32:
arbitrarily stamping articles with downgrades and whines, and the absurd belief that anything that someone wrote in a book is superior to so-called "original research". Well, almost all of my 6000 contributions are original research by this definition and I take some pleasure in knowing that there's no way the
94:
I'm pretty happy with my contributions to these entries, many started by others, some where I put a few lines that please me for some reason, some substantially original. (I haven't gone back over this, but there has been some serious loss of content from some of these efforts over the years while I
1026:
I try to keep my entries concise, but I'm a sucker for an illuminating anecdote. I've added this and that to hundreds of articles, frequently etymologies or unexpected aspects. I lurk in Talk pages where I have no particular right to be and try to speak up for the hapless reader. I also started a
1136:
As a technical jack-of-all-trades, I developed numerous schemes for online and printed documentation as well as helping design user interfaces and a couple of markup languages. I also managed groups of tech writers, software engineers, training developers, and sysadmins. I have also written rock
31:
I just deleted my watchlist. The sorcerer's apprentice bit was killing me. I am falling way off in my interest in contributing to
Knowledge after 6000-plus edits because I don't like the current atmosphere very much. In addition to the usual trollery, there's the institutionalized trollery of
36:
can find them all. I guess I just liked it better when there were only a couple of hundred real contributors and the self-appointed bureaucrats hadn't found it yet. Best of luck to you all, but it just isn't fun any more. I won't be doing anything much here, markup fixes, identifying
1058:
I enjoy adding a little bit to an entry and then taunting someone else into doing the job right with provocative summary comments. I also like fixing links and adding links and sticking summaries in near the top of entries. I did all that with
1121:
I'm a writer by birth, trade, and inclination. I have been writing for publication since 1957 and have earned my living by my pen since 1962. I started as a police reporter and political reporter and newspaper rewrite man in
Chicago. See
1202:) by Andrei Makine, which discusses ortolan eating! Best wishes and sorry you left. It's really not so bad. You should come back. Oh! I forgot to mention that supposedly ortolans were the last meal of François Mitterand (
1132:
for tales of those absurd, brave days. Since then I have worked as magazine writer, an academic ghostwriter at
Washington University and Harvard, and technical writer for DEC, Symbolics, Apple, and Atria Software.
65:
19:05, 1 Aug 2004 (UTC) (Then I went away again for several months because I don't like getting angry, but now I'm back, mostly putting in commas and fixing italics, and following up on my favorite musicians.)
942:
1137:
and roll songs and advertisements and an unpublished novel about
Richard Nixon. I started the Desperado mailing list in 1978, one of the oldest mailing lists on the Internet. There was an
76:
It will be interesting to go through all these links to see what has survived more than a year of inattention on my part, but I'll tell you right now I'm putting the football stuff back in my
1031:
to add one-liners, dates, and such to entries on what I call "naked lists", those dreary endless lists of unidentified people, places, or things that infest the
Knowledge. See
1147:. I have just finished a book on language purism and English usage which I am flogging. I've been married more than 40 years and have two sons and three granddaughters.
1075:, but someone wrote it after I almost, but not quite flatly, wrote that Louis Armstrong was not one. On the other hand, I managed to torpedo an ugly prejudiced article on
1167:
is a bird the French eat whole with napkins over their heads to hold in the said-to-be wonderful aroma of the grease-gushing bird body, and 88 is in memory of
410:
41:, but that's about it, except for looking stuff up and correcting the odd error here and there, using primarily original research. 17:56, 13 April 2007 (UTC)
662:
414:
1159:
After forgetting any number of boring AIM user names based on various pieces of my straight name and numerous three-digit numbers, I invented a
373:
with many variants and fascinating factoids, but all the variants were temporarily driven out by a fatuous interpretation of copyright, see
60:
Note: After contributing to the
Knowledge with great enthusiasm for a year, I took a break starting 02:08 Mar 23, 2003 (UTC). Now I'm back.
88:
44:
PS -- I leave my user page as it was, for what it's worth, but I'm sure that wiki-rot has spoiled a lot of things I worked on.
