User_talk:Ben

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Anna Willard

Thanks for the heads-up on my mistake! I cut and paste to copy formatting from another article and forgot to change the simplest part. --JamesAM (talk) 20:53, 4 July 2008 (UTC)

DYK - Cystopteris dickieana

On 7 July 2008, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Cystopteris dickieana, which you created or substantially expanded. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

--Mifter (talk) 03:19, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

Hey, congrats on the DYK! I was particularly fond of this edit summary XD delldot talk 03:25, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

Couldn't resist it! Ben MacDui^Talk/Walk 09:38, 7 July 2008 (UTC)

GA nomination for Geography of Newfoundland and Labrador

Thank you for a thorough and thoughtful review of the article. You make soem good points and picked up on some things I missed. I know form experience it's all to easy to miss your own mistakes. I will work on the noted alterations. Silverchemist (talk) 17:00, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

Real life caught up with me (I had to complete two papers for an upcoming conference) so I didn't get back to this as quickly as I had hoped. The edits you suggested for Geography of Newfoundland and Labrador are complete. Silverchemist (talk) 03:45, 19 July 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your suggestions. Silverchemist (talk) 17:17, 28 July 2008 (UTC)

You are every welcome, and congratulations. Gros Morne National Park sounds fascinating, but I don't think the St Johns tourist board will thank you for providing the climate information! Ben MacDui 07:50, 29 July 2008 (UTC)

Wild things

Yes, please do. Finetooth (talk) 15:50, 23 July 2008 (UTC)

Garbh Eilean (disambiguation)

I hope my edit didn't come across as too brash. On a side note, I'm sure you're aware the information isn't lost forever, as it can be retrieved (and even undone) through the article's history. However I think you agree with my interpretation of the DAB guidelines that these pages should contain links to relevant wikipedia articles.

I don't know how much time you want to put into this, but I think the best solution would be to write individual articles on each Garbh Eilean. I'm sure most would be {{Highland-geo-stub}}s, but having the coordinates should help you make a nice {{Infobox Scottish island}} for starters. Maybe you could delegate some of the work to WP:HOLM members.

Most editors are not fans of lists, but I think your List of islands called Garbh Eilean is a fine idea, and external links would be OK on such a page. I also like your project page idea, but I'm not sure how useful it would be to others if it were "hidden" from the main namespace. Hoof Hearted (talk) 20:01, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

Hebrides

As I said to the other geser, it's a crap reference, and no reference is better than a crap one. It's a "reference" from a tourist authority - not a bunch of people normally associated with geological expertise. As for the second reference, who knows, it's offline. So here's a real reference http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/minches_chp_2.pdf. Now I'm going to put this one in, when I've figured out how to do it. Mister Flash (talk) 16:05, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Firstly, no reference is not better than a poor one. Please see WP:V. Secondly, whilst the tourist board is not an ideal reference, Con Gillen is a professional geologist. I will check on his work in detail asap and provide page references. You may also wish to see Geology of Scotland. Thirdly the reference you suggest may be from a professional body, but they are not geologists either, and nor do they contradict the claim.

Fourthly, references from a web source ideally include the author, the title, the publisher and the date or retrieval. In this case there is not an individual author, but we should also add the helpful '(pdf)' as some browsers don't show the icon. Thus you would use:

<ref>[http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/minches_chp_2.pdf "Maritime Traffic Survey 2004:The Hebrides and St Kilda. Report No: 03NR344/G"] (pdf) Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Retrieved 25 July 2008.</ref>

This would look like^[1]:

^ "Maritime Traffic Survey 2004:The Hebrides and St Kilda. Report No: 03NR344/G" (pdf) Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Retrieved 25 July 2008.

Please note that if you attempt to use the above as an alternative to Gillen I will remove it on the above grounds. Further discussion about this subject should be continued at Talk:Hebrides. If you would like more help with references I'd be happy to assist and you can reply here. Regards, Ben MacDui 16:38, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

Spacecraft attitude control

The talk about Eigenvector slew with you as editor:

This (Spacecraft attitude control)seems to be a subject that is treated surprisingly little in Wikipedia! There is an article Attitude dynamics and control that is a start but neither "3 axis stabilisation" nor "slew" is explicitly mentioned! This article is a start but:

it pretends that attitude control of ships, aircraft and spacecraft have anything in common that could be treated in one single article (in reality it is just about spacecraft!)

neither "3 axis stabilisation" nor "slew" is explicitly mentioned (what I would like to reference from the "Eigenvector slew" article)

Any special editor in charge of this domain? Could the autor of Attitude dynamics and control be pursuaded to expand the subject a bit?

