Old messages are at:

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• User talk:Giano/archive 27 (From Jan 2019)
• User talk:Giano/archive 28 (From Jan 2020)

This user has been on Wikipedia for 19 years, 7 months and 6 days.

Centre

Please leave comments below:~

thank you --Gerda Arendt (talk) 23:05, 30 October 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you too, Gerda Giano (talk) 10:42, 7 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Did you know that I show my 1500th DYK article today, and - be sheer coincidence - it's related to the first? --Gerda Arendt (talk) 11:01, 7 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hi Giano, Something must be done! Happy lockdown, if you are, Johnbod (talk) 21:41, 6 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

• I dare say you are right. However, I’m busy writing a book in return for hard currency rather than a citation tag from a twit in Oklahoma, so have precious little time. It would be a fun subject though, the English had this lovely word, Hunting box, of which Ascott House is a prime example - one thinks of Merrie England and the squire blessing his relations - which must be nice for the relations, if nobody else. Hunting Lodge, on the other hand, can conjure up the romance and horror of Mayerling, or log fires and sex on a fur rug (my preferred option) or even the horror of some God forsaken Trump supporter exerting his right to the 2nd Amendment. I’ll give it some thought. What about Lodge Park or that very tall house on a hill whose name currently escapes me? Giano (talk) 22:52, 6 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

This is the one I was thinking of Ashdown House, Oxfordshire, a perfect example, unless the National Trust, in its infinite wisdom has scored a treble whammy andrelaunched it as the home of a homosexual, slave keeping suffragette. Giano (talk) 22:59, 6 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I think of "shooting box" and "hunting lodge" as the usual terms - the former high on a moor somewhere, & the latter perhaps in a forest. This WP search throws up some nice stuff. Of course Versailles is not the only one to have been expanded out of all recognition. I suppose the Château de Chambord is the ultimate example. The last time I was there there was a hunting horn competition somewhere out of sight when I was up on the roof - very evocative. It was this passage about the "secret house" that made me check up what we had. Johnbod (talk) 23:51, 6 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Superfluous: where else would an “Irish born” person be from?

As an example, Melania Trump is a Slovenian-born woman from the US. — Alexis Jazz (talk or ping me) 19:40, 23 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

But the poor woman was born in Slovenia (probably wishes she’d stayed there), so is “from Slovenia.” Therefore, saying someone is “Irish-born” and “from Ireland” is rather superfluous. Giano (talk) 20:40, 25 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Hello! Voting in the 2020 Arbitration Committee elections is now open until 23:59 (UTC) on Monday, 7 December 2020. All eligible users are allowed to vote. Users with alternate accounts may only vote once. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to impose binding solutions to disputes between editors, primarily for serious conduct disputes the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the authority to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate in the 2020 election, please review the candidates and submit your choices on the voting page. If you no longer wish to receive these messages, you may add {{NoACEMM}} to your user talk page. MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 01:18, 24 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Oh the joy of it all! Everything else in the world is cancelled, but the Arbcom elections continue. A group of second-hand mediocrities and has-beens will parade their limited talents for our approbation. There is indeed a God. Giano (talk) 20:45, 25 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

(talk page stalker) I'm happy to know that my two brain cells and narrow range of skills can bring you joy in this trying time by offering you another reason to vote straight ticket no. --Guerillero | Parlez Moi 22:00, 25 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

@Giano and Guerillero: of course, one might suggest that it's best to vote for anybody other than the current arbs. Even the two brain cell and narrow range of skills candidates are far less likely to cause damage than the current bunch. --RexxS (talk) 23:37, 25 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I know we're all upset that Lady Catherine isn't a candidate from beyond the grave this year, but that's really not a good reason to support just anybody. Ask me who to avoid and I'll tell you privately, Giano. Bishonen | tålk 12:59, 26 November 2020 (UTC).[reply]

• I'm sure Lady C could be persuaded to rise to the occasion, I was speaking to her only this morning as she does have a view on this matter: "The Americans are behaving like some tin-pot guerrilla state with despotic dictators and corrupt elections and bringing democracy into disrepute, although democracy is vastly overrated." She also feels that "Poor little Lady Astor could have been a good politician had she not been American and that Britons (like herself) are born to rule." Should someone wish to nominate her, she may accept. Personally, I, Giano, will not be voting as I've seen too many elections and too little good or change ever coming from them. Giano (talk) 15:39, 27 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

