User talk:Exploding Boy

The Cure

Hi, you may have noticed I reverted your change at The Cure. If you are going to delete information, please explain why in the edit summary or on the talk page. Is this information incorrect? Tuf-Kat 07:55, Jan 24, 2004 (UTC)

Many thanks for expanding on The Cure. I have made various minor changes to it, and added an introduction. If you have any questions on our music standards or the linking and disambiguation changes I made, feel free to let me know on my talk page. Tuf-Kat 18:03, Jan 24, 2004 (UTC)

Homosexuality in Japan

That's a good article! :) --Yacht (Talk)Q 02:01, Jan 27, 2004 (UTC)

    Thanks, but it's far from finished! Exploding Boy 08:30, Jan 27, 2004 (UTC)

AIDS

Your opinion on my reworking of AIDS would be welcome. Also I have redirected poppers to nitrite inhalants which seems a more scientific term.

Interesting collection of articles you have worked on. Could I guess that you are a Japanese gay man living in Vancouver? Adam 11:37, 3 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Thanks for your comments. I agree there needs to be a section on AZT and the early search for treatments. I have articles of mine from that period which I can cannibalise for that.

Interesting that you detect an anti-gay bias in my writing. As a gay writer I have always tried to be scrupulous to avoid special pleading for the gay community when writing about AIDS. Perhaps I go a little too far sometimes. Adam 00:26, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Japanese names

Is there a reason why you insist on moving Kobo Abe to Abe Kobo without having received any support on Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Japanese) about what name order should be used for contemporary Japanese figures? - Tlotoxl 17:45, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

That's his name
That's how he's known in the west too
There's a redirect page so what difference does it make?
According to the note at the top of the List of Japanese authors page, "Authors are listed by the native order of Japanese names, family name followed by given name to ensure consistency even though some authors are known for their western-ordered name." Abe is listed under A, not K, but the original link opened a page headed "Kobo Abe."

Exploding Boy 02:04, Feb 7, 2004 (UTC)

1) True, of course that's his name, but 2) when he's published in the US, Canada or England (dunno about the other English-speaking countries) the covers of his books read "Kobo Abe", not "Abe Kobo". I'm not sure about the List of Japanese authors page -- there are plenty of inconsistencies on wiki to be sure -- but those interested did seem to come to something of a consensus at Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (Japanese). Why not argue your case there rather than change a single entry to FN-GN. Of course the redirect means it's not a huge deal, but it doesn't seem to make sense to me that we agreed to put contemporary authors in 'western convention' GN-FM, but that Kobo Abe's name alone would appear in its native order. -- Tlotoxl 05:41, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Haven't seen a consensus there yet :) Changed Abe because it seemed to me it made little sense to have him listed as Abe Kobo on the list page but Kobo Abe on the article page, especially given the note (see above). In the end I don't see how it makes a lot of difference either way the names are give, as long as there's a redirect page and name order is noted. Exploding Boy 06:08, Feb 7, 2004 (UTC)

Yeah, the consensus found several months ago seems to have disappeared ;) Anyway, I hope we come to a new agreement soon. -- Tlotoxl 06:17, 7 Feb 2004 (UTC)

The word homophobia was coined by Dr George Weinberg in his book Society and the Healthy Homosexual, in about 1971. Adam 13:46, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Thanks. Actually, I wasn't the one who wrote that, but it's nice to know.Exploding Boy 13:49, Feb 9, 2004 (UTC)

Poll

Talk:Atheism/Godvrs.god poll Please come participate Sam Spade 03:56, 12 Feb 2004 (UTC)

big chunk of definitions

Hi! I don't wish to be rude, but feel a need to be frank and clear. I do not favor the insertion of long definition sections into wikipedia articles. Most of all since it makes the article harder to read, but also since it is a breach of good wikipedia customs. A definition of marriage belongs to a dictionary or possibly to the article of marriage - not in the article on same-sex marriage. I will not (yet) make any radical change of the article, but I hope you will consider to restore it to something more similar to its previous disposition (and other wikipedia articles). Much of what you recently added would in my humble opinion belong to the talk-page.

I might also say that I find the distinction between marriage and civil unions to be of some interest, but to me it seems as the current article is written for and by debators in USA, where that distinction seems much more discussed than in other parts of the democratic world.

Where I currently live (Denmark) the term in use is "(registered) Domestic partnership," and wikipedia's article on Civil union actually directs to the article on Domestic partnership, but in that article there is no relevant information. As conceptualized here, a blessing or maybe a marriage can be an "add-on" for couples who've registered as domestic partners. ;-> The domestic partnership is what carries the legal relevance. The church seremon is more of an ornament and a point where the fight for equality can be continued.

