Wikipedia talk:Selected Articles on the Main Page

Earlier discussions:

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Mars Spirit and Opportunity: Mars Exploration Rover Mission

Animal cognition

I have just put a lot of work into a fairly comprehensive new article on animal cognition (I've also totally rewritten animal intelligence and animal mind, which were disastrous). It still needs some crisping up with specific facts and references, which I shall be doing over the next few weeks as I'm preparing some lectures on the subject. However, it might be worth a mention in New articles - I do think it is a big improvement on anything we've had in that sort of area before. seglea 08:22, 10 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Done. -- Viajero 11:21, 10 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Olavo Bilac

I have just added trivia to the article about poet Olavo Bilac. I believe it deserves a place in "New Articles" for a moment. It has been edited and complimented by other Wikipedians. Thanks Doidimais Brasil 18:44, Jan 11, 2004 (UTC)

Done. -- Viajero 22:30, 11 Jan 2004 (UTC)

V1 was no rocket, please change

Hello, please change the V1 flying bomb item text from "V1 rocket" to "V1 missile" -- the public is misled enough about this distinction already; no need to make it worse... (a rocket necessarily has to be equipped with a rocket engine). In this day and age, when people often hear of guided missiles in media reports, it is only fitting to try and educate people a little more about those destructive contraptions, so why not begin with the beginning :-) ? --Wernher 00:02, 20 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Fixed. --mav 03:49, 20 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Congratulations

May I just congratulate the person or people who put together the current set of featured articles (Knot - Poker - V1 rocket - Homer Simpson - Tea - Synapse). I had at least a passing interest in all of them, as well as half the anniversaries. I'm still here, reading and editing, 2 hours after I meant to go to bed! HappyDog 02:54, 20 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Featured articles methodology

I suggest adding recently added featured articles (see first section in Wikipedia:Featured article candidates) to the Main Page selection before picking random ones from the list. Ideally, there should always be some recently added articles in the queue.—Eloquence 13:23, Jan 21, 2004 (UTC)

The eagle has landed

Suggested article for the main page: MER-B (Opportunity / Mars Exploration Rover Mission) Nephelin 14:41, 25 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Done. -- Viajero 17:05, 25 Jan 2004 (UTC)

September dossier

(not sure if I'm in the right place...) September Dossier should be changed to Hutton Inquiry (more appropriate link). Fabiform 17:03, 28 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Actually September Dossier had a certain right to be there under anniversaries... last week was the anniversary of the Dossier playing a significant part sub-part in Bush's State of the Union address. Hutton Inquiry is there as a current event. Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 15:49, 31 Jan 2004 (UTC)

inclusion criteria Featured Articles

Can someone add a few lines to this page explaining the inclusion criteria for Featured Articles? Thanks. -- Viajero 23:13, 28 Jan 2004 (UTC)

I took a stab at it. It wasn't my idea to put "featured articles" on the main page, so hopefully someone else will be along to clarify anything I might have missed. --Minesweeper 01:30, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Mumbai

Recommending Mumbai to feature on Main page - Hemanshu 12:13, 31 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Why? It does not seem to be in the news, not a recent death, not new, not a featured article, and it does not contain a recent anniversary. --mav

Guessing from your use of the word "feature", you might be looking Wikipedia:Featured article candidates - if it is accepted as a featured article then it will be put on the main page as a "featured article" on a rotating basis. Pete/Pcb21 (talk) 15:46, 31 Jan 2004 (UTC)

Eleanor Holm

I'd like to suggest Eleanor Holm for the recent deaths on the main page. Jeronimo 07:47, 3 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Added. --Minesweeper 01:30, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Suggestion for people who maintain the "In the news" links

Google News has keywords which are in the news listed on the main page. ocassionally we can compare and add some from there. I understand that we have to wait for an article to be created before featuring it. - Hemanshu 10:19, 3 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Glastonbury Abbey

As an admin, I'm able to add this to new articles, and I think it's a very nice one, but I don't know what the policy is (never altered the main page before). Is there a method of determining which new article to remove? And Glastonbury Abbey is a long title....might bump two articles from the list. Is this discouraged? I'd love advise/counsel. Thanks, Jwrosenzweig 18:25, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Usually, you should remove articles from the end, but sometimes you might need to remove something else to make things fit properly. I've added Glastonbury Abbey now. Angela . 01:11, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)

