User talk:Opabinia regalis/Archive 18

When two pentomphaloids see each other again...
...it's a decaident pleasure?

Dear O,

I stumbled today onto Wikipedia and found a notice of a FAR concerning the Laplace–Runge–Lenz vector, which was promoted back in early 2007. That led me to look over the article's Talk page and FA candidacy, where I stumbled again, this time over your name, which brought back a flood of fond memories. And then I discovered that you had returned to Wikipedia!

Can you believe that it's been |exactly 15 years since we met? Those years editing WP were happy times for me, and I hope for you as well — even if, looking back, I was an all-too-chatty collaborator. (5-eye roll) You were my first friend on Wikipedia and always a pleasure to conspire with. I hope life has been kindly to you these years; for me it's been rough sledding now and then. But an adventuresome life was probably always going to be my lot in life and I'm in a pretty good place nowadays. Real life doesn't indulge me with much free time, but I would dearly love to hear how you've been doing.

Warm, sunlit wishes from Willow

PS. Alas, my kitties of yore have all passed away. But I have a hyperenergetic and occasionally cantankerous tortoiseshell kitty named Hermione, who is gradually mellowing as she reaches middle age. Perhaps a lesson for us all. ;) Willow (talk) 11:40, 30 May 2021 (UTC)


 * Wow, blast from the past - nice to see you too! Sorry about the FAR. Looks like the article's held up pretty well though. I'm in the same boat not having much time lately for editing, I haven't been around much in a while but I've been trying to poke my proboscis in every so often.
 * My kitten from back in the day has also passed on, but I've still got two (one of whom stepped on the keyboard just now...). Good to see you back around! Opabinia regalis (talk) 06:06, 1 June 2021 (UTC)

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Articles for Creation July 2021 Backlog Elimination Drive
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Thank you for participating in my RFA
I appreciate your support and trust. Please feel invited to call on me if I can be of help. BusterD (talk) 06:48, 17 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Wow, old-fashioned thankspam! Congratulations! Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:59, 19 July 2021 (UTC)

June corner
some impressions of places, flowers and music for you, - page is too empty --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:10, 20 June 2021 (UTC)


 * It's so quiet, it's great! Nice flowers, very peaceful. Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:24, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
 * flowers don't fight with weapons ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:48, 21 June 2021 (UTC)
 * I received 2 cats ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:26, 22 June 2021 (UTC)

July corner
June continued ... last year's flowers match the image on the user page nicely, see? - DYK that her last reply to me was in a thread Green for hope? - The DYK set in honour of Yoninah appeared yesterday, including Psalm 85, with the kiss of justice and peace - we wrote that together.

Fourth of July: Brian's birthday, remembered in gratitude for his unfailing inspiration and support - remember the Chapel - the missed - the music? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:02, 4 July 2021 (UTC)
 * That's a lot of memories! Sad to see how many people we've lost lately. Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:09, 5 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Agree, and not only to death, also to arbcom. I believe that User:SlimVirgin is her best memorial: putting others first. - I could do without the petty templated candle, disturbing the peaceful design. No candle when I die, please, just memories of flowers and music. - No recent health problems, but I remember, and see others struggle. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:37, 5 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Music happens, and if you scroll down far enough: two black cats on one pic! On the Main page now: "my" school. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:37, 14 July 2021 (UTC)
 * More music: 2 songs, the morning song - about rising from being down, in more than one sense - is a GA, - there should be more given my initials, but I also want to care for articles of those who recently died (now Esther Béjarano). --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:59, 16 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Nice articles as always - hope all's well after those crazy landslides! Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:59, 19 July 2021 (UTC)
 * see flood, - not all is well for those hit by it, but I wasn't, and while my parents were treated in the evacuated hospital, they are no longer there. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:52, 19 July 2021 (UTC)
 * Did you know that Vivaldi composed cello sonatas? I didn't until I took the pic. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:37, 21 July 2021 (UTC)

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Barnstar

 * Thanks ! I like the starfish :) Now I just need to find some time to make some spike pictures. Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:09, 19 August 2021 (UTC)

Celebration
My 12th today, DYK? I decorated, also for a birthday. Songs invite to more music, places, food and flowers. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:56, 2 August 2021 (UTC)

Today: 2 interesting DYK (I think), sadly 2 who died (on top of 2 from Poland yesterday), and a concert in which Daniel Barenboim just played piano, - and afterwards he and the orchestra received last year's prize (pictured). --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:14, 7 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Congrats on the DYKs! Opabinia regalis (talk) 09:15, 9 August 2021 (UTC)
 * Thank you! Today: 3 even, including that the author dedicated a summer story to a license plate number ;) - Five rows of images added, sunflowers and butterflies continued, four rows of 15 August alone, - enjoy! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:25, 18 August 2021 (UTC)
 * A license plate number, that's an odd choice! Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:09, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
 * A "secret" code, - why odd? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:48, 19 August 2021 (UTC)
 * ... and today: Teresa Żylis-Gara, the second soprano to impress me on stage, died, - long live the memory of her beautiful singing, remembered with thanks. 28 August 2013 was a special concert day: look. After Hillbillyholiday gave me a tree. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:55, 28 August 2021 (UTC)