Personally, I would probaly favor a merge of the articles on Civil Union and Same-sex marriage, and turning the redirect at Domestic partnership into a disambiguing between Civil union and Domestic partner.

--Ruhrjung 03:09, 13 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Are you talking specifically about the definition of "marriage"? Myself, I don't find it too long, and it makes clear the difference between legal and religious marriage, which is an important one in the same-sex marriage debate.

Yes, I think the definition of marriage belongs in the article on marriage.--Ruhrjung 12:54, 17 Feb 2004 (UTC)

If you mean the subsequent definition, I felt, in view of the controversy, that it was important to explain the use of "same-sex," however I agree; I will move the bulk of that section to the talk page.

Re: your comments on civil unions, there is a distinction: a "civil union" is not a "marriage." If it's not called a marriage, then it's not a marriage. This view seems to be shared by the majority of those in the debate, both for and against. This distinction, presumably, applies anywhere in the world.

The same applies to "domestic partnership." Basically, a "marriage" can be either legal or religious. A "domestic partnership" or "civil union" can only be legal. But only a "marriage" is a marriage (is this making any sense?). That's why there need to be separate pages for "same-sex marriage" and "civil union/domestic partnership," the same way they're separate for "marriage" and "civil union/domestic partnership."

No, your point of view does not make sense to me. :-) If the difference between "marriage" and "registered partnership" is, basically, that one is called "marriage" and the other is called "marriage" only colloquially, and the content of the two concepts are similar, then the importance of the difference seems somewhat inflated ;)

I would suggest that it lies in the interest of opponents of queer rights to diminish the contemporary international existence of legal recognition of same-sex families, and that's an important reason to stress the marriage with its religious component instead of the legal components which are shared with registered partnership as it has been practicized in Denmark for some 15 years, and somewhat shorter in other North-European countries.

As I understand the NPOV-concept, the separation of the article on same-sex marriages from that on same-sex partnerships is an unlucky concession to one side of the debate in one particular, however big, country.
--Ruhrjung 12:54, 17 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I agree with Exploding Boy that the distinction between same-sex marriages and civil unions / domestic partnerships is an important one, and not just in the US. The same debate went before the opening of marriage to same-sex couples in the Netherlands. Civil unions may offer some or all of the legal benefits of marriages, but as has been pointed out repeatedly in these debates, separate but equal is an illusion. Separate unions for opposite-sex and same-sex couples will lead to one being considered "the real thing" and the other a second class substitute. An umbrella article that directs readers to the marriage and civil union/domestic partnership articles may be a good idea, but merging them will only result in confusion, and an article that is way too large as well.

-- Kimiko 13:24, 17 Feb 2004 (UTC)

See, this is kind of the point. If the difference between "marriage" and "registered partnership" is, basically, that one is called "marriage" and the other is called "marriage," then why aren't they both called "domesetic partnership" or both called "marriage"?

You're exactly right: it lies in the interest of opponents of queer rights to diminish not just the legal recognition of same-sex families, but their recognition as equal by the community at large. Unfortunately, a marriage by any other name does not have the same recognition nationally and internationally as the instantly recognizable "marriage." Exploding Boy 13:34, Feb 17, 2004 (UTC)

Well, I've nothing more to add, and I'm not inclined to debate any of these matters. At least not yet. Maybe later - and then on the talk page. It's interesting, though, to learn how other people think.--Ruhrjung 12:59, 18 Feb 2004 (UTC)

RE: Heterosexuality/****

Exploding Boy, I strongly urge you to seek mediation before you let things get too bad. **** was the first user with whom I ever found it impossible to conduct a civil conversation. Obviously this user is trying to put an unacceptable level of anti-LGBT POV into articles related to sexual orientation. This user does not follow simple precepts of Wiki-etiquette and employs several key tactics to spoil articles, namely editing/rewording others' words in an attempt to change what was said, and making dozens of consecutive edits in order to make it impossible to revert easily, while hiding what changes were made in the multiple edits without summaries. This behavior is not acceptable and I feel confident that mediators will agree. I saw you listed it for peer review, but based upon my experience, I doubt that will be sufficient. I'm really sorry I can't do more to help, but I always promised myself I'd never get involved in an edit war. Good luck, Paige 18:27, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Hey

