User talk:Finavon: Difference between revisions

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Archive 1 2007
Archive 2 2008

This user is a Scottish Wikipedian. There are things particularly relevant to Scottish Wikipedians at the Scottish Wikipedians' notice board. Please feel free to help us improve Scottish related articles in Wikipedia!

Barra Head

Many thanks for your input to Barra Head - I think it's looking pretty good now. Have a good New Year. Ben MacDui 11:44, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Category:Scottish Island images for Wikimedia Commons

I'm not clear why we need this category. What's the advantage of keeping this empty category around when such images could just as well go into Category:Copy to Wikimedia Commons? - Stepheng3 (talk) 19:36, 31 January 2009 (UTC)

Reply at Category talk:Scottish Island images for Wikimedia Commons. Finavon (talk) 21:35, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

Stac an Armin

Hi, thanks for your interest in and work on the article. I'm not to happy with the compression of the references, but soit. Listen, can you do that OS grid reference thing also for Stac Biorach? I honestly don't know what it is or how to do it, and perhaps you can see if there are any obvious errors in there. (I'm planning to work my way through the whole archipelago.) Thanks, Drmies (talk) 00:24, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

GR done - just enter it in the GridReference field of the infobox. I will have a look at the article later. Is there anything else you can do for WP:ISLE? Finavon (talk) 08:45, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Hey Finavon, thanks again! Eh...I don't know what "GridReference" is, but I'll look it up... As for WP:ISLE, I don't know--I developed this fondness overnight for St Kilda, but I'll have a look when I get a minute. Right now, what I have for islands is a lot of love, not expertise. I hope you don't mind if I occasionally call in your help via your talkpage? Thanks again, Drmies (talk) 15:25, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Hey Finavon, I can't find the coordinates for Stac Levenish. I can see it on Google Maps, but I don't know how a location on the map delivers coordinates there. If you have a minute, I'd appreciate your help--and perhaps you can let your eagle's eye roam over the infobox on Stac Levenish. Thanks, Drmies (talk) 16:56, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Thanks! I do think the images look a lot better now. The article simply needs more words, and that will be difficult--it's not often written about. Thanks again for your help! Drmies (talk) 22:04, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

OK. Thanks. For information:

To find the Grid Reference, I use the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map maps ("Map sources/GeoHack" page accessed from another GR or title coords); position the desired point in the centre of the frame and read off the GR. Once you have the GR, Coords can be read off a new "Map sources/GeoHack" page either as decimal degrees or DMS.

"GridReference" is a parameter in the Scottish island Infobox - above where you entered the name.

I agree the citation templates are easier to fill in in vertical format, but (once entered) the article is easier to edit with them in horizontal format. Finavon (talk) 22:09, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

• I've added Stac Biorach and Stac Levenish to List_of_islands_of_Scotland#Smaller_offshore_islands; I hope I did so correctly--please check if you have a moment. The problem with horizontal references is that I find it difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff in edit mode... I'll play around again with the Grid Reference thing. Thanks, Drmies (talk) 22:12, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

They are in the right place. Stac Lee looks in need of a complete island infobox. That template has some basic documentation, but for some of its embedded functions, I admit my approach is trial and error. I think the comment on GridReference is frankly wrong - GR display is inline only. Finavon (talk) 22:47, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

What should "Scottish" link to?

Hi, Your edit to James Hoey Craigie changing "[[Scottish]]" to "[[Scotland|Scottish]]" seems to be confusing a nationality with a nation. I have searched for style guidance, and that led me to Andy Murray's page where there seems to have been a dispute about his nationality which has resolved to "[[Scottish people|Scottish]]". Isn't that a better link? Jim Craigie (talk) 12:47, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

Good question! I tend to use "[[Scottish people|Scottish]]" when referring to the national heritage. For an individual's ancestry I use "[[Scotland|Scottish]]". I am not completely clear why all nation adjectives are dabs, rather than a main page. You might get a better answer at WP:WPDAB.

Was the Andy Murray debate triggered by his anti-English stance? Finavon (talk) 13:35, 13 April 2009 (UTC)

File:Boat Quay.jpg

(Moved to User talk:Mark#File source problem with File:Boat Quay.jpg)

Princess Selandia

Seems like the link you provided to the Miramar Ship Index points to a Russian submarine. I fixed the link. Please reply on me talk page. --Ysangkok (talk) 12:00, 20 July 2009 (UTC)

This is not a stable link. I have changed it again to the IMO# search result.Finavon (talk) 08:54, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

Miramar

Hi, are you aware of the {{cite Miramar}} template which has been created to deal with this problem? Mjroots (talk) 20:41, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

Best to give User:Bellhalla a shout about this one. Mjroots (talk) 20:42, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

Thanks. I have used the template for the final few edits. The main problem was finding the ID, to replace the temporary number. Let me know if there are problems with today's edits. Finavon (talk) 22:02, 9 August 2009 (UTC)