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Gerda's September corner
Omas gegen Rechts - enjoy strong women! I thought of Yoninah on the first day of Rosh Hashanah. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:49, 7 September 2021 (UTC)

Rich Main page today: the first TFA by a promising author, the pictured DYK by same friend LouisAlain who is discouraged by an AN discussion, and one of the Recent deaths. Enjoy! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:04, 9 September 2021 (UTC)

today: the day of bold red and black, for Dante who died 700 years ago, and Peter Fleischmann who died recently, leaving us films full of vision. Dante: just heard Inferno, imagined by a woman, the main character both speaking and singing with an inner 4-part voice! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 19:02, 14 September 2021 (UTC)

Today: a woman in red (back to the beginning of the thread), two who died under "in memoriam" and LouisAlain missed - my first editnotice read: "Every editor is a human being" which is quoted from a comment by Geometry guy in a 2012 discussion on WP:AN. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:58, 27 September 2021 (UTC)

Autoconfirmed age
Hi!

Perhaps it will interest you that I mentioned you at the Wikimedia mailing list: https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/thread/ONYNFNACK34LQLTBRHI6M56LBJHFBSKW/

Have a nice day! :) Amir E. Aharoni (talk) 10:22, 4 October 2021 (UTC)

RfA 2021 review update
Thanks so much for participating in Phase 1 of the RfA 2021 review. 8 out of the 21 issues discussed were found to have consensus. Thanks to our closers of Phase 1, and.

The following had consensus support of participating editors:
 * 1) Corrosive RfA atmosphere
 * The atmosphere at RfA is deeply unpleasant. This makes it so fewer candidates wish to run and also means that some members of our community don't comment/vote.
 * 1) Level of scrutiny
 * Many editors believe it would be unpleasant to have so much attention focused on them. This includes being indirectly a part of watchlists and editors going through your edit history with the chance that some event, possibly a relatively trivial event, becomes the focus of editor discussion for up to a week.
 * 1) Standards needed to pass keep rising
 * It used to be far easier to pass RfA however the standards necessary to pass have continued to rise such that only "perfect" candidates will pass now.
 * 1) Too few candidates
 * There are too few candidates. This not only limits the number of new admin we get but also makes it harder to identify other RfA issues because we have such a small sample size.
 * 1) "No need for the tools" is a poor reason as we can find work for new admins

The following issues had a rough consensus of support from editors: 1. Lifetime tenure (high stakes atmosphere) Because RfA carries with it lifetime tenure, granting any given editor sysop feels incredibly important. This creates a risk adverse and high stakes atmosphere.

2. Admin permissions and unbundling There is a large gap between the permissions an editor can obtain and the admin toolset. This brings increased scrutiny for RFA candidates, as editors evaluate their feasibility in lots of areas.

3. RfA should not be the only road to adminship Right now, RfA is the only way we can get new admins, but it doesn't have to be.

Please consider joining the brainstorming which will last for the next 1-2 weeks. This will be followed by Phase 2, a 30 day discussion to consider solutions to the problems identified in Phase 1. There are 2 future mailings planned. One when Phase 2 opens and one with the results of Phase 2. To opt-out of future mailings, please remove yourself here. Best, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 00:08, 10 October 2021 (UTC)

Gerda's October corner
I uploaded new pics (click on songs), including "our" concert (after exactly two years without) and a cow sunset --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:07, 5 October 2021 (UTC)

Today: DYK #1700, and I uploaded more images, mostly blue and green, for hope. - The creator of the DYK article is blocked, and I have the feeling that I don't speak a language understood on AN (as mentioned in September, see above). --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:01, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

Today: see yourself, read about a hymn praying to not be on earth in vain, about a comics artist whose characters have character (another collaboration of the "perennial gang", broken by one of us banned), and in memory of the last prima donna assoluta, Edita Gruberová. I had to go to two grave sites last week, one who died now, one who died 10 years ago, so standing upright and in black seems appropriate. More colours - but subdued - can be had on hikes, - updated. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:07, 20 October 2021 (UTC)

Today: memories in friendship --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:14, 28 October 2021 (UTC)

RfA Reform 2021 Phase 2 has begun
Following a 2 week brainstorming period and a 1 week proposal period, the 30 day discussion of changes to our Request for Adminship process has begun. Following feedback on Phase 1, in order to ensure that the largest number of people possible can see all proposals, new proposals will only be accepted for the for the first 7 days of Phase 2. The 30 day discussion is scheduled to last until November 30. Please join the discussion or even submit your own proposal.

