Wazzup, G? Delegates and featured topics in review

This week, the Signpost's featured content section continues its recap of 2012 by looking at featured topics. We interviewed Grapple X and GamerPro64, who are delegates at the featured topic candidates.

Grapple X
Although 2012 regrettably saw several periods with little progress, with the welcome return of GamerPro64 we have seen several interesting topics promoted—in addition to the usual Wikipedia strong points of numismatics, military history and meteorology, the year has also been a strong one for music with topics promoted featuring a mezzo-soprano wunderkind and an Indonesian legend. Sport saw a strong showing, too, with both baseball and motorcycle racing seeing hugely comprehensive topics put through, which reflect the ability of FT to showcase vast spans of knowledge in surprisingly deep chunks. My personal favourite of our 2012 topics was also the year's least—a topic on the Armero tragedy reminded me that there's still room to encapsulate subjects that are entirely new to the process, and to use the idea of a topic to explore an event rather than something that obviously lends itself to the process like a series of lists or a serried history.

GamerPro64
2012 was admittedly a slow year for both myself and Featured Topics. From my near-four-month vacation from the site to having delegates come and go, it was unfortunate that only twelve were promoted. But the ones that were promoted have shown hard work accomplished by the editors. Examples like Nickels of the United States and the Nebula Award topic had their respective articles and lists promoted by a single editor, which itself is a feat worth a congratulations. But the one topic I've been fascinated with since I came back is Chrisye, since its main article is in itself an interesting read. So for this year I hope that there will be an increase in Featured Topics and increased interest in the content.

Seven featured articles were promoted this week:

• James Bryant Conant (nom), by Hawkeye7. Conant (1893–1978) was a chemist, a transformative President of Harvard University, and the first U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. After finishing his undergraduate studies, he began work as a researcher and educator. By age 36 he had become a professor at Harvard University; four years later, he became its president, and began instituting reformist policies. He did research for the US government, including on the atom bomb, during World War II, and afterwards served as an ambassador.
• John F. Bolt (nom), by Ed!. Bolt (1921–2004) was a US Marine Corps aviator and a decorated flying ace. Born to a poor family, he enrolled with the Marines after dropping out of college in 1941. He saw action in World War II in the Pacific, shooting down six enemy aircraft. In the Korean War, he downed another six enemy aircraft while serving as a flight leader. After the wars, Bolt continued to advise the military.
• Maus (nom), by Curly Turkey. Maus is a graphic novel by American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, the first of its kind both to win a Pulitzer prize and receive academic attention. It depicts Spiegelman interviewing his father about his experiences as a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor, depicting each race as a different kind of animal. It was serialized from 1980 until 1991 as an insert in the magazine Raw.
• Highway 61 Revisited (nom), by Mick gold and Moisejp. Highway 61 Revisited is a critically acclaimed 1965 rock album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was named after a highway near the singer's place of birth. Highway 61 Revisited reached the top ten in both the US and UK, and Dylan has continued to perform songs from the album. Rolling Stone ranked it fourth on their list of the Greatest Albums of All Time.
• HMS Tiger (1913) (nom), by Sturmvogel 66. HMS Tiger was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy during World War I. Described by Sir John Keegan as "certainly the most beautiful warship in the world then, and perhaps ever", the ship was launched in 1913. She first saw combat at the Battle of Dogger Bank in 1915, while still in shakedown. In 1931 she was decommissioned and sold for scrap the following year.
• Skye (nom), by Ben MacDui. Skye is a large and northerly island in Scotland. Inhabited since the Mesolithic period, as of 2003 it has a population of 9,232, with Portree as its largest settlement. The island, which radiates out from the Cuillins, is known for its tourism, agriculture, fishing and whisky-distilling and is accessible from mainland Scotland by bridge. It has abundant wildlife and a mild, wet and windy climate.
• Columbian half dollar (nom), by Wehwalt. The Columbian half dollar is the first American commemorative coin and the first domestic coin to depict a historical person, Christopher Columbus. Issued by the Bureau of the Mint in 1892 and 1893, it was meant to raise funds for the World's Columbian Exposition and commemorate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' trip to the New World. Some five million were struck, half of which were melted afterwards.

Five featured lists were promoted this week:

• List of international cricket centuries by Graham Gooch (nom), by The Rambling Man. The former English cricketer Graham Gooch scored 20 and 8 centuries during his 27-year career, in Test and One Day Internationals respectively. His career best score is 333.
• List of international cricket centuries by Kevin Pietersen (nom), by NapHit. English cricketer Kevin Pietersen has scored 22 and 9 centuries during his 9-year career, in Test and One Day Internationals respectively. His career best score is 227.
• Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video (nom), by Hahc21 and Status. The Latin Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video is an honor presented for video albums and other long-form music videos. It was established in 2006.
• List of U.S. National Forests (nom), by Fredlyfish4. The United States has 155 National Forests, protected areas managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The first such forest was established in 1891, while the most recent was in 1983. Only ten US states have no National Forest.
• Justin Timberlake videography (nom), by Tomica. The American entertainer Justin Timberlake has appeared in some 25 music videos (including guest roles), 4 video albums, and 17 film appearances, several in commercially successful films.

