The DennyColt Conspiracy, Join now, before all the good seats are reserved Options

[Somey]

I just tried to post this to the talk page of my bio, and DennyColt reverted it...

We're really going to have to put some serious work into exposing this "DennyColt" guy. I just spent a few minutes on Google and found that he spent about 18 months trolling a site called "Cygnus's Study" with a lot of blatant right-wing nonsense, using the same user name (except that there he's "Denny Colt", with a space). That's only the most obvious example, but there are like 1,148 posts by this guy, all espousing the usual creationist, dittoheaded, gay-bashing neo-con fundamentalist crapola. I even joined the site to make sure - it's definitely him, there's plenty of material about how he's into the same comic books and suchlike.

But do you see anything about his politics and fundamentalist beliefs on his Wikipedia user page? No, of course not. That might prevent him from gaining adminship, might it not?

So right now, he's desperately trying to get WP to accept blogs as reliable sources. Why? Could it be because blogs are the only sites on the internet that still espouse creationism as a valid science? Or any number of other right-wing, anti-scientific positions on various things?

That also explains why he targets Brandt specifically: Brandt is left-wing. Denny isn't.

Do the math, folks!

[Daniel Brandt]

Denny Colt (aka "The Spirit") is the name of a comic-book character that was created by Will Eisner (1917-2005) in 1940. There are probably a large number of avatars who use the "Denny Colt" name. In the comic series, everyone thinks that detective Denny Colt is dead, and this made Colt realize that staying dead would be a good cover to solve more crimes.

It would be difficult to nail this guy. He's definitely someone's sock. He started editing on January 28. That's about the time that Essjay realized he might have a problem. Is user DennyColt the new Essjay, who everyone assumes is gone from Wikipedia? Old habits die hard — on his user page he's a broadcaster, a writer, and an engineer (what, no Catholic scholar this time?). He immediately gets into playing supercop on Wikipedia, which is strange for a newbie. Yeah, he may as well be Essjay.

[Jonny Cache]

I see that there's a Request for Checkuser on DennyColt —

I've never understood this bit of rag-man-roll before — will it tell us whether DC = SJ, or only whether DC = MH (MisterHamburger), or is it more like a sealed indictment?

Inquiring minds want to know ...

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Uly]

It tells the checkuser which accounts have shared IPs with which other accounts.

If Essjay edited on the same IP as DennyColt, it'll show up, but I'd be surprised if the person running the checkuser said anything about it in his response to the request.

In reality, checkuser is completely unable to catch the technically adept if they're willing to exercise a little care. With the number of checkusers Essjay has run, he's immune if he makes any effort at it at all.

[guy]

I'm a sockpuppet, but not of DennyColt. I'd rather Brandt not put me up on his website. MisterHamburger 19:40, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
Given the history of the Brandt article this is a highly credible explanation, SqueakBox 19:47, 28 March 2007 (UTC)
Unrelated --jpgordon?êç?êå?êç?êå 20:31, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

(IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/blink.gif)

[Jonny Cache]

Speaking of links between DennyColt and Essjay, here's another wiki-puzzler for those of you who grok —and I sincerely wiki-pity you for a' that — wiki-psychology better than I do.

Why would DennyColt be so steadfastly dedicated to preserving what he calls this Notable Alias?

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Jonny Cache]

More Administrative Fingerprints on the X-Flies

So it's clear that Admins really do control the publication of messages on talk pages, based on the ostensible identity of the messenger and not on the content of the message itself.

And it's clear from the way that DennyColt squealed — not squeaked — to just the right higher ups that he-she is not a n00b, but a highly skilled player of the Wikipedia video game.

Just tryin' to keep up ...

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Jonny Cache]

DennyColt is just a tad on the Wikiparanoid side, I'd say.

Yeah, like that really narrows it down ...

Herzliche Grüße ...