There is 1 future mailing planned with the results of Phase 2. To opt-out of future mailings, please remove yourself here. 16:13, 31 October 2021 (UTC)

A kitten for you!
I wish I could vote for you in this election, but I haven't done enough edits yet. Anyways, you are doing amazing! Keep up the great work 😊

SassyGamer483 (talk) 06:47, 24 November 2021 (UTC) 
 * Thanks ! Opabinia regalis (talk) 10:44, 25 November 2021 (UTC)

"But if an arb is doing a lot of their own research then it's probably more appropriate to recuse and present evidence as a participant."
Interestingly, if inquisitorial system is to be believed, a court actively investigating the facts by themselves ... is simply an inquisitorial court, not a prejudiced one. But I guess that most people on Wikipedia are familiar with the adversarial system they apply its standards and expectations to ArbCom. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 11:31, 21 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Yeah, despite citing the inquisitorial concept in an earlier question, I have to admit that a good chunk of my knowledge about it comes from that not-terribly-detailed article. I'm unclear on whether the investigating is done by the same people as the final decision-making/conviction/sentencing, though - the article suggests that at least (in some cases?) in France, if the case is solid there would be a second adversarial phase with a different judge. I guess if arbcom wanted to approximate that, they could split up the "drafter" role and assign one or two arbs to sift through the evidence, do further investigations about it where appropriate, and post their work to the case pages, and then have another arb use their work to write the PD. Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:36, 22 November 2021 (UTC)
 * From reading through the Wikipedia articles on the matter it seems like if the case is solid there would be a second adversarial phase with a different judge.. I guess the advantage in the case of ArbCom is that arbitrators would not have to depend on the [likely incomplete and biased] sample of evidence provided by the parties. The disadvantage is that it would require more structure/bureaucracy. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 11:00, 22 November 2021 (UTC)
 * I can't remember the case now, it was before my time, but I'm pretty sure there's some old ones where the arbs did some of their own digging - and then of course people complained their evidence was incomplete and biased. I think I'm thinking of one of the real old-days cases where it may even have been true. Opabinia regalis (talk) 04:56, 24 November 2021 (UTC)
 * The problem with Wikipedia is that whichever system, there will still be arbitrators who are either friends with or can't stand the sight of the accused. There is also blatant gender bias. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 09:01, 22 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Well, yeah, but short of replacing arbitrators with robots you are never going to fix that problem, and I don't think that the necessary artificial intelligence will be available anywhere soon. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 11:00, 22 November 2021 (UTC)
 * You'd have to use training data from humans, so the friends and enemies will average out but AI-bitrator will still be full of blatant gender bias. Opabinia regalis (talk) 04:56, 24 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Me, I'd be concerned that AI-bitrator would "learn" to acquit friends and ban enemies. We don't need AI to do this. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 11:36, 25 November 2021 (UTC)

ACE2021
Hi OR. I just wanted to say a belated welcome back and best of luck in the election. I was very happy to see your hat entering the ring! –&#8239;Joe (talk) 08:10, 16 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks ! You know there's still time to get in there yourself... *nudge* *poke* Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:38, 16 November 2021 (UTC)

That made my day (which was bright although foggy to start with)! Sadly Aga Mikolaj (listen!). May the roads that we travel make us meet again! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:21, 16 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks ! Nice picture, it's nice to see the sun peeking through the fog! Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:38, 16 November 2021 (UTC)
 * exactly! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:40, 16 November 2021 (UTC)
 * I mentioned you on my talk, with the link to my 2015 archive ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:49, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Today we received the annual pompous message, which made me think. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:26, 23 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Time for the annual Spamming of the Talkpages. Hard to believe it's that time of year already! Opabinia regalis (talk) 04:23, 24 November 2021 (UTC)
 * That day, I can't read my watchlist ... - Thanksgiving music --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:17, 25 November 2021 (UTC)

What, again?? great to see you're still around, and good luck in the elections. Not that you'll need it! -- Euryalus (talk) 08:41, 16 November 2021 (UTC)
 * , thanks! Ahem, you know we still need one more candidate just to have a chance at filling all the slots... Opabinia regalis (talk) 16:59, 16 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Um, no thanks. Too little time, too little patience to do it again. -- Euryalus (talk) 19:42, 16 November 2021 (UTC)


 * Opabinia, At the time of writing, you are, IMO, the only candidate to have accurately understood the users' questions and then provided excellent answers. you and I occasionally collaborated in the distant past - I was particularly thankful for your ability to come up with stats and graphs for me, something which I am not good at. I was also moved by your participation beyond simply your work as an Arb.


