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Talk:Regular polytope

Regular polytopes in nature
I don't think it makes sense to talk about "regular polytopes in nature", unless some shape is a projection of a higher-dimensional polytope. Otherwise, it's just "regular polyhedra in nature", and should go there instead.

We already talk about tesseracts in popular culture on tesseract. I would be amazed if any other higher polytope arose in the media. We also already have other pages that talk about crystals, tilings, etc. -- Walt Pohl 07:12, 17 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * Noted. mike40033 03:02, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * I plan to gradually fill in the empty sections first. Then I or you can rearrange as we see fit. mike40033 03:23, 23 Mar 2004 (UTC)

 * In fact, much of the polygons and polyhedra bits are about regular symmetries rather than regular polygons/hedra. I think the whole thing needs moving to a different page - on its own or part of a more general "Polygons and polyhedra in nature", with just a few choice bits kept/repeated back here. Steelpillow 17:29, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

Abstract regular polytopes
I still need a better explanation of these: is it possible to provide an illustration of a lower-dimensional analogy, such as the hemi-cube alluded to, or possibly a hemi-square to start with? --Phil | Talk 11:19, Oct 13, 2004 (UTC)

That is a brilliant picture: kudos! However it does raise some interesting questions. If you join the opposite edges—not exactly the equivalent but similar—of a square, you end up with several different distinct entities dependent upon how you combine the equivalent edges: whether they are reversed or not. For example if you take a square and combine the opposite edges in the same sense, you get a torus: +---+ |  | |   | |   | +---+ However if you reverse the sense of one pair of edges you get a klein bottle: +->-+ |  | |   | |   | +-<-+ If you reverse both pairs of edges you get a real projective plane: +->-+ |  | ^   V |   | +-<-+ I'm not remembering this very well, I think it was in Godel Escher Bach. Anyway, what effect does this consideration have on one of these "hemi-"hedra? --Phil | Talk 08:03, Nov 4, 2004 (UTC)
 * I can try - when I get time... --mike40033 05:06, 3 Nov 2004 (UTC)
 * Ok, done. Does this help?? --mike40033 07:24, 4 Nov 2004 (UTC)

 * Here, you are thinking about what happens to the "interior" of the square, when you join edges in various ways. This is delving into topology, which I admit is not my forte. In the context of abstract polytopes, the "interior" may not be so well-defined, so the "right" question is not what happens to the interior, but to the exterior. And in the process described, the faces are not so much "joined", but rather are "identified" in the sense of "being treated as identical". So if I "identify" opposite edges and corners of the square, I end up with a two sided figure, with two vertices. (What do we call such figures? Let's let bigons be bigons). If you did the same to a hexagon, you'd be left with a triangle :

A 1 B                  A=D *---*                  *   6/     \2             3=6/ \1=4  F*       *C     --->     *---* 5\    /3            C=F 2=5 B=E *---*        E 4 D Or, We could identify A,C and E together, as well as {B,D,F}, {1,3,5} and {2,4,6} and get a digon again.

A 1  B                                                                      +---+ |  |                                                 4|   |2                                                 |   |                                                  +---+                                                 D  3  C                                               If we identify 1 and 3 and preserve the sense, B and C must be identified. Then, the edge 2 has only 1 vertex. It forms a little loop back from BC to BC. That might be fine in some contexts, but not in the context of abstract polytopes.
 * Here, the edges are being identified in the "opposite" sense, as they are for the square and the cube. This is not because they always have to be (sometimes even, it doesn't make sense to talk about the opposite sense). Rather, because that's the only way that "works properly" for the square and the cube.

 * Having said this, although the square has only one proper quotient (the digon), some polytopes have many, depending on the "sense" in which the faces are identified. The cube, for example, has three proper quotients. One is the hemicube, another is a "digonal" (not "diagonal") prism, and the third is a shape with only two vertices, and three digons for faces (I call this a "banana"). The tesseract has 7 proper quotients (if I counted correctly). Other polytopes have none (eg the tetrahedron, or the 11-cell or 57-cell)

--mike40033 07:12, 9 Nov 2004 (UTC)
 * I think the more standard name for the "banana" is a trigonal hosohedron. Double sharp (talk) 03:41, 28 February 2015 (UTC)

Approximate construction, theoretical vs real
This article has degraded significantly due to (what appears a single editor's) concentration on theoretical vs real construction. I rm a large block that went into way too much detail on these points, but there is more yet to fix.

There is a vast difference between the real and the ideal; what is possible in one sphere may be impossible in the other; what is impractical in the former may be essential in the latter. This page is not the proper place to open this philosophical can of worms. Regular polytope is a theoretical classification and that should be the main thrust of the article. There is certainly room for exploration of practical approximate constructions; but not here. John Reid 22:11, 27 March 2006 (UTC)

 * There is always the danger of straying too far from regularity on a page like this, and especially of mistaking symmetry for regularity. For example, what are the fullerenes doing on here? Steelpillow 21:38, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

Star polyhedra
On the issue as to whether the regular star polyhedra were known before Kepler. Jamnitzer's "great stellated dodecahedron" is sometimes offered as an example, but on close inspection its arms do not have coplanare facelets - it is a 60-faced polyhedron. One might argue for ever about the others, so I have tried to use a slightly more accurate, but non-committal, phrasing. Steelpillow 21:23, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

mistaken attribution of modern concepts to historic figures in history section
I pointed this out in the FA review, but maybe I should put it here as well. The current history section implicitly claims that the Greeks had a definition for, or used the term, regular polytope: "For almost 2000 years, the concept of a regular polytope remained as developed by the ancient Greek mathematicians." It seems unlikely to me that the Greeks had any definition at all for a "regular polytope", but I could be wrong. The article goes on to say At the start of the 20th century, the definition of a regular polytope was as follows. ... but no source for this definition was given, although one is needed. Who gave this definition at the beginning of the 20th century?

What seems to be true is that the history section describes previous discoveries that are now included in the definition of regular polytopes. That is fine, and should be included in the article, but the wording needs improvement. CMummert · talk 14:50, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

 * I agree with the thrust of what you say. To say that the Greek work applies to the concept of 'polytopes' is wrong: it applied to polygons and polyhedra. The idea of polytopes did not appear until the 19th century. Coxeter tells that Hoppe coined the term in 1882, a few decades after Schläfli had discovered some of the regular ones. So yes, some rephrasing is in order. Steelpillow 17:05, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

No mention of convex polytopes
While not disputing anything which is present in this article, it is certainly reasonable to mention a convex polytope (which many people simply call a polytope) as being the convex hull of a finite set of points. In general, these do lack all the nice symmetries of the the objects discussed in the text. However, this is a common enough object of study to deserve some mention, and at a minimum a reference to another section. Gmichaelguy 01:38, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Yes this is definitely worth mentioning, however polytope is probably the better article to mention this in, and indeed there is a whole section devoted to this there. --Salix alba (talk) 06:42, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

Failed GA
This article has failed the GA noms due to a lack of inline citations. This article would also benefit by talking about polytopes in everyday life. Tarret 00:42, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Ummmm, the article does have a number of reliable references. And it does have inline cites; they are Harvard style references.  On top of that, inline cites are not required for "Good Articles".  Read 2b at WP:WIAGA; they're required for material that is likely to be challenged.

 * I'm not sure what you mean by "polytopes in everyday life". There's a whole section of the article describing polytopes in nature; is this not it?

