User talk:JamAKiska

Talk:Michael Faraday/Archive 2
Faraday notes moved to his talk page archives.

Gas - Introduction
If this is the article to which you refer, it has some good content, but lacks in-line referencing and  decent lead section, both of which are essential if you are aiming for Good Article or Featured Article status. Have a look at the Photon FA to get some idea of what you are aiming for. If you need help with formatting, let me know. I'd recommend using the templates and referring to WP:MOS  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  05:49, 8 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Without knowledge of the gaseous state of matter, we would probably still be either walking or perhaps riding slowly in machines that had very little cushioning, and would still be exploring the surface of our planet. - unsourced and unsourcable speculation
 * Only the first occurence of the article title should be bolded
 * Within the scientific and engineering communities a gas is one of four states of matter. - First six words are pointless, it'a a state of matter everywhere
 * next bit better as Near absolute zero, most substances exist as solids [at one standard atmosphere of pressure] usually with a repeatable rigid crystal structure. As a substance is warmed it melts into a liquid [closely packed molecules moving freely about one another] and eventually boils into a gas [individual particles are separated by a much greater distance than within liquids]. If heated to a high enough temperature, a  plasma (physics) state may result in which the electrons are so energized that they leave their parent atoms from within the gas.
 * As most gases are difficult to observe directly, they may be uniquely described them through the use of four physical properties or characteristics: the pressure, volume, number of particles, and temperature. If we could observe a gas under a powerful  microscope, we would see a collection of particles (molecules, atoms, ions, electrons, etc.) without a definite shape or volume that are in more or less random motion. Gasses are generally modelled by the ideal gas law where the total volume of the gas increases proportionally to absolute temperature and decreases inversely proportionally to pressure. - I've just tweaked a bit  Jimfbleak  -  talk to me?  15:25, 8 October 2009 (UTC)

How about this opening paragraph and photo ahead of the other two already in place? As an invisible substance, a gas can be a challenge to understand. Most of us take gases for granted with every breath that we draw, though we see them applied in a variety of ways. Smells can be used to gain attention and identify, as with a perfume, or repulse like that of a skunk. For those whose life is speed, consider the impact of gases on our respiratory system, sailing (See 1910 postcard), flight, balloons, cars, windmills, weather, engines, skiing, speed skating, and yes, even cycling. In unique circumstances, gases can influence our emotions as is the case with an eerie funnel cloud, the vibrant colors of sunrise, or a howling wind at night. Gases can be used to warm or cool us depending upon the season. They can also be used as a fuel, or provide specific colors when properly energized. While we can identify with gases through our senses, this article attempts to clarify the introductory language surrounding the physical properties of gases as a state of matter to enable us to communicate more effectively. More detailed discussions branching off from this one can be accessed through the links within the article and the categories found at the page bottom.

CUoD (talk) 15:09, 24 February 2010 (UTC)


 * I'm a fan of the postcard! I like it. The text, I feel would me a bit of a distraction from the introduction to the state of matter. Photon has a relatively "textbook" introduction and is still considered a FA. I don't know that there is anything wrong with going even crazier with the textbook like intro if we are to model our lead after Photon as Jimfbleak suggested. Photon just seems to add a bit of history to its textbook intro...Good job though! It looks awesome. Katanada (talk) 17:54, 2 March 2010 (UTC)

As an invisible substance, a gas can be a challenge to understand. Most of us take gases for granted with every breath that we draw, though we see them applied in a variety of ways. Smells can be used to gain attention and identify, as with a perfume, or repulse like that of a skunk. For those whose life is speed, consider the impact of gases on our respiratory system, sailing (See 1910 postcard), flight, balloons, cars, windmills, weather, engines, skiing, speed skating, and yes, even cycling. In unique circumstances, gases can influence our emotions as is the case with an eerie funnel cloud, the vibrant colors of sunrise, or a howling wind at night. Gases can be used to warm or cool us depending upon the season. They can also be used as a fuel, or provide specific colors when properly energized. While we can identify with gases through our senses, this article attempts to clarify the introductory language surrounding the physical properties of gases as a state of matter to enable us to communicate more effectively. More detailed discussions branching off from this one can be accessed through the links within the article and the categories found at the page bottom.
 * Does this work any better?CUoD (talk) 18:31, 2 March 2010 (UTC)
 * Check WP:MOSBEGIN or more generally WP:LEAD. I'm honestly not really that good at writing lead sections. Sorry buddy. I'm too much of a technical guy =P Katanada (talk) 05:41, 3 March 2010 (UTC)


 * You are correct about the lead section specifics which are already covered, now in the second paragraph. The postcard and opening paragraph would be considered as part of the optional material covering "other uses".