Seventeen featured pictures were promoted this week:

• Wulingyuan (nom; related article), created by Chensiyuan and nominated by Tomer T. Wulingyuan is an area in Hunan Province, China, noted for its tall quartzite sandstone pillars. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
• Speicherstadt (nom; related article), created by Der Wolf im Wald and nominated by Tomer T. The Speicherstadt in Hamburg, Germany, is a large warehouse district. It was developed between 1883 and 1927, and has been under redevelopment since 2009.
• Church of Saint Ildefonso (nom; related article), created by Poco a poco and nominated by Tomer T. The Church of Saint Ildefonso in Porto, Portugal, was completed in 1739. Built in a proto-Baroque style, it continues to hold mass daily.
• Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy (nom; related article), by Muhammad Mahdi Karim. Al-Ameen College of Pharmacy in Bangalore, India, is affiliated with Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences. Al-Ameen was established in 1983.
• Narbonne Cathedral (nom; related article), created by Benh and nominated by Elekhh. Narbonne Cathedral is an unfinished former cathedral which was started in 1272, became a bishop's seat, and was declared a minor basilica in 1886.
• Kumar Anish (nom; related article), by Muhammad Mahdi Karim. Anish is an Indian yoga practitioner active since 1982. He holds several memberships.
• Olympia (nom; related article), created by Édouard Manet and nominated by Crisco 1492. Olympia, an oil on canvas painting, caused shock when it was first exhibited at the 1865 Paris Salon for its depiction of a nude, confrontational prostitute.
• La Gran Sabana (nom; related article), created by Paolostefano1412 and nominated by Hahc21. La Gran Sabana is a region in southeastern Venezuela which covers 10,820 square kilometres (4,180 sq mi). The featured picture shows two tepuis, or table-top mountains.
• Pickett's Charge (nom; related article), created by Thure de Thulstrup, restored and nominated by Adam Cuerden. Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault during the American Civil War. It was ordered by Robert E. Lee against Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg and proved to be a debacle.
• Roadkill (nom; related article), created by Jjron and nominated by Elekhh. Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by motor vehicles. The animal shown in this picture is a deer, killed in South Carolina, US.
• Mute Swan (nom; related article), by Geni. The Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) is a species of bird native to parts of Europe and Asia which is less vocal than other swans. The large swan was first described in 1789 and is recognisable by its pronounced knob atop the bill.
• Blue Pitta (nom; related article), by JJ Harrison. The Blue Pitta (Pitta cyanea) is a species of bird found in parts of Asia. It is often found in forests.
• Lar gibbon (nom; related article), by JJ Harrison. The lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) is a primate from southeast Asia which feeds mostly on fruit. Although it is classified as "Endangered", it is commonly seen in zoos.
• Pin-tailed Snipe (nom; related article), by JJ Harrison. The Pin-tailed Snipe (Gallinago stenura) is a migratory bird native to Asia. It feeds mainly on insects and earthworms and nests in a well-hidden location on the ground.
• Starburst in NGC 4449 (nom; related article), created by NASA, ESA, A. Aloisi (STScI/ESA), and The Hubble Heritage (STScI/AURA)-ESA/Hubble Collaboration and nominated by Pine. NGC 4449 is an irregular galaxy which is considered a starburst galaxy due to its high rate of star formation.
• Loligo forbesii (nom; related article), created by Comingio Merculiano, restored by Citron, and nominated by Ceranthor. Loligo forbesii is a commercially important species of squid which can grow up to 90 centimetres (35 in) in length. Its lifespan averages five years.
• Self-Portrait (nom; related article), created by Judith Leyster and nominated by Crisco 1492. Leyster (1609–1660) was one of three significant women artists in Dutch Golden Age painting. Known for her genre works, she gave up painting after marriage.

2013-01-21

Doncram case continues

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By James

The opening of the Doncram case marks the end of almost 6 months without any open cases, the longest in the history of the Committee.

Open cases

Doncram (Week 2)

SarekOfVulcan filed the case last week in an attempt to remedy what he perceived as Doncram's continued unconstructive editing after the failure of previous community discussions and long-term bans. In his statement, he states that it was a combination of mass creation of unchecked content transferred from foreign databases, edit warring, refusal to work with editors due to personal grudges (in particular Orlady), mischaracterisation of other editors and their editing history and personal attacks which led to his filing the case. He also notes that while Doncram is a long-standing editor, he has had disputes with other editors over the content he produces and how he reacts to being challenged.

In his response, Doncram indicated his reluctance to come forward to the committee; however, he believes it is necessary in order to settle what he perceived as the uncivil behaviour Orlady and other editors have exhibited toward him. He goes on to criticise SarekOfVulcan for filing ANI reports with "inflammatory titles" which target him and requested that the case's title be altered to reflect the source of the contention: "long-term bullying and harassment."