Jonny Katze (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

This post has been edited by Jonny Cache:

[Jonny Cache]

We need to watch this one for sure. It's clear that it's a highly experienced player at the highest levels of the Wikipedia Video Game, probably someone we know quite well already, probably someone who is quite well-known to the Administration — maybe one of Jimbo's Personal Wiki-Proteges? — and is being allowed to use tools that it's not really supposed to have, plus it's using a bot to pile up edits at a rate of 2 or 3 per minute like somebody who wants to be an Admin (again) real, real bad.

Modal Editing Pattern for DennyColt

Other Symptoms. Sock Puppet Paranoid

• Exhibit A
• Exhibit B

Motto. Sockpuppets are sockpuppets for a good reason.

Namely, anybody in my way must be a puppet of somebody else in my way.

Diagnostic Rule Of Thumb —

A sockpuppet paranoid is usually a paranoid sockpuppet.

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Somey]

....anybody in my way must be a puppet of somebody else in my way.

Unfortunately, it's going to be hard to figure out who he may have been before based on the usual diff-checking and such... After all, nearly everyone on Wikipedia consistently misspells the word "consensus," not to mention the words "inadvertently" and "contradict."

He's a busy boy, though, that's for sure! In addition to his campaign to make the failure to automatically revert a banned user a bannable offense in itself, and make Wikipedia safe for right-wing bloggers, he's getting a "straw poll" together to put the kibosh on SlimVirgin's WP:ATT policy. I guess ol' Denny is a little picky about which right-wingers he supports - in other words, only the ostensibly Christian ones are acceptable, and the others can, presumably, go stuff themselves.

Anyway, it may be a waste of time trying to figure out if he's someone we've seen before... He might have gained his wikiskillz somewhere else, like on one of the Wikia sites, or CreationWiki, or someplace like that. And admittedly, I'm less convinced now that he's the same guy that was on Cygnus' Study, but I'm nowhere near unconvinced, let me just put it that way. It's the same reflexive, knee-jerk attempts at logic, the same insistence on changing rules to suit his fascistic view of the world, and the same refusal to accept opposing ideas or opinions as having any validity whatsoever.

My gosh, he's... he's... the "perfect Wikipedian!"

[guy]

he's getting a "straw poll" together to put the kibosh on SlimVirgin's WP:ATT policy.

Is that good or bad? Weren't we rather suspicious of WP:ATT?

[Jonny Cache]

he's getting a "straw poll" together to put the kibosh on SlimVirgin's WP:ATT policy.

Is that good or bad? Weren't we rather suspicious of WP:ATT?

You mean he-she's agin SV ???

Omegad !!! This is too shocking !!!

He-she must be me !!!

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

[Somey]

Is that good or bad? Weren't we rather suspicious of WP:ATT?

Yes, we were, but I think we were more suspicious of SlimVirgin taking ownership of a fundamental policy than we were of the policy itself, right?

What Denny-boy ultimately wants to do is eliminate any wording that denies the use of blogs and self-published websites as "reliable" secondary sources. He's made that abundantly clear, and I think I know why he wants to do it.

Let's face it - both scenarios are bad. But it doesn't have to be either-or by any means... With any luck, some of the WP'ers will read this and try to help stave off both of these things, but if we are having to choose, I personally would rather they continue to discourage most blog citations - even if that means Slimmy ends up taking control of the policy.

[Jonny Cache]

Is that good or bad? Weren't we rather suspicious of WP:ATT?

Yes, we were, but I think we were more suspicious of SlimVirgin taking ownership of a fundamental policy than we were of the policy itself, right?

What Denny-boy ultimately wants to do is eliminate any wording that denies the use of blogs and self-published websites as "reliable" secondary sources. He's made that abundantly clear, and I think I know why he wants to do it.

Let's face it — both scenarios are bad. But it doesn't have to be either-or by any means. With any luck, some of the WP'ers will read this and try to help stave off both of these things, but if we are having to choose, I personally would rather they continue to discourage most blog citations — even if that means Slimmy ends up taking control of the policy.

