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User talk:Hardvice/Apr

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WARNING: User talk:Hardvice/Apr is an archive of past messages. New messages should be added to User talk:Hardvice.

Screen caps

I was wondering what you/anyone else uses for screen caps. I have the movie files in .m4a format purchased on iTunes. Thanks.--Bob 03:10, 4 April 2007 (EDT)

  • I have the files in iTunes, but I don't really use them for capping. The quality is OK but it's too hard to get a particular frame. What I do instead is transfer the files off my Tivo, convert 'em to divx, and use VirtualDub, which is pretty amazing stuff. You can apply dozens of filters with live previews for anything from de-watermarking and resizing to gamma correction, and you can step through about a dozen ways (frame by frame, key frames, etc.), including the jog dial on the mouse. You can even create clips and export them as frames or animated gifs. I cannot recommend it enough, but it definitely works best with AVIs. It does work nicely with most of the files off the P2P networks, but I personally find their quality to be a total crapshoot.--Hardvice (talk) 03:16, 4 April 2007 (EDT)
    • Gotcha. I don't have Tivo, so I guess I'll just add something to the image request. Thanks though.--Bob 03:24, 4 April 2007 (EDT)
      • If you do want to get a cap out of iTunes, you can either use ALT+Print Screen and paste the image into an image editor, or use the "set poster frame" option from the right-click menu in iTunes and copy/paste that into an image program. (Sometimes ALT+Print Screen has trouble grabbing video if hardware acceleration is turned on, but the poster frame trick in iTunes should still work.)--Hardvice (talk) 04:55, 4 April 2007 (EDT)
        • Everytime I try that, it never works. I just assumed it was a DRM issue. Same with WMP.--Bob 05:00, 4 April 2007 (EDT)
          • Actually, it's just hardware acceleration. If you turn off hardware acceleration in WMP, it works fine. See this.--Hardvice (talk) 05:12, 4 April 2007 (EDT)
  • Bob, I'm assuming you're aware of the screencap site? It's very handy for a few things. They have nice-quality caps of pretty much everything you'd need, and it's also a good way to visually review an episode without digging up the file on iTunes or at NBC.com. One of the nicest things about getting caps from there is that the images are usually 624x352 which makes cropping them down to 450x350 a cinch. Two drawbacks with the site: they don't have everything (especially specific things like the magnifying glass from OGL -- I checked and didn't see what you wanted), and you have to remove the watermark. If you have trouble with the watermark, that's fine, just upload it as is and slap template:reupload on there and somebody will take care of it for you. :) — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 06:47, 4 April 2007 (EDT)

Location Map

Hey, do you have a good blank copy of the location map? I know there's a blank one there, but I saw that you recently made it larger and sharper. I'd like to kind of restart some of the arrows, now that we've added new places. Just a basic cleanup, you know? Do you have anything? ... or should I just start over with this one? — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 21:39, 6 April 2007 (EDT)

  • I almost think we should start with a different image and just add some strings. The Post-Its kind of get in the way.--Hardvice (talk) 21:51, 6 April 2007 (EDT)
    • :) Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines. I liked the idea of using an Heroes-related image, but it is quite ... distracting with the Post-its. Do you have another image in mind, or shall we just try to find a nice world map image? ... Or scrap it altogether and just use the portal? — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 22:56, 6 April 2007 (EDT)
      • I'll see if I can dig up a decent map and add some strings. If it looks dumb, we can always just use the portal.--Hardvice (talk) 00:11, 7 April 2007 (EDT)

Thumbnails

Sorry about that. Thanks for the heads-up Coffeeicecream 07:47, 8 April 2007 (EDT)

Early

Wow, the next GN is up. Have fun! — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 16:53, 9 April 2007 (EDT)

Timeline cleanup

So my new job decided to hold off my training today, so I have the day off, figured I'd clean up the timeline (has the maintenance tag). What all needs to be done to it?--Bob 12:13, 14 April 2007 (EDT)