613:
918:
1194:
Hi
Ortolan88, I hope you stop by occasionally to see if anyone's written on your talk page. You might be interested to read
637:
250:
752:
495:
374:
913:
641:
190:
350:
253:(The latter was my first consolidation since two articles on a nonexistent band was too much, now morphed into "
984:
607:, who composed one of my mottoes, "He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world is mad";
830:
751:, my prize catch so far; an entertaining enccounter with a GFDL absolutist (that is, troll, just as in the
617:
370:
314:
228:
1171:'s boast after a particularly spectacular piano run, "dat's what dey call radiatin' on de eighty-eight".
1123:
282:
1040:
402:
242:
1051:"passionate intensity". Sometimes I lose a little enthusiasm for this crusade, but I keep doing it.
1052:
1014:
732:
678:
629:
621:
326:
262:
160:
52:
After all, the cultivated person's first duty is to be always prepared to rewrite the encyclopedia.--
859:
844:
756:
674:
503:
366:
281:, the Boss of the Blues (if I were on a desert island, I'd be glad to have ten Joe Turner albums);
792:
633:
1203:
1092:
1079:
and turn it into something like an encyclopedia article. Following this dismal theme, I wrote
1044:
744:
720:
625:
596:
520:
507:
1138:
1128:
1096:
1000:
863:
740:
654:
474:
115:
1206:
1048:
871:
768:
682:
466:
342:
266:
216:
673:, where I stayed overnight and was served gruel for breakfast; identified the namesake of
8:
933:
840:
812:
808:
776:
760:
728:
358:
132:
25:
670:
552:
442:
422:
186:
110:
20:
and I don't have the energy to fight it. Tom
Parmenter, once Ortolan88, but no more.
1032:
972:
784:
764:
658:
649:
576:
491:
220:
77:
1114:
is a good example of an encyclopedia article as opposed to a dictionary definition.
506:
about the busty monarch's afterlife on the Maria
Theresa dollar; section on how the
1009:
816:
772:
556:
538:
533:
430:
123:, stuck in brief descriptions and examples for almost everything in the list under
73:. The blog is a continuation of Internet communications efforts I began in 1978.
1185:
1036:
1019:
976:
954:
946:
748:
604:
542:
524:
511:
499:
406:
318:
302:
298:
290:
943:
NTIA Manual of
Regulations and Procedures for Federal Radio Frequency Management
904:, they said it couldn't be done; read all about mountain bike bog snorkeling in
1143:
1068:
879:
875:
800:
796:
716:
580:
470:
418:
365:, who is bolder than me, added to the article where I had confined them to the
354:
334:
278:
215:, including a description of the incredibly brave and resourceful rodeo clown;
148:
128:
1214:
1035:, for example, where most one-liners are by other folks. I got the idea from
127:, setting off a flurry of improvements by others in both content and linking;
1063:
which other people have vastly improved. I also like the three paragraphs on
1060:
909:
686:
547:
458:
394:
199:
182:
1104:
897:
884:
867:
666:
362:
224:
204:
164:
38:
17:
269:
with the completely reasonable story behind that "unpronounceable glyph";
1076:
992:
780:
736:
528:
446:
258:
124:
53:
1218:
988:
968:
950:
893:
852:
848:
836:
788:
616:, a how-to on using the grand old encyclopedia as a source, along with
482:
454:
426:
398:
378:
330:
322:
286:
274:
246:
232:
212:
120:
91:(free for now), but you'll have to go to the hard copy to see the pix.
1151:
341:, a nice, clean entry; stuff about US music with a Latin influence in
16:
Now, gone for good. See you later. Not. Some asshole just destroyed
1115:
1100:
1072:
889:
820:
653:: I coined the word and also added substantially to the articles on
600:
584:
560:
462:
434:
338:
254:
70:
33:
1168:
1084:
980:
905:
855:, which led to boilerplate entries on the rest of the undiscovered
588:
564:
478:
390:
353:, "the singing brakeman" only, that other guy does nothing for me;
172:
152:
689:'s "Song of the Chattahoochee", about the river that starts there:
661:, my home town and the high school football capital of the world,
1164:
1064:
958:
804:
438:
382:
306:
294:
270:
156:
144:
140:
1088:
724:
592:
572:
568:
450:
346:
168:
1188:, from a children's poem about a bird devoured whole by a cat.