I haven't been following what DennyColt was doing with SlimVirgin's ReVisionThing. If what Somey says is accurate, then DC thinks that SV's SubVersion of Source Validity does not SubVert it nearly far enough.

Whenever we see one of these Wiki-Punch-&-Julius shows between the Xtreme and UltraXtreme on Wikipedia, it is always a fair hypothesis that both puppets are in the hands of one and the same master.

Paranode Enuff ?

We Will See ... Now Won't We ??

Well, Those Who Have Eyes Will See ...

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Somey]

OK, now DennySlimEssjayZ is interpreting the words "I've just been libeled by Thatcher131" as a "legal threat" and reverted the edit where that statement was made:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=118803461

http://lists.wikimedia.org/pipermail/wikie...rch/066932.html

Obviously it is libel, and just about any court - even in Florida - would agree with that. I think they're reaching the point where Brandt could easily demonstrate substantial harm being done by these people, and probably get significant monetary damages as a result - possibly enough to cripple them.

What gets me is, why all the buck-passing?

They wrote the web page. They keep voting to keep it on their website. They keep libeling Brandt, on and on and on... Why do they try to shirk responsibility for their behavior by foisting it off onto the Foundation? Don't they think the Foundation has better things to do, like deal with their personnel problems and raise more money?

This whiny chatter of theirs about "pursuing the matter via the proper channels" is obviously ludicrous. How can they even think for one minute that the Foundation or the OTRS "staff" is going to do anything about this whatsoever, prior to the filing of an actual lawsuit?

[Daniel Brandt]

Just for the record, the comment by Thatcher131 that I said was libelous was this one:

I happen to think that human decency requires that we consider the interests of admin A, who was hounded off wikipedia when Brandt outed her real identity and got her in trouble with her employer; of admin B, whom he also tried to out, including calling old boyfriends of 20 years past; of admin C, who was so unnerved by the fact that Brandt had discovered his identity and that he posted from a country that does not value freedom of speech that he allowed himself to be blackmailed into editing the article with a sockpuppet, resulting in a desysopping; and of admin D, universally regarded as one of the nicest wikipedians ever, who had to explain to investigators from the Internal Affairs who Brandt was and why he would be calling a police station about her. I happen to think that such behavior damages Wikipedia greatly, and that tolerating comments by such users on talk pages, even nominally reasonable comments, is not only the camel's nose, but shows enormous disrespect for the distress that many good Wikipedians went through before the user was banned. I happen to think that entertaining such edits is offensive to good Wikipedians in the same way that giving a seat on the PTA activities planning committee to a person who had lost custody of their own children through abuse and neglect would be offensive to good parents. And I happen to think that the OTRS email system satisfies our duty to banned users quite well enough. Thatcher131 02:12, 29 March 2007 (UTC)

He fixed it after I complained, as shown in this diff. The four cases he refers to are: Katefan0, SlimVirgin, NSLE, and Snowspinner. Each of his four descriptions is inaccurate. You can see why he decided to back off of this post. I also pointed out in my complaint that the banning Talk page was indexed by Google, which makes it a "published" page by any conceivable legal definition.

See? It does work (to an extent) for Wikipedia to let victims of libel to post on pages that are directly relevant to that libel. But now that Ms. User:Durova has semi-protected that page, just like she did to my bio's talk page yesterday, she has in effect Spoken for the Foundation: "Victims shall not be allowed to point out errors of fact and sourcing that they consider libelous or inaccurate."

[Somey]

...and of admin D, universally regarded as one of the nicest wikipedians ever, who had to explain to investigators from the Internal Affairs who Brandt was and why he would be calling a police station about her....

...The four cases he refers to are: Katefan0, SlimVirgin, NSLE, and Snowspinner. Each of his four descriptions is inaccurate.