 * I have therefore asked one follow up question, mainly because I want voters to see your answer. That said, although there is no chance of me wanting the tools again, I am now semi-retired from en.Wiki as a consequence, and therefore a look at this (if you are not familiar with it) will help you grasp why I am asking for your opinions, because it will probably happen again, and possibly on your watch. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 04:01, 18 November 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks ! Glad you're still semi-around. I know that case exists, obviously, but haven't read it (or almost any of the 2020 stuff) - January 2020 was still wrapping up that overdue project supposed to be done in December, chatting over lunch about this weird new virus we'd heard about in China... Opabinia regalis (talk) 09:31, 18 November 2021 (UTC)

ACE 2021
Hi Opabinia. Thank you for your courage to run in this year's ACE. This kind of scrutiny can sometimes be as challenging as an RfA - if not worse. Some candidates ran on a platform for changes in Arbcom. Now comes the cliff-hanger of waiting for the results. 52% of the votes were cast on day 1 of the ballot. You might find this analysis of the campaign to be of interest. You are welcome to leave your thoughts on its talk page. Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 05:16, 7 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks Kupdung, interesting graphs! Wouldn't have guessed voting would be quite so concentrated on day 1. I guess we're a decisive bunch.
 * Weirdly, I was curious how that compared to past elections and found the old voter logs are now "only available to election administrators". The logs for past elections used to be publicly available - seems like a surprising choice of data to keep private. Opabinia regalis (talk) 05:32, 9 December 2021 (UTC)

Administrators will no longer be autopatrolled
A recently closed Request for Comment (RFC) reached consensus to remove Autopatrolled from the administrator user group. You may, similarly as with Edit Filter Manager, choose to self-assign this permission to yourself. This will be implemented the week of December 13th, but if you wish to self-assign you may do so now. To find out when the change has gone live or if you have any questions please visit the Administrator's Noticeboard. 20:06, 7 December 2021 (UTC)


 * It's like there was a long detailed conversation about what to have for dinner, with extended discussion about the merits of each potential ingredient and cooking method, and.... in the end, nobody's eaten anything, we still haven't started cooking, we don't have consensus on the recipe, and the only people to volunteer to wash the dishes get rejected because one time four years ago their cookies were slightly burnt. But at least we decided we should throw out any unlabeled leftovers in the fridge next week. Opabinia regalis (talk) 05:37, 9 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Inspired by this comment, in days to come I will be throwing out lots of leftovers and old condiments from a refrigerator I have owned for 17 years. I am moving out and selling the house and downsizing, so it is time to say "goodbye" to many, many things. Cullen328 (talk) 05:44, 9 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Wow, 17 years! Hope the condiments aren't quite that old :) That's a long time in one place - good luck with the move, sounds like a big change. Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:31, 9 December 2021 (UTC)

Invitation to take part in a survey about medical topics on Wikipedia
Dear fellow editor,

I am Piotr Konieczny, a sociologist of new media at Hanyang University (and User:Piotrus on Wikipedia). I would like to better understand Wikipedia's volunteers who edit medical topics, many associated with the WikiProject Medicine, and known to create some of the highest quality content on Wikipedia. I hope that the lessons I can learn from you that I will present to the academic audience will benefit both the WikiProject Medicine (improving your understanding of yourself and helping to promote it and attract new volunteers) and the wider world of medical volunteering and academia. Open access copy of the resulting research will be made available at WikiProject's Medicine upon the completion of the project.

All questions are optional. The survey is divided into 4 parts: 1 - Brief description of yourself; 2 - Questions about your volunteering; 3 - Questions about WikiProject Medicine and 4 - Questions about Wikipedia's coverage of medical topics.

Please note that by filling out this questionnaire, you consent to participate in this research. The survey is anonymous and all personal details relevant to your experience will be kept private and will not be transferred to any third party.

I appreciate your support of this research and thank you in advance for taking the time to participate and share your experiences! If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me at my Wikipedia user page or through my email listed on the survey page (or by Wikipedia email this user function).

The survey is accessible through the LINK HERE.

Piotr Konieczny Associate Professor Hanyang University If you wish to opt-out of future mailings, please remove yourself from the mailing list. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:24, 13 December 2021 (UTC)

A cup of coffee for you!

 * Thanks! Glad someone read them :) I didn't know about PSCNV either till I came across it while doing some reading for another article - really interesting! I'm planning on (sloooowly) writing articles for the rest of the coronavirus nonstructural proteins, but definitely won't finish anytime soon. Opabinia regalis (talk) 06:42, 14 December 2021 (UTC)

Welcome back to the Arbitration Committee

 * A small number of emails, you say? I'll hold you to that ;) Email sent! Opabinia regalis (talk) 05:41, 16 December 2021 (UTC)


 * Congrats. Really pleased about this 👍 Kudpung กุดผึ้ง (talk) 01:38, 16 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks Kudpung! Opabinia regalis (talk) 05:41, 16 December 2021 (UTC)

December opera
today an Italian opera, my second ever, as the TFA written by two dear people, and a park where I went with dear people, as pictured DYK --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:14, 14 December 2021 (UTC)

Congrats to the election! On Beethoven's birthday. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:35, 16 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Thanks! Very pretty picture as always! Opabinia regalis (talk) 17:00, 16 December 2021 (UTC)
 * If you click on "songs", there are more, firstly when I heard Beethoven last. - Did you know that the infobox for Beethoven was inserted by your colleague WTT? ... probably the edit on all of Wikipedia by someone else that pleases me most ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:08, 16 December 2021 (UTC)
 * today memories of singing Monteverdi, Handel, Rossini - a triple nod to Brian, an unsurpassed model of constant kindness and helpfulness coupled with competence! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 16:53, 17 December 2021 (UTC)

2022 Arbitration Committee
The Arbitration Committee welcomes the following new and returning arbitrators following their election by the community. The two-year terms of these arbitrators formally begin on 1 January 2022:

All incoming arbitrators have elected to receive the checkuser and oversight permissions.