But would she concede at the end of her term; that's my worry. Johnbod (talk) 19:25, 27 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Of course, I can’t speak on her behalf, but I rather think ‘concede’ is not a word in her vocabulary. Anyway, I do know she took a very dim view of the abdication crisis, feeling he should have married her when he had the chance, I suspect the same train of thought will apply to Mr Trump, who she feels would have been far more successful had he visited a properly trained barber in St James’s. Lady C also feels America is not what it once was; she blames this on those unfortunate white teeth and inflamed lips which they all have these days. Giano (talk) 20:29, 27 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Giano, I truly take offence. I don't object to being called a mediocre has-been, but second-hand, well that is just too much. Good day sir. --kelapstick^(bainuu) 21:58, 27 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Never mind! There’s always a silver lining. I see on your user page you say “I live in Nova Scotia, Canada.” Just think, you could be living in the other one, wouldn’t that be terrible? Giano (talk) 22:08, 27 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Dreary weather, and you can't understand anyone. Well that could be either new or old Scotland I suppose. --kelapstick^(bainuu) 22:57, 27 November 2020 (UTC)[reply]

just been told on logging in that there’s been a data leak and my account is compromised, is this true? Giano (talk) 20:24, 11 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Was this message from the Chrome browser? It has a direct interface with Have I Been Pwned?, an online database of several billion compromised login credentials. Jehochman ^Talk 20:53, 11 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I don't know but the likely explanation is as follows. Let's say your Wikipedia password is 123456. Every now and then, you need to log in at Wikipedia and you enter Giano + 123456. Your browser noted what you entered (Giano + 123456) and queried a database (see Jehochman's reply) to ask if that combination of user name and password has been published on the internet. Apparently the answer was yes. The cause may be that long ago you went to some website where you had to enter a user name and password, and you entered Giano + 123456. Don't do that! It is a bad idea to re-use a password because the other website might have been hacked and Giano + 123456 was one of many credentials stolen and copied onto a hacker's forum. Or, someone else happened to use Giano + 123456 as their user name and password at another website which was later hacked. However it happened, the combination is published and if someone finds it, they could log on as you at Wikipedia. The solution is to visit Special:Preferences and click Change password. Before doing that, make up a good password (8 characters or more, not just one word but with a couple of extra characters) and write it down in a couple of different places. Do not use the Wikipedia password at any other website. What I said about a good password is good enough for here. Anyone interested in more techo stuff could browse User:Johnuniq/Security. Johnuniq (talk) 22:24, 11 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Let your browser pick and remember a random password, different for each site. Don’t bother trying to remember it. A browser like Chrome or Safari can handle it and sync between your various devices. This is a shoddy patchwork solution but it’s the best currently available. I’m building a better authentication scheme with some of the profits from the last venture we did. Jehochman ^Talk 02:28, 12 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that's handy. You would need to very confident of your backup system to avoid losing all passwords. I believe it works well if you have multiple devices set up to share data on the cloud. If someone stole everything in your house, you would need to buy new devices and restore data from the cloud. Johnuniq (talk) 03:03, 12 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I struggled for years with synchronising passwords between devices and updating to a new PC. Eventually, I gave in and started using Dashlane, but I think any of the major password managers would be an improvement over manual methods. Although, if you sign in to a Google account, you can share data between Chrome browsers anyway these days. My bank doesn't like me using a password manager, so I exclude their website and have the passwords written down on a piece of paper next to the computer. The bank seem to think that's better security. --RexxS (talk) 09:45, 12 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the advice, but that seems all far too stressful, I'll just stick with the easy to remember password and hope for the best. Funnily enough, I did have someone email last year who really knew a very old password (it was the same one for all sites) and claimed to have a video of me watching porn and enjoying myself and unless I gave them thousands of Bitcoins they were going to publicize it. I said let me see the footage first, Id like to see a bit of porn, but sadly they didn't send me any. That was from the Linkedin leak apparently.Giano (talk) 16:20, 13 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

You should change your password because the combination of Giano + your_password have been revealed in a hacker's forum on the internet. In particular, make sure whatever email account you use for Wikipedia has a different password. For Wikipedia, a simple password is all that is required, for example someone's name with two extra characters. Johnuniq (talk) 22:01, 13 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

OK, thank you. I have changed it. I can’t see why anyone would want to log in as me though. If they have, they haven’t been doing anything very exiting, I just checked my contributions hoping for something interesting, but nope, it wasn’t to be. Giano (talk) 22:15, 13 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

