User talk:David E. Volk: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Aleta Curry
(→‎Party, again: new section)
m (Text replacement - "Hydrogen sulfide" to "Hydrogen sulphide")
 
(172 intermediate revisions by 30 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="border: 0.5em solid rgb(200,200,200); padding: 0.5em;">This author is no longer active on the ''Citizendium''</span></div><br />
[User bio is in User:Your Name]
[User bio is in User:Your Name]


== Hurricane is coming! ==
== Resigning Biology Editorship ==
Wish us well in sleepy Galveston, Tx.  It looks like Tropical Storm (or Hurricane) Edouard is set for a direct hit on Galveston tomorrow morning about 8 am or so. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 10:57, 4 August 2008 (CDT)
I signed up for CZ and requested to be a Chemistry Editor, based on my PhD in Chemistry. After looking over my publications, Larry Sanger approved me to be a Biology Editor as well. Given the mood of the current Editorial Council, a council on which I once sat, and their new standards, I feel it only appropriate to resign this editorship. I do so not to make a public statement of any kind, but because I am unsure that my education, research interests and publications would necessarily qualify me under the current standards. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 19:15, 26 January 2011 (UTC)
 
:I keep my fingers crossed--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 11:12, 4 August 2008 (CDT)
 
==ToApprove==
 
Congratulations on your first Approval!  I did change the date for you and approved the extra edits as you stated on my talk page.  When you want to find the latest version, follow these steps: 1)click on the history tab, 2)click on 'compare selected version...' button, 3)click on the 'Revision as of [date]' above the previous diff, 4)click on 'newer revision' under the article title, 5)copy the address from the address bar..  and you got it!  It is a long way around.  If you ever find a better way, do let me know!  [[User:D. Matt Innis|Matt Innis]] [[User talk:D. Matt Innis|(Talk)]] 18:57, 9 October 2007 (CDT)
 
 
== Virus template ==
 
I think there already is a model for this that has been made; for proteins I think.  We should be able to copy that and just change the verbage.  --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 16:44, 16 October 2007 (CDT)
:Wait, do you want an infobox? --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 16:45, 16 October 2007 (CDT)
::Ok, I'm caught up.  You want an infobox.  I can make this easily *but* I '''must know what criteria you want to be displayed'''.  I had no input with the chemistry infobox I made and thus it is severely lacking in detail.  --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 16:46, 16 October 2007 (CDT)
 
== Isotopes ==
 
Can do easily.  How do you want it formatted? --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 12:51, 18 October 2007 (CDT)
 
 
== small addition to NMR ==
 
see if you like this addition - else delete it. [[User:Robert Tito|Robert Tito]]&nbsp;|&nbsp;<span style="background:grey">&nbsp;<font color="yellow"><b>[[User talk:Robert Tito|Talk]]</b></font>&nbsp;</span>
 
 
 
 
== Sppedy Delete - How to ==
 
David, at any time to request a deletion, you can simply add <nowiki>{{speedydelete|Insert some reason here}}</nowiki> to the article/image space. --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 17:34, 7 December 2007 (CST)
 
==Subpagination thanks==
Thanks for your work subpaginating articles, David! --[[User:Larry Sanger|Larry Sanger]] 18:38, 23 December 2007 (CST)
 
== Redirects - How to ==
It's easy.  Say you have an article called "Big Easy" and you want a redirect from "The Big Easy". Just go to the Search box at the top left of the screen. Type in "The Big Easy". You'll get a message saying that it doesn't exist and asking if you want to create it. Click to create a new article. You'll now have a blank edit page. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to Special Characters. Click on the link that says #REDIRECX [[]]. That should put it up on the edit page. Then type "Big Easy" in between the bracket.  Save. That will make the redirect.
 
== allotrope ==
 
Hi David, we both wrote something about allotrope/allotropy. Maybe it is better that we merge the two articles and put a redirect?--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 08:19, 29 December 2007 (CST)
 
==Steroid==
See query at [[Steroid]]. - [[User:Robert Badgett|Robert Badgett]] 23:49, 31 December 2007 (CST)
 
 
== River names ==
David, thanks for your [[User_talk:Igor_Grešovnik#river_names|remark about river names]]. Please give me a note when you have more information regarding naming of river articles. --[[User:Igor Grešovnik|Igor Grešovnik]] 12:39, 4 January 2008 (CST)
 
 
== New NMR guy ==
 
Hi David, I'm also glad that we have a new (physical) chemist on board. The content of his NMR article is OK, but the format needs fixing up. How will we proceed, we simply go ahead and fix it (and explain in the talk page why), or will we ask him to adapt it himself? He signed the article and I'm afraid that if we take his signature away he will misunderstand that. --[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 09:51, 12 January 2008 (CST)
 
== test ==
<span style="border: 3px solid #90ade3;">[[User:David E. Volk|<span style="background: #bad1fb; color: #000000;">&nbsp;David E.&nbsp;Volk&nbsp; </span>]]
[[User_talk:David &nbsp;E. &nbsp;Volk|<span style="background: #90ade3; color: #FFFFFF;">&nbsp;talk</span>]]</span>
 
 
== NMR spectroscopy : an attempt to get it approved ==
 
--[[User:Sekhar Talluri|Sekhar Talluri]] 16:39, 16 January 2008 (CST)
 
I edited the metadata page for my article on NMR spectroscopy in an attempt to send it for approval by you and P. Wormer as editors.  However, it appears that somehow I have approved it myself:-)
Please feel free to undo/do/fix whatever is necessary , but do consider it for approval.
Sincerely
 
== Catalogs ==
 
David:  Kindly do not remove the Psychology Catalogs category from the bottom of psych pages.  It is there to provide a structural guideline.
 
Secondly, (re: Tao Te Ching) it is fprmatting convention to bold only the topic of an article, not variations on spelling, etc.
 
 
Thanks...  --[[User:Michael J. Formica|Michael J. Formica]] 18:36, 21 January 2008 (CST)
 
==Drug pages==
see [[Chemistry style guide]] for guidance now [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 12:38, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Chem info box ==
 
"A box used to contain MW, formula, KEGG, CAS, etc is still under development."
 
What kind of information do you think should be contained in the box, and how should it be formatted?  One thing that bothers me about WPs infoboxes (and I don't know if you feel the same, but please respond) is that they go entirely overboard on numerical inclusions.  How can the information in an infobox be used to relay a fundamental principal about a particular chemical, given x amount of properities? --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 12:02, 22 February 2008 (CST)
 
:: Robert, here are my thoughts on Chem_infobox:
First, I think the structures should not be in the box, because large chemicals need big drawing to be readable.
Also, the IUPAC names of some compounds are 2-3 sentences long, so I would keep those out also.  In my opinion, I would like to keep the box simple and contain the following:
 
* Name of Chemical
* Molecular Formula
* Molecular Mass
* Hazards
* CAS #
* (optional) Link to an MSDS form, plenty of sites to choose from (this might instead be on the external links page)
 
BTW, I have programmed in several languages and would like learn how to make templates someday.  Could you email me a copy of some code to that?  [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 13:37, 22 February 2008 (CST)
:What should the representation of the molecular formula be like?  Should it exist in text form, or by some graphic?  Is the mass a single number or derived from a forumla?  What kinds of hazards should be displayed?  What is CAS?  Besides the link from MSDS, is there any information from the MSDS that should be included? 
 
