2013 ArbCom candidates

[EricBarbour]

Course he's the most dreadful bender, but there you go. ...

[Triptych]

Charlieandeddie was a troll who edited from the DND. Sysadmin John Palmer requested that his IP address be blocked. It's one of the few that are indefinitely blocked, as are the associated DND IPs 131.137.245.197, 131.137.245.199 and 131.137.245.200.

Someone from the Department of National Defence is giving Fæ a hard time on commons. Fæ gets accused of outing for pointing out where they're editing from.

African women icon - an offensive amateur cartoon hosted on Commons

Special:Contributions/131.137.245.207

Special:Contributions/131.137.245.209

A couple or few things, I did not mean to attribute the quote to Tarantino that someone identifying as Dept. Nat'l Defense sysadmin John R. Palmer had contacted Wikipedia to ask that one or more of its own IPs be blocked, rather I meant to say that T pointed us to the diff where Wikipedia itself alleges it, which says in entirety "14:50, 31 May 2007 DragonflySixtyseven (talk | contribs) blocked 131.137.245.198 (talk) (anon. only) with an expiry time of indefinite (as per request of sysadmin John Palmer, j.palmer@dnd.ca)." It seems like a weird thing for a sysadmin to do. Shouldn't Palmer be able to institute such a block on his own systems, from the sending side? Maybe that's an "it depends" question. No need for a detailed IT discussion. I wonder if Wikipedia in the habit of doing these sort of on request "save us from ourselves" blocks, and what standards someone like DragonflySixtyseven applies.

Some of these diffs do not sound like Bwilkins to me really. The egg snake affair didn't really, it turned a bit unappetizing like I said, but it had a few funny moments here and there and Bwilkins to me is not capable of intentionally generating humor. I will grant that I noticed that both the IP in the "african women" discussion linked above, and Bwilkins in his candidacy discussion (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... dLeaves.22) have recent edits alleging others view them, specifically, as "nefarious," which is not vocabulary that I'm aware many people use from day to day. A question that occurred to me is "is Bwilkins indulging his Wikipedia addiction during work hours on the DND servers using IPs because he does not want his Bwilkins identity to be associated with DND networks?" But really, there must be plenty of DND individuals who edit Wikipedia, and usage "nefarious" isn't much of a clue.

The last I would say is Bwilkins has really taken over this Arbcom candidates thread and perhaps a kind moderator could split it off to its own thread, daringly he or she could title it "Failed Arbcom Candidacy of Bwilkins" and we could go back to roasting the rest of them.

[Arithmancer]

Hey! Watch out with that sort of thing. Fae reads this you know.

Well he's all right with me.

It occurs to me I need to stop posting on dear old BWilkins. Ban me for my safety if I do. Really. And I'll try to saty sober posting here in future.

But I'll leave a passing thought for BWilkins. I grew up at least part of my childhood (I mean we are all over the place) not very far from St. Mary's, Trinidad, (about 20 miles south) and one of my family's great chums lived all his childhood out there, as he has lived all his adult life in Ottawa since. Unlike you, he's genuinely notable in a small sort of way.

Small world eh, BWilkins. Sooner or later it's gong to catch up with you.

[tarantino]

... You're all very hard on Fae, here. I only had dealings with him once (I was very upset on behalf of a Canadian teenage suicide) and he was immensely pleasant.

Course he's the most dreadful bender, but there you go. ...

Pulls out Drunk Uncle Percival's Book of English Epithets...

Hey! Watch out with that sort of thing. Fae reads this you know.

Bender is synonymous with quality worldwide.