I think "D" actually refers to Phaedriel - nobody really cares what happens to Snowie. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/laugh.gif)

[Daniel Brandt]

I think "D" actually refers to Phaedriel - nobody really cares what happens to Snowie. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/laugh.gif)

Really? No, the campus cops visited Snowie, but I didn't contact anyone from the Oklahoma City Police Department about Phaedriel, and I'm not aware that she had any problem with her employer. Of course, neither did I send that email about Snowie to the University president. Either way, Thatcher131 is just being reckless and irresponsible here. Wikipedia should do something about admins like him — he deserves a job at Wikia and an appointment to the Arbcom!

[Somey]

Right - you had nothing to do with either of those cases, that's a certainty. Also, you can't be considered responsible for what the laws are like in Malaysia or wherever, or how someone living there would react to them under those or any other circumstances. (Could you? Interesting question...) And obviously katefan0 didn't get into trouble with her employer, since the whole thing blew over because you pointed out the COI before her employers found out on their own! (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/laugh.gif)

As for Slimmy, well... three out of four ain't too bad, right?

Anyhoo, it's almost silly to think that Snowie might be described as one of the "nicest wikipedians ever," and he wouldn't have been asked about you by the cops in any case (and they'd be regular Kampus Kops, not Internal Affairs). Presumably he's not a "she," either... Then again, I've never met the man... (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/unsure.gif)

It does give you a good idea as to the kind of accuracy one can expect from WP, doesn't it?

[CrazyGameOfPoker]

Nevermind, Daniel beat me to it yesterday. (really should look further than the first post)

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[Somey]

Nevermind, Daniel beat me to it yesterday...

Was that about the comic book character? Ahh...

There's also a Canadian female heavy-metal guitarist!

(IMG:http://www.diamondamplification.com/images/colt_3.jpg)
She's cute, but my God, those shoes!

[Jonny Cache]

There's also a Canadian female heavy-metal guitarist!
She's cute, but my God, those shoes!

The snow, she blow bone deep in the Great White North ...

If you cache my drift ...

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[CrazyGameOfPoker]

Yeah. I'm fairly familiar with the character. I really enjoy Eisner's work as a whole. No one could quite use a page like him.

[gomi]

Further sucking up to SlimeVirgin.

[Jonny Cache]

Further sucking up to SlimeVirgin.

Lemme get this strait ...

Does this mean that they are now going to delete all links to The New Yorker?

And ban anybody who re-inserts them?

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Somey]

That was (thankfully) reverted by JzG, but now Slimmy is trying to get people blocked for posting unlinked URL's, too. Watch encroaching fascism in action, folks!

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=120565070

I don't really blame them, I guess... they're all volunteers, after all, and it's unpleasant to be criticized when you're working for free. Whereas all of us here at Wikipedia Review are making thousands of dollars for each post! It's the home-based business opportunity of a lifetime!

I tried to get Our Corporate Masters™ to start paying me by the word, but they didn't go for it. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/sad.gif)

[thekohser]

That was (thankfully) reverted by JzG...

Careful, there, Somey. Don't go making JzG out to be some kind of rational good-guy. He wasn't reverting, he was just relocating.

Greg

[Jonny Cache]

That was (thankfully) reverted by JzG, but now Slimmy is trying to get people blocked for posting unlinked URL's, too. Watch encroaching fascism in action, folks!

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...oldid=120565070

I don't really blame them, I guess... they're all volunteers, after all, and it's unpleasant to be criticized when you're working for free. Whereas all of us here at Wikipedia Review are making thousands of dollars for each post! It's the home-based business opportunity of a lifetime!

I tried to get Our Corporate Masters™ to start paying me by the word, but they didn't go for it. (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/sad.gif)

But weightaminute — tic toc tic toc tic toc — isn't Wikipedia itself partly responsible for "outing" Essjay?

I mean, didn't the Management send him "out" to the interview?

And didn't they "out" many of the details of his bio themselves?

And doesn't any bit of information about a person potentially endanger that person?

Will Wikipedia now have to break all links to itself?

Maybe they need more volunteers?

Consider it job security ...

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Somey]

Don't go making JzG out to be some kind of rational good-guy. He wasn't reverting, he was just relocating.