69:
While I was away, I finally got my blog going, so visit me at
1111:
996:
938:
901:
636:; suggested the erstwhile Knowledge Militia redub itself the
386:
293:", I love the strange convergences connected with this song;
208:
102:
1018:
and other etymologies in all sorts of articles; the one for
928:, two fine *fixes (and not dictionary entries, never were);
924:
795:, the next little town over, home of the as yet unarticled
310:
194:
1080:
106:
231:, Hindenburg disaster broadcaster, interesting details;
131:, which I started and others truly went to town on, and
83:
There's an article about Knowledge mentioning me in the
723:; more poetry, why lovely villages on plains are named
136:
1091:
as well as to some stuff about the First amendment in
900:, threatened with death row but never actually there;
771:, where my father was born and his father went broke;
514:(which I quit to avoid a troll war, but I'll be back);
381:, since greatly improved by others at my instigation;
207:
and his brother Easy Pickens; Slim and Easy led me to
181:
My personal favorite of all the pages I've worked on,
285:, the seed drill man (the band makes my teeth hurt);
185:, which includes first pair of that name and a great
620:, a tribute to the book itself; first draft of the
583:was known by his rightful, capitalized name; wrote
89:"Answering Knowledge's call to fill in the blanks"
1107:to an astounded talk page audience of one.
555:, including many entries referenced from there (
537:which was mostly about racism when I got there;
896:as well); the interesting social impact of the
389:, symbol of American democracy; contributed to
297:(What's with this down will come baby stuff!);
189:story; the second paragraph of the article on
1047:to gauge how hopeless this crusade is against
510:have fought to protect our freedoms under the
477:, a truly great singer, trapped in a coffin;
385:, which involved some entertaining research;
669:and her immortal "Callin' Moody Field"; and
277:(which could use some other contributors);
545:, which I wrote because I stuck a line in
763:, three piano-playing fools from there;
441:, legendary Mexican radio; additions to
1163:that no one else would ever have. The
361:, including the (R-rated) lyrics which
241:My as yet incomplete musings about the
211:, which I jump-started with the aid of
862:, which were immediately hopped up by
614:Knowledge:1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
345:, includes the "Spanish tinge" story;
579:, horrible old phony; made sure that
1010:Brace is R-rated, Bracket is X-rated
708:Split at the rock and together again
1213:This caught my eye: "Drinking Wine
541:, branching from previous; Farceur
13:
1103:where I introduced the concept of
1087:, and also contributed earlier to
624:; first mentioned the idea of the
251:Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats
223:, mostly in the fairy-tale part;
14:
1230:
1083:while rival sects clashed on the
702:I hurry amain to reach the plain,
496:Strategic bombing survey (Europe)
87:West section September 28, 2006:
1007:Favorite etymological discovery:
914:Uppsala Astronomical Observatory
705:Run the rapid and leap the fall,
642:Knowledge:No offensive usernames
473:, great producer, petty crook;
219:, everybody's favorite coward;
135:, in which I entertain myself;
1209:) 07:41, 1 January 2010 (UTC)
1071:. I only put a few words in
696:OUT of the hills of Habersham,
665:, where I mention the beloved
433:" to copyright law; beefed up
273:, whom I saw live many times;
1:
715:On to the musical history of
531:; very slowly cranking up on
1200:Dreams of My Russian Summers
618:1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
587:and contributed a little on
371:Hitler has only got one ball
315:Original Dixieland Jass Band
227:, lip-moving ventriloquist;