We also thank our outgoing colleagues whose terms end on 31 December 2021:

Outgoing arbitrators are eligible to retain the CheckUser and Oversight permissions, remain active on cases accepted before their term ended, and to remain subscribed to the functionaries' and arbitration clerks' mailing lists following their term on the committee. To that effect:
 * Stewards are requested to remove the permission(s) noted from the following outgoing arbitrators after 31 December 2021 at their own request:
 * CheckUser: Casliber, David Fuchs, Newyorkbrad, SoWhy
 * Oversight: Casliber, David Fuchs, Newyorkbrad, SoWhy
 * Outgoing arbitrators are eligible to remain active on cases opened before their term ended if they wish. Whether or not outgoing arbitrators will remain active on any ongoing case(s) will be noted on the proposed decision talk page of affected case(s).
 * All outgoing arbitrators will remain subscribed to the functionaries' mailing list
 * David Fuchs will be unsubscribed from the arbitration clerks' mailing list at his request.

For the Arbitration Committee,

 Maxim (talk)   16:00, 20 December 2021 (UTC)
 * Discuss this at: 

RFA 2021 Completed
The 2021 re-examination of RFA has been completed. 23 (plus 2 variants) ideas were proposed. Over 200 editors participated in this final phase. Three changes gained consensus and two proposals were identified by the closers as having the potential to gain consensus with some further discussion and iteration. Thanks to all who helped to close the discussion, and in particular, , and for closing the most difficult conversations and for  for closing the review of one of the closes.

The following proposals gained consensus and have all been implemented:
 * 1) Revision of standard question 1 to Special thanks to  for help with implementation.
 * 2) A new process, Administrative Action Review (XRV) designed to review if an editor's specific use of an advanced permission, including the admin tools, is consistent with policy in a process similar to that of deletion review and move review. Thanks to all the editors who contributed (and are continuing to contribute) to the discussion of how to implement this proposal.
 * 3) Removal of autopatrol from the administrator's toolkit. Special thanks to and  for their help with implementation.

The following proposals were identified by the closers as having the potential to gain consensus with some further discussion and iteration:
 * 1) An option for people to run for temporary adminship ( proposal, discussion, & close )
 * 2) An optional election process ( proposal & discussion and close review & re-close )

Editors who wish to discuss these ideas or other ideas on how to try to address any of the six issues identified during phase 1 for which no proposal gained are encouraged to do so at RFA's talk page or an appropriate village pump.

A final and huge thanks all those who participated in this effort to improve our RFA process over the last 4 months. This is the final update with no further talk page messages planned. 01:46, 30 December 2021 (UTC)

Merchandise giveaway nomination

 * That's very kind of you. But I don't need more stuff, I have too much already! And I forget what for now - taking a survey? - but I did get a nice water bottle awhile back. Pass it along to someone who'd get more use out of it :) Opabinia regalis (talk) 05:40, 2 January 2022 (UTC)

How we will see unregistered users
Hi!

You get this message because you are an admin on a Wikimedia wiki.

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Instead of the IP we will show a masked identity. You as an admin will still be able to access the IP. There will also be a new user right for those who need to see the full IPs of unregistered users to fight vandalism, harassment and spam without being admins. Patrollers will also see part of the IP even without this user right. We are also working on better tools to help.

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We have two suggested ways this identity could work. We would appreciate your feedback on which way you think would work best for you and your wiki, now and in the future. You can let us know on the talk page. You can write in your language. The suggestions were posted in October and we will decide after 17 January.

Thank you. /Johan (WMF)

18:13, 4 January 2022 (UTC)

ARCA
Hi, Opabinia. I appreciate getting a response at ARCA. It's hardly worth me adding yet more words to my section there, but I'm not enthused about the psychological value of New Year's resolutions — compare this New Year's resolution here, in the third paragraph of the appeal. And I frankly don't believe in the value of "extra support" — arbcom support — for admins placing DS bans. The required support for admin discretion is already provided in the discretionary sanctions created by arbcoms past; no call for the current arbcom to add an offer to hold the admin's hand in the case of one specific user. The validity of any DS sanction surely rests on whatever disruption an admin (or a flock of admins at WP:AE) is able to discern, to explain, and to give evidence for; only on that. Rather, the psychology of the second sentence of the motion seems to be directed at any arb who is uncomfortable with the decision to lift the sanction. In my opinion. 'No, look, we're so to speak not really lifting it. Not unconditionally. It's only provisional.' What..? Compare MastCell's comment. Bishonen &#124; tålk 08:49, 9 January 2022 (UTC).
 * Well, MastCell has a good point about the cost of a hypothetical admin reimposing the ban (any case, not just this one), and that's hopefully part of what's mitigated by the provisional status. Of course you try to write what other arbs might support, so there's probably some psychological benefit there too. As for past resolutions, I didn't follow through on mine from 2019 either, but I made them again this year. Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:54, 10 January 2022 (UTC)

