindall|Bruce M. Tindall]] 23:56, 8 March 2011 (UTC)


== Articles ready for approval ==
== Financial Report as of March 15, 2011 ==


Milt has listed [[vapor pressure]], [[relative volatility]], and [[specific heat ratio]] at [[CZ:Ready for approval]].  I believe he is the primary CZ author for all three. Could you have a look and see if you'd be in favor of approval?  Thanks, [[User:Joe Quick|Joe Quick]] 15:04, 27 March 2009 (UTC)
Please read our [[CZ:Donate|Financial Report as of March 15, 2001]] for complete details on our financial history and our current financial situation. If you have any questions, please ask them on [[CZ Talk:Donate]]. - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 22:25, 18 March 2011 (UTC)
:David, Joe asked me the very same question. As far as I know, one editor can do the job. Will I take the first two and you the third, or do you have a preference? I'm completely neutral on it, I'm also willing to do all three or none.--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 16:14, 27 March 2009 (UTC)
::Yes, a single editor should be able to do the job for any of those articles. (I've simply learned to cast the net widely when it comes to volunteer projects. :-) ) Thanks for your help. --[[User:Joe Quick|Joe Quick]] 22:53, 27 March 2009 (UTC)


== Biochem subgroup ==
== The missing mini-periodical tables from the element articles. ==


just wanted to let you know there is a subgroup called [[CZ:Biochemistry Subgroup]]. If you could add Biochemistry to the sub (1, 2, or 3) in the metadata that would be great for any Biochem articles you are part of! [[User:Tom Kelly|Tom Kelly]] 18:03, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
David, as of yesterday morning, all of the element articles had a mini-periodical table in the infoboxes. Shortly, after Dan Nessett upgraded our Mediawiki software yesterday evening, I noticed that all of the mini-periodic tables had disappeared from the infoboxes. I immediately informed him by posting in the "Technical Issues" forum board (see [http://forum.citizendium.org/index.php/topic,3978.0.html Topic 3978.0] and by sending him an email as well.


===Could you officially say that biochemistry subgroup is allowed to be affiliated with bio and chem workgroups, mr editor?===
As he has told you, he has found out why this occurred but has not yet figured out how to resolve it ... but I am confident that he will do so in the near future. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 22:12, 27 April 2011 (CDT)
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/CZ:Biochemistry_Subgroup/Affiliation


Thank you! this is how gareth did it if you want to see his... http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/CZ:Physiology_Subgroup/Affiliation[[User:Tom Kelly|Tom Kelly]] 19:19, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
== Finished revising 112 of the chemical element articles ==


== Physiology subgroup ==
Hi,David: I just finished revising all 112 chemical element articles (from [[Hydrogen]] through [[Copernicium]]. They all now use the [[Template:Elem Infobox]] and they are now all editable.


There is also a physiology subgroup [[CZ:Physiology Subgroup]] Spread the word. [[User:Tom Kelly|Tom Kelly]] 18:04, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
During the course of that work, David Yamakuchi contacted me as to what I was doing ... which I explained and told him why I was doing it. We came to an amicable agreement and he revised some of the templates he had created. You can read our exchange of postings on my Talk page.


== don't have time now but probably should make a pharmacology subgroup, eh? ==
David had done a tremendous amount of ingenious work that involved about 5 or 6 subpages for each each element (a total of about 560 to 672 subpages). As I found in going through all of the articles, it is simply not possible to come up with any automatic "one size fits all" method for creating 112 chemical element articles. It required manually editing of each of them. It is a complex system and it took me many hours to get familiar with it.


what do you think, should we make a pharmacology subgroup? [[CZ:Pharmacology Subgroup]] [[User:Tom Kelly|Tom Kelly]] 22:19, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
I agree it would be nice to make it much more simple, but I don't know to do it. In any event, they are now all editable and consistent, although most of them (90% or more) are "bare bones" articles that need much more content.


== why cut out so many sections? ==
Milt


I just was just looking at: http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Special:RecentChangesLinked&target=Category%3ABiochemistry_tag
== Blocked account showing inappropriate categories ==


why cut out so many sections of articles? I noticed a few 2,000+ removals. Just curious. [[User:Tom Kelly|Tom Kelly]] 23:03, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
This account is no longer a member of the categories CZ Editors | Chemistry Authors | Chemistry Editors | Biochemistry Members | Biology Authors | Physics Authors | Mathematics Authors | Music Authors | Health Sciences Authors but the userpage has been protected preventing Citizens from remedying this situation. [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 07:43, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


