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_ General Discussion _ Admin gone gaga

Posted by: melloden

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Centrx has been making erratic edits recently.

So, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Arbitration_Committee/Noticeboard&diff=485919040&oldid=485849847.

And, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/AllProMojo?

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(melloden @ Sat 7th April 2012, 3:54pm) *
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/Centrx has been making erratic edits recently.

So, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Arbitration_Committee/Noticeboard&diff=485919040&oldid=485849847.

And, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/AllProMojo?

The erratic edits by Centrx and the stuff by AllProMojo sound awfully like they're the product of some deranged, out-of-control text-generating bot. The same one, probably. Thing is, it sounds more intelligible than most of the "human" admins.

Posted by: -DS-

Somebody remind me please.....is it written down somewhere what an admin might do to warrant desysopping? Or is it an arbitrary "The ArbCom is not amused" decision?

DS

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(-DS- @ Sat 7th April 2012, 8:52pm) *
Somebody remind me please.....is it written down somewhere what an admin might do to warrant desysopping? Or is it an arbitrary "The ArbCom is not amused" decision?

DS

It's like with wolves and lions, I think. When they see that one of the pack is ill, or wounded or showing any kind of distress at all they pounce on it and bring it down. It's like a jungle sometimes, it makes them wonder how they keep from going under, etc. Heh.

Posted by: Elara

Wow....what...the FUCK...

That almost reads like the bastard had some kind of psychotic break.

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(Elara @ Sun 8th April 2012, 11:15am) *
Wow....what...the FUCK...

That almost reads like the bastard had some kind of psychotic break.

Yet the spelling, punctuation and grammar is as close to perfect as you can get, apart from all the "Moo Oof Woof Yay", "Moo Oofs and Wig Wags" and "More Potato. O Tater To" stuff.

Posted by: Elara

QUOTE(Bottled_Spider @ Sun 8th April 2012, 5:31am) *

QUOTE(Elara @ Sun 8th April 2012, 11:15am) *
Wow....what...the FUCK...

That almost reads like the bastard had some kind of psychotic break.

Yet the spelling, punctuation and grammar is as close to perfect as you can get, apart from all the "Moo Oof Woof Yay", "Moo Oofs and Wig Wags" and "More Potato. O Tater To" stuff.


Indeed. To a very disturbing level, almost as if someone was parsing language as a set of rules instead of as a method for distributing concepts.

Time to crack open some books...something bothers me about this. I know the fucking WMF won't bother with appropriate action but if this is not a compromised account he could be undergoing something seriously wrong psychologically or worse.

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(Elara @ Sun 8th April 2012, 12:00pm) *
Indeed. To a very disturbing level, almost as if someone was parsing language as a set of rules instead of as a method for distributing concepts.

Time to crack open some books...something bothers me about this. I know the fucking WMF won't bother with appropriate action but if this is not a compromised account he could be undergoing something seriously wrong psychologically or worse.

On his own page he says "I have a keen eye for logical fallacy, rhetorical nonsense, and dictional and grammatic infirmity."

The "infirmity" started on the talk page of Wikipedia's Main Page with this http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Main_Page&diff=prev&oldid=485553948, on April 4th and goes on from there.

The "Compromised admin" thread on AN/I is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/IncidentArchive745#Compromised_admin, which concludes that the account isn't compromised, so either he's gone batshit (if still literate), is pissing about with text/chatbots or is a performance artist of some skill. Either way it's all very interesting.

Posted by: jsalsman

I predict that the account will be found to have been compromised by a teenage family member who was smart enough to re-point the account's email before editing the main page.

Posted by: mbz1

QUOTE(jsalsman @ Sun 8th April 2012, 4:07pm) *

I predict that the account will be found to have been compromised by a teenage family member who was smart enough to re-point the account's email before editing the main page.

Doubtful. An unusual editing has been going on for a few days.

Posted by: jsalsman

Someone should ask a sysadmin to pull the database backups from January to see if the email is the same.

I can't believe I'm giving Wikipedia security forensics advice on WR.

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(jsalsman @ Sun 8th April 2012, 9:10pm) *
Someone should ask a sysadmin to pull the database backups from January to see if the email is the same.

I can't believe I'm giving Wikipedia security forensics advice on WR.

I should imagine that the otherwise awful AGK was intelligent enough to think of that brilliant piece of Wikipedia security forensics when he http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=485886118.

Posted by: mbz1

QUOTE(Elara @ Sun 8th April 2012, 10:15am) *


That almost reads like the bastard had some kind of psychotic break.