He states that past ANI and AFD submissions, "other unpleasantness" and "attack pages" maintained by Orlady (presumably User:Orlady/List) contributed to the "battleground atmosphere." In particular, he named both Orlady and SarekOfVulcan as the "primary instigators of bullying." He believes that it is because he is a "prolific editor" not "unduly concerned" about criticism that he is targeted. Towards the latter part of his response, he called for an interaction ban for Orlady and the deletion of her "attack pages" and a similar remedy for SarekOfVulcan.

In response to Doncram's concerns, arbitrator AGK reassured him that the naming of the case has no bearing on the process of arbitration and because Doncram is linked to all the issues that it bears the eponym. Doncram responded by citing this comment made by Hammersoft as being evidence to the contrary. And despite assurances from AGK that the case would be dealt with in an unbiased fashion, he believes that those trained to overcome potential bias, and by extension, the drafting arbitrators are influenced by "anchoring and related psychological biases."

Evidence submissions close on the 24th. The workshop will be closed and proposed decisions posted on the 28th.

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2013-01-21

Data centre migration successful

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By Jarry1250

Switchover "a success"

On 22 January, WMF staff and contractors switched incoming, non-cached requests (including edits) to the Foundation's newer data centre in Ashburn, Virginia, making it responsible for handling almost all regular traffic. For the first time since 2004, virtually no traffic will be handled by the WMF's other facility in Tampa, Florida.

"Located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, Ashburn offers faster and more reliable connectivity than Tampa, and usually fewer hurricanes", wrote Guillaume Paumier, the Foundation's Technical Communications Manager in a comprehensive blog post published before the switchover.

As of time of writing, the migration has been declared a success, with the two "backup" maintenance windows previously scheduled for later this week scrapped. Total editing downtime so far has been estimated at 30 minutes, with other smaller problems extending further. Overall, however, the migration seems to have been characterised by its praise-worthily minimal impact.

The data centre in Tampa will continue to be maintained as a "hot failover", with "servers ... in standby mode[, ready] to take over, should the primary site experience an outage. Server configuration and data will be synchronized between the two locations to ensure a transition as smooth as possible in case of technical difficulties in Ashburn", writes Paumier. Additionally, the Signpost understands that the Tampa data centre will continue to be used for image scaling in the short term, before that too is migrated to Ashburn. Across the two data centres, the Wikimedia Foundation currently operates a total of approximately 885 servers, serving around 20 billion page views a month.

First Quarterly Review makes for interesting reading

On 19 December, WMF Deputy Director Erik Möller committed the Foundation to holding quarterly reviews of all its major engineering projects, including the Visual Editor, Mobile, Echo and Flow projects. First up, however, was the Editor Engagement Experiments (E3) team, who held their review last week. That meeting included both the E3 team itself, as well as senior managers at the Foundation (Executive Director Sue Gardner, Director of Features Engineering Terry Chay, and Erik himself), with the draft transcript giving an interesting insight into a world that can often appear to community members as inherently homogeneous.

The report phase of the meeting makes for mixed reading. Although all of the E3 team's projects – post-edit feedback, improving the account creation process, "Onboarding" (giving new users more information on possible editing tasks), and a campaign targeted at donors – appeared in some sense successful, none has yet been able to make a sizeable dent into the English Wikipedia's editor decline. Onboarding showed the most promise, with an unconfirmed 30% increase in users making an edit to mainspace within 24 hours of registering (21.7% vs. 16.5%); a newer project, looking at the provision of "guided tours" (walkthroughs) of the site, was also discussed. The analysis phase focussed on the balance between foundational and user-facing work, the lack of integration between the E3 and E2 teams (i.e. Echo and Flow), and the extent to which gains in terms of "1+ edit" users translated into increases in the numbering of returning editors. There was also disagreement about whether the E3 team was focussed tightly enough on the active editors brief.

The Visual Editor and Mobile projects (including mobile editing and Wikipedia Zero subprojects) are both scheduled to be reviewed in February, although the exact format of the review may be tweaked between then and now.

In brief

Not all fixes may have gone live to WMF sites at the time of writing; some may not be scheduled to go live for several weeks.

• First Wikidata client launch fares well: The first deployment of the Wikidata to the Hungarian Wikipedia was a success, its team says. The Wikidata client, the function of which at the moment is to make decentralised language links obsolete, launched on the wiki on 14 January (see previous Signpost coverage). Although several bugs have since been reported, they were of a minor nature, says Lydia Pintscher, Wikidata's community liaison; further deployments – to the Hebrew and Italian Wikipedias – remain pencilled in for 30 January.
• WMF begin hiring process for Toolserver migration contractor: The Wikimedia Foundation has begun its search for a contractor to help oversee the potentially contentious migration of tools from the Wikimedia Deutschland-run Toolserver to the in-house Wikimedia Labs (see also previous Signpost coverage). The full time contractor – who will be contracted for some 840 hours of work in total – will focus on "assisting community developers to migrate their tools to this new Labs infrastructure, especially those residing in Toolserver today", but should also be prepared to help improve and support the Labs platform to ensure the migration runs smoothly (official job posting).
  
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