I love your user name. :) RickK 05:48, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC)

talk:anal sex

I know what its like to have a bit of Wikistress, and I'm sorry if you took what I was saying on Wikipedia:Featured article candidates the wrong way. I simply don't feel the article is ready for such lofty status, and to be frank, I was so annoyed with whoever wrote some parts of the anal sex article (you can see some of what I am refering to at the top of the talk) that I began editing! It was literally my first edit, and was prompted by sheer outrage at the bias I had found. I'm still a bit steamed about it, altho I wish it showed less :S Anyhow, while we may not agree about how ready the article is for Wikipedia:Featured articles I don't see us having much disagreement over the particulars of the page. Lets see what we can do!

p.s. I am a Members' Advocate and would be happy to assist if you have any troubles with unfriendliness on the wiki. Cheers, Sam Spade 14:17, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Thanks. I've been involved in repeated disagreements and arguments sometimes becoming unpleasantness across several articles and talk pages with a particular user (see related message above) who, from my point of view, has a biased POV on the subjects in question. Things have become slightly acrimonious from time to time, and perhaps even more frustratingly, the user has failed to return to some of the discussions, leaving things hanging with no resolution but still basically in dispute; it makes editing difficult as one tends to worry that doing so will only fan the flames further. Anyway, as it's made me a little gunshy. Exploding Boy

I've had almost identical problems, and only recently. The obvious thing to do is simply talk it out/avoid them, and set a good example by using wikiquette. There is also wikipedia:truce (which I wrote myself btw). When that doesn't work (and its always their fault, of course ;), wikipedia:conflict resolution is a much better option than the edit warring, flamming, or all purpose grumpiness which so many engage in.

p.s. I got curious enough to look into who had originally made the edits that so annoyed me, and it not only wasn't you, but it was someone who generally writes on completely seperate topics, and (I am quite certain) ment only the best, filling in the article in its early days. Sam Spade 14:34, 15 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Yakuza

Fantastic edit. The article is much clearer now. Tlotoxl

LOL, thanks. Exploding Boy

Ruyard Kipling

Just to let you know, I promoted Ruyard Kipling today from featured article candidate to featured article. I normally wouldn't mention it except you talk about it on your user page ;) →Raul654 05:32, Feb 17, 2004 (UTC)

Cool! Exploding Boy

I don't believe it is true. Adam 05:23, 20 Feb 2004 (UTC)

[sigh] Well I suppose it's possible to find someone somewhere who says or has said any silly thing we care to think of, but in this case I doubt that it's at all common (I've never heard it), and I don't think it's important enough to mention. Adam 05:39, 20 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I don't know how old Exploding Boy is, but as one who lived through that period, and who was very active in the gay community response to AIDS at that time, and who read the Anerican, British and Australian gay press regularly at that time, I can say quite firmly that although the expression "gay plague" was frequently used by homophobes and (occasionally) in the tabloid press, I never heard a gay man refer to AIDS as "the plague." I think this is a case of retrospective myth construction. Adam 01:10, 21 Feb 2004 (UTC)

First on the matter of substance: the original sentence said that AIDS was known in the gay communities as "the plague." This is untrue: it was known first as "GRID" and then as "AIDS." I cannot of course deny that some individuals used the expression, although I have never heard or read of this. This is not a question of me arbitrarily denying that something exists because I have never heard of it. I have been intimately involved in the gay community's response to AIDS, both here and internationally, since 1983 (see my website), and if the expression was at all common I would have heard it.

Second on the point of etiquette. I apologise if anything I have said strikes you as discourteous. I have adapted to the standard of debate I found since beginning to contribute to Wikipedia last year, during which time I have been called everything from a fascist and a Zionist agent to a liar and a fool. I have had my articles blanked, my edits reverted, my home page vandalised, and my professional competence, intelligence and honesty attacked. This seems to be more-or-less standard here. Certainly I express my opinions forcefully, otherwise they get ignored, but I don't think I have been guilty of personal attacks unless provoked.

Adam 05:37, 21 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Any interest on doing an entry on gay sex? Right now one doesn't exist and the phrase is redirected to "homosexual behavior." Moncrief

Yeah, sure, but don't let me stop you. BTW, is there one on heterosexual or bi sex?

