User:Brianboulton

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This user has written or significantly contributed to 7 Featured Articles on Wikipedia. This user has significantly contributed to 4 Good Articles on Wikipedia. This user has reviewed 20 Good Article nominations on Wikipedia. <ref> This user recognizes the importance of citing sources.

Three notes from The Magic Flute

I am Brianboulton, generally known as Brian, and I started editing in September 2007, at first rather badly but with increasing confidence and, I trust, rising skill (I did not adopt a user name until early November). I am British, with an academic background (though not in any of the areas in which I am an active Wikipedian), and the three most important factors to me, in any article, are readability, accuracy and verifiability. My articles tend to have lots of references and lots of footnotes.

I am incredibly clumsy about using simple Wikipedia tools. I make hashes of simple things like nominating for peer review, or approving an article for GA, and sometimes have to ask other editors for help. I only know how to use this computer because someone showed me, but I have no grasp whatever of jargon and if it stops working I'm done for. Fortunately I have the occasional services of JasonL to get me out of difficulties.

[edit] Areas of interest

This editor was born on 4th July

• Antarctic exploration – historical, "heroic age" stuff
• Opera – Mozart, Wagner, Britten and others
• Middle Eastern history since 1917

Nearly all my Wikipedia activity to date has been on Antarctic exploration and explorers. That will be the case for some while yet – with perhaps the odd aria every now and again. There are hundreds, possibly thousands, of Antarctic articles on Wikipedia, ranging from single-line stubs to Featured Articles, but there are still gaps that need filling, and I also want to help raise the standards of existing articles.

I have a wide range of general interests, and though I won't be writing many articles on these I will be look for opportunities to join in reviews and assessments.

[edit] Achievements to date

Jerusalem before 1910

Ross Island, Antarctica

Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, photographed by Asterion. This is where I live

My favourite church; Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland

Featured Articles

Article name	Date of FA promotion	date on main page
Ross Sea party	13 February 2008
Terra Nova Expedition	20 February 2008
Discovery Expedition	17 March 2008	1 May 2008
Robert Falcon Scott	3 April 2008
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition	14 April 2008
Aeneas Mackintosh	10 May 2008
Nimrod Expedition	7 June 2008

Good Articles

Article name	Date of promotion to GA	Date of promotion to FA
Terra Nova Expedition	27 January 2008	20 February 2008
Rhinemaidens (Wagner)	12 May 2008
Scottish National Antarctic Expedition	26 May 2008
William Speirs Bruce	9 June 2008

Review activities since January 2008

• GA reviews 20 (Pass 13)
• FAC reviews 6
• Peer review 11

[edit] Current and future work

My main activity is a comprehensive project, to improve the quality of the articles dealing with the major British or Commonwealth Antarctic expeditions of the Heroic Age, and also the biographical articles of the significant British Antarctic explorers.

I have identified eleven expeditions, and so far 22 explorers, on which the project will focus. The objective is that each of these articles will ultimately achieve either FA or GA status. I don't expect to do all the work myself, but probably will do most of it. Anyone who wants to pick up an article which they think they can bring to FA or GA is more than welcome.

I intend to break off from time to time to develop articles in other areas, e.g. opera, literature, history, and to do reviews, but the Antarctic project will be my main work. No time limit is set for its completion.

WORK STILL TO BE DONE

British and Commonwealth Antarctic Expeditions, 1899–1922

Significant Antarctic explorers (open list)

[edit] Abroad

These are all places I've visited recently

•  Austria
•  Belgium
•  Czech Republic
•  England
•  Spain
•  France
•  Germany
•  Gibraltar
•  Greece
•  Hungary
•  Ireland
•  Iceland
•  Israel
•  Italy
•  Morocco
•  Netherlands
• Palestine
•  Scotland
•  Wales
•  Syria

[edit] Solemn reminder

This is the promoted version of Ernest Shackleton, 31 January 2008. How did it do it?

[edit] Trinkets

		The Tireless Contributor Barnstar
		Awarded for all of your hard work and research in bringing the Terra Nova Expedition article up to Good Article status. Congratulations! Dr. Cash (talk) 00:40, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

		The Content Review Medal of Merit
		Awarded to Brianboulton for your insightful and thorough review of Tom Crean, which helped bring it to GA status! Zatoichi26 (talk) 01:11, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Your majesty, it gives me great pleasure to bestow the Triple Crown upon Brianboulton for your contributions in the areas of WP:DYK, WP:GA, and WP:FA. Cirt (talk) 23:57, 6 May 2008 (UTC)

		The Chicago Barnstar
		Thank you for you patience, diligence and expertise in helping me to take my congressman's article to WP:GA. You have helped to create a great resource for the people of Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s district and for persons concerned with congressional politics. TonyTheTiger (t/c/bio/WP:CHICAGO/WP:LOTM) 06:51, 24 May 2008 (UTC)

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