:Also, what is the overall theme that should be described: how to utilize a chemical compound, or how to safeguard against it, or the dangers of it? 
 
:Designing a template is pretty easy as long as you know how to create tables in HTML.  The wiki-code uses certain markup which represents the same as table data, rows, columns, and their syntaxes.  Basically, almost any html can be employed when creating a template (including DIVs and stylesheets to an extent).  However, there are some ways to script your results, including variables and quantification statements such as "if" "exist" and others.  I'll dig up the mediawiki help page for you... it's not complicated. --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 13:52, 22 February 2008 (CST)
 
Details:
 
* <b>Chemical formulas</b> will look like this C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>12</sub>O<sub>2</sub>
 
* <b>Molecular Mass</b>, a single number derived from the formula, will look like this:  236.23 g/mol
 
* <b>CAS #</b> is the Chemical Abstract Service reference number for a chemical
 
* <b>Hazards</b> can just be a text box saying things like: "Explosive, [[Corrosive]], Liver [[Toxin]], known [[Carcinogen]], [[Radioactive]]".
 
* <b>MSDS</b> = "Material Safety Data Sheet" that must be shipped whenever a chemical is purchased.  It contains a full gruesome detail of all hazards, melting points, molecular mass, and other details for the reader who wants to know everything. There is not a single MSDS for each chemical.  That is, for a given chemical, you can usually find many different versions, like one from Aldrich, one from DuPont, etc.
 
* <b>Theme</b> The theme of chemistry articles, like all CZ, should be about the uses of the chemical first, ie why is it important.  Note that I added the "Common Uses" to the list above, just before hazards.  I had forgotten this on the list.  WP uses the 4-diamonds in a diamond type of drawing for hazards, but only experienced chemists know what this means.  For the general audience I think simple text is the way to go with hazards.  However, hazards should be after common uses IMHO. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 14:07, 22 February 2008 (CST)
 
== [[Azole]] ==
 
Congratulations on approval!  [[User:D. Matt Innis|D. Matt Innis]] 11:08, 26 February 2008 (CST)
 
== Approval of [[Phosphorus]] ==
 
David, I have scanned the article and made a few cosmetic copy edits. Much of the subject matter is way above my knowledge of chemistry, but I am very impressed with the depth of detail that you and Paul Wormer have provided.
 
The only serious criticism I have is that the article has only one reference. In my opinion, an article of that length and detail should have at least 8-12 references. I think that providing the needed references should be relatively easy for you and Paul.
 
Once the references have been provided, I would be pleased to start the approval process. I think that what I must do in the "required for ToApprove template" section of the MetaData template is:
 
* article url= Provide the article url
* now= Provide the time (CST) and date
* ToA editor= Provide my name
* date= Provide the date that is 6 days after the now=date
 
Is that correct? If not, please let me know. Regards, - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 12:17, 26 February 2008 (CST)
 
== d-orbitals ==
 
Good afternoon David, blushing I make a confession: my knowledge of bonding in phosphorus was outdated. Prompted by Milton I checked some literature and found that the idea of bonding by ''d''-orbitals is outdated. I should have known this because I know Kutzelnigg (who discovered this) quite well and have  heard him speak zillions of times. But I was never much interested in second row atoms and didn't pay attention. I added a paragraph, and let the old part still intact, maybe it looks silly now, have a look and give your honest opinion. --[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 08:52, 27 February 2008 (CST)
:David, I see that you left both explanations of difference in bonding between nitrogen and phosphorus intact. Don't you think that the old-fashioned explanation, based on ''d''-orbitals, should go?--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 02:31, 28 February 2008 (CST)
 
 
== That's Life! ==
 
David, see my rply: http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/User_talk:Anthony.Sebastian#That.27s_Life.21 --[[User:Anthony.Sebastian|Anthony.Sebastian]] 14:43, 29 February 2008 (CST)
 
 
== NMR ==
 
Hi David, [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Talk:NMR_active_elements#Approval_process this article] needs your attention.  Thanks, [[User:D. Matt Innis|D. Matt Innis]] 19:34, 29 February 2008 (CST).
 
==Approval of [[Phosphorus]] article==
 
David, I believe that last week we agreed that I would start the Approval process for the [[Phosphorus]] article after you finished reviewing the article yourself. Please let me know whether you did in fact finish your review and I will then proceed. Thanks, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 12:54, 3 March 2008 (CST)
 
::I have started the Approval process of [[Phosphorus]] as of a few minutes ago. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 13:39, 3 March 2008 (CST)
 
 
==DrugBank template==
See use of new [[Template:DrugBank|DrugBank template]] in development at [[acetaminophen]]. - [[User:Robert Badgett|Robert Badgett]] 07:48, 5 March 2008 (CST)
 
==Your proposal to create workgroup style guides==
 
Hello. No driver is listed in the proposal record for "Create workgroup style guides" which you started. Every proposal must have a driver, a champion who is filling in the details of the proposal and driving it along. Do consider becoming the driver yourself; don't be worried that this is hard as I will help you at every step if necessary. If you find a driver, please make sure that the proposal record on [[CZ:Proposals/New]] is updated. If no driver can be found within three days, then the proposal becomes inactive. Your newly-appointed Proposals Manager, [[User:Jitse Niesen|Jitse Niesen]] 09:43, 6 March 2008 (CST)
:David, I want to work with you on this proposal. --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 11:44, 6 March 2008 (CST)
 
== This is the day that [[Phosphorus]] is supposed to be approved. ==
 
David: What else needs to be done, if anything, to finish the approval process? No one other than myself has yet signed the nomination on the Metadata template, although I thought you said that you and Paul Wormer could do so. Regards, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 10:58, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:David, I note that you and Paul have now signed the nomination. Is there anything else that I have to do? I must leave in the next hour for the rest of the day and would like to know before I leave. Thanks, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 12:18, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:: Milton, you have nothing further to do.  A constable with taken of the rest. Thanks.  [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 12:29, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Links to categories ==
 
You can have a link to Category:Articles to Approve, without adding the page the link is in (e.g. your user page) to the category with this: "<nowiki>[[:Category:Articles to Approve]]</nowiki>", which produces this: [[:Category:Articles to Approve]]. (Note the leading ''':'''.) Hope that's useful... [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 11:33, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:: Thank you very much Noel. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 11:38, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== [[Life]] ver 1.2 Approved! ==
 
Congratulations! Thanks for your help, --[[User:D. Matt Innis|D. Matt Innis]] 22:19, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== [[Phosphorus]] Approved! ==
 
Two in a row! I think chemistry could be on a roll ;-) --[[User:D. Matt Innis|D. Matt Innis]] 22:51, 10 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== EZarticle-closed-auto ==
 