[Michaeldsuarez]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration_Committee_Elections_December_2013&diff=585425504&oldid=585375693:

Sadly there's something wrong with the securepoll behaviour, I'm pretty sure it will be fixed soon but till now it was impossible to tally the poll. --[[User:Vituzzu|Vituzzu]] ([[User talk:Vituzzu|talk]]) 12:42, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

[Vigilant]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration_Committee_Elections_December_2013&diff=585425504&oldid=585375693:

Sadly there's something wrong with the securepoll behaviour, I'm pretty sure it will be fixed soon but till now it was impossible to tally the poll. --[[User:Vituzzu|Vituzzu]] ([[User talk:Vituzzu|talk]]) 12:42, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

Don't you think you'd test the software before deploying it for the election of your supreme court????

What. The. Fuck?

[Mancunium]

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia_talk:Arbitration_Committee_Elections_December_2013&diff=585425504&oldid=585375693:

Sadly there's something wrong with the securepoll behaviour, I'm pretty sure it will be fixed soon but till now it was impossible to tally the poll. --[[User:Vituzzu|Vituzzu]] ([[User talk:Vituzzu|talk]]) 12:42, 10 December 2013 (UTC)

Don't you think you'd test the software before deploying it for the election of your supreme court????

What. The. Fuck?

[Mason]

This is sort of funny: candidate Arthur Rubin (T-C-L) is dragged to Arbitration Enforcement, and candidates Georgewilliamherbert (T-C-L) and Seraphimblade (T-C-L) jump in to select a preventishment for him before realizing, oh, hey, I'm running against this guy, maybe I should recuse.

Ya think?

[Zoloft]

This is sort of funny: candidate Arthur Rubin (T-C-L) is dragged to Arbitration Enforcement, and candidates Georgewilliamherbert (T-C-L) and Seraphimblade (T-C-L) jump in to select a preventishment for him before realizing, oh, hey, I'm running against this guy, maybe I should recuse.

Ya think?

Permanent link.

@Sandstein: I'd rather avoid the complexities of blocking a current Arbcom candidate. Since the election is over at 23:59 on December 9 maybe we can postpone any decision till then. Arthur's edits are unlikely to create havoc and chaos in the intervening time. EdJohnston (talk) 20:16, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

     The results are not out until a week later, however. --Rschen7754 21:46, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

     Does that mean that if we wait until after the election, GWH and Seraphimblade can unrecuse themselves?--Bbb23 (talk) 20:34, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

     ah... I would think it cleaner to stay recused, just on general principle. Georgewilliamherbert (talk) 20:43, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

     I'd agree with GWH. Seraphimblade Talk to me 23:44, 7 December 2013 (UTC)

[Cla68]

This is sort of funny: candidate Arthur Rubin (T-C-L) is dragged to Arbitration Enforcement, and candidates Georgewilliamherbert (T-C-L) and Seraphimblade (T-C-L) jump in to select a preventishment for him before realizing, oh, hey, I'm running against this guy, maybe I should recuse.

Ya think?

Arthur, remember next time to stop editing during the campaign.

[Hex]

For lack of a better thread to put it in, I didn't know until now that Rubin is one of those Wikipedia editors with an article about him. Arthur Rubin (T-H-L)

[Zoloft]

Fortunately, the election concluded without any major controversies.

[Randy from Boise]

For lack of a better thread to put it in, I didn't know until now that Rubin is one of those Wikipedia editors with an article about him. Arthur Rubin (T-H-L)

There are a couple WPO folk with articles about them, too, I hear.

RfB

[Kiefer.Wolfowitz]

His parents were world-famous mathematical scientists, and he was notable as a mathematical prodigy. I think he won four Putnam competitions.

His advisor Kechris has a GTM textbook on descriptive set theory, which has important applications in refining results in analysis (measurable selections, Banach space theory, etc.).

It's not easy being a prodigy, and I would suggest trying to be kind towards him, when his bowels are acting up.

[The Devil's Advocate]

For lack of a better thread to put it in, I didn't know until now that Rubin is one of those Wikipedia editors with an article about him. Arthur Rubin (T-H-L)

He really should complain a bit about how that article portrays him. The image, combined with the detail about his support for having a link to the 9/11 CT article in the 9/11 attacks article is a very peculiar juxtaposition. One could be forgiven for thinking that Rubin was that kind of mathematician, even though he was just being more accommodating than his fellow debunkers.