Exploding Boy

No, neither. It's just that "homosexual behavior" sounds so clinical and I think gay sex is deserving of its own entry - not as a how-to guide, of course, but as a general overview of how gay people have sex. I might work on it at some point. Moncrief

Japanese kitchen tools

Thanks a lot for the great edits and the hints for the newbie related to the pages I created about List of Japanese cooking utensils. I really appreciate it! Maybe you could help me with one more question: I am always unsure if I should write Japanese expressions with or without spaces between the words, i.e. Tako biki vs. Takobiki. Or should I use the - character, as you did in Tsukiji sakana shi-jou. Any suggestions? -- chris_73 11:14, 14 Mar 2004 (UTC)

No problem, I've quite enjoyed them. As for writing Japanese words, sometimes it's tricky and there aren't many rules, but if the words are separate in Japanese, write them separately, eg: 雛祭り Hina Matsuri (the Doll Festival). Not writing words sepearately in English would result in things like this: Nihonkanjinouryokukenteishiken. Write it like this instead: Nihon kanji nouryoku kentei shiken.

By the way, as for capitalizing, I only capitalize Japanese words if they are names (Nihon, Takehiro) or are at the beginning of a sentence. This is fairly standard practice as far as I know.

If the word is one word in Japanese (eg: たこ焼き), you can write it as one word in English (takoyaki), or you can write it with a hypen (tako-yaki) to indicate where the two separate words that make up the one Japanese word separate (it's shi + jou, not shijo + u or shij + ou). This is not always strictly necessary. Avoid doing this in names (it's Kyoto, not Kyo-to).

An apostrophe is sometimes used instead of a hyphen when writing names like Junichi in English (Jun'ichi) to indicate where the characters end (it's not Juni + chi, it's Jun + ichi).

In some cases there are standard ways of writing Japanese words in English (it's Tokyo, not Toukyou).

Hope this helps a little. Exploding Boy 15:04, Mar 14, 2004 (UTC)

Great. Thanks for the long reply. I guess I'll just go by my gut feeling, and use lots of redirects. If you like editing articles about Japan then we'll surely meet again, as I like to write articles about Japan (that need some editing) ;-) See ya -- chris_73 09:45, 15 Mar 2004 (UTC)

What do you think of using a diagram of HIV as the lead picture at AIDS? I think it's a tired and irrelevant cliche. I agree the red ribbon wasn't great either. Do you have any better ideas? Adam 04:07, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)

I'm not sure I understand why really. Ok, maybe the HIV diagram should be closer to where the article discusses the HIV virus (the article does after all say that infection with HIV is the precursor to AIDS), and the red ribbon is after all one of the most recognizable symbols. What else... Well, there's that Beneton ad I guess, but I'm not sure they need any more publicity. A chart of distribution? Images from anti-AIDS posters? Otherwise I really can't think. You? Exploding Boy 08:50, Mar 17, 2004 (UTC)

Root canal of Japanese tea ceremony

Just thought I'd let you know - I just did a major rework on Japanese tea ceremony. The article was crying out for help, so I went in and wikiformatted it, cropped the pictures, moved the top-quote down, fixed the links, etc etc. I noticed from the page history that you've done a lot of work there, so I just thought I'd let you know. →Raul654 07:13, Mar 23, 2004 (UTC)

I have to admit I was a little scared when I read the phrase "root canal," but nice job. Exploding Boy 08:56, Mar 23, 2004 (UTC)

Follow up - I have a picture of a Japanese teapot that might make a nice addition, but you could probably determine where best to put it. →Raul654 09:24, Mar 23, 2004 (UTC)

It's not the sort of pot I've ever seen used in tea ceremony--they tend to be iron or metal and designed for holding plain hot or cold water rather than tea, which is prepared directly in bowls. Perhaps the tea page? Exploding Boy 09:27, Mar 23, 2004 (UTC)

Question

Are you an admin? I'd like to nominate you if you aren't one already. You've probably been here longer than me but I don't think I've seen you do any admin duties, so I'm not sure. I know there's a list somewhere of who is and isn't, but I can't find it at the moment. Moncrief 04:14, Apr 4, 2004 (UTC)

EDIT: Ah, found the list and you aren't on it. I'd like to nominate you unless you have an objection. Moncrief 04:16, Apr 4, 2004 (UTC)

I have no objection, but can I ask why? Exploding Boy 04:28, Apr 4, 2004 (UTC)

I just think you've been here a while and would make a good admin. Moncrief 04:28, Apr 4, 2004 (UTC)

You're supposed to go to Wikipedia:Requests_for_adminship and accept at some point. FYI, in case you weren't aware (I know I wasn't). Moncrief 05:04, Apr 4, 2004 (UTC)

oh, ok. Thanks. Exploding Boy 05:10, Apr 4, 2004 (UTC)

stop

please stop making pornographic articles like Finger fucking. The wiki'll delete 'em. Radical WiKi 12:44, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)Radical WiKi 12:44, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)