A Gas is one of three classical states of matter.[1] Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point (see phase change), boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons are so energized that they leave their parent atoms from within the gas. A pure gas may be made up of individual atoms (e.g. a noble gas or atomic gas like neon), elemental molecules made from one type of atom (e.g. oxygen), or compound molecules made from a variety of atoms (e.g. carbon dioxide). A gas mixture would contain a variety of pure gases much like the air. What distinguishes a gas from liquids and solids is the vast separation of the individual gas particles. This separation usually makes a colorless gas invisible to the human observer. The interaction of gas particles in the presence of electric and gravitational fields are considered negligible as indicated by the constant velocity vectors in the image. The gaseous state of matter is found between the liquid and plasma states[2], the latter of which provides the upper temperature boundary for gases. Bounding the lower end of the temperature scale lie degenerative quantum gases[3] which are gaining increased attention these days.[4] High-density atomic gases super cooled to incredibly low temperatures are classified by their statistical behavior as either a Bose gas or a Fermi gas. For a comprehensive listing of these exotic states of matter see list of states of matter.
 * How about this? CUoD (talk) 13:39, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

File:Abstract-blue smoke.jpg
Well, looking at their "Limited Royalty Free Licenses (RF-LL)" license, it's totally incompatible with the Creative commons license that's preferable on Wikipedia. It doesn't even appear that it could be used here under any of the non-free categories, as all of the variations on the theme (Extended Licenses for Using Our Imagery) put so many limitations on the images that aren't compatible with any license that I can think of here. Sorry, but their restrictions are just too convoluted and numerous to try to correctly and/or validly put a license tag on them. Skier Dude ( talk ) 07:57, 11 October 2009 (UTC)

Gas
OK, I'll look tomorrow  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  15:16, 19 October 2009 (UTC)


 * The content looks pretty good to me. Stylistically, it's a mess, and largely unreferenced, but unless you are aiming for Good Article, that doesn't really matter. I've fixed some of the random capitalisation, not sure I got it all. Picture captions, "courtesy of NASA" etc are mostly wrong, the images are public domain and can be used without permission. In any case, the credits should normally be on the image page, not the caption, unless the image creator is a notable person in their own right (eg, a painting of a bird by Audubon would probably have that in the caption)  Jimfbleak  -  talk to me?  07:03, 20 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Ideally you need to in-line your refs, and I'd recommend using the cite templates. Also best to avoid bulletted lists if possible and aim for continuous prose  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  13:02, 20 October 2009 (UTC)

Hey! Thanks a lot for working on gas... if you go back far enough in the history, I was the one to first re-write it from its state of, essentially, non-existence. I know it wasn't really great but at least there was content :). Let me know if I can help at all. Thanks again Katanada (talk) 08:51, 21 October 2009 (UTC)
 * btw -- I responded on my talk page Katanada (talk) 08:58, 21 October 2009 (UTC)


 * The lead section should summarise the content of the article, I can't see how it does that. You have written it to be accessible, but the informal style isn't really suited to a scientific article  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  13:38, 1 March 2010 (UTC)


 * It improves readability, but the idiosyncratic style doesn't really conform to MoS. I don't suppose it matters though. I would expect core physics topics like the states of matter to be aimed at GA or FA, but in fact Gas is probably the best written of the three, and that's nowhere close.  Jimfbleak -  talk to me?  19:18, 1 March 2010 (UTC)

Rev Benjamin Ingham
Hi, if you are keen then there is text above at the dnb which is copyright free. red links are fine - they show where new articles are required and this is a good instance. Victuallers (talk) 15:39, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

For future reference
I had a look at your not-quite-an-article-yet on Griffith Hughes. Good work so far.