If someone can login as you then they can email malicious links to all your friends. Your friend, thinking that it’s you, will trust the message click the link and their computer becomes infected and is added to someone’s bot net, their passwords are stolen, and their bank accounts are drained. An alternate form of the scam is that they email a message to your friends saying that you have been robbed in a foreign country lost all your identification and need some money to get home please wire it to me immediately thank you so much. There are lots of ways that the social network of trust can be exploited to generate cash. Jehochman ^Talk 02:48, 14 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you, I have heard of these scams, but I do feel if any of my friends had an email stating I was kidnapped and marooned in a foreign country, they would probable be inclined to leave me there. Similarly, I have little time for people who are stupid enough to leave more than they can afford to loose in their everyday bank accounts. In this day and age there are plenty of cash platforms etc with super high security for proper money. Giano (talk) 20:30, 14 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I shall have to ask Lady Catherine for advice on this topic. As member of the nouveau riche I feel vulnerable with my life savings in a checking account. Maybe I should spend it on a fancy car, or a vacation? Jehochman ^Talk 06:10, 15 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Dear Mr Hochman, I have no idea what a checking account is, nor a “fancy car”, presumably some sort of decorated conveyance at a carnival. As for “holidays”, presumable something enjoyed by the type of person who has “weekends.” However, here’s an interesting thing, since poor dear Giano changed his pass word, he has been unable to log in, and when he sends a reset request, nothing arrives in his inbox. However, he is getting emails saying there has been multiple attempts to log in, which is most definitely him. Isn’t technology odd. Just give me back the dear old telephone, and I can communicate with the world unimpeded. The Lady Catherine de Burgh (talk) 20:04, 15 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I am back! Life gets more stressful by the moment. Giano (talk) 20:32, 15 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

		Season's Greetings
		Wishing you and yours a Happy Holiday Season, and all best wishes for the New Year! Adoration of the Magi (Jan Mostaert) is my Wiki-Christmas card to all for this year. Johnbod (talk) 12:11, 19 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

• A very happy and holy Christmas to you too. Giano (talk) 14:29, 21 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, Said the Lady of Shalott		Happy holidays
		Caro Giano, For you and all your loved ones, "Let there be mercy". Wishing you health, peace and happiness this holiday season and in the coming year. SandyGeorgia (Talk) 00:54, 25 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you mia cara, and a Happy New Year to you. Giano (talk) 19:57, 28 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Precious

Eight years!

--Gerda Arendt (talk) 09:26, 25 December 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Came across this rather wonderful Lord Leicester quote today; “It is a melancholy thing to stand alone in one’s own country. I look around, not a house to be seen but my own. I am Giant of Giant’s Castle, and have ate up all my neighbours - my nearest neighbour is the King of Denmark”. I think I shall see if I can work it into the article. Hope you are keeping well in these difficult times. KJP1 (talk) 18:51, 18 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Lovely quote, I’m sure I’ve heard it before. One of those things that you don’t no you knew until you hear it again. Yes, do work it in. Giano (talk) 20:40, 18 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Rather reminiscent of Sir George Reresby Sitwell, 4th Baronet to Evelyn Waugh, when both were looking out over the view of the whole of smoky Sheffied from a terrace at Renishaw Hall, "In the valley at our feet , still half hidden in mist , lay farms , cottages , villas , the railway , the colliery and the densely teeming streets of the men who worked there . . . Sir George turned and spoke in the wistful, nostalgic tones of a castaway, yet of a castaway who was reconciled to his fate": "As you can see, there is no-one between us and the Locker-Lampsons". Cheers both! Johnbod (talk) 21:03, 18 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Wonderful Johnbod, strangely enough Sir George’s name keeps cropping up in my present nighttime reading. I requested one of my offspring by me Superior Person by Kenneth Rose for Christmas as I usually enjoy his books. This book, however, seems to be below par, but as it was bought with love and limited funds, I feel compelled to finish it. I have never slept so well and so quickly. Wasn’t Sir George even more mad than Osbert and Edith? I did have sympathy for Sacheveral, but have lost it as he seemed happy for his wife to have Ugandan discussions with Oswald Mosley. Weird family, rather like my own in some ways. Giano (talk) 20:36, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

The file File:Wikidownload.jpg has been proposed for deletion because of the following concern:

Orphaned image, no context to determine possible future encyclopedic use.

While all constructive contributions to Wikipedia are appreciated, pages may be deleted for any of several reasons.

You may prevent the proposed deletion by removing the {{proposed deletion/dated files}} notice, but please explain why in your edit summary or on the file's talk page.

Please consider addressing the issues raised. Removing {{proposed deletion/dated files}} will stop the proposed deletion process, but other deletion processes exist. In particular, the speedy deletion process can result in deletion without discussion, and files for discussion allows discussion to reach consensus for deletion. --TheImaCow (talk) 19:36, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

Sometimes TheImaCow, the stupidity of you people is quite breathtaking and probably accounts for why people like myself hardly edit any longer. The fact that you are so ignorant of the importance of that image and why it might be useful says volumes about you and your lack of education. What in earth are you doing here? Giano (talk) 20:25, 19 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]

On occasion, Excellency, our wiki-gnomes get too enthusiastic about their efforts to tidy up every nook and cranny of the encyclopedia. It is not going to be obvious to all of them that the plan refers to the Winter Palace, so it's probably best to mention that explicitly (I know, I know).

I have, therefore, added a standard template (sorry) to the file description page which will hopefully work as a kind of talisman to ward off the evil spirits in future. I hope that meets with your approval. Yours etc. --RexxS (talk) 01:38, 20 January 2021 (UTC)[reply]