 * Did you even read the article? Lunch 17:46, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Agree with Lunch over inline cites. However I would fail the article in its present state. Since it glory days as an FA the article is now out of balance. Reciently the information of polyhedra has been cut out and moved. Too much weight is given to abstract regular polytopes. I think the article needs a careful rethink and restructure to get it back to GA or higher status. The main question to me is what is the focus of the article? is it as an overview of polygons, polyhedra and higher dimensions or should it focus mainly on the higher dimensions leaving the polygons and polyhedra to their respective articles? --Salix alba (talk) 18:05, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

I confess to moving much material onto other pages. To tell you the truth, I was a bit mystified why this article was rated so highly at the time. It seemed to be telling a story that belonged across a whole set of pages, not just one, and the detail it went into was a bit limited in scope: lots on individual polyhedra such as the regular stars but very little on higher polytopes. It also spoke as if the word "polytope" would have been familiar to Plato and chums - hardly! Besides moving stuff off, I went searching for more material/links to the higher polytopes, only to find that the categorisation of pages under 'polychoron' and 'polytope' was horribly muddled, and I got sidetracked into a lot of category gardening. I also added a placeholder for the regular complex polytopes. I don't think there's too much on abstract polytopes, though it needs correction: Gr¨nbaum's apeirohedra are far from abstract. Just, we need more about the other kinds to balance things up a bit. Meanwhile, "polytopes in everyday life?" Well I suppose we could see if any Timelords have a User page, but User:Doctor Who seems strangely vacant. Seriously, that stuff belongs on the Regular polygon and Regular polyhedron pages, with no more than a few highlights and pointers on here. -- Steelpillow 19:14, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Aaah, now this is a good discussion about the article. Thank you.  I just took strong exception to Tarret's characterization of the article and reasons for failing it.  Lunch 20:35, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

 * Suddenly I thought, "No Schläfli symbols! Heaven knows how this article ever got it's old FA status." Anyway, I finally got back to filling in some missing bits. It still needs lots of things doing, but at least (IMHO) it has no major structural defects any more. I think Tarret did the right thing for the wrong reasons. Let's hope things begin to look up from now on. -- Steelpillow 18:40, 20 June 2007 (UTC)

I'll bite
So, what does it mean to "construct[ a book] along the lines of a Bruckner symphony"? —Tamfang (talk) 03:45, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

 * As far as I can recall, some of it was to do with the development of several themes a bit at a time, returning to each theme at intervals throughout the work. To make some other point Coxeter even printed a snatch of some musical score, which went waay above my head. I moved on. -- Steelpillow (talk) 22:55, 13 January 2008 (UTC)

Definitions?
Unless I've missed something, this article does not contain a vital piece of information: a definition. And if I have missed it, it should be featured more prominently, either before the contents or immediately after! ("Higher-dimensional analogue" won't do.) I'll do this myself if I find time, but it'd be great if someone else does before me. Dea13 (talk) 20:56, 25 March 2008 (UTC)

 * Well spotted. I'll race you for the apathy prize. BTW I have recently found out that a certain branch of mathematics to do with topology and stuff uses a rather different definition from the rest of us. I am waiting for a library copy of Grünbaum's "Convex polytopes", which I hope will yield some clues when it arrives. -- Steelpillow (talk) 20:28, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Are you looking for a formal definition? If so, it might be something along the lines of:
 * Definition. An n-dimensional convex polytope is the set of all points x satisfying the inequality $$Ax \leq b$$ where A is an m×n matrix and b is a constant n-dimensional column vector. Or, equivalently, a polytope is the set of points satisfying a set of m linear inequalities.

 * A face is a set of points that satisfy the equality condition on one or more rows of A. (I.e., they satisfy k linear equalities, where each equality is obtained from some row of A by replacing the inequality sign with the equality sign. Obviously, k<m.) A face satisfying (n-j) equalities is a j-dimensional face, denoted a j-face. If a face satisfies n equalities, it is called a vertex, and consists of a single point.

 * A polytope is regular iff all of its j-faces are transitive, for all 0≤j≤n. (I.e., it is isomorphic under all permutations of its j-faces, for any given j.)

This definition (or its various equivalents) can be easily obtained from current mathematical literature. (See for example Komei Fukuda's papers, or Coxeter's publications.) Would this serve as a good starting point of a formal definition? —Tetracube (talk) 17:16, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

 * Formal definitions have varied over the years, for example Coxeter's definition in his book "Regular polytopes" differs somewhat from Grünbaum's in his more recent "Convex polytopes" (idiot that I am, I noted and then lost Grünbaum's definition). Most recently, a geometric n-polytope is understood to be a faithful realisation of an abstract polytope in real n-space. But even here, things like complex polytopes differ. The definitions given above in terms of point sets are yet another approach, which may be made compatible with the "faithful realisation" idea - see for example Johnson's | Polytopes - abstract and real. Other problems arise over whether tilings of n-spaces and/or of (n-1)-spheres should be understood as polytopes or not, and so forth. I tried to put some order into this chaos for the polyhedron article. Fell free to steal ideas, or come up with something better. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 19:01, 29 September 2008 (UTC)

 * You are right that it's quite a zoo out there once you dig deeper. :-) Komei Fukuda, for example, admits unbounded polytopes as the general case of the set of points satisfying a system of linear inequalities. Others allow polytopes with infinite number of facets (e.g., the zigzagging polyline). Yet others consider space tilings as polytopes, since a convex polytope may be regarded as a tiling of spherical space (the same people would also consider as polytopes tilings of hyperbolic space). So, to one-up such generalizations, we have the abstract polytopes which are purely combinatorial structures satisfying certain properties, but not necessarily representable geometrically.

 * Nevertheless, as far as convex regular polytopes are concerned, which is the scope of this article, the subtle differences between these definitions are irrelevant. I think pretty much all sources agree on what convex regular polytopes are, and we know their precise enumerations in n dimensions (infinite number of regular polygons in 2D, 5 Platonic solids in 3D, 6 convex regular polychora in 4D, and 3 regular n-polytopes thereafter for all n>4). It's when we try to generalize this that we start getting into trouble. Coxeter, for example, allows star polytopes (with facets consisting of lower-dimensional regular stars): these aren't problematic as long as you stick to the regularity condition, since there are no regular stars beyond 4D; but once you admit other types of constituent facets (e.g., Archimedean cells, non-regular star polyhedra), you start getting into the forest. Jonathan Bowers, for example, enumerated over 8000 uniform star polychora, many with strange exotic cells, until the Uniform Polychora Project decided to refine the definition of what constitutes a permissible polychoron and thus reduced the count to about 1000+. One may imagine admitting self-intersecting space tilings that resemble star polyhedra, for example (as strange as that may sound, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody had actually studied such things). Also, once convexity is dropped, hemi-polytopes are also admitted, which give rise to such objects as the 57-cell. All of the chaos comes from relaxing one (or both) of regularity and convexity.—Tetracube (talk) 19:26

 * Tetracube says above, "...as far as convex regular polytopes are concerned, which is the scope of this article, ". No. The article is titled Regular polytope, nothing about convexity there. Of course it could be moved to Regular convex polytope, but that begs the question what to leave behind. In his Convex polytopes, Grünbaum tended to leave out the word "convex", explaining that this saved thousands of unnecessary repetitions throughout the book. Unfortunately, the unwary reader all too often forgets that some theoretical result for "polytopes" is explicitly restricted to the convex variety. Such results are seldom valid for star polytopes. Quoting them out of context has led to people mistakenly assuming/asserting that "polytope", unqualified, must refer by definition to the convex variety. In turn, this has led to a lot of unhelpfully-worded literature and some deep confusions. The present article concerns regular polytopes, which include a very small subset of Grünbaum's convex polytopes, together with another small set of star polytopes. So when I think about it, Grünbaum's definition of convex polytopes is not particularly relevant here - which is especially confusing, since the majority of modern definitions (or at least their justifications) derive from his work on the convex variety. The problem I had with trying to explain any of this background in the article is that much of it comprises OR (e.g. correspondence with Grünbaum). Coxeter's definition, though older, is both more relevant and less mired in confusion. I'll try to find time to look it up. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 07:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

 * Mea culpa. So we're talking about regular polytopes and not merely convex regular polytopes. Would this include regular tesselations? :) As far as Coxeter is concerned, I believe his approach is to define regular polygons (including starred polygons), and then constructing higher-dimensional polytopes with these as the basis. This would give us the familiar convex regular polytopes and star polytopes up to 4D, and then only the simplex, measure, and cross from 5D onwards. I think this is reasonable enough for the scope of this article.—Tetracube (talk) 17:46, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

 * D'oh! We are not really defining a polytope here, just the regular varitey. It is sufficient to say something like, "A regular polytope is a polytope which is transitive on its flags, thus having the highest degree of symmetry. All its elements - cells, faces and so on - are regular polytopes of lesser dimension. All its elements in a given dimension are also transitive on the symmetries of the polytope." Any good? -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 19:12, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

 * What about just transitivity between all j-faces for all 0≤j≤n, where n is the dimension of the polytope?—Tetracube (talk) 22:20, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

 * OK. I have rewritten the lead accordingly. Feel free to improve on it. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 06:58, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, the article looks much better now. Just one question, the end of the first paragraph currently states:

 * A regular polytope in n dimensions may alternatively be defined as having regular cells (n-1 faces) and regular vertex figures.