*Why did you conclude that [[Bankruptcy]] is closed to outside participation? I don't see anything on the [[CZ:Finance3101_101_TempleUniversity_Spring2008 | course page]] to suggest that.
*What's the difference between [[:Category:Eduzendium Workgroup]] and [[:Category:Eduzendium articles]]? Why have both?
[[User:Warren Schudy|Warren Schudy]] 22:08, 11 March 2008 (CDT)
:I created the [[:Category:Eduzendium articles]] just as a way to keep them separate from policy and course pages. It does not have to be that way. I just thought it might be more convenient. I might add that they were originally in [[:Category:Eduzendium]]. The workgroup category would definitely be more appropriate, I didn't know that existed. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] [[User talk:Chris Day|(talk)]] 22:10, 11 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:: I am just trying to clear the unchecklisted articles page.  First there was EZarticle, then EZarticle-closed-auto, and before that some of them had what appeared to be hand-written warnings not to edit.  We need whoever is in charge of EZ to tell the people what to put on their pages, and then we wouldn't need to do it.  It seems EZarticle-closed-auto provides the best warning flag, so I have been putting that on the pages that I seem to think needs it.
:: As for the page in question, I thought all EZ pages were closed so that only the students work on it.  I might be mistaken.  [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 08:03, 12 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Help with approval nomination for [[Chemical engineering]] ==
 
David, I'm looking for someone to nominate the [[Chemical engineering]] article for approval. Can you help me? [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 23:08, 12 March 2008 (CDT)
 
: Milton, I have made suggestions for improvement before approval, on the talk page.  Please reply when you have fixed these small errors.  [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 10:04, 13 March 2008 (CDT)
 
::David, I agree with all of your comments on the Talk page of the [[Chemical engineering]] article and I have made the appropriate changes. Thanks for your help. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 10:58, 13 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:::Thanks for starting the process, David. Could you perhaps ask Paul Wormer to second the nomination? Or someone else? [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 15:09, 13 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Disambiguation ==
 
I was going to suggest we have a disambiguation template (a la Wikipedia) which both did a standard notice, and put the page in a category); sigh, that's on my (lengthy) to-do list. You wanna deal with it? :-) [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 14:34, 14 March 2008 (CDT)
 
: I haven't made any templates yet, but if I attempt one, it will be the chem_info template that needs to be made, something like the elem_infobox template, except for chemicals. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 14:37, 14 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:: Oh, they're not too hard (at least, the simpler ones), and help is a click away. Anyway, it turns out that {{tl|disambig}} already exists; we just need to get people to stick it on the bottom of all disambig pages. [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 16:07, 14 March 2008 (CDT)
:: PS: Might have been best not to checklist that duplicate Neanderthal article, in case the one gets turned into just a redir. Oh well, water, bridges... [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 16:07, 14 March 2008 (CDT)
 
So, should we used category disambig or the template disambig, or both?
 
As for the neanderthal stuff, I assume the professor(s) will give priority to whoever signed up first. They can still do the work, get the grade, and we can merge them later perhaps?  I just wanted to make the students aware, and I notified the EZ coordinator as well. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 16:11, 14 March 2008 (CDT)
 
: Ah, {{tl|disambig}} adds pages to the category [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=Template:Disambig&action=edit automatically]. I guess it's OK to use just the category, as long as at least one gets used. I'll ask people what they think when I have time... [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 22:25, 14 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== WP articles ==
 
You are right, I'm re-writing them all from scratch, as I haven't had the time to edit them. I won't be able to edit them for a while though, as my schedule is tight. I apologise for the trouble. Btw, silly question, is it proper to reply to a comment in one's own talk page or the other way around? I've never really used talk pages as all my editing in wikipedia used to be anonymous. [[User:Minhaj Ahmed Khan Lodi|Minhaj Ahmed Khan Lodi]] 10:42, 15 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== talk page ==
 
Thanks for your suggestion! [[User:Minhaj Ahmed Khan Lodi|Minhaj Ahmed Khan Lodi]] 13:23, 15 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Need your advice ==
 
David, I would like to add some internal CZ links into the [[Chemical
engineering article]]. For example, links on: fossil fuel power palnt, nuclear power plant, petrochemical, etc. If I do so, can you then update the approval version? Or will you need to extend the closing date? I will not do anything until I hear back from you. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 13:22, 17 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:David, thanks for your explanation on my Talk page. I have now added quite a few CZ links, and you can change the version url whenever you have the time. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 16:38, 17 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Your proposal "Medical Disclaimers" ==
 
Hello. The proposal record for "[[CZ:Proposals/Medical Disclaimers|Medical Disclaimers]]", for which you are listed as driver, says that the current step (1 week discussion amongst health science workgroup) was due to be completed 16 March. Could you please update the proposal record on [[CZ:Proposals/Editorial Council]], changing your self-imposed deadline and perhaps the next step? If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask me. -- The Proposals Manager, [[User:Jitse Niesen|Jitse Niesen]] 17:02, 19 March 2008 (CDT)
 
==AE==
You might be right, it might be worth having it as the default and then people can change it.  I can take it off the to do list if every article is listed becuase of that one empty field. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] [[User talk:Chris Day|(talk)]] 09:09, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
 
==Chembox==
Have you seen the following? [[Template:Chem_Infobox]], Robert King adapted it for CZ.  You might find it a good starting point? [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] [[User talk:Chris Day|(talk)]] 14:48, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:: Chris, we renamed that one Elem_Infobox, because it only fits chemical elements, not molecules.  We need another infobox, formatted differently, for molecules. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 14:50, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
:::OK just checking to see if you had seen it.  I now note you edited it today. by the way, is there anyway to fix the right margin?  On my browser it is bleeding off the right edge. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] [[User talk:Chris Day|(talk)]] 14:54, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
::::What happened? --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 15:58, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Testing Roberts chem infobox new ==
{{Chem infobox
|align=right
|image=[[Image:Itraconazole structure.jpg|center|350px|thumb|{{#ifexist:Template:Itraconazole structure.jpg/credit|{{Itraconazole structure.jpg/credit}}<br/>|}}Itraconazole, a triazole-based antifungal agent.]]
|width=350px
|molname=itraconazole
|synonyms=  itraconazol, itraconazolum
|molformula= C<sub>35</sub>H<sub>38</sub>C<sub>l2</sub>N<sub>8</sub>O<sub>4</sub>
|molmass= 705.6334
|uses=antifungal drug
|properties=triazole compound, big, aromatic, oxazole, imidazole
|hazards=see drug interactions
|iupac= see chemistry section
|casnumber=84625-61-6
}}
 