First, it's not a "pornographic article," it's part of the sexology topics series. Second, the article's encyclopaedic. Thrid, what do you mean "stop making"? Fourth, if you're objecting to the word "fuck" there's a precendent for articles containing that word. Fifth, if you'd like to see it deleted, list it on VfD. Exploding Boy 12:50, Apr 7, 2004 (UTC)

Your "fan" has made an RFC on you: Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment/Exploding_Boy. I've filled out the template and added an outside view. While probably not needed as the RFC appears quite invalid, you may wish to add your response just in case. — Jor (Talk) 13:51, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Thanks for the tip. I'd already noticed, but decided not to comment as Radical WiKi did not follow the procedure. Perhaps I'll just make a note to that effect. Thanks again. Exploding Boy 13:55, Apr 7, 2004 (UTC)

Genital Modification

Thanks for the genital modification articles you have been adding. Looking through some of your other additions, you appear to be an invaluable Wikipedian. Keep up the good work. --OldakQuill 23:46, 7 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Admin Status

You are now one of the Wikipedia:Administrators. Please familiarize yourself with the information linked at Wikipedia:Administrators' reading list. Cheers, -- Infrogmation 06:25, 11 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Congradulations on becoming a sysop. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them. →Raul654 06:30, Apr 11, 2004 (UTC)

Woohoo! Now how do I ban people? (kidding, kidding:) ) Exploding Boy 08:14, Apr 11, 2004 (UTC)

Special:Blockip

Yes, congratulations! Was always nice working with you, looking forward for further contributions of yours. -- chris_73 02:30, 16 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Re - User:Angela is a bitch

This has come up several times before. Wikipedia:Usernames - "Wikipedia does not allow inflammatory user names. This includes offensive names". →Raul654 15:30, Apr 18, 2004 (UTC)

I deleted User:Angela is a bitch as the message doesn't need to be there and on the talk page. Personally, I would prefer the message to be only in the block message. When you block a user, you can type {{msg:UsernameBlock}} in the 'reason for block' field. There's a discussion about this on MediaWiki:VfD-Userpages of blocked users) currently. Angela . 07:17, Apr 19, 2004 (UTC)

So what's the procedure then? Place a message on their talk page and type {{msg:UsernameBlock}} in the 'reason for block' field? What does this do anyway? All these different policies and procedures are a bit confusing at the moment. Exploding Boy 08:41, Apr 19, 2004 (UTC)

Just use your good judgement and you'll do fine. No one will blame you for a good faith effort when the rules are confusing like this. →Raul654 06:13, Apr 20, 2004 (UTC)

What Raul said is absolutely right. Don't worry too much about the minor details. The blocking policy is not completely stable at the moment anyway, so it's hard to know exactly what you should do. {{msg:UsernameBlock}} is something completely new, and many people don't use it anyway. My view is that if someone is blocked purely on account of their username, then the message should be put in the block message (ie- just type it into the reason for block message), but Martin thinks it should also go on the talk page. However, if you're blocking someone for vandalism, not just because of their name, you don't really need to do either. "Vandalism" as the block message would be fine. Whatever you add to the block message will be shown to the user every time they try to edit a page, along with the text on MediaWiki:Blockedtext. Angela . 16:10, Apr 20, 2004 (UTC)

VfD "Black Skin, White Masks"

I've removed your item of Black Skin, White Masks from the VfD page. When adding an item to the VfD page, the absolute minimum information you need to post is a link and a signature. You got the sig, but no link... Ok, just checked the deletion log, it looks like Dysprosia deleted the page. She must have thought it was a candidate for speedy. --Brockert 08:37, Apr 25, 2004 (UTC)

Rather than deleting the listing and posting here, you should have just added the link to VfD the page if I forgot it. Exploding Boy 09:06, Apr 25, 2004 (UTC)

That wouldn't have really helped, since the page had already been deleted. My point was that if the person submitting something to be deleted doesn't link to it then things get confusing, as the section header isn't always the thing to be deleted. Not that it matters now. Any relation to Badly Drawn Boy? --Brockert 09:37, Apr 25, 2004 (UTC)

We share the last name Boy, obviously. Distant cousins thrice removed. Exploding Boy 09:48, Apr 25, 2004 (UTC)

Sathya Sai Baba

I appreciate your comments (and to some extent I agree) but I don't understand your criticism about the unexplained terminology. Could you give an example? Some people who didn't know anything about the subject had no difficulty understanding the terminology. I also don't understand the unencyclopedic language criticism except ("can't). Please don't forget that the summary always will bring some redundancy. Thanks in advance. Andries 21:13, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Haven't had a chance to reread the article, but I do recall two terms in the first paragraph: manifestations and materializations. Exploding Boy 06:12, Apr 28, 2004 (UTC)