Is having regular vertex figures sufficient for the polytope to be regular? Is it at all possible for a polytope to have different, but regular, vertex figures for different vertices, which would disqualify it from being regular? Just checking.—Tetracube (talk) 16:42, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

 * Yes it is sufficient. If all the faces are regular and all the vertex figures are regular, then it follows that the polytope is regular. Since regularity may be defined in terms of the transitivity of flags, this boils down to the fact that if all the faces are transitive on their flags and so are all the vertex figures, then there is no room for a different kind of vertex or face to creep in, and the whole figure must be transitive on its flags. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 11:01, 3 October 2008 (UTC)

 * WRONG - see my section below Talk:Regular polytopeSteveWoolf (talk) 21:44, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Irrelevant material
Also, we really should consider moving some of the material on this page to polytope, since a lot of it is applicable to non-regular polytopes as well.—Tetracube (talk) 22:24, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

 * In general, yes. However some points on regularity will be easier to understand if a few basics on polytopes are repeated in the text. Also, the discussions for specific dimensionalities need the same treatment. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 06:58, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

Is alternative definition is correct?
"A regular polytope in n dimensions may alternatively be defined as having regular cells (n − 1 faces) and regular vertex figures".

No! A square pyramid is NOT regular, but satisfies the above. I think what you meant was identical regular facets and identical regular vertex figures. SteveWoolf (talk) 21:29, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Relax!!! If a correction is clear, there's no need for discussion. Well, I changed it, but perhaps could be better worded. Tom Ruen (talk) 21:45, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

 * You're right, I should relax. Instead of worrying about every thing that needs cleaning up, I think I'll instead appreciate the amazing co-operation that's going on (re polytopes, but Wikipedia in general too) - and the truly creative work of some people - most visibly, the amazing graphics, but all the other stuff too. Thanks. SteveWoolf (talk) 21:58, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

A square pyramid does not have regular vertex figures. I think you will find that the definition of a regular n-polytope, in terms of regular (n-1)-faces and regular vertex figures, is quite widely accepted in the literature. FYI the condition that all vertex figures be regular ensures that all faces are congruent, and vice versa. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 23:05, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

I gave you a counterexample which you failed to disprove. Nor did you cite or quote such literature, which I think you have not understood. YOU SAY "A square pyramid does not have regular vertex figures". So which vertex figure is not regular? ALL of the facets and vertex figures are triangles and squares, and they are ALL REGULAR. You are confusing regular with "same" or isomorphic. SteveWoolf (talk) 07:44, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Sorry, I really did not expect such an elementary proof to be necessary. Space forbids full rigor, but one may proceed something like this: A square pyramid has one regular 4-valent vertex and four 3-valent vertices. It therefore has one square vertex figure (which we know to be regular) and four triangular vertex figures. Any proof rests on whether the four associated triangular vertex figures can all be regular at the same time. Each triangle is bounded by slices, or sections, through a corner of one square face and corners of two triangular faces. For the vertex figure to be regular, these sections must all be equal in length. This requires the corner angles of the triangular faces to equal that of the square face, i.e. 90 degrees. The proof that this construction fails to lead to a finite pyramid is trivial.
 * I am not sure how far the definition under dispute goes back (in three dimensions), but if not to Plato then it goes at least as far as Poinsot's paper in which he first described the set of regular star polyhedra:
 * L. Poinsot, Mémoire sur les polygones et les polyèdres, Journal del' École Polytechnique, 4 (1810), pp. 16-49.
 * It is in 19th century French and rather verbose, so good luck to you. You may find my translations of Cauchy and Bertrand's subsequent papers helpful - they may be found here. Note however that Poinsot's definition of "convex" is no longer in use. Since you confine your "counter-example" to three dimensions, I trust that I may do the same with my references. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 11:57, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks SteelPillow for your response. My humble apologies, I was wrong, if not 100%. The misunderstanding here arises from my viewing things from an abstract polytope viewpoint. In abstract theory, all polygons are regular - there are no such things as angles and lengths of sides. As SteelPillow says, the 4 triangular vertex figures of a classical square pyramid cannot all regular. Therefore, I am satisfied that the square pyramid is NOT a counterexample.

In the abstract world, I suspect the alternative defn does not stand up. I shall be looking into this matter and hopefully reporting back with an informed conclusion. Meanwhile if any of you can shed further light on this please do.

I think this highlights what I have said elsewhere. Abstract and classical polytopes are different concepts, however closely related. Therefore statements about polytopes should, ideally, be very clear about what polytopes they mean. However, given that classical polytopes are ancient and abstract very new, the sensible default must be: a polytope is classical unless specifically stated to be abstract. Therefore, the onus should be on us abstractists to either (1) Modify existing articles to mention relevant differences in the abstract cases, or (2) Create entirely separate articles where appropriate, i.e. if the content has very little overlap. Much of the polygon article, for example, doesn't apply to abstact polygons. SteveWoolf (talk) 16:01, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Thanks Guy, I should have caught this implication as well, but shows it needs explaining to be clear. Tom Ruen (talk) 19:19, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Okay, research completed, matter resolved hopefully. ALL abstract polygons are regular (McMullen-Shulte in ARP p11, last sentence). Since all the facets and vertex figures of an abstract square pyramid are polygons, though not identical, they too are all abstractly regular - so the criterion clearly is insufficient in the abstract case, and the article should qualify its assertion. Steelpillow, as far as I can tell, is right and I wrong in the classical case.

 * As I explained above, we must now all become more aware that classical and abstract polytopes are not the same (and, e.g., regularity doesn't have the same meaning in the two worlds).SteveWoolf (talk) 06:21, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

OK I have put some basics in the Abstract polytopes section. There is clearly more to be said, but I do not know enough abstract theory to say more than I have. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 20:20, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

Have fixed it up, hopefully now clearer and more precise. It's better to use "classical" as the opposite of abstract; abstract concepts are very much considered as part of geometry, especially in Wikipedia, so geometric doesn't highlight the contrast. I intend shortly to provide a very short Glossary for the Abstract polytopes article, using McMullen-Shulte's ARP as the standard.SteveWoolf (talk) 03:10, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

Vertex figures of abstract polytopes
Could someone clarify the definition of the vertex figure of an abstract polytope? The current definition is not adequately explained (what do F and Fn refer to?). Thanks!—Tetracube (talk) 04:33, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Sure. Fn means the n-face, i.e. the global face, the whole polytope effectively. F is just any face. I have done my best to explain the concepts step by step, particularly section, in the main Abstract polytope article. See if you can plough your way through that up to where vertex figure is defined. Then, if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to help. If any of (my part of) the article seems unclear, I'll try to improve it. SteveWoolf (talk) 04:55, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Thanks for the clarification; I do understand the concept but in terms of this article, the definition given needs to be explained clearly, otherwise it's not helpful to a new reader. I'll try to re-word it to be more standalone.—Tetracube (talk) 05:05, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

 * OK, I've reworded it slightly to make it clear what the various symbols are referring to. Just a quick question for my own understanding, though: how would the (abstract) vertex figure of a cube, say, correspond with its classical vertex figure? Under the current definition, the abstract vertex figure would be 3 square faces surrounding the vertex, but the classical vertex figure is a triangle. How do these two correspond? (Or am I misunderstanding something here?) Thanks.—Tetracube (talk) 05:15, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

 * The abstract thing is tricky, but once you get it it makes perfect sense and is so elegant you'll never want to think any other way! First, you have to understand the Hasse Diagram - see the good example of the square pyramid in Abstract polytope  - I'll return to a cube later. We will derive the vertex figure of the apex a. According to the abstract definition, then, we need the section of faces F such that a<= F <=abcde - the latter is the global face. Look at the Hasse diagram, and see which faces lie "between" a and abcde inclusive.  If you now take this subset only, including the "connections", it is of course a smaller Hasse diagram. Now draw the Hasse diagram of a square pqrs - not forgetting the null face and the global face. You will see it is the same, and in abstract theory, that makes it the same polytope. So the vertex figure is a square. A Hasse diagram is, of course, merely a picture of a poset or partially ordered set. You will find the cube generates quite a big Hasse Diagram, but you will see every vertex has a triangular VF, if you try it. Draw big and neatly to avoid getting confused! Using colours to highlight sections helps too.