Should we change  "Mass" to "Mass (g/mol)" in the table, so the user doesn't need to type the units all the time? That is the standard unit for molecular mass. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 16:36, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== You da man Robert ==
Robert, I think it looks very nice.  We will probably want to show the name in bold lettering.  Do we do that when setting the variable (name = '''itraconazole'''), or can the template make it always be bold?  Should we make the IUPAC name an if exist variable, or use my example of "see chemistry section"?.  [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 16:01, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
:I can make it bold.  The problem with the IUPAC name is it has all these <code>[</code>s in it, which jacks up the formatting, but I think I can fix it. --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 16:04, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:: Regarding the IUPAC name, I wouldn't mind listing it in the text when it is a very long name.  I think we had agreed earlier that this is about the right amount of information for the box, leaving out boiling points and other such non-sense.  Now I have about 100 articles to add the template to!  I think I will wait for a few days so we can consider any other desired changes before I make that plunge.  Thanks for you effort, and do consider making it an example on the How To page.  I think template is a great example for beginners. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 16:09, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
:::Give it a whirl for a while, let me know if anything needs fixing or adjusting. --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 16:32, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
::::It's in there.  Automatically puts g/mol. --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 16:41, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
 
::OK, I am going to step away from it for about a day, then look with fresh eyes for areas to improve.  If you don't mind, I may play with the whole coloring scheme.  Great job. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 16:50, 20 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Will [[Chemical engineering]] be automatically approved today? ==
 
David, today is March 21st. Will the article be automatically approved today or does something yet have to be done? [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 12:14, 21 March 2008 (CDT)
 
 
[[Chemical Engineering]] approved! - Sorry for the delay - holiday and all ;-) --[[User:D. Matt Innis|D. Matt Innis]] 15:45, 23 March 2008 (CDT)
 
 
== Workgroup link??? ==
You can get to them from the main page. Click on the icons at top right. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 15:26, 26 March 2008 (CDT)
 
:Thanks Chris, I do know other ways to the workgroups.  It really was a sarcastic-whining remark, because everytime I get used to where things are some of them disappear, and then we need to rewrite things like the [[CZ:How To]] page directing people how to find editors in their workgroups. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 16:12, 26 March 2008 (CDT)
I guessed it was sarcasm.  I agree the left border is like a yoyo.  I like its current form as "what links here" is not way down at the bottom.  But no doubt it will be down there again soon. :) [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 16:15, 26 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Re Rottweiler ==
 
In a dreadful hurry, I'm afraid.  Answered at my talk page.  Thanks! [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 16:24, 28 March 2008 (CDT)
 
==That template==
Try and start a new cluster with a metadata page and see if it is better now.  i added some links to make it easier for you to get the new pages created. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 16:38, 28 March 2008 (CDT)
 
All I can see is, Sa-Wheeeet! Exactly what I wanted to see. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 17:36, 28 March 2008 (CDT)
 
==Health Sciences style guide==
Are you working on a Health Sciences style guide? [[User:Jitse Niesen|Jitse Niesen]] suggested that the [[CZ:Proposals/Standardizing the naming of biomedical articles.|Standardizing the naming of biomedical articles]] be incorporated into that. - Bob  - [[User:Robert Badgett|Robert Badgett]] 08:26, 31 March 2008 (CDT)
 
I have not started a Health Sciences style guide, and I am probably not the best person to do so.  It would be best for Robert Badgett to start that guide, and I could add my 2 cents later, particularly added reference to the [[Chemistry style guide]] for articles about drugs. I left him a note on his talk page a few minutes ago about this. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 08:40, 31 March 2008 (CDT)
 
== Rottweiler ==
 
Hi David,
 
There have been some changes made, per your suggestions.  The only thing I haven't addressed is your suggestion re photos (number 2?) which I didn't quite understand. [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 04:42, 1 April 2008 (CDT)
:Thanks for the nomination.  We'll get those approvals numbers up!  [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 17:06, 1 April 2008 (CDT)
 
==Docosahexaenoic Acid==
Hello Dr. Volk,
I am currently creating a [[Survival of the Fattest|page]] for a University of Colorado [[Sp08cuboulderanth4110humanevolutionarybiology|Project]].
 
I want to use a 3D image of Docosahexaenoic acid for my article, and was wondering if you had any images that I could use?
 
Thanks for any help!
--[[User:Brian R. Head|Brian R. Head]] 11:15, 3 April 2008 (CDT)
 
Yes it is also called DHA. Thanks for offering to make one, i didn't intend for it to be so time consuming. I thought you may have an image just kicking around on the hard drive, however, I would certainly be very interested in anything you could make or find. Thank you! --[[User:Brian R. Head|Brian R. Head]] 22:01, 4 April 2008 (CDT)
 
Oh and a 2D model will work fine --[[User:Brian R. Head|Brian R. Head]] 22:02, 4 April 2008 (CDT)
 
Thank you for the picture! It is perfect for the page. Many, many thanks! --[[User:Brian R. Head|Brian R. Head]] 11:42, 8 April 2008 (CDT)
 
:: Let me know of any others you might need. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 11:49, 8 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== System people ==
 
As far as I can tell, we don't have any! I've left messages on the talk: pages of several people who seemed to be involved with setting things up, and no reply.
 
I'll add the welcome message to his page manually. [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 15:47, 7 April 2008 (CDT)
 
: PS: His account was created [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki?title=User:Lando_Leonhardt_Lehmann&action=history a while ago], which is perhaps why his talk: page wasn't automatically created and given the welcome header. [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 16:58, 7 April 2008 (CDT)
 
==Just plain "Noel"==
Just "Noel" is fine. I'm one of those people who uses their middle name... I only put the "J." part in there because I'm known somewhat by my initials, JNC (which were a common way of identifying people in the early 'hacker' - the real ones, not the juvenile cyber-delinquents who appropriated the name for themselves), so I wanted to keep the opening initial there. [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 09:41, 8 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== Efficiency? ==
 
It might be more efficient to only update [[CZ:Unchecklisted Articles‎]] every 3-4 articles? [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 13:05, 12 April 2008 (CDT)
 
: To each their own! :-) [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 13:22, 12 April 2008 (CDT)
 
==Subpagination==
Setting aside all that stuff about 'see also', thanks for your involvement on those Japan. I would've done the subpagination myself but it would've taken me ages. [[User:John Stephenson|John Stephenson]] 04:49, 22 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== Can you help improve [[:Image:FCC Chemistry.png]] ==
 
David, some time ago you left a message on my talk page offering to help me create chemical equation images when I needed some.
 
I have just created and uploaded [[:Image:FCC Chemistry.png]]. You can view it in my sandbox at [[User:Milton Beychok/Sandbox]]. I would very much appreciate it if you could improve upon it to make it more "eye catching". Also it is now 426 pixels wide. It would be nice if it could be reduced to a width of about 325 to 350 pixels and still maintain legibility.
 
Basically, the image hopefully explains the chemistry involved in a Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) as used in petroleum refineries. The idea behind the image is to very simply illustrate that an FCC unit cracks long chain hydrocarbons into more valuable smaller chain molecules.
 