Note that I've trimmed out a little bit of the speculative language near the end. Also note that I've broken the category tags; please don't include functional mainspace category tags on your userpages. You can repair the tags when you're ready to move it into mainspace. DS (talk) 13:46, 14 April 2010 (UTC)

New article
... looks excellent. Minor point is "The whereabouts of Mr. Hughes from the late 1750s remains uncertain. One source lists his date of passing as 1778?, while another has him returning to Barbados around 1758 which aligns with the records from the Royal Society" ... these views as expressed are not incompatible ... Im guessing source 1 implies he died in the UK. I would like to nominate your article for "Did You Know" ... any objections? Oh and Vol 28 looks as if it might now get finished ... thanks for so much quality work. Victuallers (talk) 16:20, 24 April 2010 (UTC)

Mistake? ...
I may have misunderstood "to movement into mainspace, when your time permits."... as I've moved it into mainspace. Sorry if I misunderstood, however I have linked it to various other articles and will propose it to DYK I would suggest "discoverer of the forbidden fruit", Do you agree? Victuallers (talk) 10:16, 25 April 2010 (UTC) I think the authorship is important - shall I delete it so you can recreate? ... you may want to take a copy first Victuallers (talk) 10:18, 25 April 2010 (UTC) I deleted it. I got a note telling me how good MY page was and that was not right. OK? Victuallers (talk) 14:50, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
 * I may have thrown a wrench into the works - it appears that he left Pennsylvania in a hurry, followed by an audit. This would not quite fit with WP:BLP if he were still alive, but I think it is worth mentioning. I may check DYK and suggest an alternative. Smallbones (talk) 17:38, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Looks like an interesting find .... adds some supporting evidence to the alleged fraud maybe. The place he moved to in Barbados does not look as good for your health. It has no sizable settlement even today. It looks like a place to hide. (POV) Victuallers (talk) 17:47, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Stearns mentioned a botanist by name of Mr. Miller from Chelsea who connected with the technical side of Hughes terminology, my interpretation was Miller was the expert, while Hughes provided the observations on which to comment. The Pa. controversy seemed to be focused on him leaving them without replacement (which is understandable, he arrived after a several year gap as SPG had only begun some 35 years earlier), while Hughes response was based on health and a 200+ mile weekly circuit (not sure what happened to that horse).CUoD (talk) 18:09, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
 * The Gap to which I previously referred was for a Welsh speaking pastor. Also of interest was that Hughes made arrangements for "supply pastors" while away in Barbados.  What a waste of a horse! Thanks. CUoD (talk) 20:56, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
 * just notes: I don't understand the fl. in (fl. 1707-1758).  I've linked the NH of Barbados in Google books digitalization of a reprint of a microfilmed original (afaik).  Plate VII there is supposed to be the grapefruit tree and it appears to be opposite p. 127 and might be put into the article, but ...  My take on the PA controversy is that he didn't know what he was getting into, slightly off the edge of the civilized world, and that the folks there though he was lazy and immature.  The distances between the places mentioned are not really that far, about 20 miles from Radnor (except Conestoga = Lancaster County about 70 miles), but the roads if any were bad and it really is up and down hills and valleys country.  Leaving his post and taking another BEFORE telling the SPG even today would be considered a major infraction. A guess on why he inherited the horse - he might have "borrowed" it and forgotten to return it.  Rather than hunt down a valuable clergyman, accusing him of being a horse-thief, and providing ammunition to religious opponents, the dying man might have decided "might as well let him keep it."  Well, I said it was a guess..  User:Piledhigheranddeeper might have an interest in this.  Smallbones (talk) 21:56, 25 April 2010 (UTC)
 * Floruit loosely interpreted on my part covered his documented life, in this case birth, schools and a reasonable series of recorded events following his initial Oxford experience to include his mission work in Pa, Barbados and back to London.  RS documents his life as flourishing from 1748-1758, which to me does not give any insights into who this man was.  I am with you on the characterization part of Pa (mid-20's away from home and a lot of options)...[so I'm Gwen, and I see this reverend walk by my farm every Tuesday between 8:30 and 9:00 am and we talk for maybe 30 minutes then he is on his way to another location (30 minutes out of one week...he might be lazy)...perspective is the key, I would not be surprised if his "expected to do list" kept piling higher and higher...and he had more than one congregation expecting support.  ON top of that he was pushing for Welsh reading materials which required journeys to Philly, not sure if he met Ben Franklin, but the Phily "library" was a patron of his book.  Why would you leave Radnor Pa. in 1735 to go to Barbados on a whim?  His medical condition is not clear to me, his knee, fresh air and the like...hmmm...  The limited letters in this case tell a portion of the story.  I can't remember the last time I walked 20 miles to work (I might be temped to steal a horse)...6 days a week!  It may be a reasonable assumption that the SPG expected regimental behavior from there new clergy, and my assumption of a faith based organization giving him the latitude some 3000 miles away from his bishop might be a little loose (he had not received much written support in the way of Welsh literature from them from what I read).  For someone that found substitutes in absentia indicates responsible behavior on that person's part (again far removed from the bishop)...not quite like he ran off and dropped everything.  That being said, your theory could be correct, and if I were in Radford and my clergy took off for Barbados...I might be tempted to think of those last four thoughts Hughes was known for (the word abandonment comes to mind), but would this also not provide the motivation for the many unkind thoughts expressed about this impressionable young man fresh out of college.  London also had several months heads up of his intention to leave Radford based upon his correspondence.  The other telling point, is that when he returned to London seven years later, he seemed to get a great deal of support from SPG and COE in his follow on efforts to include degrees and publications.  We all agree, that voyage was highly unusual, and yet the system continued to support his professional efforts...why? CUoD (talk) 03:30, 26 April 2010 (UTC)