 * Feel free to let me know if this still not clear. And if you can express some of this better in the RP article, try! But it's not easy to give a comprehensible explanation of AP's in a short space, and it might be more effective just to provide links to the AP article. Over time I will improve the AP article further as well as create new Articles specifically for abstract concepts. SteveWoolf (talk) 07:38, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

 * OK, so if I understand it right, we are not really that concerned about the fact that the original faces of the cube are squares, because the Hasse diagram that results from performing the section operation is isomorphic to the Hasse diagram of a triangle, and therefore the vertex figure is a triangle. Am I right?—Tetracube (talk) 17:17, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Yes, that is exactly right. SteveWoolf (talk) 05:43, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

Here is another way to look at it - and a question. Consider some geometric realisation of a polytope, say a cube. Choose some vertex and find the section as above. The elements of this section are realised as the faces and edges incident on the vertex, together with the vertex itself and the body of the cube. Geometrically, this is known as the vertex star. The abstract structure of the vertex star is just that of the vertex figure - abstractly they have the same structure. But there is one subtle difference: the elements of the vertex star are also elements of the abstract cube, while the elements of the vertex figure are not. If that does not yet make sense to you, consider the ordered sets {a, b, c, d} and {e, f, g, h}. They both have the same structure, but do not contain the same elements. Do McMullen and Schulte use the term "vertex figure" to describe the abstract vertex star? -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 18:02, 18 November 2008 (UTC)

 * You are correct - your vertex star is isomorphic to the vertex figure. However, our formal abstract theory defines dimension of the minimal face as -1, so as the vertex star "becomes" an AP, all its faces drop a dimension. I guess this subtlety is just part of abstract mathematics, where the philosophy tends to be "whatever works" however counter-intuitive at first. And this defn of vertex figure is not only elegant, it works like a charm! Bye the way, the dual of a vertex figure is also the corresponding facet of the dual of the polytope, which is easy to see by looking at a Hasse diagram.

 * If you look at the Shulte/Weiss book at

 * http://arxiv.org/abs/math/0608397v1

 * on P2, you'll find this definition of vertex figure. I don't have ARP, but this book says it is summarising the Basic Notions from ARP.

 * Hope this resolves everything. SteveWoolf (talk) 07:34, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Yes, thanks. -- Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 21:36, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

I put the abstact vertex figure definition back to how it was. First, Fn is not the polytope, only its maximal face, which, however esoteric, is an important distinction. Second, the notation {F | V ≤ F ≤ Fn} is absolutely standard throughout set theory, order theory, and abstract polytope literature. It is misleading to say "ranges over [the polytope]" because not all faces are part of the section. The mathematically rigorous way to express "Ranges over" is

 * {F $$ \in $$ P | V ≤ F ≤ Fn}

where P is the polytope (poset). The symbol $$ \in $$ means "is an element of". But including this now puts you in the position of explaining more theory and in my opinion make the expression less accessible. Regards SteveWoolf (talk) 05:37, 19 November 2008 (UTC)

 * I think you're missing the point here. My original intention is to point out that, as it currently stands, the use of the symbols "Fn" and "F" in this section is unexplained, and so an unacquianted reader will not know what they mean. I tried to fix it, but obviously my understanding isn't quite right. But regardless, the bottom line is that these symbols need to be defined, whether it's saying "Fn is the maximal face of the polytope" or adding a link to the appropriate section in abstract polytope, or something else. We cannot assume that the reader has read abstract polytope, especially since the scope of this article is at a more classical level, and readers may not have had the interest to follow the link to abstract polytope. Since you're most familiar with abstract polytopes, can you please add to this section what these symbols mean in the context of the current page? Thanks.—Tetracube (talk) 01:53, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Okay, point taken, I'm working on it. SteveWoolf (talk) 03:06, 20 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Done, but keep in mind if you now want more clarification, this will end up including half the AP article! It just isn't possible to compress a course in AP into a tiny space in a way that everyone will understand. Hope you feel we now have a reasonable balance, but if not, don't let me muzzle you. I am 100% as keen as you that articles should be clear and complete. But you can't put an enormous picture of Rome on a roadsign to Rome - just an arrow, road number, and distance (and a bit of graffiti perhaps). SteveWoolf (talk) 04:34, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

 * It looks very good, thanks! All I was really looking for was some description of what the symbols mean; the reader can always dig deeper by reading abstract polytope if he wants to.—Tetracube (talk) 17:53, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

 * Great - seems like we have a really good team in Wiki's polytope world. Some of us have oversized egos at times but I have been pleasantly surprised to see how finding the right answers always seems to triumph. I think this integrity over territorialism is very encouraging. Despite the OR restriction, Wiki may the only place where AP theory especially is accessible to a wider audience - and this just might have a catalytic effect on the whole field, now is in its infancy. SteveWoolf (talk) 22:09, 20 November 2008 (UTC)

cube/octahedron hybrid vs octahedron
When is a cube/octahedron hybrid an octahedron, as currently stated in the section on Higher-dimensional polytopes?

The thing is, the cuboctahedron is not regular. As such, it cannot easily serve as a lower-dimensional analogue of a higher-dimensional regular figure.

The figure described as a "cube/octahedron hybrid" is the 16-cell, having 16 tetrahedral cells or 3-facets and 8 vertices. I am unhappy enough about that description - where is the cube nature of the 16-cell in all this? One cannot rely on numerology alone, for different symmetries can throw up the same numbers. Here for example the symmetry of the 8 vertices in four dimensions is quite different from the symmetry of the cube's 8 vertices in 3 dimensions, despite sharing the same "8". Extrapolating that non-cubic symmetry to a "cuboctahedron" is an even greater step.

Anyway, whatever current researchers might think, I have put up a citation tag in the hope that a peer-reviewed or other equally respectable reference can be found - if not, in due course it'll have to go.

— Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 19:37, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

 * You misread the parallel: it was cube:cuboctahedron:octahedron :: tesseract:24cell:16cell. Still, it's sloppy language.  How do you like my rewrite?  —Tamfang (talk) 20:52, 18 July 2012 (UTC)

 * OK, I get it now. I edited to try and explain even more clearly. Any good? — Cheers, Steelpillow (Talk) 20:07, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

 * Swell. —Tamfang (talk) 20:49, 19 July 2012 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 04:06, 30 April 2016 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Regular polytope


text:
Cut Bank Creek

The Cut Bank Creek is a tributary of the Marias River in the Missouri River basin watershed, approximately 75 mi (123 km) long, in northwestern Montana in the United States, which having deeply eroded steep cliff banks eponymously gives name to the cut bank formal terrain term of geological science.

It rises in the Rocky Mountains in Glacier National Park at the continental divide and flows ENE onto the foothills and plains of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, then southeast, past Cut Bank, Montana where it forms a scenic gorge 150 ft deep spanned by an elevated railway bridge just a mile from the town's Amtrak rail transport system passenger station and BNSF railway freight yards. The river and cliff there are prototypical giving rise to the eponymous formally named "cut bank" geographic terrain feature archetype. In southeastern Glacier County, approximately 12 mi (19 km) southeast of Cut Bank, it joins the Two Medicine River to form the Marias River.

There is a brewery in Cut Bank whose name is based on this creek.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Cut Bank Creek


text:
Baaba Maal

Baaba Maal (𞤄𞤢𞥄𞤦𞤢 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤, born 13 June 1953) is a Senegalese singer and guitarist born in Podor, on the Senegal River. In addition to acoustic guitar, he also plays percussion. He has released several albums, both for independent and major labels. In July 2003, he was made a UNDP Youth Emissary.