:I just looked at one of the changes at random -- it was the removal of external links at the bottom of the article. Are all the others? Maybe David finds them problematic for some reason? [[User:Hayford Peirce|Hayford Peirce]] 23:13, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
:I don't think you're right about that. My understanding is that an Editor stays an Editor unless the EC says so, even if they leave or are banned. [[User:Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson]] 11:15, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


::: I did not mean to remove anything, except for excess directions on filled MetaData pages. All other edits were merely opening and resaving pages to make them so up on the Biochem Subgroup page. I will have a quick look. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 13:02, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
::CZ:Editors ''should be a complete list of active CZ editors'', and David is listed [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Category:Chemistry_Editors at the chemistry Workgroup] as being an active Editor, which is of no use to anyone using the Chemistry workgroup to find active Editors as well as being a misrepresentation. Why would it be desirable to list someone who has gone through our formal resignation process as an Editor, active or otherwise? [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 11:34, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


== David, asking a favor of you ==
::I think in this case your understanding is mistaken. You would be referring to [http://ec.citizendium.org/wiki/EC:2011-017 this EC motion] where the outcome was clearly stated that only an official resignation from CZ would be enough to have ones categories removed. It could be argued from the poor wording of the Motion that a separate resignation was needed for the EC, but that is not supported by the statements of the people who voted for it, and would in any event be a ridiculous proposition. We already have enough hoops for people to jump through to become ex-Citizens without requiring that resignation letters be made in duplicate.


David, I have just finished writing an article about '''Gasoline''' in my sandbox at [[User:Milton Beychok/Sandbox]]. I would very much appreciate your spending 15-30 minutes reviewing it and giving me your comments on my sandbox's Talk page at [[User talk:Milton Beychok/Sandbox]].
::It would appear that EC:2011-017 makes it clear that the categories listed above should be removed immediately. [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 08:02, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


At this point, I'm not seeking detailed copy edits or detailed rewordings. I just want your overall impressions of the article and its contents and any very major points you may wish to offer. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 21:54, 18 April 2009 (UTC)
:::"Only an official request for nullification of one's Editorship, to be eventually carried out by the Constabulary, is valid." seems clear enough. On the other hand, it does seem reasonable that David should not be listed as an ''active'' editor. [[User:Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson]] 11:16, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


:David, I saw your reply on the talk page. Do you think it's at approval level already?  With you and a few other editors working full time, Citizendium might actually catch up with Milt Beychok! --[[User:Joe Quick|Joe Quick]] 03:59, 26 April 2009 (UTC)
::::No less unreasonable than having a list of Editors, active or otherwise, that consists partly of non-Citizens who have requested they be removed from the project. As you will know that Motion was initiated because Martin had resigned on the Forum, resigned on his userpage, but was still making flyby Editor "Rulings" when it suited - the Motion was intended to quantify that a formal resignation was required before the resignation was taken seriously. It was never meant to become a list of non-Citizens. I also seriously doubt that the many Citizens who have voluntarily resigned have been informed that they must resign in triplicate. Like I said, I hope your interpretation is incorrect because it would not only be a ridiculous situation but probably illegal under the Charter. [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 07:42, 2 December 2011 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 08:41, 6 March 2024

This author is no longer active on the Citizendium


[User bio is in User:Your Name]

Resigning Biology Editorship

I signed up for CZ and requested to be a Chemistry Editor, based on my PhD in Chemistry. After looking over my publications, Larry Sanger approved me to be a Biology Editor as well. Given the mood of the current Editorial Council, a council on which I once sat, and their new standards, I feel it only appropriate to resign this editorship. I do so not to make a public statement of any kind, but because I am unsure that my education, research interests and publications would necessarily qualify me under the current standards. David E. Volk 19:15, 26 January 2011 (UTC)

New Chemistry editor, Joel M. Williams

Hi, David:

We have a new Chemistry editor. Perhaps you may wish to post a welcome message on his Talk page. Regards, Milton Beychok 02:49, 14 February 2011 (UTC)

David, Your opening quote is still true several hundred years later as I can attest!! My observation is that most scientists are the most rigid folks imaginable; spouting the party lines rather than thinking - PhD's being proof that they know the party lines. Has to do with peer-pressure and the desire to maintain one's job. Thus, few are reluctant to challenge the status quo! Frankly, the folks who should be most able to evaluate matters and come up with new approaches are the retired.Unfortunately, most are too tired or just no longer give a crap! Joel M. Williams 20:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)


Thanks

Thanks for the nudge on adiponutrin - it had flown below ny radar, but I've added a para.Gareth Leng 10:16, 18 February 2011 (UTC)

Liquefied natural gas

David, I would appreciate any comments/edits/discussion you may offer on the new article Liquefied natural gas (LNG). Milton Beychok 05:03, 23 February 2011 (UTC)