New articles: Not too small

We say that "New articles" featured on the front page should be non-stubs. What do people think of stating something like 2,000 bytes or more is the reccomended minimum size? -- Infrogmation 18:39, 4 Feb 2004 (UTC)

A word count might be easier to check than a byte size. 500 words? Angela . 01:12, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)

That's be okay too IMO. I mention bytes because that's listed automatically on Special:Newpages. -- Infrogmation 21:51, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Foundation should be italicized

Shouldn't the Foundation Series item on the Main Page be italicized, to indicate it being a specific work of fiction? I suggest the following: Foundation Series. --Wernher 01:02, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I think so. Angela . 01:12, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)

Thanks! Now please do the same to Soldier Blue :-) (and please take no offence from my strategy of 'constructively' badgering sysops in order to further my own chances of becoming one) --Wernher 01:24, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)

:) good plan. Angela . 01:41, Feb 5, 2004 (UTC)

Catalan mythology about witches

I've completed a laborious (if slightly loose) translation from Catalan (and reworking into more encyclopedic style) of Catalan mythology about witches. I think it's pretty darn cool, myself. First time in a month or so that I'm self-nominating for "new articles". Take a look, I'm pretty sure this one makes the grade. -- Jmabel 07:04, 5 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Done. Nice article, but loooong title (we don't have much real estate on the Main page) so I had to tweak it to make it fit. -- Viajero 21:39, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Colin Thatcher

I have just written a medium-length article about the infamous Canadian politician Colin Thatcher, who is said to have brutally bludgeoned and shot his estranged wife to death in 1983. Thatcher has always maintained his innocence and has maintained a high profile in the Canadian media with frequent court appeals, an autobiography, and further criminal charges while in prison (all so far dismissed). He's been in the spotlight the past few months after a jury found him eligible for early parole, and he could be released as early as this year. —Psychonaut 19:36, 6 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Peter Beattie

Peter Beattie is In the News (here in the antipodes anyway). Adam 06:22, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)

added. Viajero 11:33, 9 Feb 2004 (UTC)

World War II atrocities

How did a problematic article like this make it on to the Main page? Not that it isn't a well-written article but it seems destined to be moved or completely rewrittten to fit title. Rmhermen 14:50, Feb 9, 2004 (UTC)

Friday the 13th

Yup, it's that day again. Could someone please put Friday the 13th on the main page's Featured Articles list? -- ChrisO 23:48, 12 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Alan Bullock

Did Alan Bullock get a mention in Recent Deaths when he died on 2 Feb? I don't think so. If not, he should have done. It is too late? Adam 05:59, 14 Feb 2004 (UTC)

I've added him to the front page in chronological order. --Minesweeper 06:13, Feb 14, 2004 (UTC)

Shirley Strickland

Shirley Strickland died earlier today. I'd like to suggest her for recent deaths on the front page. Jeronimo 08:28, 17 Feb 2004 (UTC)

Brian Behlendorf

I think Brian Behlendorf is a great new article thanks to User:Rdikeman. -- Taku 18:44, Feb 17, 2004 (UTC)

policy change proposal: non-Gregorian anniversaries

I propose an amendment to the current policy to avoid readers of Wikipedia having a skewed view of the world:

Anniversaries of significance having a 'non-Gregorian' recurrence such as the Iranian revolution, Eid festivals; the lunar new year, the Tet Offensive; Mother's Day, Commonwealth Day; Passover/Pascha/Easter, Pentecost, may be listed when they come up.

-- Kaihsu 15:10, 2004 Feb 22 (UTC)

These can probably go in the new Mediawiki:Holidays section of the main page. Angela . 03:41, Feb 24, 2004 (UTC)

Joey Bishop

I was clicking a link after I noticed a reference to Joey Bishop was blue, and clicked out of interest because I had seen it red before. I checked the article history and, to my surprise, the article was brand-new! I remembering being surprised when I first saw we didn't have an article on Joey Bishop. Things like this serve as reminders that Wikipedia isn't quite as complete as you think. Until I created it yesterday, for instance, Wikipedia had no article on garter snakes. When I first made Linda Tripp links, Linda Tripp's name came up red. And to this very day at Septuagenarian, Dr. Joyce Brothers sits empty. So the next time you think to yourself, "Wikipedia's become exhausted", think again! Wiwaxia 07:43, 24 Apr 2004 (UTC)