  • I don't really know. I don't pay much attention to it because as far as I'm concerned, it's not reconcilable (ever tried to figure out Niki's timeline for the first six episodes? It just doesn't fit with everybody else). I know it needs Span ID tags for the dates, but other than that I'm not sure.--Hardvice (talk) 12:19, 14 April 2007 (EDT)
    • Really, I think it needs a huge overhaul of some sort. Maybe a table, I don't know. It looks pretty awful, though. Lostpedia's timeline is a bit cleaner-looking. We don't necessarily need to do it like they have it, but I do like how it's organized better than ours. — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 13:02, 14 April 2007 (EDT)
      • I'll tinker around with some stuff and see what I can come up with. --Bob 13:20, 14 April 2007 (EDT)
        • I've gotten so frustated with the timeline that sometimes I just have the urge to slap an AFD tag on it. Heroe!(talk) 13:38, 14 April 2007 (EDT)

Image sizing, placement, and deleting old images question

  • So can a person specify the size of an image, make it left-aligned with a caption, and not make the text after it wrap? I'm referring to the solution to Hiro's "For Fun" crossword puzzle. Or should it just not have a caption? 'ROESian
  • Personally, I think it's better off without the caption. The idea that "Get Isaac-san" is a hidden message isn't necessarily true; it could be a coincidence.--Hardvice (talk) 20:54, 19 April 2007 (EDT)
  • Since the most recent image of the crossword puzzle solution is correct, will the obsolete versions be deleted? Who are the sysops-types 'round here? 'ROESian
    • Hardvive is a sysop. Heroe!(talk) 21:16, 19 April 2007 (EDT)
    • The system stores previous versions of images in case they need to be reverted. I'm not sure what the retention of the old versions is (probably indefinite), but they won't hurt anything.--Hardvice (talk) 21:18, 19 April 2007 (EDT)
      • Should be indefinite since I don't purge anything at the filesystem level and niether does MediaWiki (less perhaps the image is deleted, but I've actually never checked). (Admin 22:04, 19 April 2007 (EDT))
      • Sometimes I actually find it quite useful to have old versions of pics around. Maybe not in the case of the crossword puzzle, but other images provide alternate crops, entirely different pictures, and just really interesting histories. I've found them to come in handy every once in a blue moon. — RyanGibsonStevart (talk) 22:46, 19 April 2007 (EDT)

Namespaces

  • So far the migration of episodes to their own true namespace seems to have worked fine. Had to do a little db hacking since apparently the list of namespaces to search is actually stored per user and by default we want people searching the new Episode namespace. If all looks good then we can move the others over soon. It just takes maybe 20 minutes of prep time and then a couple minutes to actually execute the changes. I'll be off at a MySQL conference in California next week, so it probably won't be until the following week, unless I get time this Saturday. If you notice any problems with the new namespace, let me know. (Admin 03:19, 21 April 2007 (EDT))
    • It looks awesome. I had to tweak the episode sidebar template, since it was looking for the pseudonamespace, but it was an easy fix. I love that it has its own searchbox, and it should make template work much easier. You are, as ever, Da Man.--Hardvice (talk) 03:20, 21 April 2007 (EDT)
      • And it sure beats renaming pages by hand! :) (Admin 03:22, 21 April 2007 (EDT))
        • The only thing unusual I've noticed so far is that Special:Wantedpages is a bit wonky ... all teh episodes show up as red links, but when you click them, they're fine, and the number of links is way off. I'm assuming this is from the moves and will probably sort itself out as the pages refresh.--Hardvice (talk) 03:25, 21 April 2007 (EDT)
          • I'm refreshing the link table now. When it's finished the episodes should all be gone from the list. (Admin 03:35, 21 April 2007 (EDT))
            • Excellent update, Admin. The new namespace will be a welcome change. I'm not seeing any episodes on Special:Wantedpages--looks like you took care of it....One note about searching: it'd be nice to have it search either both Talk and Episode talk, or neither talk space. If it requires a big hack job, don't worry 'bout it--I'll just change it in my own preferences. — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 03:52, 21 April 2007 (EDT)
              • By default it doesn't search talk pages of any other namespace, so I want to preserve that behavior. If you have a Talk namespace checked off already then you probably set that yourself in your settings in the past. (Admin 03:54, 21 April 2007 (EDT))
                • Ah, I think you're right--I must have done that a long time ago. Thanks for the clarification. — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 04:06, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