Want to give it a try? Thanks, - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 10:46, 22 April 2008 (CDT)
 
:David, I would really appreciate your letting me know whether or not you can help with [[:Image:FCC Chemistry.png]] so that I can proceed accordingly. Thanks, _ [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 00:56, 23 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== ABC ==
 
That's a good question/point, actually. I don't know ''every'' place that metadata field gets used (you'd have to check with Chris on that), or where we might use it in the future, but the one place I know it is used is in adding articles to workgroup categories, to get them to show up properly alphabetized in the category listings. See, e.g. [[:Category:History Workgroup]], and notice the listing under "A" for [[Dean Acheson]]. However, the link you see on that page is to the article title, not the ABC name, so I don't ''think'' it will make a difference what case the ABC is in. I say 'think' because if category sorting respects case, so that "foo" comes well before "Foo" (or vice versa) it might make a difference - but of course we might not like that result. I just tried a test, and it doesn't seem to make a difference, though? We might find some other use for it in the future which does retain the case, so it might be worth adopting that 'natural' case rule for the abc - and maybe for the pagename, too. Why don't you bring these points up on the forum?
 
It's "Noel", by the way. [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 12:30, 22 April 2008 (CDT)
:As far as I know, remember, the abc field it is only used to organise the articles in the various categories. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 12:32, 22 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== Article specific subpages  ==
 
Check out [[cadmium]] and the [[Cadmium/MSDS]] subpage. The subpage is created by using tab1=MSDS in the metadata. We could also add tab2=Isotopes  and one other tab3=?.  This might be more intuitive than having all the chemical information in a Catalog subpage (which is where this imformation used to live).  I tweeked the {{tl|Elem Infobox}} so the headers now link to the MSDS subpage too.  I plan to write this up as a proposal so we can get approval from the editorial council (use of tab field to customise the subpages for specific articles). I would be intereasted to get your feedback before I start on this proposal.  [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 15:50, 24 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== Physical Properties Templates ==
 
Hi David,
 
I posted this on [[Talk:Cadmium]], but wanted to get some feedback from Chem Editors so figured I'd just ask...
 
I had this kooky idea of trying to store materials physical properties data in templates so we can call it up from multiple locations and keep it current.  That way we can do things like this:
 
<pre>Selected Electronegativities:<br />
{{Selected Electronegativities|Hydrogen|Beryllium|Iron|Helium|Uranium|Neptunium|Lead}}</pre>
Selected Electronegativities:<br />
{{Selected Electronegativities|Hydrogen|Beryllium|Iron|Helium|Uranium|Neptunium|Lead}}
 
and...
<pre>Selected Melting Points:<br />
{{Selected melting points|Hydrogen|Beryllium|Iron|Helium|Uranium|Neptunium|Lead|Cobalt(II) oxide}}</pre>
 
Selected Melting Points:<br />
{{Selected melting points|Hydrogen|Beryllium|Iron|Helium|Uranium|Neptunium|Lead|Cobalt(II) oxide}}
 
 
and also....
 
<pre>
{{Resizable Periodic Table of Elements
|cellWidth=50px
|cellHeight=67px
|colorscheme=Metal
}}
</pre>{{Resizable Periodic Table of Elements
|cellWidth=50px
|cellHeight=67px
|colorscheme=Metal
}}
...pretty easily. 
 
Also, I've started the {{tl|Physical properties}} template to display the info in the articles (please see [[Lead]] or [[Cadmium/MSDS]] for examples).  I have (I believe) left open the option of using the system for any material, not just the chemical elements.  Any objections?  Reasons it won't work?  Things I should change?  Feedback is welcome....--[[User:David Yamakuchi|David Yamakuchi]] 10:23, 25 April 2008 (CDT)
 
:: They all seem like a good idea to me.  Be sure to add  sections to the [[Chemistry style guide]] when you have the templates finished or at least working pretty well. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 11:00, 25 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== Thanks for nominating [[Amine gas treating]] for approval ==
 
Dave, thanks very much. I have responded to both of your requests for minor revisions on the talk page of [[Amine gas treating]] and made the appropriate revisions. - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 15:48, 28 April 2008 (CDT)
 
== IUPAC name ==
 
What exactly is the IUPAC?  How are their notations derived for chemical names?  Is that the real "name" of the chemical?  What does it describe?  Is there any way we can change the notation or make a "shorthand" version of it that still means the same thing? --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 13:24, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
 
::There is no way to shorten the name.  It is the official chemical name of any chemical, although for drugs
::there is also the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) determined by the WHO.  For all chemicals, there
::are only two things that completely determine what it is, the chemical structure (with stereo-chemistry shown)
:: and the IUPAC name.  Things like (7S,8R) depict stereochemistry of the atoms.
 
The IUPAC names were devised to be systematic and worldwide, and get around the problem of too many common names, in different countries, for exactly the same thing.  For example, the British call acetaminophen (Tylenol®) by paracetemol (spelling?), but the IUPAC name works everywhere.  Perhaps we should write the IUPAC in smaller, but bold font?
I could live with the information being only in the chemistry section, but I doubt if all would agree to this. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 13:38, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
:Bollocks.  Let me drop it down a few points in size.  Can you tell me more about the structure of the name; what do the hyphens mean, the commas... the syntax.  I want to get an idea of what could be allowed to be the "word-wrap point" so we don't display an incorrect or innaccurate name and still be able to make it fit. --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 13:41, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
 
You should be able to wrap text at any dash, comma or bracket I suppose, but to look nice, we might split only on dashes and commas.  Can we make the template automatically wrap the nowiki comments to the variable so we don't need to type it each time?  It's not a big deal either way, but it would save a little time perhaps.  (My gut feeling is that it wouldn't work) [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 13:50, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
:what are the divisions for each IUPAC name?  Let me draw a parallel for what I'm asking: if you take the number "4,326,571" the 4 is in the millions place, the 3 in the hundred-thousands, 2 in the ten-thousands, etc.  Is the IUPAC naming convention anything like this where parts of the name are segmented for a reason? --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 14:12, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
 
Of course the name is segmented, but you will not be able to write a generic script to split by that.  My only suggestion is that it would be best to wrap text at the dashes.
 
== Example ==
If you want a very difficult example, look at [[Cefazedone]]:
 
IUPAc = (6R,7R)-7-(((3,5-dichloro-4-oxo-1(4H)-pyridinyl) acetyl) amino)-3-(((5-methyl-1,3,4- thiadiazol- 2-yl)thio) methyl)-8 -oxo-5-thia-1-azabicyclo(4.2.0)oct-2-ene-2-carboxylic acid
 
 
 
[[Image:Cefazedone.jpg|center|thumb|350px|{{#ifexist:Template:Cefazedone.jpg/credit|{{Cefazedone.jpg/credit}}<br/>|}}Cefazedone]]
 
*1) The (6R,7R) part indicates the stereochemistry (the two black wedge bonds)
*2) Then at position 7 (of the bicyclo center) (lower right of four membered ring, is attached the following:
:*2b) 3,5-dichloro-4-oxo-pyridinyl attached to the 1 position of acetylamino (O=C-NH2)
*3) Then at the 3-position (of the bicyclo center) is attached the five membered ring 5-methyl-1,3,4-thiadiazol via a thiomethyl.
*4) At the 8 position of the bicyclo system is the carbonyl oxygen
 
*5) finally, the 5-thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene-2-carboxyl acid explains the attachment of the central bicyclo system. 5-thia = the sulfur in the six-membered ring, and the 1-aza refers to the nitrogen, and the 4.2.0 explains how the rings are formed. It is formed from 2-octene (oct-2-ene), ie a double bond between carbons 2 & 3, and also there is a carboxylic acid added at position 2, at the top of the structure.
 