[Notvelty]

... his fellow debunkers.

You don't appear to know what that word means. Someone pointing out the glaring false premises, gigantic leaps of logic and gargantuan flights of fancy that abounds in the ridiculous notions of truthers is a "debunker". Giving voice to crazed conspiracy theories is more like "LSD flashbacker".

[The Devil's Advocate]

You don't appear to know what that word means. Someone pointing out the glaring false premises, gigantic leaps of logic and gargantuan flights of fancy that abounds in the ridiculous notions of truthers is a "debunker". Giving voice to crazed conspiracy theories is more like "LSD flashbacker".

I am speaking as someone who is familiar with Rubin's activities in the fringe topic area. There were a number of editors who had no love of the conspiracy theories and one could say even downright hated them who, all the same, felt it was a necessary concession to have some mention of the conspiracy theories in the article about the attacks.

[MilesMoney]

His parents were world-famous mathematical scientists, and he was notable as a mathematical prodigy. I think he won four Putnam competitions.

His advisor Kechris has a GTM textbook on descriptive set theory, which has important applications in refining results in analysis (measurable selections, Banach space theory, etc.).

It's not easy being a prodigy, and I would suggest trying to be kind towards him, when his bowels are acting up.

Ok, but how does this explain his permanent Get Out of Jail Free card?

[Kiefer.Wolfowitz]

His parents were world-famous mathematical scientists, and he was notable as a mathematical prodigy. I think he won four Putnam competitions.

His advisor Kechris has a GTM textbook on descriptive set theory, which has important applications in refining results in analysis (measurable selections, Banach space theory, etc.).

It's not easy being a prodigy, and I would suggest trying to be kind towards him, when his bowels are acting up.

Ok, but how does this explain his permanent Get Out of Jail Free card?

Why would he need such a card?

Do you believe that Wikipedia administrators and arbitrators enforce the rules on each other?

[MilesMoney]

Ok, but how does this explain his permanent Get Out of Jail Free card?

Why would he need such a card?

Do you believe that Wikipedia administrators and arbitrators enforce the rules on each other?

Well, no, not consistently. Although, to be fair, none of the rules are enforced consistently, and admins are far less likely than the rabble to have rules applied to them.

Still, even with all this, Rubin's case seems extreme. He violated an ArbCom topic ban with obvious canvassing, got a slap on the wrist in the form of a short block, and violated that with more canvassing. He's vandalized user pages, cursed editors out, and basically made a constant ass of himself, yet he somehow retains not only the ability to edit but his admin status.

In contrast, I Thanked someone five times in one day and was indeffed for it.

[EricBarbour]

Still, even with all this, Rubin's case seems extreme. He violated an ArbCom topic ban with obvious canvassing, got a slap on the wrist in the form of a short block, and violated that with more canvassing. He's vandalized user pages, cursed editors out, and basically made a constant ass of himself, yet he somehow retains not only the ability to edit but his admin status.

In contrast, I Thanked someone five times in one day and was indeffed for it.

I'd be happy to say this to you, since I've said it about 500 times to other people:

Give it up. Just walk away. Period. You were not ass-kissing on the IRC channels back in 2005-06, like Rubin was. On Wikipedia, the craziest people became administrators, because they recognized how corrupt and dysfunctional it is. ADHD maniacs like Rubin are at an automatic advantage in such situations. Being an admin was the only reliable way to control article content, and it still is today. If you go back in there and start editing the same articles as before, even with an otherwise-pristine new sock account, Rubin and his idiot pals will be gunning for you.

Wikipedia is declining. Thanks to Rubin and his no-life friends. He is far from the worst admin they have right now, much less for all of WP's history. Despite openly edit-warring with people in the tea-party, race and intelligence, and 9/11 truther areas, they let him abuse policies repeatedly. And all he's gotten was one slap on the wrist from Arbcom.

