Maxwell Smart's Cover was Blown

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wexter
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Wikipedia Backchannel

Post by wexter » Mon Nov 14, 2022 1:56 am

Most wikipedians are probably not aware that there is "video game style" backchannel discussion (total lack of transparency and openness) going on off platform. I would assume that this backchannel facilitates the "ganking" of outsiders, new users, and anyone that makes an uncomfortable point. (gank is to gang up and kill)
In Wikipedia's first years, a great deal of policy discussion affecting the Wikipedia community took place on off-wiki forums such as mailing lists and IRC. In the 2020s, discussions frequently take place in off-wiki forums such as Discord. This is essential to the proper functioning of Wikipedia for a variety of reasons. Whenever possible, policy discussions should take place in the venue most suitable to the context, rather than any single venue. It can even beneficial to have multiple discussions over time. For example, a problem might be identified on Discord or Telegram and discussed in a mailing list before a proposal is made on wiki.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... discussion
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Keys to the "kingdom"

Post by wexter » Wed Nov 16, 2022 2:24 am

Looks like autoconfirmed is the first key
Twinkle is the second
The third key looks like access to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia ... ia_Library

(it is interesting that the library is run by the "foundation" which has no connection to the content of Wikipedia and therefore no liability; we will let this nuance slide I guess. )

The cost of actually acquiring the keys seems to get higher and higher, requires more time spent, more edits, and more conformity. Feels a bit like Scientology..

Beyond admin... I bet there is a key to unlock Gozer the Gozerian
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Maxwell Smart's Cover was Blown

Post by wexter » Sat Dec 03, 2022 12:29 am

I spent the last few months or so as "a hidden undercover agent" trying to blend into Wikipedia. With a minimal number of edits I was able to get extended confirmed, talk with WMF foundation folks, and rub shoulders with many of the long term administrators and editors listed here. It was rather addicting but fruitless exercise to play nice with idiocy.

At 1270 high quality good faith edits my cover is just about blown - at present I am going ballistic about the nonsense and thus are about to blow my own cover.

--Knowing something is seriously wrong, The WMF seems to be reaching into Wikipedia

There are only a few people actually editing Wikipedia, it is a cricket farm. In two months you know everyone of note, you know many of the bad players, you know the propagandists, and then there is a endless list of "hoopleheads."

"Hoopleheads," are the folks on Wikipedia that don't actually do anything, Hoopleheads vote up and down as emperors and smack others around with rules. Some Hoopleheads or are such pathetic numbskulls they cannot do anything, they cannot even do a web search to support an article in deletion, cannot do research, cannot write or edit and article, don't know what main points are, or just churn mindless stuff and lists out in bulk.

These folks, the "Hoopleheads" are Milton Friedman's reverse invisible hand dedicated to moving a bad idea into the dustbin of history.. Many Hoopleheads have never edited an article! in any meaningful way.

Even counting the larger set of "Hoopleheads," whose sole purpose is to block any progress from occurring on the platform, the "place" is a ghost town.

My banning will probably be related to calling a "Hooplehead" out; I held my tongue when I wanted to call out a Russian propagandist, and an Iranian propagandist; the truth of any matter means very little on Wikipedia.

More later....
Wikipedia - "Barely competent and paranoid. There’s a hell of a combination."

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Re: Maxwell Smart's Cover was Blown

Post by badmachine » Sat Dec 03, 2022 2:29 am

wexter wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 12:29 am
I spent the last few months or so as "a hidden undercover agent" trying to blend into Wikipedia. With a minimal number of edits I was able to get extended confirmed, talk with WMF foundation folks, and rub shoulders with many of the long term administrators and editors listed here. It was rather addicting but fruitless exercise to play nice with idiocy.

At 1270 high quality good faith edits my cover is just about blown - at present I am going ballistic about the nonsense and thus are about to blow my own cover.

--Knowing something is seriously wrong, The WMF seems to be reaching into Wikipedia

There are only a few people actually editing Wikipedia, it is a cricket farm. In two months you know everyone of note, you know many of the bad players, you know the propagandists, and then there is a endless list of "hoopleheads."

"Hoopleheads," are the folks on Wikipedia that don't actually do anything, Hoopleheads vote up and down as emperors and smack others around with rules. Some Hoopleheads or are such pathetic numbskulls they cannot do anything, they cannot even do a web search to support an article in deletion, cannot do research, cannot write or edit and article, don't know what main points are, or just churn mindless stuff and lists out in bulk.