Category:Images from .07%

Okay, from what I can gather (and I'm certainly no expert on the episode...), we're missing a bunch of Isaac's death stuff. That means the paintbrushes and all that good stuff. That also includes the new painting, and a 300x200 image for prophecy for it. (I don't think there were any other prophecy fulfillment pics for any of the other paintings from the Inevitable series.) Another one--which pic should be used for Angela's home? I put in a red link for Image:Angela's home.jpg, but that can always be switched. I could have sworn there were some wider shots. Otherwise I like the 2nd floor POV shot. A couple other thoughts: Claire removing the shard from Peter's brain; Sylar's white eyes while painting; Isaac's sketchbook; I also wouldn't mind a pic of the three guys that were with Linderman he got Micah (and also the nameless Company workers who stood behind Candace as she de-Sandra-tized in Parasite). Okay, there, that should sufficiently make your headache worse.

  • I uploaded as many shots of Angela's cribs as seemed prudent (I might get one more of Claire on the stairs, and one with the B&W chaise, but that pretty well covers the rooms shown). I have no strong preference for a lead image. I got shots of Linderman's credited thugs ... I can grab the third guy as well. I'm having trouble getting a clear shot of the Primatech agent ... stupid filmed-from-the back conversation! I forgot all about the prophecy shots, so I'll grab those. The Sylar painting is pretty well obscured by Isaac, so unless Tim gives us a hi-res, the one that was a spoiler image is probably our best shot for now. And the archives paintings (Niki, Nathan in the White House, Mr. Bennet) are probably better from their online versions, but I'll see what I can get. I'm repulling the file from my Tivo now because the version I got earlier is kind of noisy starting about halfway through ... not sure if it's the file or the transfer (let's hope the latter). It's a great episode all the way through, BTW, and I'm sure you'll enjoy the heck out of it, even fully spoiled.--Hardvice (talk) 02:28, 24 April 2007 (EDT)

Patrolling

Hey, I left a few RCs unpatrolled. Some fact-checking ones (I want to make sure the monologue is correct), others I'd like you to take a look at. I know you check every RC anyway, but I just left a few that I wanted you to maybe take an "extra" close examination. Thanks man, have a good night. — RyanGibsonStewart (talk) 03:22, 24 April 2007 (EDT)

Synopsis

  • Very nice job with the synopsis! It's time consuming, but worth it. :) (Admin 17:14, 24 April 2007 (EDT))
    • I had fun, but I don't envy you.--Hardvice (talk) 17:16, 24 April 2007 (EDT)

Talking at length

Hi, Hardvice. This unshort reply is about your being "accosted" by my "largely unnecessary" responses above. The short answer to your question is - No. The long answer, where I explain why I believe my replies had to be said in that many words, is below.

I started the section above to pose the question where the GN may be placed in the timeline to anyone who cares. I laid out all the clues I was aware of that could help determine that; I thought the clues support October 7th strongly. Then RyanGibsonStewart cited the release order as a reason against this date (he opined the 4th) -- arguing that other GNs have never been set days after an episode. I countered saying that How Do You Stop an Exploding Man is set well ahead of the episode it followed. That release order is "off-story" rather than "in-story" I also felt was relevant to point out. Then you replied, and repeated a reluctance to think that a GN could be set at some time after the TV episode. So it was because of your reply (which missed the point despite the earlier example) that I restated the precedent of Exploding Man, rephrasing my explanation a bit. Because 2 admins had now clung to release order, I reiterated why it would be a poor basis.

I have only ever reiterated points when the replies indicated that their responders misunderstood or missed the point or didn't address it. And if I made more than one reiteration, it's only because the replies repeatedly missed points (as happened in the talk on Claire's birthdate in the old Timeline article, which exposed the need for (and led to the) refinement of the Wiki's guidelines on Sources).

Your first reply above also introduced a point: that the GN could happen "any day before the election" (Nov 7). I disagreed and said that later dates won't fit well, and that proximity to Oct 4 is what makes sense. My reply lengthened because I addressed your new point.