Well, you asked for it!!! [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 14:23, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
:Let me propose this then: If we come up with variables for "stereochemistry", and then a series of "positions", and wrap at each point, would that make logical sense? --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 14:32, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
 
::Variables are really only appropriate for steroids, cholesterols and bile salt, and perhaps a few other classes of chemical that I am not aware of.  Really, your best bet is to break on dashes automatically, or if it comes out unwieldy, chemists perhaps could manually break it with break commands. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 14:35, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
:::Let me mull it over for a day or two, and I'll see what I can come up with.  Thank you for so much information! --[[User:Robert W King|Robert W King]] 14:39, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
==Thanks for the welcome==
I haven't yet found the list of groups for which I'm registered for editing, but, on looking on your page, I was reminded I was once a microbial biochemist with an interest in antibiotic resistance. It is untrue that the periodic table, at the time, consisted of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. No, it had Musashi's extensions; the Void was the fifth element.
 
Anyway, while I don't really stay current on the molecular level of antibiotics, I've still stayed involved in expert systems for prescribers, and have been looking at root cause analysis for nosocomial infections. If these are useful interests, let me know.
 
I also see some colleagues from Internet engineering, so I should be finding some collaborators soon. On Wikipedia, I gave up on trying to explain network architecture. It wasn't so bad when I was lectured that the RFCs I cited were wrong about OSI conformance, or even when I cited the more extensive ISO specifications for the migration of that model. Things came to a breaking point when I was told that someone's textbook differed with my peer-reviewed work, and clearly, the latter had to be wrong.
 
Intelligence and special operations are also a special interest, and I'll need to learn the associated groups here. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 15:41, 29 April 2008 (CDT)
 
==By field==
You asked why is it missing.  This is because it is now obsolete and is no longer part of the pre-loaded information when a new metadata page is created.  See the [http://forum.citizendium.org/index.php/topic,1684.0.html discussion here]. Good job on getting torugh the unchecklisted articles! I've done a few (very few) and its a grind. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 00:29, 6 May 2008 (CDT)
 
==Unchecklisted==
Hi! could you point out what entries were repeated so that I could see what happens? Thanks in advance [[User:Aleksander Stos|Aleksander Stos]] 03:58, 6 May 2008 (CDT)
: Thanks, I'll look into it (some delay may be expected as I'm dealing with the general stats now). BTW, I've updated the list in question.  [[User:Aleksander Stos|Aleksander Stos]] 09:55, 6 May 2008 (CDT)
 
== Townes Van Zandt ==
 
David, thanks for the Townes Van Zandt lyrics.  Some of those songs you listed are among my favorites but I didn't know he had written them!  I guess we non-musicians tend to associate the song with its most famous performer and don't ever find out who the author was. [[User:Bruce M.Tindall|Bruce M.Tindall]] 12:50, 7 May 2008 (CDT)
 
== Would appreciate your looking at [[Fluid catalytic cracking]] ==
 
David, if you have the time, I would very much appreciate your reading [[Fluid catalytic cracking]] and letting me have your comments. Thanks in advance, - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 02:38, 12 May 2008 (CDT)
 
== Your approval of [[Amine gas treating]] ==
 
Matt Innis left a note on the [[Amine gas treating]] saying that the Approval version had to be updated because some minor edits had been made since you nominated it for approval. So I updated the Approval version to the current version. Now, Matt tells me that the updating should have been done by you because you were the nominating editor ... and he needs to have you agree that the updating which I did is okay by you. Would you please let him know as soon as possible? Today is the day that the approval process is supposed to be completed on that article. Thanks a bunch, - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 13:55, 12 May 2008 (CDT)
 
:David, I cannot remember if I thanked you for nominating [[Amine gas treating]] and [[Merox]] for approval ... so if this is the second time, please excuse me. Thanks very much, - Milton Beychok
 
==Converting Proposals to EC Resolutions==
As per [[CZ:Editorial_Council_Rules_of_Procedure]] and specifically, [[CZ:Editorial_Council_Resolution_Guidelines]]
one may have a look at the list of [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Category:CZ_Editorial_Council_Members CZ Editorial Council Members] and request one of them to take it forward. However, since you are the Driver for the Proposals, you can sponsor the relevant resolution. You may use the [[CZ:Editorial_Council_Resolution_0009|Editorial Council Resolution 0009]] or the [[CZ:Editorial_Council_Resolution_0010|Editorial Council Resolution 0010]] as the templates. Once it is put as an initial proposal, you may ask for 2 Co-sponsors through the CZ EC mailing list. Hope this satisfies your queries. [[User:Supten Sarbadhikari|Supten Sarbadhikari]] 22:05, 14 May 2008 (CDT)
 
== Really would appreciate your opinion ==
 
Dave, you are very much more knowledgeable about chemistry than I am and I would not want to make any change in [[Ideal gas law]] without your agreement.
 
Would you please take a moment to comment one way or the other about my proposal [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Talk:Ideal_gas_law#My_definition here]. Regards, - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 16:52, 17 May 2008 (CDT)
 
:David, [[Ideal gas law]] looks good to me now. Thanks, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 10:26, 19 May 2008 (CDT)
 
== Move failure ==
 
You had already created [[Integrated pest management‎]] (with just {{tl|subpages}} in it - that's why the move failed. You can only move a page to another page with contents in it if the other page contains a #redirect to the first page (and I think maybe it has to have no edit history too, not sure about that one). [[User:J. Noel Chiappa|J. Noel Chiappa]] 21:46, 20 May 2008 (CDT)
 
== basic building blocks ==
 
Are you referring to the amino acids or the proteins at [[Protein/Definition]]?  If the latter I'm not sure I would define them as basic building blocks, although I can see how they might be viewed that way in certain contexts, like [[microtubules]]. In general though, i think the amino acids are the ones that are thought of as the basic building blocks. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 15:47, 5 June 2008 (CDT)
:I agree, in the context of [[microfilament]]s, that proteins can also be described as a building block.  My impression is that would be regarded as acceptable usage but the real question is whether such usage is OK for a general definition of protein?  My gut feeling is that it is the exception and it sounds wrong, especially when you bring amino acids into the mix. I'll have a look at online definitions and see how they approach this. [[User:Chris Day|Chris Day]] 16:04, 5 June 2008 (CDT)
 
==Thanks...==
...for adding subpages to my articles. I won't forget to do that from now on! [[User:Marielle Fields Newsome|Marielle Fields Newsome]] 17:53, 8 June 2008 (CDT)
 
== UNAVAILABLE JUNE 14-16 ==
I will be away (in the bush) from civilization and out of contact for the next few days,
so I won't be responding to questions about EC Resolutions and so on for a few days
 
== Picture cross product ==
 
David, with all due respect, I don't find your picture of the [[cross product]] terribly impressive; no comparison to your molecular pictures! Our friends over at WP have a picture of the cross product that looks definitely better,  should we  "borrow" it? (It is free). Or does CZ have a policy against that?--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 04:46, 17 June 2008 (CDT)
 
== Erectile Dysfunction Drugs ==
Plan for weekend. Something we can all get excited about:
 
Write article about erectile dysfunction drugs., in particular phosphodiesterase type-5 inhibitors (ala Viagra, etc). (vardenafile, sildenafil (Viagra), and comparison to caffeine and cGMP.
 