Look at his block log, that guy obviously should not have admin power. But they're not going to do anything to him. And you're not going to get "justice".

[MilesMoney]

I'd be happy to say this to you, since I've said it about 500 times to other people:

Give it up. Just walk away. Period. You were not ass-kissing on the IRC channels back in 2005-06, like Rubin was. On Wikipedia, the craziest people became administrators, because they recognized how corrupt and dysfunctional it is. ADHD maniacs like Rubin are at an automatic advantage in such situations. Being an admin was the only reliable way to control article content, and it still is today. If you go back in there and start editing the same articles as before, even with an otherwise-pristine new sock account, Rubin and his idiot pals will be gunning for you.

Wikipedia is declining. Thanks to Rubin and his no-life friends. He is far from the worst admin they have right now, much less for all of WP's history. Despite openly edit-warring with people in the tea-party, race and intelligence, and 9/11 truther areas, they let him abuse policies repeatedly. And all he's gotten was one slap on the wrist from Arbcom.

Look at his block log, that guy obviously should not have admin power. But they're not going to do anything to him. And you're not going to get "justice".

Eric, let me tell you frankly that I can't disagree with you. I don't expect to get justice. I don't think justice is possible in the context of Wikipedia. I have no plans to sock my way back and try to edit under the radar. Why should I contribute to a project that has mistreated me and so many others, that takes our unpaid contributions and uses them to collect money from donors? I'm not as crazy as my enemies. Besides, there'll always be someone else to come in do what I did, which was to fix a few things temporarily and then get blocked permanently.

I'm not here to rally a revolution to save Wikipedia from itself. I don't believe it can be saved. It is in decline and will continue to be until the other shoe drops. I'm not here to exact vengeance upon my persecutors, although they certainly deserve it. I've found that the sort of people who win in these sort of cage matches nonetheless tend to lose at life, and that will have to be enough. Rubin is a poster child for this; a once-promising prodigy who's done nothing with his potential and is now over the hill and pathetic.

What I'm here for is some insight, perspective, and perhaps even closure. I was silenced by ArbCom for complaining about how they screwed me over, but they can't silence me here. TParis can whine all day about how I don't give him the respect he imagines he deserves, but he can't do a thing about it now. I'm not going to be polite to cretins such as Collect and TDA, but I'm also not going to lather myself into a rage. I'd like to learn some life lessons from this experience, as the sort of insanity that reigns in Wikipedia can be found in perhaps smaller doses in such things as office politics.

[Vigilant]

People at the office engage in saner politics because there is a vastly higher chance of being fired if you're a giant dick to everyone.

This is what's missing at wikipedia.

It's open loop.

[MilesMoney]

People at the office engage in saner politics because there is a vastly higher chance of being fired if you're a giant dick to everyone.

This is what's missing at wikipedia.

It's open loop.

Sure, and being fired has consequences, both immediate and to your career. On Wikipedia, the real nuts just crank out a new account and jump back into the fray. They're addicts, using the site to feed their narcissistic need for attention and sadistic need to inflict pain. In real life, they're tragic losers, the sort who had all sorts of potential but amounted to very little. They couldn't make it in the ocean, so they come to Wikipedia to be the big fish in a tiny pond.

What I'm trying to figure out is whether it'll end in fire or in ice. Really, it's a lot more than just two possibilities.

[Vigilant]

People at the office engage in saner politics because there is a vastly higher chance of being fired if you're a giant dick to everyone.

This is what's missing at wikipedia.

It's open loop.

Sure, and being fired has consequences, both immediate and to your career. On Wikipedia, the real nuts just crank out a new account and jump back into the fray. They're addicts, using the site to feed their narcissistic need for attention and sadistic need to inflict pain. In real life, they're tragic losers, the sort who had all sorts of potential but amounted to very little. They couldn't make it in the ocean, so they come to Wikipedia to be the big fish in a tiny pond.