Co-ordination

I see you are doing fine work on the co-ord front, whilst I am adding to the to do list at Orosay etc. Do you have a quick method of determining the co-ords? I tend to end up guddling about on Multimap to no great effect. Ben MacDui 07:24, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Yes I await an update on pages needing maintenance. If there is a grid ref, then the geo-hack link provides WGS84 coordinates. Otherwise, it is a matter of finding it on an OS map and reading off values - not WP:OR as the OS have done the work! Finavon (talk) 07:35, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Of course - thanks. Ben MacDui 07:18, 20 August 2009 (UTC)

Stromay

Can I assume from the infobox you are happy with an estimate of of 50 ha for Stromay's area? If we are agreed I will have a go at modifying the table and ranks - might have a look at Boreray at the same time. Ben MacDui 21:07, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

It is 66 or 67ha on a "field boundary" measurement, but there will not be an external source for that. Finavon (talk) 22:11, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

I re-measured it and got 65.5 so let's call it 66. That's about 40 or so islands to re-rank. I'll have a look at the table later this week. Ben MacDui 12:37, 25 August 2009 (UTC)

This is done, but Eilean Mhic Chrion at grid reference NM804035 looms. The comparison with Eilean Righ makes it pretty certain it is over 40 ha and I make it 51. I'd appreciate a second opinion. I'm not going to do any re-ordering of WP:SIBAR until the List of Inner Hebrides is done tho - I'd be a little surprised if this was the last one. Ben MacDui 12:57, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Yes eye-balling it, I think it is over 40. I will measure it later and post here. -Finavon (talk) 13:04, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

Eilean Mhic Chrion - 54 ha; I also get Eilean Rìgh - 105 ha (not the 86 of H-S) and Eilean Macaskin - 62 ha (not 50). All are based on the grid square being 100. Finavon (talk) 21:49, 13 September 2009 (UTC)

I see Scotgaz has E. Righ at 86 and Macaskin at 50 per H-Smith - but which came first, I wonder. I agree that Macaskin looks like 60 ha or more, but I'm not sure about E. Righ - take a look on the OS at 1:250000. I'm a bit reluctant to start using estimates rather than sources, but its probably worth looking out for some more. I'm fine with Eilean Mhic Chrion at 54. Ben MacDui 18:23, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

I am also concerned the lack of reliable sources - I'm sure H-S and the Gaz are a single source. I don't have such ready access to 25,000 mapping - toolserver was not responding, so the linked OS Get-a-map was not readily available, but is now. Two measurements of E. Righ give 98 and 103, but I'm sure no one has it written down. Finavon (talk) 22:26, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

Sometimes SNH etc. have something but I tried this with EMC with no luck. I'll try again for E Righ. Ben MacDui 07:45, 15 September 2009 (UTC)

PS; You may be interested in this.

If you have a mo could you run your slide rule over Insh? It isn't 40 ha but I make it 30 plus, which I think deserves an article in due course. Ben MacDui 20:12, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

36 ha. See [1], [2] and [3]. Finavon (talk) 23:44, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

Stracathro Hospital

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Still editing Finavon (talk) 20:10, 29 August 2009 (UTC)

Edits to Little Cumbrae Castle

Many thanks for your work and patience. I must work out how to do the references properly. Rosser Gruffydd 08:26, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

I find it easiest to fill out <ref>{{cite web| url=| title=| publisher=| accessdate=2009-08-30}}</ref> or <ref>{{cite book| author=| title=| location=| publisher=| year=| isbn=}}</ref> and use standard formatting. A few other attributes can be added, but these cover most refs. Finavon (talk) 22:36, 31 August 2009 (UTC)

EDG

I notice you have this down as "Eilean da'Ghallagain" which is the spelling you got from the blog. Clearly what the writer has done is mistake the accent for an apostrophe. This is something that happens frequently, and it's particularly common in some mountaineering material.

Anyway, the proper spelling is "Eilean Dà Ghallagain" (I'd capitalise the "d" myself as it means "two")--MacRusgail (talk) 00:03, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

No article yet - happy to take your information. OS has that (without uppercase). How about Eilean Traighe or Eilean Tràighe? - not that it is going to have a significant article - just part of the beach! Finavon (talk) 06:15, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

For some reason accents go missing off Gàidhlig names in English articles etc, even the OS sometimes (but they're remedying that right now). Maybe English speakers are just unused to them. I would go for "Eilean Tràighe", but the one thing I'd say, is that "Tràighe" is sometimes an old fashioned genitive, it would usually be "Tràigh" now... (although one still in use amongst some Gaels). Another genitive in common use is "tràghad" - but it's not worth bothering about that here. If the OS version retains the "e", go with that, because it's probably what people are going to know it by. Best to probably create redirects from Eilean Traighe and Eilean Traigh (not to mention Eilean Tràigh), because I find it's difficult to get the diacritics on a lot of computers. Probably most other folk do too. (I tend to cut and paste off MS Word!)

Another common mistake in English language pieces is to capitalise the "h" in "(na) h-", or write it as "h'" - "h'" does appear in some older stuff, but it's been out of real use for a long while, and the OS doesn't use it either.

I hope my last message didn't seem rude, I just wanted to iron this out! --MacRusgail (talk) 16:19, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

Thanks - no problem. Finavon (talk) 22:18, 6 September 2009 (UTC)