Not sure about this admin, but Night Ranger  (T-C-L-K-R-D) has been having a never ending psychotic break.
This sicko loves to template user pages. So it templated http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User%3ACentrx&diff=485932338&oldid=458521297 user page of Centrx with template {{compromised}}. After an admin http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk%3ANight_Ranger&diff=485933694&oldid=485072569 it: "You need to stop messing with people's user pages. If a page needs to be tagged, let someone who has a better track record of accurate tagging do it", night ranger http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:28bytes&diff=prev&oldid=485947994:
QUOTE
Blarg

Babble bebble bibble. Also, penis. Night Ranger (talk) 18:37, 6 April 2012 (UTC)



And now tell me why Centrx is blocked, and Night Ranger is not. confused.gif

Posted by: Somey

I see this as a positive example of refreshing honesty and frankness, personally. After all, regardless of what the average Wikipedia administrator might post on your talk page after you've broken some obscure/silly/arbitrary rule or other, this:

QUOTE
Blarg ... Babble bebble bibble. Also, penis.

...is almost certainly what that admin is actually thinking. (Especially that last bit!)

So, far from being "desysopped" or blocked, I'd say Mr. Ranger here should be promoted to "Steward."

Posted by: jsalsman

There is nothing in the checkuser extension that can see whether the email address associated with an account is the same as it was three or more months ago. Only the sysadmins can do that, and only if they examine the private (i.e., non-toolserver visible) backups.

If the account impostor is from the same household, such as a mischievous adolescent consistent with the recent account behavior is likely to be, then checkuser is worthless.

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(jsalsman @ Mon 9th April 2012, 8:32am) *
There is nothing in the checkuser extension that can see whether the email address associated with an account is the same as it was three or more months ago. Only the sysadmins can do that, and only if they examine the private (i.e., non-toolserver visible) backups.

If the account impostor is from the same household, such as a mischievous adolescent consistent with the recent account behavior is likely to be, then checkuser is worthless.

Part of the checking process involved actually http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&diff=prev&oldid=485887132 with the guy in question, so presumably there is no mischievous adolescent involved unless he is one himself. Hello?

QUOTE(Somey @ Mon 9th April 2012, 7:27am) *
...... this:
QUOTE
Blarg ... Babble bebble bibble. Also, penis.

...is almost certainly what that admin is actually thinking. (Especially that last bit!)

So, far from being "desysopped" or blocked, I'd say Mr. Ranger here should be promoted to "Steward."

He's maybe one of those people that uses some sort of speech-to-text facility in which case it's what he's actually saying. Either way it doesn't bear thinking about (though I just have).

Posted by: Text

"Semi-automated robot goes crazy and gets blocked"

Do you remember Can't sleep, clown will eat me?

Posted by: Tarc

People, calm the fuck down. Note;

QUOTE("Centrx")
I am stuck in space and time. Please be polite and respectful. We are going somewhere. I will see you soon. Please stay around and come back to talk, or do not go forever. This is the request I hear.


we can infer that Centrx at some point became the Doctor's new companion, and all that wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff is just getting to him. He'll be ok. Maybe.

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(Tarc @ Mon 9th April 2012, 5:27pm) *
People, calm the fuck down. Note;
QUOTE("Centrx")
...... do not go forever. This is the request I hear.

I like those bits. He's obviously channeling Dylan Thomas (Do not go gentle into that good night) and a cryptic Times crossword clue in only ten words. Takes skill, that.

Posted by: jsalsman

QUOTE(Bottled_Spider @ Mon 9th April 2012, 3:18am) *
Part of the checking process involved actually http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&diff=prev&oldid=485887132 with the guy in question, so presumably there is no mischievous adolescent involved unless he is one himself.
That's why I suggested checking to see if his email had been changed between the time of his completely normal editing last year and adding existential questions to the top of the Main Page.

Posted by: Bottled_Spider

QUOTE(jsalsman @ Mon 9th April 2012, 8:59pm) *
QUOTE(Bottled_Spider @ Mon 9th April 2012, 3:18am) *
Part of the checking process involved actually http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Incidents&diff=prev&oldid=485887132 with the guy in question, so presumably there is no mischievous adolescent involved unless he is one himself.
That's why I suggested checking to see if his email had been changed between the time of his completely normal editing last year and adding existential questions to the top of the Main Page.

Yes. Perhaps that's one of the questions they asked him. Perhaps they asked him "Hey, Centrx, what's the chance that your email's been changed since last year and some mischievous adolescent hijacked and compromised your account? Eh? Go on, tell us!". Yep...... it's a mystery.