Maal sings primarily in Pulaar and promotes the traditions of the Pulaar-speaking people, who live on either side of the Senegal River in the ancient Senegalese kingdom of Futa Tooro.

Early life and education
Maal was expected to follow in his father's footsteps and become a fisherman. However, under the influence of his lifelong friend and family gawlo, blind guitarist Mansour Seck, Maal devoted himself to learning music from his mother and his school's headmaster. He went on to study music at the university in Dakar before leaving to study musical notation in Paris. During this time, he stayed for three years in the French capital, where he took courses at the Conservatoire de Paris, had private tuition and was taken with Mozart.

Career
After returning to Senegal, Maal studied traditional music with Mansour Seck and began performing with the band Daande Lenol. Maal's fusions continued into the next decade with his Firin' in Fouta (1994) album, which used ragga, salsa and Breton harp music to create a popular sound that launched the careers of Positive Black Soul, a group of rappers, and also led to the formation of Afro Celt Sound System. His fusion tendencies continued on 1998's Nomad Soul, which featured Brian Eno as one of seven producers. In addition to his various solo releases, he contributed to two tracks, "Bushes" and "Dunya Salam", on the concept album 1 Giant Leap.

In 1998, Maal recorded "Bess, You Is My Woman Now" for the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Red Hot + Rhapsody: The Gershwin Groove, a tribute to George Gershwin which raised money for various charities devoted to increasing HIV/AIDS awareness and fighting the disease. In 2002, Maal again worked with the Red Hot Organization, recording "No Agreement" alongside Res, Tony Allen, Ray Lema, Positive Black Soul and Archie Shepp; as well as "Trouble Sleep Yanga Wake Am" alongside Taj Mahal and featuring Kaouding Cissoko and Antibalas, for the tribute album to Fela Kuti, Red Hot + Riot: The Music and Spirit of Fela Kuti.

On 7 July 2007, Maal performed at the Live Earth concert, Johannesburg.

Maal's album On the Road, a live acoustic album recorded straight from the mixing boards of his shows over a ten-year period, was released in 2008. A new studio album, Television, was released in 2009.

He appears on two tracks "Hunger" and "Still" on the Black Hawk Down film soundtrack and performed on the title track of the 2008 video game Far Cry 2, in addition to helping to create the whole soundtrack for that game. He played at Bonnaroo and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival in 2010.

On 4 May 2013, Maal performed at the 2013 edition of the Harare International Festival of the Arts in Zimbabwe.

In 2014, he contributed to the BBC Music's remake of The Beach Boys song "God Only Knows".

Maal's 11th studio album, The Traveller, recorded with Johan Hugo from the Very Best and Winston Marshall (Mumford & Sons), was released via Palm and Marathon Artists The lead singles, "Fulani Rock" and "Gilli Men", received critical acclaim. in January 2016, and was accompanied by a UK tour and headlining Senegal's Festival Blues Du Fleuve. Maal accompanied Mumford & Sons on their Gentlemen of the Road tour around South Africa in 2015. He also released a song and accompanying live performance music video with Mumford & Sons called "There Will Be Time".

In 1998 Maal was honoured by the Dutch-based Prince Claus Fund, which rewards people who have a progressive and contemporary approach to the themes of culture and development.

Maal voiced the Wakandan soundtrack of Black Panther for Ludwig Göransson, helping introduce Göransson to many of the African musicians who contributed to the score. Maal's vocals can be heard on tracks "Wakanda" and "A King's Sunset." The two musicians rejoined each other to collaborate on the score for the sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, including Maal doing a brief cameo in the film itself as a funeral singer. To celebrate the launch of the film's trailer, Maal and Massamba Diop staged a performance at San Diego ComicCon. His vocals can be heard on the sole track, "Nyana Wam."

In an interview with The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2020, Maal discussed the ritual quality of traditional instruments, and how he chooses instruments to convey his songs' messages: "The spirit of the kora and the ngoni are different from the talking drum and the balafon, or the sabar and the djembe . The kora and ngoni are closer to human beings, because they are made from things that had life. The talking drum, the balafon , and the sabar are made from wood, and when you listen to them your mind goes out into the forest. When you make music and write songs, you have to know about the messages. From the messages, you know what the instruments are and how to put them together underneath the lyrics."

Humanitarian works
On March 28, 2016, Maal launched Nann-K, a charity focusing on global sustainable development. Maal performed at the launch, which took place on International Women’s Day to honor the role of women in business development in Africa. NANN-K's mission is to assist people from Senegal and other African countries in pursuing agricultural careers, including farming, animal husbandry, and fishing. According to their website, "All these are time-old rural pursuits but they have never been organized or brought into the 21st century, let alone combined with the latest digital thinking."

On December 11, 2019, Maal promised to fight the desertification in the Sahel by planting trees. He said he hoped every person in Senegal could say they planted a tree.

Studio albums

 * Djam Leelii (with Mansour Seck) (1989, Mango Records)
 * Baayo (with Mansour Seck) (1991, Mango)
 * Lam Toro (1992, Mango)
 * Wango (1994, Syllart)
 * Firin' in Fouta (1994, Mango)
 * Gorel (1995, 4th & Broadway)
 * Taara (1997, Melodie)
 * Nomad Soul (1998, Palm Pictures) – No. 33 Australia
 * Djam Leelii: The Adventurers (1998, Yoff Productions)
 * Jombaajo (2000, Sonodisc)
 * Missing You (Mi Yeewnii) (2001, Palm)
 * Television (2009, Palm)
 * The Traveller (2016, Palm / Marathon Artists)
 * Being (2023, Palm / Marathon Artists)

Compilation albums

 * The Best of the Early Years (2003, Wrasse)
 * Palm World Voices: Baaba Maal (2005, Palm)
 * On the Road (2008, Palm)

Import releases

 * Jombaajo
 * Ngalanka
 * Ndilane
 * C'est la vie

Contributing artist

 * Passion – Sources compilation (1989, Real World Records)
 * Unwired: Acoustic Music from Around the World – (1999, World Music Network)
 * Television with Brazilian Girls (2009, Palm)
 * The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal (2013, World Music Network)
 * Johannesburg with Mumford and Sons (2016, Glassnote Entertainment Group)
 * Black Panther Original Score with Ludwig Göransson (2018, Marvel Music Inc.)
 * Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Original Score with Ludwig Göransson (2022, Marvel Music Inc.)

DVDs

 * 1999 – Live at the Royal Festival Hall – Palm Pictures

title: Baaba Maal


text:
Medical astrology

Medical astrology or astrological medicine (traditionally known as iatromathematics) is an ancient applied branch of astrology based mostly on melothesia (Gr. μελοθεσία), the association of various parts of the body, diseases, and drugs with the nature of the sun, moon, planets, and the twelve astrological signs. The underlying basis for medical astrology is considered to be a pseudoscience as there is no scientific basis for its core beliefs.

Hippocratic Greek medical training included a doctrine of dies decretorii ("critical days"). Galen believed that heavenly bodies influenced human life but he had his misgivings about the predictions made by "horoscope-casters" (genethliakoi). Astrology was however considered as a foundation for medical practice in ancient Greece and Arabia. In Italy astrological studies as part of a training for medicine was routine in Bologna. The training was not that strong in England but medical practice but astrological circumstances were claimed in cases to absolve surgeons of any blame. In England, Robert Fludd in his Medicina Catholica (Frankfort, 1629) noted that medicine, theology, and astrology formed a single unified discipline. Astrological medicine declined after the 17th century but there were calls for its renewal in 1928 by Rudyard Kipling who considered modern medicine too narrow.