I dunno... the wording is slightly different, isn't it? Or am I just imagining that?

Dennybot version:

Per previous precedent and commonly accepted practice, linking to attack sites, or linking to sites that attempt to "out" the identities of Wikipedia editors for any purpose is a blockable offense. This includes re-inserting such content that was already removed, and its initial insertion. Users who post such information or links, or that re-insert them after their removal, may be blocked for the safety and protection of other editors.

JzG version:

By the same token, and by ruling of the arbitration committee, linking to attack sites, or sites that attempt to "out" the identities of Wikipedia editors is considered harassment, and users who do so may also be blocked.

The key difference (IMO) is the term "such information" - a deliberate use of what they like to call "weasel words" to encompass a far larger amount of potential material. After JzG removed that, Slimmy felt compelled to step in and specify that unlinked URL's would also be prohibited.

Anyway, folks, don't worry - we're not planning to prohibit links to Wikipedia from this site in response... However, we might have to set up a special "Guide to Unlinked References" subforum for people who are trying to understand on-wiki conversations that can now include only vague allusions to offsite material critical of Wikipedia in some way, or threaten the anonymity of certain admins.

[Jonny Cache]

Just a qwiki to file later —

Wikipedia:Administrators' Noticeboard/Incidents#User:DennyColt

One for the Jewels of Dennyal file —

As to what should be removed from, or included in the encyclopedia... It is a grey line. The trick I suppose is to draw the line at a site overall, because of the nature of it's content as a whole--do we gain as an encyclopedia by linking to x, to illustrate y? I think that the collateral fallout of z also is a major consideration. If a given website was the best authority EVER on a subject that is notable, and passed RS for that--but one or two clicks away was a section dedicated to defaming, libeling, or harassing people here--should we in good conscience link to or advertise/promote that site? Does doing so perpetuate and enable that harm to our fellow editors? "Do no harm." We are living persons, after all. - Denny (talk) 17:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

"Do no harm" ??? —

Positively Precious Bit from the Hypocritic Oaf !!!

Who am I kidding? You all know I'm just jealous. I really hate it when somebody puts my capacity for mockery to shame this way.

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Cedric]

Just a qwiki to file later —

Wikipedia:Administrators' Noticeboard/Incidents#User:DennyColt

One for the Jewels of Dennyal file —

As to what should be removed from, or included in the encyclopedia... It is a grey line. The trick I suppose is to draw the line at a site overall, because of the nature of it's content as a whole--do we gain as an encyclopedia by linking to x, to illustrate y? I think that the collateral fallout of z also is a major consideration. If a given website was the best authority EVER on a subject that is notable, and passed RS for that--but one or two clicks away was a section dedicated to defaming, libeling, or harassing people here--should we in good conscience link to or advertise/promote that site? Does doing so perpetuate and enable that harm to our fellow editors? "Do no harm." We are living persons, after all. - Denny (talk) 17:29, 7 April 2007 (UTC)

"Do no harm" ??? —

Positively Precious Bit from the Hypocritic Oaf !!!

Who am I kidding? You all know I'm just jealous, though. I really hate it when somebody puts my capacity for mockery to shame this way.

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

Well, I think it was inevitable that Denny would get put up on WP:ANI, given his rather aggressive "WP:BADSITES" crusade (with its particular emphasis on WR). A bit surprised that it was Danny T that started it, but maybe I shouldn't have been. I suppose from Danno's POV, it's rather hard to puncture a balloon without seeing what it is you're trying to poke a hole in (which makes sense, actually). Time to make popcorn!

In the Dennyverse, it would appear that "do no harm" means "cover your ass"-- an ample piece of real estate in Denny's case (or so I've been told (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/biggrin.gif) ).

[anon1234]

Wikipedia:Administrators' Noticeboard/Incidents#User:DennyColt

I don't want to focus too much on it, there is no need to go too meta on this sideline topic, because I do think that DennyColt is trolling us, trying to provoke responses from us which he can then point to and shout "look at how they retaliate" or similar claims in order to justify in an after-the-fact way this current crusade against us.