Saw this, thought of you
Opabinia, which swam the seas of Earth’s Cambrian era some 500 million years ago, was not just a one hit wonder.-- Jezebel's Ponyo bons mots 00:14, 9 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Wow, I hadn't seen that - my long lost cousin! Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:28, 9 February 2022 (UTC)

Request for input on a featured article candidacy
Greetings, I have nominated Lake Estancia for a featured article nomination. Please join the discussion on whether this article meets featured article criteria. The instructions for the review process are here. Thanks in advance for any comments. Jo-Jo Eumerus (talk) 11:57, 10 February 2022 (UTC)

WP:AFC Helper News
Hello! I wanted to drop a quick note for all of our AFC participants; nothing huge and fancy like a newsletter, but a few points of interest. Short and sweet, but there's always more to discuss at WT:AFC. Stop on by, maybe review a draft on the way? Whether you're one of our top reviewers, or haven't reviewed in a while, I want to thank you for helping out in the past and in the future. Cheers, Primefac, via MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 16:00, 16 February 2022 (UTC)
 * AFCH will now show live previews of the comment to be left on a decline.
 * The template db-afc-move has been created - this template is similar to db-move when there is a redirect in the way of an acceptance, but specifically tells the patrolling admin to let you (the draft reviewer) take care of the actual move.

2024
Hi! Would you like to change the 2024 function on this page? The function is affecting the link. Thank you. -- Victor Trevor  ( talk ) 12:09, 18 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Thanks . I think I just used the template when creating this, but I wouldn't put it past me to screw something up! I guess it should have been substed at the time. I just fixed it now. Opabinia regalis (talk) 18:50, 20 February 2022 (UTC)

in friendship
Happy new year, in friendship! - Today seems like a good day to say so, after a Bavarian peasants' mass (sorry, on the train home, no recent pics of that - just keep watching), and two DYK, even with a pic I took. I enjoyed meetings with friends in real life, and wish you many of those. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:08, 6 January 2022 (UTC)
 * Happy new year to you too! That picture looks very pretty, and so very cold. Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:53, 7 January 2022 (UTC)
 * much warmer now, - and a cute new cat watching --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:56, 13 January 2022 (UTC)
 * ... and yesterday even with cats in my diary --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:03, 15 January 2022 (UTC)
 * That's a lot of cats on one trail! Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:39, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
 * It was the trailhead where hikers and cats rest, - there were five cats but on that shot they are all too small. I have one with the three cats better but without the background, and was too lazy to upload two. Only further-away cats (not pictured) on yesterday's hike. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:25, 17 January 2022 (UTC)
 * I uploaded images but stopped at 22 January - click on songs, - more cats to come, once 7 on one pic. 30 January means 10 years of Precious. It's also the birthday of a friend, - I'm so happy I mentioned his DYK on his 90th birthday when he was still alive. I have a great singer on DYK whom I heard, Elena Guseva, and wait for a Recent death appearance of Georg Christoph Biller whom I saw in action. Admins seem to sleap on Sundays. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:09, 30 January 2022 (UTC)

Today is a feast day for which Bach wrote several cantatas including Mit Fried und Freud ich fahr dahin, BWV 125, which was on DYK 10 years ago and TFA 4 years ago. I'm less happy that Georg Christoph Biller had to wait days for a Main page appearance under recent deaths, and then stayed not even for a full day. It would have been so meaningful today, with the man in the cantata saying he can depart in joy and peace. - The February pic was taken in memory last year. - If you click on songs, the first entry has 7 cats on one pic - my personal record ;) --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:07, 2 February 2022 (UTC)

ps: Rosiestep found an 8th cat on the pic. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:24, 2 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Fence cat. --Rosiestep (talk) 02:34, 3 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Oh, I would've missed him too, sneaky kitty! Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:56, 3 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Moneytress even saw a 9th, same fence, behind next plant --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:15, 3 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I like my talk today (keeping Biller a bit longer, and even explaining how it works), and managed to picture two more vacation days --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:06, 3 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Today, I decorated my talk with a Bach cantata. I heard it last year when missing RexxS began, and "not letting go" was a theme. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:43, 6 February 2022 (UTC)
 * my joy - more on my talk --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:08, 7 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I like kitty pictures! But you know, your talk page is on my watchlist, I already see if you edited it :) Opabinia regalis (talk) 07:31, 9 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I won't point out every little change, promised, but couldn't resist pointing at my response to arbcom becoming TFA ;) - Today's featured picture comes from Falstaff, an opera I love, ending on a complex fugue about that we shouldn't take things to seriously. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:07, 9 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Valentine's Day edition, with spring flowers and plenty of music --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:03, 14 February 2022 (UTC)
 * stand and sing Prayer for Ukraine --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:42, 28 February 2022 (UTC)
 * I took the pic in 2009, and it was on the German MP yesterday, with the song from 1885, in English Prayer for Ukraine. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:56, 6 March 2022 (UTC)

Help with Cyclol?
Dear Opabinia,

Do you think you could spare some time to help out on Cyclol? It's up for Featured Article review. Your suggestions and assessments of the article's shortcomings would be very welcome.