DYK for Griffith Hughes
Materialscientist (talk) 16:04, 30 April 2010 (UTC)

Google Books and DNB
Re the additions to the scans page: I have done quite a bit of work on tracking down Google Books editions of DNB volumes (s:User:Charles Matthews/DNB referencing data). I come at this from a different angle, really, because Google doesn't allow me to read its editions here in the UK. Therefore my main interest is in finding the places on WP where there are references to the DNB relying on Google Books, and replacing them by the straight links to WS that work for everyone. Magnus Manske wrote me a useful if not comprehensive tool that collates "external link search" on enWP to find the references that still exist (100-200 of them).

You seem, though, to have some way of finding editions that is new to me: it's all fairly complicated, with multiple scans posted by Google at random-seeming "keys" (the four-character prefix). There are two or three scans posted of most of the volumes of the first edition, and the keys you have found are new to me. Charles Matthews (talk) 08:56, 20 May 2010 (UTC)

WP:WP DNB
Has anyone pointed you at the new WikiProject Dictionary of National Biography. Might be of interest to you, noting your work on DNB Epitome 28. --Tagishsimon (talk) 02:00, 16 September 2010 (UTC)

Confusing signature
The guidelines on customised signatures at WP:CUSTOMSIG include "When customizing your signature, please keep the following in mind: A distracting, confusing, or otherwise unsuitable signature may adversely affect other users.". I find it confusing that your signature uses a name, "CUoD" which has no relationship to your actual user name. Why do you do this? Please consider changing it, so that the name above which your comments appear is the same name which appears in page histories etc. Thanks. PamD (talk) 09:08, 7 January 2011 (UTC)

A New Year for the DNB, and launch of "volume of the month"
See WT:WP DNB for a collaboration that I'm in the course of setting up. Everyone who signed up to the WikiProject for the Dictionary of National Biography is being notified, while there is still time to alter the way of working if need be. Charles Matthews (talk) 12:27, 3 January 2012 (UTC)

WikiProject Persondata
Just letting you know that I've placed your name in the "Inactive participants" list over at WikiProject Persondata. Please feel free to move your name back if it was placed in the list in error, or if you return :). —Msmarmalade (talk) 14:09, 9 July 2014 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 14:08, 24 November 2015 (UTC)