The best strategy, the one I recommend, is to ignore these provocations and attacks. If you ignore them and continue on as we normally do, then anyone who takes a risk and defends us on Wikipedia won't end up being bitten by any bad behavior that pops up that DennyColt can point to. If any of us chooses to retaliate, that individual can help DennyColt paint us all with a broad brush. DennyColt by himself is going to lose this battle, any retaliation on anyone else's part can only help him.

[Robster]

DennyColt's post is manipulation at its very best... or worst...

He writes "Attack sites are sites that are used to facilitate, promote, enable, or encourage harassment of Wikipedia editors and users" and then ignores his own definition to claim that WR is an attack site.

I'm a Wikipedia editor and user (hey, everyone has their faults) and nobody here is harassing me.

The only people being "harassed" -- and that's by a tortured definition of the word "harass" -- are the wild-eyed adminstrators, petty bureaucrats, and power-mad loons who are creating a schizophrenic, rule-laden, policy-heavy mess while calling it an encyclopedia.

I wish there were enough time to see how much of Wikipedia's page count is dedicated to policies, discussions of policies, discussions of people who discuss policies, discussions of discussions of people who discuss policies, and... well... this could get awfully recursive. But I suspect that it's becoming a substantial percentage of the wiki.

And it's their heavy-handed harassment of people who disagree with them that creates sites like this, after all.

So who's harassing who?

And as to WP:BADSITES... it's more proof that at Wikipedia, any idiot can write policy, and clearly some do.

[guy]

I'm a Wikipedia editor and user ... and nobody here is harassing me.

Ditto

[Jonny Cache]

I'm a Wikipedia editor and user ... and nobody here is harassing me.

Ditto

Your call is important to us ...

All of our harassers are presently occupied with other customers, but your call will be answered just as soon as one of our licensed harassment agents becomes available ...

Your call is Number 1296 in line, and should be answered in approximately 11 to 12 hours ...

... tall and tan and young and lovely,
the girl from Ipanema goes walking ...

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Jonny Cache]

Copying this here for the sake of continuity in the DennyColt case file, and also because all those humongous pics on the other thread are wearing out my scroll bar.

Or maybe English isn't his first language?

I don't think so ... it's not really "broken" English — what he writes is clearly intelligible, but it's full of poor spelling and grammar. Furthermore, the substance of his arguments are about what you would expect from an early adolescent who can't yet grasp the essence of what he's talking about.

It's a hypothesis. It's always conceivable that just the right combination of dumb luck and natural talent would explain the impact that he-she has had in the first 2½ months of his-her WP:LIFE.

I'm just going by what I myself was doing in my first few months of n00bh00d in Wikipedia, when I actually wasted gobs of time writing lots of articles and actually imagined that anybody in WP gave a RA about that.

Now, I long ago got used to the idea that I would always be an incredibly slow learner, so I've tried to discount for that in my estimations of DC's ediot savvy, but the idea of going right to the top of what all of us know — Now — to be an Utterly Phoney Arbitration Scam (UPAS) is something that seems a bit too precocious for me to believe.

And when I look at the diffs of those early skits that gave him-her the excuse to contact the Great And Powerful Crustacean, what I see is something more like somebody pretending to be a kid.

Of couse, it could just be my slow learning thing again ...

Jonny (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/cool.gif)

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[Starman]

It's a hypothesis. It's always conceivable that just the right combination of dumb luck and natural talent would explain the impact that he-she has had in the first 2½ months of his-her WP:LIFE.