On a more humorous note, my cat Hermine and I recently got the best gift: a new desk, over two meters long, with a pillow at one end on which she can curl up on while I'm working. Sometimes she'll even lay her head on my arm while I'm typing, unusual for her, since she's more of a Raufkatze. ;) Willow (talk) 08:01, 22 March 2022 (UTC)

Precious anniversary
--Gerda Arendt (talk) 08:26, 27 March 2022 (UTC)

Sunday flowers and sounds, don't miss the extraordinary marriage of the beginnings of the theme of Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, BWV 1, and Prayer for Ukraine - here! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:32, 27 March 2022 (UTC)

Help with Cyclol?
Dear Opabinia,

Do you think you could spare some time to help out on Cyclol? It's up for Featured Article review. Your suggestions and assessments of the article's shortcomings would be very welcome.

On a more humorous note, my cat Hermine and I recently got the best gift: a new desk, over two meters long, with a pillow at one end on which she can curl up on while I'm working. Sometimes she'll even lay her head on my arm while I'm typing, unusual for her, since she's more of a Raufkatze. ;) Willow (talk) 08:01, 22 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi, good to see you around! I'm sure your kitty is thrilled to have desk space of her own! Sorry for the slow response, I've been really busy IRL lately and am barely keeping up with the things I already have on my plate, so unfortunately I doubt I'll be of any help here. Good luck! Opabinia regalis (talk) 05:48, 11 April 2022 (UTC)

New administrator activity requirement
22:53, 15 April 2022 (UTC)

April
dance and singing, (folded) peace doves and icecream --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:17, 23 April 2022 (UTC)

Happy Adminship Anniversary!
 Wishing Opabinia regalis a very regalis happy adminship anniversary on behalf of the Wikipedia Birthday Committee!  interstatefive  (talk) - just another roadgeek 00:12, 2 May 2022 (UTC)

Happy Adminship Anniversary!
 Have a Happy Adminship Anniversary! Hey there Opabinia regalis, I'd like to wish you a happy adminship anniversary! Congratulations on your special day, and thank you for all the contributions you've made.

𝕸𝖗 𝕽𝖊𝖆𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕿𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖑𝖊 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (talk) 00:24, 2 May 2022 (UTC) On behalf of the Birthday Committee

"Floppase" listed at Redirects for discussion
An editor has identified a potential problem with the redirect Floppase and has thus listed it for discussion. This discussion will occur at Redirects for discussion/Log/2022 May 25 until a consensus is reached, and anyone, including you, is welcome to contribute to the discussion. 72.10.126.198 (talk) 16:04, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

May songs
today performances in Ukraine - for Ukraine - for peace, at the bottom an imaginary set of eight DYK --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:44, 10 May 2022 (UTC)

today more pics, and should this woman have an article? - or only her sons? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 10:38, 13 May 2022 (UTC)

a strong woman --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:10, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

I like my talk today (actually mostly from 29 May - I took the title pic), enjoy the music, two related videos worth watching! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 14:59, 31 May 2022 (UTC)

Featured article review
Hi Opabinia. Enzyme inhibitor is currently undergoing a featured article review. I noticed that you had a lot of useful suggestions when this article was first promoted to featured article. The current review would greatly benefit from someone like yourself with an enzymology background. I would greatly appreciate if you would take another look. Cheers. Boghog (talk) 12:21, 30 June 2022 (UTC)

Featured article review
Hi Opabinia. Enzyme inhibitor is currently undergoing a featured article review. I noticed that you had a lot of useful suggestions when this article was first promoted to featured article. The current review would greatly benefit from someone like yourself with an enzymology background. I would greatly appreciate if you would take another look. Cheers. Boghog (talk) 12:21, 30 June 2022 (UTC)
 * Hi, thanks for the ping and sorry for the delayed reaction! I am super busy IRL lately and don't have time to look at this, but in any case it looks like you guys have taken care of things - nice job! Opabinia regalis (talk) 05:20, 24 July 2022 (UTC)

August songs
pics and thoughts on 13 August - love "someone" watching me -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:24, 13 August 2022 (UTC)

Please vote in the 2022 Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Board of Trustees election
Hello hello. I hope this message finds you well.