Exploding Boy, I am busy with improving the article. I hope you can re-consider your opinion as soon as I have finished which will be soon hopefully. Will let you know when. Thanks in advance. Andries 20:08, 30 Apr 2004 (UTC)

differences

It is clear that you are becoming emotional in the exchange on Talk:anal sex, and also clear that you are reading things into what I have said which I am not saying. I am going to continue the conversation, but I ask you please to take a moment to revaluate your assumptions, and your tact. This is a distressing matter for you clearly, and I do not mean to cause you discomfort. If you recall, I both endorsed your promotion to admin, and defended you in the debate from critic’s who saw you as biased on topics just such as the one we are now discussing. I said then, and I would like to be saying in the near future, how marvelously NPOV and easy to communicate with that you are. It has been my experience generally that the majority of arguments are due to misunderstandings, rather than precise differences. I would ask you to consider carefully what I am, and am not saying, and to be as unemotional as possible in your responses to it. I mean you no offense, and am likely far less offensive than you appear to have assumed me to be. Sam Spade 03:20, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I'm not becoming emotional and I'm not distressed. I don't see the connection with your support for my adminship; and I don't recall anyone making specific comments about my being biased on this topic.

That being said, I apologize if you've been offended, but I percieve that you have some sort of agenda surrounding topics on sexuality (I'd add that I'm not the only one who has formed this impression). Facts cannot be claimed to be non-NPOV, so I'm forced to wonder at some of the statements you've made concerning homosexuality. As for the preference for the use of the word 'homosexual,' it's been gone over and gone over and gone over so many times that arguing for it just seems disingenuous.

Now, I think that probably you're just trying to ensure that certain articles remain neutral, but I think perhaps you might be taking some things too far. Facts, as mentioned above, are inherently neutral. Specifically, it's both unnecessary and non-NPOV to write things like (paraphrased here) "gay is a term used by those who want to promote the point of view that being homosexul is a happy and normal sexuality."

I'd appreciate hearing more on your views. Exploding Boy 06:12, Apr 28, 2004 (UTC)

Actually I have been removing all articles within the wikipedia sexuality project from my watchlist due to rudeness, harrassment, and promotion of innacuracy/POV by enough editors to make my editing them unrewarding. This one is still on my list because it is the first article I edited, and I therefore don't want to take it off for sentimental reasons. Why my opinions are relevent I don't know (were supposed to be NPOV, and thus not focusing on our own POV) but I go over them a bit on the talk page in question. Sam Spade 06:28, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Actually, in many of the instances you mention above I've tended to agree with those who've disagreed with you. This is a gentle suggestion: perhaps you are not as conversant with certain topics as you might have thought. Exploding Boy 06:38, Apr 28, 2004 (UTC)

Of course you agree w them, its a pro-gay POV excess that is the problem on project sexuality. Your quite right I'm no expert in the specifics (altho I'd say I'm pretty conversant in heterosexuality, thank you very much ;) on these, but I know bias when I see it, and I am able to look at references and discover quickly that heteronormativity is hooey. Anyways, I took the 2 above mentioned (and some other) articles off of my watchlist, the abuse and majority bias was more than I intend to bear as an unpaid volunteer. Eventually wiki demographics will change, and they'll be straightened up... as it were ;) No hard feelings anyways, Cheers Sam Spade 06:46, 28 Apr 2004 (UTC)

I really see no pro-gay POV, though from time to time I've seen an anti-gay one (not saying it was yours). Not saying that homosexuality might be an "unhappy" or "abnormal" sexual orientation is not non-NPOV. As for the use of the word "homosexual" as a noun, we don't use "oriental" either, and for similar reasons. Exploding Boy 07:58, Apr 28, 2004 (UTC)

Disputing Factual Accuracy

It's probably a bit late to be asking this, but why did you dispute the factual accuracy of the page Vampire Lifestyle? Also, why was no mention of the nature of the dispute made anywhere? Falcon 04:24, May 2, 2004 (UTC)

Because, as was mentioned in the Featured Articles discussion, this article seems to confuse the vampire subculture -- in which people dress up as, and play at being vampires, but don't actually believe that they are vampires -- with a psychological disorder. Exploding Boy 23:17, May 2, 2004 (UTC)

Please do tell me how it does this. Falcon 23:13, May 8, 2004 (UTC)