List of works

 * Medical astrology was mentioned by Marcus Manilius (1st century AD) in his epic poem (8000 verses) Astronomica.
 * Ficino, Marsilio, Three Books on Life (1489) [De vita libri tre] translated by Carol V. Kaske and John R. Clark, Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, State University of New York at Binghamton and The Rneaissance Society of America (1989.) ISBN 0-86698-041-5
 * Lilly, William, Christian Astrology (1647)
 * Culpepper, Nicholas, Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick (1655) ISBN 1-5381-0113-0
 * Saunders, Richard, The Astrological Judgment and Practice of Physick (1677) ISBN 1-161-41322-7
 * Cornell, H.L., M.D., The Encyclopaedia of Medical Astrology (1933), Astrology Classics [Abington, MD, 2010.]

title: Medical astrology


text:
Nitro

Nitro may refer to:

Chemistry

 * Nitrogen, a chemical element and a gas except at very low temperatures, with which many compounds are formed:
 * Nitro compound, an organic compound containing one or more nitro functional groups, -NO2
 * Nitro ligand in coordination chemistry
 * Nitroalkene, a functional group combining the functionality of an alkene and nitro group
 * Nitrocellulose, or cellulose nitrate, an extremely flammable chemical compound
 * Nitroglycerin, or glyceryl trinitrate, an explosive chemical compound
 * Nitromethane, a simple organic nitro compound with the formula
 * Nitro fuel, a fuel containing nitromethane and methanol
 * Nitro engine, an engine powered with nitro fuel used in some radio-controlled model cars, aircraft etc.

People

 * Danny Lee Clark (born 1964), known as "Nitro" on the original American Gladiators television show
 * John Morrison (wrestler) (born 1979), professional wrestler formerly known as Johnny Nitro
 * Nitro (rapper) (born 1993), Italian rapper
 * Nitro (wrestler) (born 1966), Mexican professional wrestler

Places

 * Giant, Richmond, California, formerly named Nitro
 * Nitro, West Virginia, United States

Arts and entertainment

 * Nitro (Imagicaa), a roller coaster at the Imagicaa theme park in Khopoli, India
 * Nitro (film), a Canadian action film released in 2007
 * Nitro (Six Flags Great Adventure), a mega roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, United States

Fictional characters

 * Nitro (comics), a Marvel Comics supervillain
 * Nitro Norimaki, a character from the Dr. Slump franchise
 * Nitro, a character in the children's show The Shak played by Beau Walker

Music

 * Nitro (band), an 80s metal band
 * "Nitro (Youth Energy)", a song by The Offspring from the album Smash
 * Nitro Records, an independent punk music record label

Radio

 * WMMS-HD2, an HD Radio digital subchannel (100.7-2 FM) licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, United States, formerly branded Nitro

Television

 * Nitro (German TV channel), a German commercial television channel
 * Nitro (Spanish TV channel), a former Spanish commercial television channel owned by Atresmedia
 * "Nitro", an episode of Mission: Impossible
 * Nitro!, a game show hosted by Greg Lee
 * WCW Monday Nitro, a professional wrestling television program

Videogaming

 * Need for Speed: Nitro, a 2009 racing game
 * Nicktoons Nitro, a 2009 racing game for the Arcade
 * Nintendo DS, originally referred to by the codename "Project Nitro"
 * Nitro (video game), a 1990 computer game

Computing and technology

 * Nitro (wireless networking), an 802.11g performance enhancement technology
 * Nitro cyberattacks
 * Nitro, a marketing name given by Apple to JavaScriptCore, the JavaScript engine of WebKit
 * Nitro PDF, a commercial software application
 * Nitro, a paid membership on Discord

Medicine

 * Glyceryl trinitrate (pharmacology), a medical compound used for the treatment of angina pectoris
 * Medical use of nitroglycerin, prescribed for some heart conditions
 * Nitrous oxide, "laughing gas", used in some dental procedures as an anaesthetic

Vehicles and transportation

 * Dodge Nitro, a compact SUV
 * USS Nitro, a ship
 * Windtech Nitro, a Spanish competition paraglider design

Other

 * Nitro cold brew coffee
 * Nitro Express, a series of cartridges used in large-bore hunting rifles

title: Nitro


text:
Sedna

Sedna may refer to:
 * Sedna (mythology), the Inuit goddess of the sea
 * Sedna (dwarf planet), a trans-Neptunian dwarf planet
 * Sedna (beverage), a tonic wine, formerly made in Belfast
 * Sedna (database), a native XML database
 * Doriprismatica sedna, a species of nudibranch
 * Sedna Finance, a structured investment vehicle
 * Sedna Planitia, a landform on the planet Venus
 * Sedna pirata, a species of solifuge, and its monotypic genus Sedna

title: Sedna


text:
N or M?

N or M? is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie first published in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company in 1941 and in the UK by the Collins Crime Club in November of the same year. The US edition retailed $2.00 and the UK edition at seven shillings and sixpence (7/6).

The title is taken from a catechism in the Book of Common Prayer which asks, "What is your Christian name? Answer N. or M." The "N. or M." here stands for the Latin, "nomen vel nomina", meaning "name or names". It is an accident of typography that "nomina" came to be represented by "m".

The novel is the first to feature the mature versions of her detectives Tommy and Tuppence, whose previous appearances had been in the adventure The Secret Adversary (1922) and the short story collection Partners in Crime (1929).

Plot introduction
After the outbreak of the Second World War and many years after they worked for British intelligence, middle-aged Tommy and Tuppence Beresford feel useless and sidelined. Then, Tommy is approached by a secret agent named Grant to go undercover once more. Grant tries to find German spies and fifth columnists but is hampered by traitors within British intelligence who follow and sabotage his work. Since Tommy has not been in the field for many years, nobody knows him, and he can investigate unofficially.

Grant explains that another British agent was recently murdered but left a cryptic message on his deathbed: "N or M. Song Susie". Grant suspects that "Song Susie" stands for Sans Souci, a hotel in (fictional) seaside Leahampton (based on Bournemouth), and "N" and "M" are known to be two top German spies, one male and one female. Tommy is to go to Sans Souci to investigate whether N, M or both are at the hotel and to figure out their identities.

Tommy is sent alone, but Tuppence decides to join him on his mission whether invited or not. Through good sleuthing, she learns where he is to be sent and arrives there before he does. Working together under separate false identities, they begin a search for the spies among the residents of the resort town. As everyone seems, in turn, suspicious and not, Tommy and Tuppence follow exciting leads that lead close to peril.

Both N and M's identities are revealed at the end of the book; "N" is a top German spy, who is shot by British intelligence at the book's conclusion as he threatens Tuppence's life, and "M" is his female co-conspirator.

Literary significance and reception
Maurice Willson Disher's review in The Times Literary Supplement of 29 November 1941 began, "To believe that N or M? is not Miss Agatha Christie's best is difficult while the first fine anxious rapture of her latest story is still troubling the mind." He concluded, "The point is reached when you begin to fear for your own sanity on catching yourself wondering whether an ingratiating babe-in-arms might not be Herr Doktor in disguise. Yet such is Miss Christie's skill in conjuring up the ominous that even infant prattle sounds uncommonly like a code for the Fifth Column. In other words, as Mr Robey has said before now, N or M? gets you."

Maurice Richardson in a short review in the 7 December 1941 issue of The Observer wrote: "Agatha Christie takes time off from Poirot and the haute cuisine of crime to write a light war-time spy thriller. N or M is [an] unknown master fifth columnist concealed in [the] person of some shabby genteel figure in a Bournemouth boarding-house ... Christie's bright young couple, now middle-aged but active as ever, are nearly trapped. Nice surprise finish and all-round entertainment."

A short review by E.R. Punshon in The Guardian of 30 December 1941 ended with "Mrs Christie shows herself as ingenious as ever, and one admires especially the way in which the hero snores himself out of captivity."

In 1990, in a revised edition of his 1980 work, Robert Barnard wrote: "The Beresfords contribute their intolerable high spirits to the war effort. Less racist than the earlier thrillers (in fact, some apology is made indirectly) but no more convincing."

MI5 investigation of Christie
Around 1941 or 1942, the British intelligence agency MI5 temporarily investigated Christie herself as she had named one of her characters in this novel as a certain Major Bletchley. MI5 was afraid that Christie had a spy in Britain's top-secret codebreaking centre, Bletchley Park. MI5's fears were eventually assuaged when Christie revealed to Dilly Knox, who helped break the Enigma machine cypher used by German secret service officers sending spies to Britain, that Major Bletchley, "one of my least lovable characters", was merely named after the town of Bletchley (now part of Milton Keynes) which she once happened to be stuck in during a train journey.