203:, the last of the B-movies;
28:) 17:25, 31 July 2009 (UTC)
7:
1124:City News Bureau of Chicago
1043:for a brief manifesto. See
283:Jethro Tull (agriculturist)
265:; Here's Minneapolis's own
193:wherein it is revealed why
10:
1235:
1221:00:17, Sep 17, 2004 (UTC)
1041:Talk:List of famous operas
498:, which I arrived at via
403:First rock and roll record
309:) wherein I peer over the
243:first rock and roll record
143:, new word for old thing;
1181:faire les choses à moitié
1053:List of famous cemeteries
733:Magoffin County, Kentucky
699:Down the valleys of Hall,
679:Habersham County, Georgia
638:Volunteer Fire Department
630:Knowledge:Guide to Layout
622:Knowledge:Manual of Style
377:for the whole sad story;
263:Bill Haley and his Comets
161:SAT college entrance test
845:Arts and Crafts Movement
757:Talk:Oregon City, Oregon
675:Deaf Smith County, Texas
504:Maria Theresa of Austria
329:"; something nice about
191:Monty Python SPAM Sketch
1099:. I've also worked on
793:Stone Mountain, Georgia
634:Knowledge:Browser notes
151:tutoring; which led to
1045:Talk:List of novelists
745:Waltham, Massachusetts
721:West Memphis, Arkansas
597:autobiographical novel
521:Robert Louis Stevenson
249:, a key figure, a/k/a
245:have so far led me to
1196:Le Testament français
1097:term of disparagement
1001:Intellectual property
888:(later expatiated on
741:Lebanon, Pennsylvania
655:Newton, Massachusetts
648:Above and beyond the
551:making a comparison;
475:Screaming Jay Hawkins
429:; contributions of "
116:The Elements of Style
872:Undocumented feature
769:Orange Park, Florida
683:Hall County, Georgia
663:Moody Air Force Base
502:; bit at the end of
467:Champion Jack Dupree
411:rock and roll anthem
343:Latin American music
257:". ) and of course
217:Harry Paget Flashman
167:(Wow!); contributed
95:sulked in my tent.)
1093:Jehovah's Witnesses
1055:has been fun.
813:Bogalusa, Louisiana
809:Canton, Mississippi
777:Enterprise, Alabama
761:Ferriday, Louisiana
729:Whitehall, Michigan
508:Jehovah's Witnesses
489:Politics and worse:
369:, but then I wrote
359:Colonel Bogey March
197:is funny to Brits;
133:Talk:English plural
1129:Chicago's American
831:Votes for deletion
685:, wherein I quote
671:Cedar Key, Florida
553:Literary technique
443:Professor Longhair
415:roots of rap music
111:William Strunk Jr.
1176:Il ne faut jamais
1033:List of novelists
973:synthetic polymer
829:Rescued from the
785:Lithonia, Georgia
765:Florence, Alabama
659:Valdosta, Georgia
577:Samuel Richardson
492:Strategic bombing
327:Saint Louis Blues
221:Three Little Pigs
179:Popular Culture:
171:, contributed to
163:, a prime shuck;
1226:
1067:that I added to
1022:is kind of neat;
934:Most Wanted list
864:Vicki Rosenzweig
839:, discoverer of
817:Zanesville, Ohio
787:, birthplace of
773:Winslow, Arizona
735:, birthplace of
611:Public Services:
557:picaresque novel
539:picaresque novel
534:Huckleberry Finn
431:Oh, Pretty Woman
229:Herbert Morrison
1234:
1233:
1229:
1228:
1227:
1225:
1224:
1223:
1211:
1186:Jacques Prevert
1105:audio blackface
1037:List of battles
1020:Contract bridge
977:Agatha Christie
955:Patricia Hearst
947:Chicago Tribune
753:Hitler incident
749:Erick, Oklahoma
605:Rafael Sabatini
543:Georges Feydeau
525:Ford Madox Ford
512:First Amendment
500:Dr. Strangelove
423:Lovin' Spoonful
407:record producer
319:Dizzy Gillespie
313:edge; started
303:Louis Armstrong
299:Joe King Oliver
291:Love is Strange
50:
47:
12:
11:
5:
1232:
1217:" :-D --
1192:
1191:
1190:
1189:
1178:
1157:Post scriptum:
1144:Wired Magazine
1024:
1023:
1004:
962:
929:
880:William Gaines
876:Big Joe Turner
825:
824:
819:, hometown of
801:Del Rio, Texas
797:Stone Mountain
775:(guess what);
717:Macon, Georgia
712:
711:
710:
709:
706:
703:
700:
697:
691:
690:
645:
608:
581:E. E. Cummings
515:
486:
471:Lester Melrose
419:John Sebastian