Stamcose (talk) 18:42, 26 July 2008 (UTC)

I think your best bet is to ask at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Spaceflight - the project has about 45 members so hopefully one of them could assist. An alternative might be Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Physics which includes Delta-v in its domain. Ben MacDui 19:11, 26 July 2008 (UTC)

Greater Glasgow

i have submitted a proposal for the wikiproject Greater Glasgow here and if you are interested please add your name to the support section.Andrew22k (talk) 18:48, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

here is the proposal for the wikiproject. I know you are just wanting to help start the wikiproject and thanks but what do you mean by a vote? are you going to put your name in the support section?Andrew22k (talk) 21:00, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

yes i understand i do need your support for the proposal Wikipedia:WikiProject_Council/Proposals#Wikiproject_WikiProject_Greater_Glasgow.Andrew22k (talk) 20:31, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Closer than you think

Thanks - the funny thing is that article was written by one Wikipedian with a strong Pennsylvania connection at the request of another for an article on what is currently the oldest Pennsylvania state park. In a further tidbit from the Department of Almost Useless Information, at least one city in Pennsylvania has a neighborhood known as Grampian Hills (not quite mountains). Take care, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 19:06, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

In which case don't forget Scotia, Pennsylvania and that place up north. I must warn you that your new allies have tried this before in Pennsylvania, with results that were that not what they desired. Don't forget Pennsylvania has been kind to poor immigrants too. ;-) Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 19:31, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

So I was watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Beijing and kept hearing a bagpipe playing Scotland the Brave while athletes from different countries marched in - I knew the Icelandic national anthem has the same melody as God Save the Queen, but I had no idea that the anthems of Burkina Faso and Vanuatu shared the Scots melody. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 15:34, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Somebody's been at the electric soup - I looked at Une Seule Nuit and Yumi, Yumi, Yumi (as opposed to Yummy Yummy Yummy) and neither seem to resemble Scotland the Brave. Ben MacDui 16:41, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

User:Dtbohrer has found an explanation of sorts here. I must confess I could not recall which countries were marching when Scotland the Brave was playing (except it was not one with a Scottish contingent) and picked two countries with non-Scots sounding names (Nunuvat is not a country or I'd have picked it too). I will weigh in the species capitalization debate - thanks for the heads up. Worlds End State Park uses it too, as will Leonard Harrison State Park when it gets to FAC (still being tuned up now, in PR). Take care, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 17:03, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

Inventions

Hello. As a member of Wikipedia/scotland do you think it is a posibility for a Inventions added to the scotland article. Like the TV , Tire , Telephone ? --78.144.211.211 (talk) 22:03, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

No idea why you are asking me here. Just raise the idea at Talk:Scotland. Ben MacDui 07:59, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Scotland during the Roman Empire DYK

On 5 August 2008, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Scotland during the Roman Empire, which you created or substantially expanded. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

--Congratulations! PeterSymonds (talk) 19:13, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Great work, MacDui! I enjoyed reading the article. :) Nishkid64 _{(Make articles, not wikidrama)} 12:23, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks folks. Ben MacDui 19:36, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

DYK: Wheelhouse (archaeology)

On 10 August 2008, Did you know? was updated with a fact from the article Wheelhouse (archaeology), which you created or substantially expanded. If you know of another interesting fact from a recently created article, then please suggest it on the Did you know? talk page.

--PFHLai (talk) 20:41, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

Copyedit

Yes, I'd be happy to copyedit Fauna of Scotland. I'll get to it soon, starting today or tomorrow. Finetooth (talk) 18:26, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the barnstar; I truly appreciate it. The awful extermination list reminded me of the extreme fur-trapping hereabouts in the 19th century, the destruction of riparian habitat (partly linked to beaver extermination), and the recent appearance of dead zones along the Oregon coast. Ow, ow, ouch! Finetooth (talk) 17:12, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

