User talk:Rfc

Messages

Welcome to Marspedia! I look forward to seeing more of you in the future. You seem familiar with wikis but if you need any help, look at http://www.marspedia.org/index.php?title=Main_Page#New_Users_Start_Here.21 or contact one of the admins. Enjoy! Ioneill 16:37, 1 November 2007 (UTC)

Hi Ian, thank you very much for your warm welcome. I have started to write articles, and I should like to know your opinion. Is this the kind of article this project wants, or is it too fantastic, all-too much pointed to a speculative future? Rfc 10:55, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Hi Rfc (do you have a first name, or are you staying anonymous?), it's good to see you contributing in such a positive way. The content you have provided so far is great - any speculative future is fine in my books. Also, you can include your personal opinion (so long as you clearly state "{{PersPosArticle}} ~~~" which prints "This article reflects the personal position of Ioneill") - personal opinions are fine. Besides, it may create some good discussion. For the main part, article creation is positive step regardless of opinion, speculation or ideas as long as you are fine with a good debate! Anyhow, you seem to have experience with wikis and the content is looking good, so keep it up :-) Ioneill 19:48, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

Site development

Hi, I'm just messaging the active contributers to Marspedia to get their views on the redesign of the front page. I've tried to highlight the important links and made the page more accessible to newcomers. Also I've created a Wikipedia-style "featured articles" section. I'd be really interested to hear your views on this. It's going to take a lot more work, but this is a good start. Primarily I want to extract the important info and cut down on the excessive text that may cause confusion (as suggested by a couple of you). However, I haven't removed anything as yet, simply jigged it around a bit. I'll look forward to getting your input :-) -- Ioneill 08:51, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

You did a great job, Ian! It really looks better. How about my changes? It is just a proposal, so if you see a problem, please redo it. I am not entirely sure about the place for the "Notice" section. Is it required to stay on top of the page? Rfc 10:18, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Hi Rfc! Thank you, glad you like the redesign :-) I really like your changes too, but for now the copyright notice needs to stay where it is - although I'm getting confirmation from the developers. We are able to change certain things on the front page, but I'm worried about the copyright notice. I love the fact you've moved the "mission statement", that will stay where it is, but for now the copyright will have to stay unmoved. Nice work though! I will let you know when I get a reply to my email about further changes and we can take it from there. Also, suggestions for the slogan after "Welcome to Marspedia!" will be gratefully received, not sure if "The collaborative resource for building a colony on the Red Planet." reads that well... Keep up the superb work! I've been reading your new articles and they are superb, I look forward to seeing more! Did you take a major in Mars settlement design?? Certainly looks like it ;-) Cheers, -- Ioneill 20:08, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Does a "major in Mars settlement design" really exist? No, I am not, but I am used to design complex telecommunication systems, including some system engineering. I would love to do "Mars settlement design" fulltime, but I guess this is not good for earning the money I need for living (on Earth for the time beeing;-). -- Rfc 09:13, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

I really wish it did exist! I think the Mars Foundation once had a volunteer who took an engineering course in settlement design, but I dont think he's with us any more. There are ways to make a little cash from Mars settlement concepts, but it's mainly educational. Have a look at our site: http://www.marshome.org/grants.php to see what can be awarded. Really only useful for students at the moment, but we are hoping to develop funding eventually. -- Ioneill 20:47, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

List of Lists

The List of Lists exists solely for site development. I've hopefully answered some of your questions about it and copied the discussion over to the talk page for List of Lists. Ask more questions and propose things (or leap into action for that matter), just note that I may not respond for quite a few hours. It's daybreak here and I've been up since yesterday... --Strangelv 12:46, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for explaining. Sweet dreams ... -- Rfc 14:50, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Blocking repeated bot offenders

Hey Rfc. Thanks for the idea to block the MER category and Exobiology page - only registered users can edit them now. Between us we probably reverted a hundred edits! At least these pages should be quiet for a month (I put a 1 month limit on the block to see if that is enough).

Sorry I've been a little quiet of late, my laptop crashed last week and it looks like it's dead now, so i'm limited to using the family backup PC for now until I get a new machine. Any problems, I always have access to my email and will be checking Marspedia daily.