About Hydrogen sulphide

David, if you have the time, I would appreciate it if you reviewed Hydrogen sulphide. It could use some more content. Milton Beychok 22:08, 4 March 2011 (UTC)

New author you may want to chat with

Hi, David -- we have a new author, Samuel Herec, an undergrad at Northeastern who is a musician and is insterested in biomedical devices as well as audio technology. You seem to be just the guy to welcome him. Bruce M. Tindall 23:56, 8 March 2011 (UTC)

Financial Report as of March 15, 2011

Please read our Financial Report as of March 15, 2001 for complete details on our financial history and our current financial situation. If you have any questions, please ask them on CZ Talk:Donate. - Milton Beychok 22:25, 18 March 2011 (UTC)

The missing mini-periodical tables from the element articles.

David, as of yesterday morning, all of the element articles had a mini-periodical table in the infoboxes. Shortly, after Dan Nessett upgraded our Mediawiki software yesterday evening, I noticed that all of the mini-periodic tables had disappeared from the infoboxes. I immediately informed him by posting in the "Technical Issues" forum board (see Topic 3978.0 and by sending him an email as well.

As he has told you, he has found out why this occurred but has not yet figured out how to resolve it ... but I am confident that he will do so in the near future. Milton Beychok 22:12, 27 April 2011 (CDT)

Finished revising 112 of the chemical element articles

Hi,David: I just finished revising all 112 chemical element articles (from Hydrogen through Copernicium. They all now use the Template:Elem Infobox and they are now all editable.

During the course of that work, David Yamakuchi contacted me as to what I was doing ... which I explained and told him why I was doing it. We came to an amicable agreement and he revised some of the templates he had created. You can read our exchange of postings on my Talk page.

David had done a tremendous amount of ingenious work that involved about 5 or 6 subpages for each each element (a total of about 560 to 672 subpages). As I found in going through all of the articles, it is simply not possible to come up with any automatic "one size fits all" method for creating 112 chemical element articles. It required manually editing of each of them. It is a complex system and it took me many hours to get familiar with it.

I agree it would be nice to make it much more simple, but I don't know to do it. In any event, they are now all editable and consistent, although most of them (90% or more) are "bare bones" articles that need much more content.

Milt

Blocked account showing inappropriate categories

This account is no longer a member of the categories CZ Editors | Chemistry Authors | Chemistry Editors | Biochemistry Members | Biology Authors | Physics Authors | Mathematics Authors | Music Authors | Health Sciences Authors but the userpage has been protected preventing Citizens from remedying this situation. David Finn 07:43, 30 November 2011 (UTC)

I don't think you're right about that. My understanding is that an Editor stays an Editor unless the EC says so, even if they leave or are banned. Peter Jackson 11:15, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
CZ:Editors should be a complete list of active CZ editors, and David is listed at the chemistry Workgroup as being an active Editor, which is of no use to anyone using the Chemistry workgroup to find active Editors as well as being a misrepresentation. Why would it be desirable to list someone who has gone through our formal resignation process as an Editor, active or otherwise? David Finn 11:34, 30 November 2011 (UTC)
I think in this case your understanding is mistaken. You would be referring to this EC motion where the outcome was clearly stated that only an official resignation from CZ would be enough to have ones categories removed. It could be argued from the poor wording of the Motion that a separate resignation was needed for the EC, but that is not supported by the statements of the people who voted for it, and would in any event be a ridiculous proposition. We already have enough hoops for people to jump through to become ex-Citizens without requiring that resignation letters be made in duplicate.
It would appear that EC:2011-017 makes it clear that the categories listed above should be removed immediately. David Finn 08:02, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
"Only an official request for nullification of one's Editorship, to be eventually carried out by the Constabulary, is valid." seems clear enough. On the other hand, it does seem reasonable that David should not be listed as an active editor. Peter Jackson 11:16, 1 December 2011 (UTC)
No less unreasonable than having a list of Editors, active or otherwise, that consists partly of non-Citizens who have requested they be removed from the project. As you will know that Motion was initiated because Martin had resigned on the Forum, resigned on his userpage, but was still making flyby Editor "Rulings" when it suited - the Motion was intended to quantify that a formal resignation was required before the resignation was taken seriously. It was never meant to become a list of non-Citizens. I also seriously doubt that the many Citizens who have voluntarily resigned have been informed that they must resign in triplicate. Like I said, I hope your interpretation is incorrect because it would not only be a ridiculous situation but probably illegal under the Charter. David Finn 07:42, 2 December 2011 (UTC)
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