:David, I am 85 years old and I get excited about waking up each morning! What is erectile dysfunction?? In fact, what is sex?? :>) [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 18:29, 20 June 2008 (CDT)
 
::Oh, the fun you can have reading other people's talk pages!  Laughing my head off!  [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 18:48, 20 June 2008 (CDT)
 
==Collaboration Week Request ==
:: In honor of [[Larry Sanger|Larry's]] collaboration week, I am asking for assistance with my [[erectile dysfunction]] problem, namely that the article does not yet exist. (What are the different causes?) [[Sildenafil]] (Viagra) is off to a decent start, but we could make it much larger with some M.D. input.  Other PDE-5 inhibitor drugs will be forthcoming, hopefully later today.


==Standardized external links on health pages==
== New Chemistry  editor, [[User:Joel M. Williams‎|Joel M. Williams]] ==
I had forgotten about the up-to-date section. What you do you think of naming this section 'External links' and its contents are usually:
*For pages about diseases
<nowiki>The most up-to-date information about this and other ''diseases'' (italics just for emphasis here) can be found at the following sites.</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>*{{MedlinePlus}}</nowiki><br>
* For pages about drugs
<nowiki>The most up-to-date information about this and other ''drugs'' (italics just for emphasis here) can be found at the following sites.</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>*{{DailyMed}}</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>*{{MedMaster}}</nowiki><br>
<nowiki>*{{DrugBank}}</nowiki><br>


If we get an acceptable format, I might be able to make a single template so you do not have to do three templates per page.
Hi, David:
- [[User:Robert Badgett|Robert Badgett]] 13:05, 22 June 2008 (CDT)


::Robert, I think I was calling it "external links"  in the past. I don't know
We have a new Chemistry editor. Perhaps you may wish to post a welcome message on his Talk page. Regards, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 02:49, 14 February 2011 (UTC)
why I switched to up-to-date section the last day or two. I'll go back and change that. Thanks for the reminder. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 13:10, 22 June 2008 (CDT)
:::I suspect CZ would rather this content go on the external links subpage; however, I worry these very helpful links might be overlooked if we do that. What do you think? - Bob - [[User:Robert Badgett|Robert Badgett]] 21:15, 22 June 2008 (CDT)


:::I think drug pages deserve an exception. If not, then we should have a standard sentence directing users to the
David,
external links page. [[User:David E. Volk|David E. Volk]] 08:48, 23 June 2008 (CDT)
Your opening quote is still true several hundred years later as I can attest!! My observation is that most scientists are the most rigid folks imaginable; spouting the party lines rather than thinking - PhD's being proof that they know the party lines. Has to do with peer-pressure and the desire to maintain one's job. Thus, few are reluctant to challenge the status quo! Frankly, the folks who should be most able to evaluate matters and come up with new approaches are the retired.Unfortunately, most are too tired or just no longer give a crap! [[User:Joel M. Williams|Joel M. Williams]] 20:04, 14 February 2011 (UTC)


== If you have the time, look at [[Ammonia production]] ==


David, if you have the time to read [[Ammonia production]], I would appreciate your comments (on the article's Talk page). Thanks in advance, [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 14:24, 29 June 2008 (CDT)
==Thanks==
Thanks for the nudge on adiponutrin - it had flown below ny radar, but I've added a para.[[User:Gareth Leng|Gareth Leng]] 10:16, 18 February 2011 (UTC)


== Molecular images for Biology Week logo ==
== [[Liquefied natural gas]] ==


Hi David, I am remodeling the [[CZ:Biology Week]] logo to avoid [[Talk:Biology/Draft#Potential_montage_licensing_issues|license problems]] and to make it more representative of non-organismic levels of biological orientation. Thus, I am looking for nice images on the molecular and population level. Can you suggest/ provide/ point me to some until tomorrow? Thanks a lot! -- [[User:Daniel Mietchen|Daniel Mietchen]] 13:16, 2 July 2008 (CDT)
David, I would appreciate any comments/edits/discussion you may offer on the new article [[Liquefied natural gas]] (LNG). [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 05:03, 23 February 2011 (UTC)
:Thanks for the quick reply. I should have mentioned that I had checked all images at CZ before asking you, without finding any logo-suited molecular images. The Denge virus model is nice indeed, though, and I am considering to use it in a modified version that will be permanently displayed at the Biology Workgroup's page. -- [[User:Daniel Mietchen|Daniel Mietchen]] 13:58, 2 July 2008 (CDT)


== Party! ==
== About [[Hydrogen sulphide]] ==


What, David, you're just working away in silence?  Am I blind, have I missed your name on the list of revelers?  Come add yourself to the cast of characters at [[CZ:Monthly Write-a-Thon|July party]]! [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 20:30, 2 July 2008 (CDT)
David, if you have the time, I would appreciate it if you reviewed [[Hydrogen sulphide]]. It could use some more content. [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 22:08, 4 March 2011 (UTC)


== Mapping vice napping. at NGA ==
== New author you may want to chat with ==


I hope you're right. I've known some fairly drowsy civil servants. :-)
Hi, David -- we have a new author, Samuel Herec, an undergrad at Northeastern who is a musician and is insterested in biomedical devices as well as audio technology. You seem to be just the guy to welcome him. [[User:Bruce M. Tindall|Bruce M. Tindall]] 23:56, 8 March 2011 (UTC)


== Financial Report as of March 15, 2011 ==


[[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 01:32, 4 July 2008 (CDT)
Please read our [[CZ:Donate|Financial Report as of March 15, 2001]] for complete details on our financial history and our current financial situation. If you have any questions, please ask them on [[CZ Talk:Donate]]. - [[User:Milton Beychok|Milton Beychok]] 22:25, 18 March 2011 (UTC)


== Scary guide ==
== The missing mini-periodical tables from the element articles. ==


Hello Dave, the text in the style guide is better adapted. Now it sounds as if you are obliged to do things with the box when you dare to write about chemical elements. I'll give it a try. --[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 10:55, 7 July 2008 (CDT)
David, as of yesterday morning, all of the element articles had a mini-periodical table in the infoboxes. Shortly, after Dan Nessett upgraded our Mediawiki software yesterday evening, I noticed that all of the mini-periodic tables had disappeared from the infoboxes. I immediately informed him by posting in the "Technical Issues" forum board (see [http://forum.citizendium.org/index.php/topic,3978.0.html Topic 3978.0] and by sending him an email as well.