Hope you are well and having a nice Christmas in Germany :-) -- Ioneill 12:48, 26 December 2007 (UTC)

Featured Article

Hi Rfc. Thanks for the info on the MarsDrive article, will get to the bottom of who posted it :-)

I have changed the featured article on the front page to the Greenhouse article you added a lot of new concepts to. Have a look. I used one of your diagrams as I thought it was most descriptive :-) Enjoy!

Take care and catch you soon Ioneill 16:13, 2 January 2008 (UTC)

Yes, it sprang into my eye, and I feel it's a great honor:-) Besides, "funerals and burials" seems to be double. Perhaps, burial is the better word, for it is closer to the act carried out in the greenhouse. Hope you had a great season, as well! -- Rfc 07:35, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Hi Rfc! Long time no see! I've been away for so long, I was forgetting how to wiki... looks like things have been moderately quiet over here, but I thought I'd change the "featured article" on the front page. Now I'm back, I think it's high time to re-invigorate this project, especially with Phoenix landing on Mars last week. Will hopefully see you soon! Hope you are well :-) -- Ioneill 00:55, 4 June 2008 (UTC)

Hi Ian, welcome back! I too had not much time during the last few months, but I tried to keep an eye on Marspedia at least. I have tried to find a payed job in the planetary research field, but I was not successful near my home. Besides I have talked to many people about the topic, but most people are simply not interested, some even find it a waste of money. So I guess we have to continue with only a few enthusiasts in our spare time, and hopefully we can generate additional attraction by our work here. -- Rfc 09:17, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

General

Hi Rfc. Good news, I now have a new laptop up and running so I hope to be a bit more active on Marspedia! I have some catching up to do, some superb articles have appeared, I'd better get reading. Hope all is good with you. -- Ioneill 12:38, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

Hi Ian, congratulations! Laptops are pretty useful, but I don't like their keyboard layout. A bunch of new open issues have appeared too. It's funny to see how little we know, once we go a little deeper into realization aspects. We could need the help of some specialists (e.g. geologists, chemists, biologists, etc.). And my impression is, the global number of people interested in Martian settlements is less than a hundred, or so. Very few of them seem to have even recognized the emerging of the Marspedia project.

I am looking forward to January 30th, when the asteroid 2007 WD5 crosses the Martian orbital trajectory. There is a tiny chance to hit Phobos ... -- Rfc 15:14, 15 January 2008 (UTC)

captcha code

Dear RFC, thanks for the captcha code on lunarpedia. Alas I do not have php access, so cannot do anything with it. Only MikeD has php access. Thanks. Charles F. Radley 03:38, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

Hi Charles, I have asked Ioneill to install the PHP code, for he ‎is a Bureaucrat too. --Rfc 09:37, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

You need to be way more than a Bureaucrat to install or upgrade extensions. And if I recall correctly, Ioneill is way more than a Bureaucrat, he can correct me if I'm wrong or get reminders of usernames and passwords if I'm right.

However, I will be conducting some long overdue maintenance this weekend.

- Mdelaney 06:11, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

Hi James, can you please help with this? --Rfc 09:13, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

Hi again, there are new bot attacks in both Lunarpedia and Marspedia, and I wonder whether it is less work to install the new captcha trigger or to revert the bot's edits over and over. As fas as I understand you are the only person keeping the passwords for php access. It should take only a few minutes to insert the green parts:

1. Logon to the machine where the wikimedia software is running.
2. Find the files ConfirmEdit.php, ConfirmEdit.i18n.php, ConfirmEdit_body.php.
3. Be sure the contents of the files match.
4. Create a backup copy of the files.
5. Insert the green parts using vi or prepare the files on your PC and ftp them.
6. Check the effect. If you try to change the first letter in a page a captcha should pop up on clicking the "save page" button.

That should be all. You can count on my assistance, if needed. Cheers! -- Rfc 10:23, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

Unfortunately, I don't have them. They're all in a text file on a hard drive that may be complete toast that can only run on a specific notebook of mine that may also be complete toast. Dana Carson and Mike Delaney both have these passwords last I checked, however. -- Strangelv 10:43, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

vacation

I'll be on vacation for a few days, without access to the internet. Don't worry about my temporary absence. -- Rfc 18:44, 29 January 2009 (UTC)

Have a good time! A break from the internet is a good thing now and then. --Nate 23:05, 29 January 2009 (UTC)