TV adaptation
The UK television channel BBC One began airing a 3-part adaptation of "N or M?" on August 16, 2015. The adaptation was aired as part of the Partners in Crime series.

Publication history

 * 1941, Dodd Mead and Company (New York), 1941, Hardback, 289 pp
 * 1941, Collins Crime Club (London), November 1941, Hardback, 192 pp
 * 1947, Dell Books, Paperback, 191 pp (Dell number 187 [mapback]),
 * 1959, Pan Books, Paperback, 188 pp (Great Pan G259)
 * 1962, Fontana Books (Imprint of HarperCollins), Paperback, 192 pp
 * 1972, Greenway edition of collected works (William Collins), Hardcover, 224 pp; ISBN 0-00-231567-X
 * 1974, Greenway edition of collected works (Dodd Mead), Hardcover, 224 pp
 * 1984, Ulverscroft Large-print Edition, Hardcover; ISBN 0-7089-1156-0

The novel first appeared in the US in a condensed version in the March 1941 (Volume 76, Number 5) issue of Redbook magazine, with an illustration by Alan Haemer.

In the UK, an abridged version was serialized in seven parts in Woman's Pictorial from 26 April (Volume 41, Number 1059) to 7 June 1941 (Volume 41, Number 1065) under the title Secret Adventure. All the installments were illustrated by Clive Uptton.

title: N or M?


text:
USS Antietam (CG-54)

USS Antietam (CG-54) is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. Antietam was named for the site of the 1862 Battle of Antietam, Maryland, between Confederate forces under General Robert E. Lee and Union forces under Major General George McClellan, during the American Civil War. Antietam earned the 2007 and 2008 Battle Efficiency awards, also known as the "Navy E" or "Battle E" award, for the John C. Stennis Strike Group.

Construction
Antietam was laid down by the Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi, on 15 November 1984, launched on 14 February 1986, and commissioned on 6 June 1987 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Public relations
From 1988 to 1991, the ship was assigned to Naval Surface Group, Long Beach, which was part of Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific, and available for tours.

The ship was featured in Visiting... with Huell Howser Episode 327, filmed in 1995.

Capability
The ship is armed with guided missiles and rapid-fire guns. She also carries two Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk LAMPS helicopters, capable of multiple missions, but primarily equipped for antisubmarine warfare (ASW).

Ship history
Antietam was one of the first vessels to take part in Operation Desert Shield, along with the rest of the USS Independence (CV-62) Battlegroup in August 1990, in response to the Invasion of Kuwait. Antietam then returned to the United States on 20 December 1990. According to an interview in 2007 BBC documentary, The Last Flight to Kuwait, Lawrence Eddingfield, who was captain at that time stated that the vessel was involved in a helicopter rescue of two British SAS troops who had arrived on BA 149 during the invasion.

In March 2003, Antietam was assigned to Carrier Group Three.

Antietam operated out of her home port of San Diego, California. From February to August 2005, Antietam completed a circumnavigation of Earth, leaving San Diego to the west and returning home by way of the east. During the deployment, she had an extended stay in the Persian Gulf as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. From January to August 2007, Antietam deployed to the Persian Gulf. During that seven-month deployment, she visited Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Pearl Harbor before returning to home port. In 2009, she completed a six-month deployment, leaving San Diego in January 2009, and returning home in July 2009. Stops along the way included Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Guam, and Hawaii.

In February 2013, Antietam relieved USS Cowpens (CG-63) in a "hull-swap" at Yokosuka, Japan, in which the two crews swapped ships. Cowpens, previously deployed to Yokosuka, was then homeported at Naval Base San Diego, California, while Antietam took up her new homeport at Yokosuka. On 31 January 2017, Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay near her home port of Yokosuka, Japan. Antietam was anchored off the coast in 30 kn winds and a strong tide when the crew noticed the ship was dragging her anchor. They got the ship underway, but shortly after doing so, they felt the ship shudder as she lost all pitch control in both propellers. They had run aground on a shoal with damage to both propellers and one of the propeller hubs, causing 1100 USgal of hydraulic oil to leak into the water. No personnel were injured during the incident. Repairs cost at least $4.2 million.

On 22 October 2018, she transited the Taiwan Strait along with the destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54). On 24–25 July 2019, she again transited the Taiwan Strait. On 19–20 September 2019 she transited the Taiwan Strait a third time. During at least one of these transits, a Chinese WZ-7 HALE drone as well as Shenyang J-11 strike fighters followed her and warned one of their helicopters that it was flying too close to the mainland.

In December 2020 the U.S. Navy's Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels stated that the ship was planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve in 2024.

In May 2022, Antietam was homeported at Yokosuka, Japan. She was part of Carrier Strike Group 5 led by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. On 28 August 2022, Antietam along with sister ship USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) conducted a routine transit through the Taiwan Strait. This was the first such transit to occur since the 2022 visit by Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. On 25 June 2023, Antietam, along with aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and cruiser USS Robert Smalls, paid a visit to Vietnam. They docked at Tien Sa port, Da Nang and stayed there until 30 June.

On 5 February 2024, the U.S. Navy announced that USS McCampbell (DDG 85) will forward deploy to Yokosuka, Japan. McCampbell will replace USS Antietam (CG 54), which will depart Yokosuka, Japan, in January, after 11 years of forward deployed service and move to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, as part of a scheduled rotation of forces in the Pacific.

In March 2024, the Navy announced plans to inactivate Antietam on 27 September 2024.

Awards

 * Navy Unit Commendation - (Aug–Nov 1990)
 * Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation - (Dec 1998–May 1999, Feb–Sep 2003, Apr–Jun 2005, Apr 2012–Dec 2013)
 * Battle "E" - (1989, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015)
 * Southwest Asia Service Medal - (Aug–Nov 1990)
 * Spokane Trophy Award – (1990)
 * Captain Edward F. Ney Memorial Award - (1993)
 * LAMPS MK III Safety Award - (1989)
 * Chief of Naval Operation's Safety Award - (1997)

title: USS Antietam (CG-54)


text:
Two Medicine River

The Two Medicine River is a tributary of the Marias River, approximately  60 mi (97 km) long, in northwestern Montana in the United States.

It rises in the Rocky Mountain Front in Glacier National Park at the continental divide and flows east, down from the mountains and across the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. It receives Birch Creek in southeastern Glacier County and joins Cut Bank Creek to form the Marias, approximately 12 mi (19 km) southeast of Cut Bank.

title: Two Medicine River


text:
USS Anzio (CG-68)

USS Anzio (CG-68) is a Ticonderoga-class cruiser guided missile cruiser that served in the United States Navy. She was named for the site of a beachhead invasion of Italy by Allied troops from 22 January to 23 May 1944. Her keel was laid down by the Litton-Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation at Pascagoula, Mississippi on 21 August 1989. The ship was launched on 2 November 1990, and commissioned on 2 May 1992. Anzio was decommissioned on 22 September 2022.

2000s
On 6 April 2000, Anzio, along with another cruiser and the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69), was participating in an exercise in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, about 250 mi off the coast of Israel. In an unannounced missile test, the Israel Defense Forces fired a Jericho-1 medium-range ballistic missile from a test facility in Yavne, which landed 40 mi from the ship. The missile was detected by the ship's radar, and the crew briefly thought that they were under attack.

On 9 January 2003, Anzio was pre-deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Ordered first to the eastern Mediterranean Sea for the initial phase of President George W. Bush's Shock and Awe strategy (during which the U.S. Navy deployed to defeat the Iraq military before ground forces were sent in). Once Anzio completed her mission in the eastern Mediterranean, she forward-deployed to the Persian Gulf. Once Anzio arrived in the Persian Gulf, she had marked her 45th straight day at sea. In the Persian Gulf, Anzio continued carrier-flight support operations and coastal surveillance. After President Bush announced major combat had concluded in the Iraq War, on 1 May 2003, Anzio was relieved of her duties, returning home on 3 July 2003, after 175 days at sea. In March 2003, she was assigned to Cruiser-Destroyer Group Eight.

On 16 February 2007, Anzio was awarded the 2006 Battle "E" award.