Denny is trying at all costs to position himself the best way he can for RfA and he can't wait for that moment to arrive. I questioned his cunning and ability to forge alliances a few posts ago, but reading more of his contribs I think I was wrong. He's trying at all costs to make friends with some influential and established users by doing their dirty job. I compared him to Cyde and I think many similarities between Denny and Cyde at the beginning of his WP career can be observed except Cyde chose to ally himself with the very heart of the Cabal and succeeded using the same methods Denny uses now. However Denny lacks Cyde's intelligence and his nose to realize that it's better to STFU when the heat is on instead of happily jumping into the mud and make yourself look more of a fool than you already do. Just today he sadly embarrased himself at the RFA talk page with a ridiculous proposal that has been laughed at by every established user who passed by. He floundered miserably taking the initiative of proposing us to be included at the meta spamlist. But the worst mistake of judgement he made was to promote his own essay to policy and run amok enforcing it. That diff link can and will be used against him at his RfA unless he has the patience to wait for at least a year. No need to say that considering his impatient nature he won't hold for more than a few weeks and he'll end up very bruised.
I'm not worried about him. At this step he'll screw up really really bad sooner than later and will make a lot of people very angry. I've seen his kind come and go for more than a year. I'm only intrigued to see how much more damage the elephant loose in the china shop can cause.

[a view from the hive]

It's a hypothesis. It's always conceivable that just the right combination of dumb luck and natural talent would explain the impact that he-she has had in the first 2½ months of his-her WP:LIFE.

Denny is trying at all costs to position himself the best way he can for RfA and he can't wait for that moment to arrive. I questioned his cunning and ability to forge alliances a few posts ago, but reading more of his contribs I think I was wrong. He's trying at all costs to make friends with some influential and established users by doing their dirty job. I compared him to Cyde and I think many similarities between Denny and Cyde at the beginning of his WP career can be observed except Cyde chose to ally himself with the very heart of the Cabal and succeeded using the same methods Denny uses now. However Denny lacks Cyde's intelligence and his nose to realize that it's better to STFU when the heat is on instead of happily jumping into the mud and make yourself look more of a fool than you already do. Just today he sadly embarrased himself at the RFA talk page with a ridiculous proposal that has been laughed at by every established user who passed by. He floundered miserably taking the initiative of proposing us to be included at the meta spamlist. But the worst mistake of judgement he made was to promote his own essay to policy and run amok enforcing it. That diff link can and will be used against him at his RfA unless he has the patience to wait for at least a year. No need to say that considering his impatient nature he won't hold for more than a few weeks and he'll end up very bruised.
I'm not worried about him. At this step he'll screw up really really bad sooner than later and will make a lot of people very angry. I've seen his kind come and go for more than a year. I'm only intrigued to see how much more damage the elephant loose in the china shop can cause.

Come on, the hive (and yes, that is a joke..... it's become a lot more well, independent lately) isn't that thick...... this has made en-admins plenty of times with discussion.... the general feeling is it's someone's sock. From what I've read, I don't think a cabal support en masse is likely to happen, people have too many concerns.

[anon1234]

the hive (and yes, that is a joke..... it's become a lot more well, independent lately)

I agree with you on this point. I've noticed a change in the last year or so with new admins coming up to take the forefront who are display an independence of mind. Just the fact that there are more admins now helps significantly as it means that the opinion of each admin or admin faction is less influential overall.

I still like Citizendium's model of expert-reliance though, because in part there is less need for administrators over there (called constables) to deal with vague and difficult topics like sockpuppets and what not. Also on Citizendium, administrators/constables are more accountable than they are on Wikipedia. Citizendium is a more efficient system overall.

[a view from the hive]

the hive (and yes, that is a joke..... it's become a lot more well, independent lately)

I agree with you on this point. I've noticed a change in the last year or so with new admins coming up to take the forefront who are display an independence of mind. Just the fact that there are more admins now helps significantly as it means that the opinion of each admin or admin faction is less influential overall.

I still like Citizendium's model of expert-reliance though, because in part there is less need for administrators over there (called constables) to deal with vague and difficult topics like sockpuppets and what not. Also on Citizendium, administrators/constables are more accountable than they are on Wikipedia. Citizendium is a more efficient system overall.

If only they could find a short domain name that I could actually spell (IMG:smilys0b23ax56/default/smile.gif)