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User:Matt Deres

This user is a Reference desk regular.
atheosThis user is an atheist.
Firefox This user contributes using Mozilla Firefox.
This user once used DOS back in the day.
This user still remembers these.
This user is a WikiPlatypus.
This user is a skeptic.
This user repairs links to disambiguation pages.
Public domainThis user comes from Canada.
⚤This user is straight
but not narrow.
This user fights vandalism with Huggle and Twinkle.
Sometimes simultaneously...


This editor is a Veteran Editor IV and is entitled to display this Gold Editor Star.
This user has been a major contributor to 4 articles featured in the Did you know... section on the Main Page.
vn-21This user page has been vandalized 21 times.
Matt Deres believes
there is no cabal.
And actively opposes it.

WP:EITW Edit Counter My Library My Sandbox Schlepp effect

Articles

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A picture I worked on that was promoted to a Featured Picture.

A list of articles I've started. Yes, I am deliberately trying to create articles in as wide a range of subjects as possible, but I'm not sure why...

Technically, I've also created these, but they were just split offs from other articles:

I didn't start this article, but basically saved it from being deleted:

I've also been trying to help with categorization. To that end, I've made these pages:

About vandalism

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I spend a lot my time here cleaning poo off of Wikipedia. I'm not being cute; I mean I literally spend a great deal of time removing the words "poo", "poop", and "poopy" off of otherwise legitimate articles. Because of this, I may sometimes get a little hasty with the revert key and a little heavy-handed with warnings given. If you think I've made a boo-boo, please let me know so have a chance to apologize and set things right. Before getting upset, check out my User Contributions on the left and see what kind of flood I (and many others) are trying to keep in check.

Speaking of vandalism... I might as well explain here that I almost never use the first-level (general note) for vandalism warnings. If I judge something to be vandalism, it's automatically a level 2 or a level 3 if it's really obnoxious. Attacks on users get you an "only" warning. The way I see it, you can have your "second chance" after your block expires.

Other work

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Want to help out, but don't have a lot of time? Take a word that's commonly misspelled and search for it. Chances are that someone has already redirected it to the correct spelling, but if not, go ahead and create the redirect. If the redirect is there already, let WP take you to the correct article, then click the link back to the misspelling. Then click on the "What links here" link at the far left and you'll get a list of articles with at least one spelling mistake in need of fixing. Go down the list and correct the misspelled word in as many articles as you have time for. For example, I recently did the word pharaoh, which is frequently misspelled as pharoah. Check out the link to pharoah, which redirects you to the correct article. At the top, there's a tiny line right under the title that says "(Redirected from Pharoah)". Clicking that link and then selecting "What links here" will give you a list of articles and other links to that misspelled word (which should now include this page). Ignore the links to talk pages and archived stuff and start going through the articles and fix them up. Easy!

Inspirations

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Folks who've helped me understand things include: David Attenborough, James Burke, George Carlin, Larry Gonick, and Bertrand Russell, among many others.

Francis K. J. Dechert known as Franamax on Wikipedia
Entered into rest November 25, 2012
"In remembering Franamax, I smile. He will be missed." Jimbo Wales

In mourning his death we remember his life, celebrating his legacy and our good fortune to have shared the honour of his association. RIP (condolences)