The Wikimedia Foundation Inc. Board of Trustees election ends soon, please vote. At least one of the candidates is worthy of support. --MZMcBride (talk) 14:56, 5 September 2022 (UTC)

October thanks
Lovely to see you post, and so to the point! -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 06:42, 12 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Ha, "to the point" isn't usually a feature of arbcom posts! :) Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:47, 15 October 2022 (UTC)
 * how do you like my display of power work tension? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:14, 15 October 2022 (UTC)
 * ... and today's DYK: two facts from the two concert of this years Rheingau Musik Festival I liked best, both a cappella singing. If you follow the songs, you see a circus, where I performed singing, and in the end the whole tent joined for Dona nobis pacem. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 20:32, 19 October 2022 (UTC)
 * who shall separate us --Gerda Arendt (talk) 15:04, 22 October 2022 (UTC)
 * leaving the month with reformation and a cat treat --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:17, 31 October 2022 (UTC)

November vacation
I was away for vacation in the U.S. (pictured, even a cat!), after we had an Ukrainian choir visiting, my first subject celebrated 60, and we heard Bach's ultimate statement about life and death (3 concerts in 3 days) -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:05, 17 November 2022 (UTC)

Happy Thanksgiving - Bach said it in music for peace --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:32, 24 November 2022 (UTC)

ArbCom 2022 Elections voter message
 Hello! Voting in the 2022 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23:59 (UTC) on. All eligible users are allowed to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once.

The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail.

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December music
We sang Charpentier's delightful Messe de minuit pour Noël yesterday, which was on DYK the day before, - a first for me. Today, pictured: the soprano of our choral concert of the year. More in the context: User talk:Gerda Arendt, in case of interest. -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:25, 26 December 2022 (UTC)

2023
Today's featured article is Osbert Parsley, not by me but Amitchell125 where, including the beginning of my songs. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:39, 10 January 2023 (UTC) Gerda Arendt (talk) 17:39, 10 January 2023 (UTC)

February songs
Fresh flowers for you! - My story on 24 February is about Artemy Vedel (TFA by Amitchell235), and I made a suggestion for more peace, - what do you think? -- Gerda Arendt (talk) 18:07, 24 February 2023 (UTC)

today: two women whose birthday we celebrate today, 99 and 90! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:58, 28 February 2023 (UTC)

Precious anniversary
--Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:47, 27 March 2023 (UTC)

sharing impressions from vacation on Madeira 20-30 March, pics now at 24-25 March, with ups and downs and three cats --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:47, 31 March 2023 (UTC)

Happy Adminship Anniversary!
 Wishing Opabinia regalis a very regalis happy adminship anniversary on behalf of the Wikipedia Birthday Committee!  interstate five   00:04, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

Congratulations! - I had a good story on coronation day: the Te Deum we sang that day (mentioned before). And the following day we sang it for the composer ;) - And today we remember a composer who created music especially for us! --Gerda Arendt (talk) 21:40, 9 May 2023 (UTC)

Article deletion question
Hello. I see you are not very active anymore, but I had a question about an article you deleted in 2021, Michael Moon (entrepreneur). It seems I created this but have no recollection of what it was about, who the subject is or anything else, really. All I can think is it was something to do with NPP and article rescue. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd mind either sharing the text with me somehow or restoring it to a subpage of mine? I'm mainly just curious and trying to remember what this was. - Who is John Galt? ✉ 13:40, 23 May 2023 (UTC)


 * A user hijacked disambiguation article Mirikitani as the basis for their promotional article and moved it to Michael Moon (entrepreneur). I've reinstated your original revision of Mirikitani, Special:Diff/379331231. Cabayi (talk) 21:29, 23 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Ok, thank you for reinstating it! - Who is John Galt? ✉ 01:47, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

FAR for Proteasome
I have nominated Proteasome for a featured article review here. Please join the discussion on whether this article meets the featured article criteria. Articles are typically reviewed for two weeks. If substantial concerns are not addressed during the review period, the article will be moved to the Featured Article Removal Candidates list for a further period, where editors may declare "Keep" or "Delist" in regards to the article's featured status. The instructions for the review process are here. Z1720 (talk) 21:26, 26 August 2023 (UTC)

November music
Hevenu shalom aleichem is my story today. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 22:44, 2 November 2023 (UTC)

Feedback needed
Hi OR. I hope you're doing well. You have an email in which your feedback is kindly requested. Thanks, Barkeep49 (talk) 22:12, 20 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Hi, busy IRL but otherwise good, hope you're well too! Thanks for the ping, replied by email. Opabinia regalis (talk) 06:01, 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Best Wishes!
I am sorry that real life has hindered your contributions to Wikipedia which I have always found very welcome. I wanted to thank you in particular for your long and meritorious service on ArbCom which is usually a thankless job at best. You will be missed. Best wishes in all your current and future endeavors. Eluchil404 (talk) 00:08, 29 November 2023 (UTC)
 * Thanks ! Probably won't happen in the short term, but I do hope to have more time again eventually. Opabinia regalis (talk) 08:19, 29 November 2023 (UTC)

Precious anniversary
--Gerda Arendt (talk) 07:55, 27 March 2024 (UTC)

Good article reassessment for Multiple sequence alignment
Multiple sequence alignment has been nominated for a good article reassessment. If you are interested in the discussion, please participate by adding your comments to the reassessment page. If concerns are not addressed during the review period, the good article status may be removed from the article. —Femke 🐦 (talk) 17:12, 29 March 2024 (UTC)