User:Robertb-dc

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omg a userbox
This user has memorized the elements' names and symbols.

This user page hasn't been updated in forever, though I'm now a frequent contributor to the actual article space. One example: my "project" below. All I did was poke around the highway list and create a few pages. Others picked up the concept, which eventually blossomed into Wikipedia:WikiProject U.S. Highways without any help from me at all. In fact, I was told to buzz off after I suggested that "highway" didn't need to be changed to "route" across the entire project... I figure my assistance on anything other than individual articles is no longer required. In fact, it looks like I managed to miss a similar conflict on state routes that degenerated into an all-out war -- so big that it's been immortalized in the official list of Lamest edit wars. Somehow, I'm glad I ducked out in time.

So here's my user page, unchanged since May 2004!

I'm just a casual browser of Wikipedia, and an occasional contributor. The editing FAQ suggests that potential contributors jump right in, though some folks wait until they understand every last bit lest they make an error. Since I'm a programmer by trade, I tend to fall into the latter category.

[edit] A project!

I'm starting my first "project": United States highways. I want to use the information in pages like this one to create an entry for every US highway, similar to the entries for the Interstate highways.

  • Phase 1: Add links to all US highways
Done! The List of United States Highways page now has a link to every US Highway that has ever existed. It only took a couple of hours.
  • Phase 2: Create an article for each highway
The article stub includes:
    • Descriptive paragraph
    • Section: Termini
    • Section: Alternate Routes (optional: see US 77 and US 49 for examples)
    • Section: States Traversed
    • Section: Related US Routes (includes parent/children/siblings)
    • Section: Sources (link to the appropriate MapGuy page)
    • Stub boilerplate: {{msg:stub}}
This will be a much slower process!
  • Phase 3: Add intermediate towns
That could take a while.
  • Phase 4: Add all US Highway junctions
This will probably be impossible! :)

[edit] My Articles

I've created a few new entries, or added notable content to them. Some of my favorite such entries include:

  • The Dixie Chicks -- I'm the owner of http://www.dixie-chicks.com/ so I have a unique perspective on the group. Unfortunately, I wasn't a registered contributor when I modified the article to include additional information on the group's original members, so that edit didn't show up in the edit list as mine.
  • Happy fun ball -- My first all-new Wikipedia entry. I kept seeing references to the thing on Slashdot, so I did some research. When I found out what it was, I compiled the information into a Wikipedia article.
  • Dallas Area Rapid Transit -- Since the Dallas, Texas entry only mentioned DART in passing, I decided to make it an article worth linking to. Learned a lot about the local transit authority in the process.
  • Hazard, Kentucky -- I meant to add some minor info on the town's name, and ended up researching the town's founding. This is why I've fallen in love with Wikipedia!
  • Oak Cliff, Texas -- Oak Cliff is one of Dallas' most exciting neighborhoods, even though some Bozo described it as an "area to avoid" on Dallas' Wikipedia entry. I linked to Oak Cliff from all the articles I could find that related to the area, especially the Kennedy assassination links.

The rest of my changes are generally minor, though I'm proud to have added some needed classical background to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles entry.