What I'm trying to figure out is whether it'll end in fire or in ice. Really, it's a lot more than just two possibilities.

Oh, so you've met Oliver Keyes?

[MilesMoney]

Oh, so you've met Oliver Keyes?

To the best of my knowledge, no, but I'm aware of his case. The only strange thing is that they turned on one of their own.

[Moral Hazard]

Kevin Gorman (T-C-L) is an adamant feminist seemingly with the world view that entails. Trying to discuss things with him was like discussing with a wall.

LFaraone (T-C-L)only became active again very recently after several years of absence, and was extremely rusty. He made some strange AfD closure decisions, and made OTRS actions very opaquely (see the history at Andrea_Rossi_(entrepreneur) (T-H-L) where he made an edit on behalf of a fringe proponent, then afterwards reverted another editor claiming it was OTRS, etc).

Kevin Gorman hangs out at IRC too much.
He is the one who collects the bizarre (often sexual) quotes from Ironholds et alia on Wikimedia Foundation, so his maturity has been nearly junior-high level; perhaps now he is reaching high-school maturity?

In my experience, Kevin has been decent as an administrator, but his writings about gender and philosophy seem to promote feminist mediocrities, while ignoring e.g. ... Susan Haack. However, he seems to be working with the WMF, and should be opposed on that alone. (It is usual for staffpersons to capture non-profits subtly and with moderation, but the WMF staff has been making unseemly power grabs lately, and should be slapped back before its dependents over-run volunteers.)


Courcelles recused himself from the Ironholds arbitration case only after I noted that he was chatting amiably (under another name, although he was addressed as "Courcelles") by Ironholds or Fluffernutter (if my memory be correct). This strikes me as dishonest; c.f., less involved, sane arbitrators like Nuclear Warfare and Newyorkbrad recusing for trivial reasons.

A different Kevin collected Ironholds's statements on IRC. I am sorry that I did not catch this error before.

[Jaranda]

Kevin Gorman (T-C-L) is an adamant feminist seemingly with the world view that entails. Trying to discuss things with him was like discussing with a wall.

LFaraone (T-C-L)only became active again very recently after several years of absence, and was extremely rusty. He made some strange AfD closure decisions, and made OTRS actions very opaquely (see the history at Andrea_Rossi_(entrepreneur) (T-H-L) where he made an edit on behalf of a fringe proponent, then afterwards reverted another editor claiming it was OTRS, etc).

Kevin Gorman hangs out at IRC too much.
He is the one who collects the bizarre (often sexual) quotes from Ironholds et alia on Wikimedia Foundation, so his maturity has been nearly junior-high level; perhaps now he is reaching high-school maturity?

In my experience, Kevin has been decent as an administrator, but his writings about gender and philosophy seem to promote feminist mediocrities, while ignoring e.g. ... Susan Haack. However, he seems to be working with the WMF, and should be opposed on that alone. (It is usual for staffpersons to capture non-profits subtly and with moderation, but the WMF staff has been making unseemly power grabs lately, and should be slapped back before its dependents over-run volunteers.)


Courcelles recused himself from the Ironholds arbitration case only after I noted that he was chatting amiably (under another name, although he was addressed as "Courcelles") by Ironholds or Fluffernutter (if my memory be correct). This strikes me as dishonest; c.f., less involved, sane arbitrators like Nuclear Warfare and Newyorkbrad recusing for trivial reasons.

A different Kevin collected Ironholds's statements on IRC. I am sorry that I did not catch this error before.

Yea Kevin Gorman hated IRC until word came out that people were talking shit about him behind his back on some of these channels. He joined for a few weeks to instigate, found nothing, nor any support among the admins and regulars (I was one of the few who was very nice to him) and left again. I remembered that they didn't want to allow him to the admins channel thinking that he was likely going to log the channel for his own benefits.