Iona Abbey, et al

Hello MacDui, I just wanted to mentioned that you should feel free to discard any images (maps come quickly to mind) that are better left out of the article - no offense will be taken: I thought that something was better than nothing, and so added the (poor quality) maps, hoping for something better in the fullness of time. This applies elsewhere as well, and to text as well as images, and you need not wait a "respectful time" before doing so. BTW, some good cartography would be a big plus ... they substantially improve the understanding of article topics. Also, I wanted to bemoan the fact that intentionally staying out of "wiki oversight" areas means that I sometimes miss significant events ... congratulations on the admin job, wikipedia is lucky to have you. Best Regards, Notuncurious (talk) 23:11, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

No probs - and many thanks. The gallery solution is not ideal, but I think it will work for now and the images can be re-situated when the article is expanded. One day I will will learn to create maps - or we will find the map equivalent of Geograph, but for now its certainly a lack in most articles. Ben MacDui 07:35, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

Captial idea

I asked members of WikiProject Protected Areas to weigh in on the species capitalization discussion at the MOS talk page. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 16:31, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

Thanks!

	Thanks again for your support and comments - Leonard Harrison State Park made featured article today! Take care, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 11:25, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

I will copy the first sentence discussion to the article talk page in a bit and see if we can come up with consensus for a better opening line. Will also try to make some PR comments on Fauna of Scotland. Thanks againRuhrfisch _><>°^° 11:25, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Choess pointed out in FAC that the Modern era section was a bit awkward. I was going to fix it in FAC but was pleasantly surprised last night. Now my reorganization is done - I moved the Nessmuk PHMC marker into the Lumber section, all the other changes are in the Modern era. Let me know what you think please. I am also asking Dincher (of course), and Choess and Finetooth to take a look since they supported at FAC too. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 17:19, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Congratulations of course. In the revision: "latrines at the overlook and campground, addition of showers at the campground,". Shouldn't it be "the addition", or is this yet another example of Pennsylvania English? Any comments on my final suggestion at WP:MOS, animals etc.? Ben MacDui 17:38, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

It sounds OK either way to my ears, so I added "the" - thanks. Churchill said something like America and Britain were two countries separated by a common language (but then his mother was a Yank). I also supported your proposal at the MOS. I was a bit distracted with the FAC, sorry. Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 18:53, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

Per your suggestion, there is a suggested revised lead sentence for Leonard_Harrison_State_Park at Talk:Leonard_Harrison_State_Park#Suggested_lead_revision. WOuld you mind looking at it and weiging in? Thanks, as always, Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 11:50, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

Benbecula

All i know regarding the meaning of the name is that ive seen it translated as "The mountain of the fords" several times. Unless its a "Baile Ailein" or "Bagh a Chaisteal" or "Carlabhaigh" or any other Gaelic name with an obvious meaning im pretty clueless. I'm not saying your sources are necessarily entirely invalid - in terms of historical etymology perhaps they are correct, i dont know - but the version of the name they provide certainly isnt what people actually use and it returns only 5 hits, all of them wikipdia, on google compared to thousands for Beinn nam Faoghla. In terms of references the online dictionary provided by Sabhal Mor Ostaig gives three versions which are Beinn a' Bhaoghla, Beinn na Faoghla and Beinn nam Fadhla. Other references are plentiful [1], [2], [3], Encyclopedia Britannica, Ordnance Survey maps etc etc. siarach (talk) 20:42, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

OK - I'll check 'em out. Ben MacDui 08:33, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

I've had a go at this. Any idea what Beinn a' Bhaoghla and Beinn nam Fadhla mean? SMO's dictionary may well provide the answer, although this is not clear to poor Sassenachs. Ben MacDui 20:38, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

Both Beinn nam Fadhla and Beinn a' Bhaoghla kick around, including Beinn na bhFaoghla. According to Iain Mac an Tàilleir [4] of the School of Scottish Studies, it's probably originally from Peiginn nam Fadhla "pennyland of the (sea) fords" (Benbecula is all flat), later re-interpreted to Beinn nam Fadhla and Beinn a' Bhaoghla. Fadhla itself is a declined form from Gaelic fadhail, which is a loan from Norse vaðill "shallows" (MacBain, A. (1911) An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language). Want me to put that in? Akerbeltz (talk) 23:43, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

By all means - looks like we have another etymology section! Ben MacDui 07:10, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

LOL ok done. IMHO we should remove the "other interpretations", that's clearly someone trawling through a dictionary, both are nigh impossible from a phonological POV. I've split the text into 3 sections, feel free to move or rename the sections if that's contrary to normal island layout but the etymology bit doesn't sit very well within the main text body. Akerbeltz (talk) 16:41, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