These folks, the "Hoopleheads" are Milton Friedman's reverse invisible hand dedicated to moving a bad idea into the dustbin of history.. Many Hoopleheads have never edited an article! in any meaningful way.

Even counting the larger set of "Hoopleheads," whose sole purpose is to block any progress from occurring on the platform, the "place" is a ghost town.

My banning will probably be related to calling a "Hooplehead" out; I held my tongue when I wanted to call out a Russian propagandist, and an Iranian propagandist; the truth of any matter means very little on Wikipedia.

More later....
you dont have to destroy your sock. catch a case of the flu and return in a month after whatever is going on has blown over, while in the meantime you just make a new sock and keep cycling your IP. if you keep doing this, over time you will have collected enough socks to inflate your support vote count at your RfA. :^)

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Re: Maxwell Smart's Cover was Blown

Post by ericbarbour » Sat Dec 03, 2022 5:38 am

badmachine wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 2:29 am
you dont have to destroy your sock. catch a case of the flu and return in a month after whatever is going on has blown over, while in the meantime you just make a new sock and keep cycling your IP. if you keep doing this, over time you will have collected enough socks to inflate your support vote count at your RfA. :^)
Wexter: that's good advice and you should take it. Back off for a couple months.

Just btw, that person you were fighting with is obviously a Canadian teenager. Excessively fond of cartoons. And of patrolling vandalsm, very badly. He must have an admin buddy "mentoring" him and covering his smelly ass.

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Re: Maxwell Smart's Cover was Blown

Post by wexter » Sat Dec 03, 2022 2:20 pm

ericbarbour wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 5:38 am
badmachine wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 2:29 am
you dont have to destroy your sock. catch a case of the flu and return in a month after whatever is going on has blown over, while in the meantime you just make a new sock and keep cycling your IP. if you keep doing this, over time you will have collected enough socks to inflate your support vote count at your RfA. :^)
Wexter: that's good advice and you should take it. Back off for a couple months.

Just btw, that person you were fighting with is obviously a Canadian teenager. Excessively fond of cartoons. And of patrolling vandalism, very badly. He must have an admin buddy "mentoring" him and covering his smelly ass.
Yep, typical "hooplehead" does everything possible to smack folks around while doing absolutely nothing, when challenged we find he does not write or edit articles!

I was able to pull some teeth and get an acknowledgement that "bad behavior is not considered against policy" and if I wanted to take this to administrators ANI I had to "become a Wikipedia Lawyer" by being able to prove a case by citing differences and by becoming adroit at applying Wikipedia jargon.

I would say "bad behavior" is policy because even hardcore editors and administrators are "afraid" to call bullshit. Calling bullshit (even against an 18 year old jerking off and getting his jollies) could prove very costly to someone on the platform for a decade or more.

Let's say you are an admin of 15 years and made quite a few enemies, you decide no more bullshit thus you take an 18 year old hooplehead with bad behavior and a bad case of acne to ANI (administrators notice board) and then the knives come out for you. The discussion shifts from zit-boy to someone who has the baggage of actually getting stuff done (which is much harder)

Best to step away to avoid becoming "Donnie Brasco," or having to be deprogrammed at a later date. A new "good faith" editor that steps away from the platform sends a hard to hear message; but it does send a message. ~~~~

PS: the hoopleheads are out in full-fanboy-force rooting for the impractical tesla semi
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Re: Maxwell Smart's Cover was Blown

Post by ericbarbour » Sat Dec 03, 2022 11:29 pm

wexter wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 2:20 pm
Let's say you are an admin of 15 years and made quite a few enemies, you decide no more bullshit thus you take an 18 year old hooplehead with bad behavior and a bad case of acne to ANI (administrators notice board) and then the knives come out for you. The discussion shifts from zit-boy to someone who has the baggage of actually getting stuff done (which is much harder)
Similar things have happened on WP already. Usually we don't know they happened, because of the "code of silence" and the general not-official-but-really-is hatred of "outing" WP addicts.

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Re: Maxwell Smart's Cover was Blown

Post by SkepticalHistorian » Sun Dec 04, 2022 3:51 pm

badmachine wrote:
Sat Dec 03, 2022 2:29 am

PS: the hoopleheads are out in full-fanboy-force rooting for the impractical tesla semi
The only “impracticality” maybe Peak Lithium for the batteries. There is no substitute for oil, life as we’re living it is unsustainable.

The Nikola hydrogen fuel cell class 8 truck is more impractical.

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