About the transliterations and stuff

Exploding boy, it has been declared that it has been okay to make redirects from alternate spellings. And on occasions where the Kunrei-shiki spelling differs from the Hepburn, and there are sufficient google hits, it can be putin the article itself too. WhisperToMe 03:10, 19 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Also... "It's redundant to include the Japanese language link in front of the word やくざ. It's obvious what language the word is in. Exploding Boy 06:47, Apr 25, 2004 (UTC)"

This is common practice throughout Wikipedia to link to the language. In other words, "so what if it is obvious?" WhisperToMe 04:11, 19 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Just on a quick note, I've never seen such linkage on the various Chinese language pages (redirects are fine, however). As EB had stated, it is often times obvious; if it's not, then it's generally situated next to a parenthesized explaination. Also, while I support the inclusion of major romanizations to the main article, please add them at the end of the paragraph as it has been established that Hepburn is the de facto scheme (similarly, if a Chinese article included all of the possible romanizations, then it would indeed be trivial). --Taoster 16:18, 19 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

It's not common practice to link to the language the way you're doing it, as discussed on various other pages. The fact that Wikipedia is not paper is not reason to add redundant, extraneous information to the articles, particularly when that information is not really correct. For example, the following are all possible romanizations of 東京: Tokyo, To-kyo, Tookyoo, Too-kyoo,　Toukyou,　Tou-kyou, Tôkyô, Tô-kyô, Tōkyō, Tō-kyō, Tõkyõ, Tõ-kyõ (these last two are particularly rare), but only one (the first) is correct as it is both the standard English spelling and the romanization used by the Japanese. Adding the others would be misleading and redundant both for these reasons and because (mostly) they represent obscure and largely unused romanization systems. Anyone who is familiar with those systems would also be familiar with Hepburn -- the system most widely used by the Japanese government and non-Japanese governments, and by non-Japanese scholars and academics -- and anyone who isn't would just be confused.

The situation with Chinese is different, as the two main systems of romanization (Wade-Giles and Pinyin) both are or have been very widely used and standard at different times, they are sufficiently different, and it is usually necessary to know both as older texts often use one form and newer texts the other, as well as the fact that there are some people, places and things whose names are most commonly known in one form rather than the other. This is simply not the case in Japanese. "Sinzyuku" may be one possible (though outdated) spelling of Shinjuku, but the area has never been widely known as Sinzyuku, the standared English spelling is Shinjuku, and the name as romanized by the Japanese is Shinjuku. The same applies for Huzi (富士 Fuji), Tiba (千葉 Chiba) and tya (茶 cha). Oh, and one more thing: practically every single keyboard input method for Japanese is based on Hepburn. Exploding Boy 00:37, May 20, 2004 (UTC)

Whisper to me added:

"It's been driving me mad that some user keeps placing a link to Japanese language in front of every word given in Japanese in articles on Japanese things. It's so unnecessary! It's obvious, for example, in the article on Osaka, a Japanese city, that 大阪 is Japanese for Osaka! Exploding Boy 08:13, May 11, 2004 (UTC)

"BUT "Japanese" in this context means the language... and it's perfectly acceptable in the English language. The link is staying, although it can be like this Jp 大&#38442 or this 大&#38442. But look at Rome and many other "foriegn language" articles."

Obviously the link means the language... It's redundant and unnecessary, and you appear to be the only one who insists on its inclusion. It would be like saying "France's Eiffel Tower (French Tour Eiffel) is...". It's pointless because it's so blindingly obvious. Exploding Boy 00:43, May 20, 2004 (UTC)

Some Kunrei-shiki are more popular than others. E.G. Sinzyuku gets 455 google hits, Sin-Itiro Tomonaga actually is most known under his Kunrei-shiki name, Nissin is actually a Kunrei-shiki name, Hanahuda gets 197 google hits, Inuyasya (instead of Inuyasha gets 1,890 hits, and if one enters "Koizumi Zyun-Itiro", 3 google hits including 2 Wikipedia hits, Google suggests "Junichiro Koizumi" as a search link (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=Zyun-itiro+Koizumi is proof) - No, Kunrei-shiki is not common outside of japan, but it can be listed depending on the circumstance.