Somehow I got distracted but I'll take another look this wk/end. Ben MacDui 17:33, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Edinburgh Zoo

Thanks very much for taking the time to give me a heads up on the status of this article. I appreciate your help. i've tried my best to resolve the issues you mentioned, we'll see what happens now. Thanks. --Brideshead_{(leave a message)} 18:58, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

Re: Coats

A fair comment, but all is not as innocent as it first appears... I'm lucky enough to have a fan amongst the ranks! Take a look at the history, and you'll see [5]. It's the double indef-banned User:Yorkshirian, who you may remember as User:The Cavendish, User:Fone4My or User:Uk4ever (take your pick!). I suspect the latter two comments after that diff, are also by Yorkie, to disguise the change. Hope that explains away any concerns. --Jza84 | Talk 19:55, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Not sure I follow how you can be sure, but I am happy to take the above at face value. Thanks for the prompt reply. Ben MacDui 17:32, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

I was wrong. But apologied to the gentleman in question. My bad... --Jza84 | Talk 21:16, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Re:Reich des Bösen

I have to be frank with you Ben, I don't get excited about this topic and I might struggle to work up motivation, thus disappointing thee. That being said, I write tons about bishops that throw me to sleep, so maybe. There is a lot of good reconstructive stuff about warfare and society in this period in James Fraser's book Mons Graupius. I would though have issues with using Alistair Moffat so heavily as a source without verifying his information from decent sources. In the meantime I'll search for what I can on JSTOR etc and pass the info on. Regarding the name. Alright ... say some user creates an article Scotland in the Iron Age ... would you think it should be merged? Can we really have both articles without making wikipedia look more like a magazine than encyclopedia? I don't think so ... not at least unless there was some carefully constructed symbiosis between the two. This would involve of course expanding the article a tiny bit in chronological scope, but not really in thematic scope (which for these eras matters more), and if I were to look at the article as it is without a title I wouldn't be surprised by the scope. I do promise to give you feedback on it soon, and we can go from there at least. All the best, Deacon of Pndapetzim (Talk) 18:38, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Fair enough. Any additional sources are very welcome, I have no objection to verifiable alterations to Moffat, and if it doesn't grab you, no matter. It should be a fairly straightforward GA. As for "Scotland in the Iron Age", it would be possible to drone on at length about roundhouses, brochs and wheelhouses and only mention Hadrian et al in passing. Were this article to be created the Picts section of "Scotland during" could possibly be reduced. Just out of curiosity, when would you place an end to the Iron Age in Dalriada/Pictland? Ben MacDui 19:41, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Oxford Wikimania 2010 and Wikimedia UK v2.0 Notice

Hi,

As a regularly contributing UK Wikipedian, we were wondering if you wanted to contribute to the Oxford bid to host the 2010 Wikimania conference. Please see here for details of how to get involved, we need all the help we can get if we are to put in a compelling bid.

We are also in the process of forming a new UK Wikimedia chapter to replace the soon to be folded old one. If you are interested in helping shape our plans, showing your support or becoming a future member or board member, please head over to the Wikimedia UK v2.0 page and let us know. We plan on holding an election in the next month to find the initial board, who will oversee the process of founding the company and accepting membership applications. They will then call an AGM to formally elect a new board who after obtaining charitable status will start the fund raising, promotion and active support for the UK Wikimedian community for which the chapter is being founded.

You may also wish to attend the next London meet-up at which both of these issues will be discussed. If you can't attend this meetup, you may want to watch Wikipedia:Meetup, for updates on future meets.

We look forward to hearing from you soon, and we send our apologies for this automated intrusion onto your talk page!

Addbot (talk) 19:29, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

Jarlshof GA

No problem at all. You were lucky though, you got reviewed fast because I recognized the word "jarl" and it piqued my interest, a lot of others have been waiting almost a month to get assessed. If you really want to thank me, go do a couple reviews off of WP:GAN, the list is backlogged beyond all rational belief. --erachima talk 09:08, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

More golden eagle photos - free on Flickr

head shot

in flight against grass background

in flight but Germany

in flight in Scotland

in flight, not sure of the species though

Let me know if you want any of these uploaded to Commons - Ruhrfisch _><>°^° 10:52, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

Goodness, that was quick. I am just dashing out to see if I can tempt one into the garden and take a picture of it. I'll look at these when I get back. Ben MacDui 10:59, 6 September 2008 (UTC)

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