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


I have moved Mastodon to [[Mastodon (band)]]. Does that sound like a suitable name? --[[User:Charles Sandberg|Charles Sandberg]] 16:58, 8 July 2008 (CDT)
== Finished revising 112 of the chemical element articles ==


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


:I don't know, but let me do some checking; I have to think of who I know that uses SGI. Surprisingly, the Answers section of LinkedIn is a good place for such information; while I don't use "social networks" in the common sense, I look at LinkedIn as more of a dynamic data base. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 13:21, 18 July 2008 (CDT) (copied at my user page)
During the course of that work, David Yamakuchi contacted me as to what I was doing ... which I explained and told him why I was doing it. We came to an amicable agreement and he revised some of the templates he had created. You can read our exchange of postings on my Talk page.


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


Hi David!  I see you signed in at [[CZ:monthly write-a-thon#The total party poops|The August Party]].  
I agree it would be nice to make it much more simple, but I don't know to do it. In any event, they are now all editable and consistent, although most of them (90% or more) are "bare bones" articles that need much more content.
Tropical storms?  You should worry!  We've had gale force winds several times over here in th e Southern Highlands of NSW; our little construction site is a shambles!


Do join us on Wednesday September 2nd for what I hope will be a very active party with music, music, music.  Theme:  "My Favourite Band" (or, 'ensemble' or 'group' or 'orchestra' or 'singer' or 'recording' or...?
Milt
[[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 00:32, 8 August 2008 (CDT)


== Covering my *** ==
== Blocked account showing inappropriate categories ==


Hi, David -- I bet I'm just missing some musicians' inside joke here, but I wanted to ask about the sentence in "Cover band" that says that venues presenting cover bands often impose a "cover charge."  My understanding of the generic term "cover charge" was that it is a flat fee imposed by restaurants, bars, night clubs, etc., on a per-person basis, sort of like a poll tax, and that the name comes from the restaurant term "cover," meaning the set of stuff (plates, silverware, glasses, napkins) necessary to serve a customer, and, by extension, the customer himself. But I was just wondering -- do music venues sometimes charge a "cover charge" in a different sense, to help pay the ASCAP licensing fees (or whatever they're called) to enable, say, Bobby Goldsboro to get paid when some cover band in Duluth plays a post-post-punk techno-house rendition, scored for massed kotos, bagpipes, and counter-tenors, of "Watchin' Scotty Grow"?  Or am I just st00pidly overanalyzing a cute quip?  [[User:Bruce M.Tindall|Bruce M.Tindall]] 21:29, 21 August 2008 (CDT)
This account is no longer a member of the categories CZ Editors | Chemistry Authors | Chemistry Editors | Biochemistry Members | Biology Authors | Physics Authors | Mathematics Authors | Music Authors | Health Sciences Authors but the userpage has been protected preventing Citizens from remedying this situation. [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 07:43, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


== Ether ==
:I don't think you're right about that. My understanding is that an Editor stays an Editor unless the EC says so, even if they leave or are banned. [[User:Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson]] 11:15, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


Hi David, any problems with Gustav? I'm in the process of splitting ether into ether (physics) (you know, of the radio waves) and ether (chemistry), so don't be surprised when you see me breaking and entering.--[[User:Paul Wormer|Paul Wormer]] 07:57, 2 September 2008 (CDT)
::CZ:Editors ''should be a complete list of active CZ editors'', and David is listed [http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Category:Chemistry_Editors at the chemistry Workgroup] as being an active Editor, which is of no use to anyone using the Chemistry workgroup to find active Editors as well as being a misrepresentation. Why would it be desirable to list someone who has gone through our formal resignation process as an Editor, active or otherwise? [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 11:34, 30 November 2011 (UTC)


:of course, in chemistry there's ether as a class of molecule, then specific ethers, diethyl being the traditional one in medicine. While obsolete as an anesthetic, it's still not an absolute terrible one in disasters -- and, in wound care, it's the preferred way of putting maggots to sleep. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 09:51, 2 September 2008 (CDT)
::I think in this case your understanding is mistaken. You would be referring to [http://ec.citizendium.org/wiki/EC:2011-017 this EC motion] where the outcome was clearly stated that only an official resignation from CZ would be enough to have ones categories removed. It could be argued from the poor wording of the Motion that a separate resignation was needed for the EC, but that is not supported by the statements of the people who voted for it, and would in any event be a ridiculous proposition. We already have enough hoops for people to jump through to become ex-Citizens without requiring that resignation letters be made in duplicate.


::I do have an article on [[Ethernet]], which is a particular specification that has been superceded in digital communications, but that doesn't stop people from talking about "Ethernet interfaces" on trans-oceanic cables, and local area network speeds of 10 gigabits being routine, 100 gigabits under serious development, and an argument if the assorted vendor 40 gigabit implementations should be standardized. I should note that it's quite routine to put multiole 10 Gigabit signals onto the same pair of optical fibers. [[User:Howard C. Berkowitz|Howard C. Berkowitz]] 09:55, 2 September 2008 (CDT)
::It would appear that EC:2011-017 makes it clear that the categories listed above should be removed immediately. [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 08:02, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


== Party, again ==
:::"Only an official request for nullification of one's Editorship, to be eventually carried out by the Constabulary, is valid." seems clear enough. On the other hand, it does seem reasonable that David should not be listed as an ''active'' editor. [[User:Peter Jackson|Peter Jackson]] 11:16, 1 December 2011 (UTC)


H there David! Just me with my monthly reminder: Don’t forget the [[CZ:Monthly Write-a-Thon|September]] party! Music, music, music!! [[User:Aleta Curry|Aleta Curry]] 21:06, 2 September 2008 (CDT)
::::No less unreasonable than having a list of Editors, active or otherwise, that consists partly of non-Citizens who have requested they be removed from the project. As you will know that Motion was initiated because Martin had resigned on the Forum, resigned on his userpage, but was still making flyby Editor "Rulings" when it suited - the Motion was intended to quantify that a formal resignation was required before the resignation was taken seriously. It was never meant to become a list of non-Citizens. I also seriously doubt that the many Citizens who have voluntarily resigned have been informed that they must resign in triplicate. Like I said, I hope your interpretation is incorrect because it would not only be a ridiculous situation but probably illegal under the Charter. [[User:David Finn|David Finn]] 07:42, 2 December 2011 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 09:41, 6 March 2024

This author is no longer active on the Citizendium


[User bio is in User:Your Name]

Resigning Biology Editorship

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

New Chemistry editor, Joel M. Williams

Hi, David:

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

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


Thanks

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

Liquefied natural gas

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

About Hydrogen sulphide

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

New author you may want to chat with

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

Financial Report as of March 15, 2011

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

The missing mini-periodical tables from the element articles.

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

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

Finished revising 112 of the chemical element articles

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

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

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

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

Milt

Blocked account showing inappropriate categories

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

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