And about the "language link", we know that Roma is "Rome" in Italian, and that Cuidad de Mexico is Mexico City in Spanish, but why should Japanese articles be exempt? WhisperToMe 00:47, 20 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Also, with this: 大阪市, this is what I am really doing. [[Japanese language|大阪市]]. Again, this is commonly done in the Korean articles, as they have to reckon with Hangeul and Hanja. WhisperToMe 00:56, 20 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

"Spelling Fuji as Huzi is inappropriate because at best it's an academic exercise, that is, what you're really saying is it's also possible to romanize it as Huzi. "

Untrue. Kunrei-shiki did not become ISO 3602 for nothing! WhisperToMe 01:58, 21 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

This again is all redundant. If a company (like Nissin, above) is known by a a particular spelling, then that's how it should be spelled. Especially in cases like this adding another romanization (Nisshin) is wrong since that's not the company's name. What I said above still stands: what you're doing is nothing more than an academic exercise, and it doesn't belong here. Also, please respond to posts in their original locations; it makes things much easier. Exploding Boy 05:16, May 21, 2004 (UTC)

Kunrei-shiki spelling (the word "ninzya") found on wikipedia which I didn't put in: Samurai#Evolution of samurai culture during feudal-era Japan - Checking the edit history proves that I did not insert the word.

Even though Nissin is the company's official transliteration, people sometimes use "Nisshin" - and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga is sometimes referred to as "Shinichiro Tomonaga" though this isn't how he spelled his name. In addition, Wikipedia's article on Inuyasha is at "Inuyasha" though the English version is spelled "InuYasha".

WhisperToMe 07:01, 22 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

You are the only user who supports your position; everyone else disagrees with you. Please stop adding this ridiculous misinformation to articles. Exploding Boy 12:16, May 22, 2004 (UTC)

This is misiformation? And "everyone else" is an exaggeration. Read TakuyaMurata's posts. WhisperToMe 00:50, 23 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Kyuzutu

Kyuzutu corresponds to Kyujutsu, which redirects to Kyudo. WhisperToMe 00:47, 23 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Actually, that's again a misromanization. Would you please stop this insanity? Exploding Boy 00:48, May 23, 2004 (UTC)

No. This is not insanity.

Nor is that a misromanization.

Kyu-ju-tsu converted into Kunrei-shiki

Ju -> Zyu Tsu -> Tu

Kyuzyutu

And for the record, you should start going on IRC to discuss this. IRC.FREENODE.NET - #ja.wikipedia - And there are people on there who agree with my position (Redirect alt. romanizations, insert them in select articles) WhisperToMe 00:52, 23 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

It is a misromanization. As you yourself pointed out, じゅ is zyu. You romanized it as zu, which is ず. Insanity? You've created no less than nine redirect pages for Hachioji. Nine! And you are not inserting alternate romanizations in "select" articles, you are inserting them in every Japan-related article you can find by the looks of it, going against the so far agreed-upon manual of style and the objections of all users who have discussed the matter on the relevant pages. I don't use IRC. Exploding Boy 01:00, May 23, 2004 (UTC)

There may be some people and places who are better known by their kunrei-shiki names, but what's with including kunrei-shiki spellings in articles like Fukuoka, Fukuoka?? I have never seen Fukuoka written as Hukuoka. Same goes for geisya -- which was poorly justified by saying that it turns up google hits; sure it does (though 0.1% as many as "geisha"), but mostly on Japanese language web pages. IMO Kunrei-shiki is good for one thing and one thing only: typing quickly. The rest of the time it is an unfortunate relic. But never mind that I hate it, the point is that it is being needlessly added to a lot of articles, diluting the importance of the standard romanization. Someone reading the Fukuoka article might actually think that Hukuoka is an acceptable (maybe even commonly used) alternative romanization of Fukuoka. (sorry for sing your talk page to rant, exploding boy - I have no intention to go on to IRC to discuss this either)-- Tlotoxl 01:06, 23 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

It's driving me crazy because one user, Whisper to me, seems to have a bee in his bonnet about alternate romanizations, as well as about adding variations on links to "Japanese language" (given variously as J., Jap., Jpn., Japn., Japanese). They clutter the articles, are misleading and confusing, and are often just plain wrong: for example, he's created a redirect to Koizyumi Jun'itirô, a ridiculous mishmash of romanization systems. He insists on adding alternate romanizations even to things like established company names. "Nissin" may be intended to be pronounced as Nisshin, but that's not how it's spelled, regardless of whether it's theoretically possible to romanize it that way. All of these stuff belongs on the romanization and romanization system pages, not in the articles. There has to be some way to stop this besides following him around and cleaning up his mess. Exploding Boy 01:12, May 23, 2004 (UTC)

As a general rule of thumb, please discuss the relevant topics prior to making such changes and do so only after reaching a general consensus. It is not necessary to add obsolete or otherwise unused romanizations; again, it is redundant and of little consequence towards the readers. --Taoster 01:13, 23 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]