355:Grand Ole Opry
351:Jimmie Rodgers
335:Carmen Miranda
279:Big Joe Turner
236:
176:
149:adult literacy
129:English plural
71:Desperado blog
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
1231:
1222:
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1216:
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1201:
1197:
1187:
1184:
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1177:
1174:
1173:
1172:
1170:
1166:
1162:
1161:nom de guerre
1158:
1154:
1153:
1148:
1146:
1145:
1140:
1134:
1131:
1130:
1125:
1119:
1117:
1113:
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1102:
1098:
1094:
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1078:
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1061:Julius Caesar
1056:
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1038:
1034:
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1021:
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1002:
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978:
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966:
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952:
948:
944:
940:
937:
935:
932:Removed from
930:
927:
926:
921:
920:
915:
911:
910:lightning rod
907:
903:
899:
895:
891:
887:
886:
882:, founder of
881:
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873:
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687:Sidney Lanier
684:
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566:
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558:
554:
550:
549:
548:Fawlty Towers
544:
540:
536:
535:
530:
526:
522:
519:
516:
513:
509:
505:
501:
497:
493:
490:
487:
484:
480:
476:
472:
468:
464:
460:
459:boogie woogie
456:
452:
448:
444:
440:
436:
432:
428:
424:
420:
416:
412:
408:
404:
400:
396:
395:skiffle music
392:
388:
384:
380:
376:
375:the talk page
372:
368:
364:
360:
356:
352:
348:
344:
340:
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200:Touch of Evil
196:
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183:Tom and Jerry
180:
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19:
1212:
1199:
1195:
1193:
1180:
1175:
1160:
1156:
1155:
1149:
1142:
1141:about it in
1135:
1127:
1120:
1109:
1057:
1028:
1025:
1013:
1006:
985:Muddy Waters
965:Quirky Links
964:
931:
923:
917:
898:sleeping car
885:MAD magazine
883:
868:Camp (style)
856:
828:
667:Miss Peaches
647:
644:contributor;
626:village pump
610:
546:
532:
517:
488:
238:
225:Edgar Bergen
205:Slim Pickens
198:
178:
165:interjection
114:
99:
93:
85:Boston Globe
84:
82:
80:article.
75:
68:
62:
59:
58:
51:
49:
46:
43:
39:12-bar blues
30:
21:
18:blues ballad
15:
1215:Ove Sprogøe
1077:white trash
1069:Coup d'etat
1012:. I stick
993:David Bowie
781:boll weevil
737:Larry Flynt
657:, my home,
529:Karel Capek
518:Literature:
447:jazz guitar
259:Chuck Berry
187:Frank Zappa
125:punctuation
54:Umberto Eco
989:Bo Diddley
969:W.C. Handy
951:Soul music
894:Max Gaines
853:Ununennium
849:Mouthpiece
837:Hans Selye
803:, home of
789:Brenda Lee
628:; started
571:, bits of
483:Highway 61
455:hit parade
427:power trio
399:rent party
379:mouthpiece
331:Desi Arnaz
323:W.C. Handy
287:Bo Diddley
275:Soul music
247:Ike Turner
233:stewardess
147:, from my
139:, mostly;
121:E.B. White
119:, bits of
100:Language:
34:Pecksniffs
1152:Parmenter
1150:Mail me:
1116:Castanets
1101:blackface
1085:talk page
1073:Uncle Tom
890:EC Comics
833:death row
821:Zane Grey
632:; opened
601:word play
585:cacotopia
561:word play
463:Link Wray
435:teen idol
367:talk page
339:Castanets
255:Rocket 88
63:Ortolan88
22:Ortolan88
1169:Dr. John
1118:too.
1110:I think
1049:Yeatsian
981:thallium
906:peat bog
860:elements
783:statue;
779:and its
589:dystopia
565:pastiche
494:and the
479:Route 66
391:jug band
239:Music:
173:metaphor
153:polysemy
78:hometown
1165:ortolan
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