Your next reply then said that nothing unconfirmed should be stated as if it were fact (to which I agree), but implied that the statement in question ("Trial By Fire occurred approximately on Oct 7") somehow violates that principle. Your curt reply begot a WHAT THE, why does he see it that way?!?!? Now, if you felt that someone who matters misunderstood you or makes seemingly unreasonable statements, what would you do? If I believed that reasoning wouldn't be wasted on that person, then I would try to make and/or get clarifications. So I took efforts to argue why I don't think the statement misrepresents information or is inaccurate -- pointing out how it's worded ("approximately" being the operative word), that it's not "pure supposition", and giving the analogy of the Linderman cop scene.

As it seemed that the only way that one would disagree with the arguments I presented is if he thought that highly-reasonable approximations per se have no place in the Wiki, regardless of these being clearly indicated as approximate. Since I don't get (at all) why including such info would be "bad" and only absolutely-certain info is "good", at the end of my reply I spoke directly against it. The point being (which hasn't been addressed) please help me understand the rationale for such a practice.

Again, as an admin, you are a person who matters on this wiki. I think it's necessary for me to clarify what I think are reasonable points I've made that you have missed or dismissed. I had also thought admins would be more forthcoming and less perfunctory with explanations. Sorry for the length, but it had to be. Thanks. --Mercury McKinnon 08:59, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

  • tl;dr--Hardvice (talk) 13:01, 25 April 2007 (EDT)
  • Less flippantly:
    1. My being an admin has exactly two functions: deleting pages which need deleting, and reverting vandalism. That's it. It has nothing to do with discussions on article pages, where I am acting as an editor.
    2. I'm not on your side, or Ryan's side, or anybody's side. My comment is not a continuation of any argument ... it's my opinion. My opinion is that confirmed information belongs in the articles and unconfirmed infomation, no matter how well supported, belongs in notes. It just so happens that my opinion is supported by the help pages.
    3. Saying "approximately October 7" assigns extra weight to a single date with no real justification (apart from your opinion that it's the "best" answer). Saying "early October" or "October" achieves the same thing without the speculation.
    4. You continue to repeat all of your "evidence" as to why October 7th is the best date, and why release order doesn't matter, which I find really humorous, since the "best date" has nothing to do with anything I have said. Unless you choose to lump everyone with a different opinion together into one hive-mind, as far as I'm concerned, the "best date" doesn't matter. The extent to which I even mentioned release date was to note that most of the graphic novels are set close to the episodes they accompany, which weighs against October 7, but by no means rules it out. In the end, it doesn't matter because October 7, like every other day in October, is still unconfirmed. Discussion pages are discussions, not debates, so I tend to merely express my opinion and put forth any evidence I think is relevant to the discussion. I'm not necessarily replying to anyone else's opinion, and I don't necessarily expect everyone else involved to individually reply to my opinion. I am not Ryan, and Ryan is not me. I have yet to misunderstand or misapply anything you've said ... I just don't find it particularly relevant.
    5. "Highly reasonable supposition" does have a place in the Wiki -- in Notes sections, where the reasoning can be explored. It doesn't belong in the body of articles, period.
    6. And finally, back to the topic at hand: as a fellow editor, I know I am loathe to participate in any discussion in which I see your name because I know it will beget a tl;dr stream of typographical diarrhea in which you rehash the same "points" over and over again (without seeming regard to the comment to which you're "replying"), to the point where I cringe the minute I read your condescending "Hi". If I feel disinclined to participate, I'll bet others are just as hesitant to express their opinion for fear of being subjected to what feels like a conversation with an email autoresponder--and as far as I'm concerned, the discussion pages work best when they gather the most opinions on a subject. I'd rather hear from a dozen different people than hear the same person browbeat everyone with the same opinion over and over again. We get it; we know what you think, and why. Let somebody else have a turn at the podium maybe. It's not a debate, and it's not a soliloquy; it's a discussion.--Hardvice (talk) 14:39, 25 April 2007 (EDT)

Ando's gun

Any chance you could get your partner to ID what kind of gun Ando uses? ... I know, guns and computers, those are his specialties, I guess. :) 21:23, 30 April 2007 (EDT)

Power of Persuasion

    • Sylar attempts to use this power on Isaac in ".07%" The voice is undoubtedly used and Isaac attempts to resist it.--Castaway815 (talk) 15:15, 1 May 2007 (EDT)
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