Anzio has served as the flagship of the Horn of Africa international anti-piracy Combined Task Force 151. On 15 October 2009 a team from the cruiser working with United States Coast Guard personnel from Maritime Safety and Security Team 91104 seized a skiff carrying an estimated 4 tons of hashish worth an estimated $28 million about 170 nmi southwest of Salalah, Oman. The boarding team destroyed the drugs by dumping them into the ocean and released the skiff's crew.

2010s
Anzio was tentatively scheduled to be decommissioned and designated for disposal on 31 March 2013. However, Anzio was retained under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.

On 13 January 2016, ten U.S. Navy sailors were picked up by Anzio for transport and medical evaluations after being held in Iranian custody. The sailors were captured by Iran on 12 January 2016 after their two naval boats entered Iranian waters. "The evidence suggests that they unintentionally entered the Iranian waters because of the failure of their navigational system," Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ramazan Sharif said on Press TV. Anzio was also involved in a replenishment at sea operation with HMS Defender (D36), USS Harry S. Truman, USS Ramage, USNS Pecos (T-AO-197), and USNS Medgar Evers (T-AKE-13).

2020s
In December 2020 the U.S. Navy's Report to Congress on the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels stated that the ship was planned to be placed Out of Commission in Reserve in 2022.

On 22 September 2022, Anzio was decommissioned at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia after 30 years of service.

title: USS Anzio (CG-68)


text:
User:Esrogs

Hi, I'm Eric.

Pages I have originated:
 * TopCoder (March 17, 2004)
 * Edmund T. Pratt School of Engineering (March 21, 2004)
 * Attenuated Patella Alta (March 30, 2004)
 * Facebook (April 30, 2004)

title: User:Esrogs


text:
USS Bainbridge (CGN-25)

USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25/CGN-25) was a nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser in the United States Navy, the only ship of her class. Named in honor of Commodore William Bainbridge, she was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. With her original hull classification symbol of DLGN (nuclear-powered guided missile destroyer leader, called a "frigate" at the time), she was the first nuclear-powered destroyer-type ship in the US Navy, and shared her name with the lead ship of the first US Navy destroyer class, the Bainbridge-class destroyers.

Bainbridge was re-designated as a guided missile cruiser in 1975. She was commissioned in 1962, and served for over 30 years in the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, and Middle East before being decommissioned in 1996.

Construction
Bainbridge was designed and built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation at Fore River Shipyard at Quincy, Massachusetts. Commissioned in October 1962, she shook down off the East Coast and in the Caribbean area until February 1963, when she began her first Mediterranean deployment. This included demonstrations of her long-range high-speed dash capabilities and operations with the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN-65). Bainbridge returned to the Mediterranean Sea in May 1964, this time joining Enterprise and the guided missile cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9) to form the all-nuclear-powered Task Force 1. At the end of July, the three nuclear powered ships began Operation "Sea Orbit", a 30,565 mile, 65 day unrefueled cruise around the world.

History
In October 1965, Bainbridge again rounded Cape Agulhas, en route to the Western Pacific for the first of eleven Seventh Fleet cruises. Operating for much of this deployment off strife-torn Vietnam, she screened aircraft carriers, served as a radar-picket ship, and performed search and rescue missions. In June, the frigate crossed the Pacific to her new home port, Long Beach, California. Her next five Far Eastern tours, in 1966–67, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972–73, also involved Vietnam War combat operations, as well as voyages to Australia and, beginning in 1970, the Indian Ocean. In 1967–1968, Bainbridge underwent shipyard overhaul and her first nuclear refueling. The ship's seventh trip to the Far East, beginning in November 1973, included a lengthy visit to the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, a locale that would become very familiar in the coming decades.

Bainbridge received an extensive modernization and refueling between June 1974 and September 1976, with post-overhaul work lasting until April 1977. While in the shipyard, at the end of June 1975, she was reclassified from frigate (destroyer leader) to cruiser, receiving the new designation CGN-25. Her next Seventh Fleet deployment ran from January to August 1978 and included visits throughout the region, from Japan and South Korea to Thailand and Singapore, with her homeward-bound voyage taking her to Australia and through the South Pacific. Bainbridge made three more WestPac tours, in 1979–80, 1981 and 1982–83, each involving extensive operations in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.

1980s–1990s
In 1982 she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award.

After receiving her final nuclear refueling overhaul in 1983–85, Bainbridge left the Pacific after two decades, transited the Panama Canal and rejoined the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Her operations thereafter included counter-drug smuggling patrols in the Caribbean, several deployments to northern European waters and four Mediterranean cruises 1986–87, 1988–89—including combat operations off Libya, 1991–92—with a Red Sea and Persian Gulf tour, and 1994 as Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT).

The 1994 deployment supported United Nations resolutions that became part of Operation Sharp Guard, which enforced sanctions against the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. During these operations, she safely conducted over 100 boardings of merchant vessels to inspect for illegal cargo shipments. Bainbridge also supported Operation Deny Flight, where she acted as "REDCROWN" coordinating the air warfare environment over Bosnia. Bainbridge's AAW suite could provide almost complete radar coverage of the airspace over Bosnia and the Adriatic. With her SM-2 ER missiles, she could engage more than 16 aircraft or cruise missiles simultaneously; and at ranges in excess of 75 nmi.

Decommissioning
Deactivated in October 1995, Bainbridge was officially decommissioned in September 1996. She was towed to Bremerton, Washington in mid-1997, and in October of that year entered dry dock to begin "recycling," the process by which nuclear-powered warships are scrapped.

Honors and awards
Bainbridge has been awarded the following decorations;
 * Joint Meritorious Unit Award (2) - Navy
 * Meritorious Unit Commendation (2) - Coast Guard
 * Meritorious Unit Commendation
 * Navy Battle "E" Ribbon (5)
 * Navy Expeditionary Medal
 * National Defense Service Medal (2)
 * Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
 * Vietnam Service Medal (8)
 * Southwest Asia Service Medal (1)
 * Humanitarian Service Medal
 * Sea Service Deployment Ribbon (9)
 * Coast Guard Special Operations Service Ribbon
 * Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation
 * Republic of Vietnam Civil Action 1st Class Unit Citation
 * Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
 * Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
 * Bainbridge has also earned eight battle stars for Vietnam service.

title: USS Bainbridge (CGN-25)


text:
DIGITAL Command Language

DIGITAL Command Language (DCL) is the standard command language adopted by many of the operating systems created by Digital Equipment Corporation. DCL had its roots in IAS, TOPS-20, and RT-11 and was implemented as a standard across most of Digital's operating systems, notably RSX-11 and RSTS/E, but took its most powerful form in VAX/VMS (later OpenVMS). DCL continues to be developed by VSI as part of OpenVMS.

Written when the programming language Fortran was in heavy use, DCL is a scripting language supporting several data types, including strings, integers, bit arrays, arrays and booleans, but not floating point numbers. Access to OpenVMS system services (kernel API) is through lexical functions, which perform the same as their compiled language counterparts and allow scripts to get information on system state. DCL includes IF-THEN-ELSE, access to all the Record Management Services (RMS) file types including stream, indexed, and sequential, but lacks a DO-WHILE or other looping construct, requiring users to make do with IF and GOTO-label statements instead.

DCL is available for other operating systems as well, including
 * VCL and VX/DCL for Unix,
 * VCL for MS-DOS, OS/2 and Windows,
 * PC-DCL and Open DCL for Windows/Linux
 * and Accelr8 DCL Lite for Windows.

DCL is the basis of the XLNT language, implemented on Windows by an interpreter-IDE-WSH engine combination with CGI capabilities distributed by Advanced System Concepts Inc. from 1997.

Command-line parser
For the OpenVMS implementation, the command line parser is a runtime library (CLI$) that can be compiled into user applications and therefore gives a consistent command line interface for both OS supplied commands and user written commands. The command line must start with a verb and is then followed by up to 8 parameters (arguments) and/or qualifiers (switches in Unix terminology) which begin with a '/' character. Unlike Unix (but similar to DOS), a space is not required before the '/'. Qualifiers can be position independent (occurring anywhere on the command line) or position dependent, in which case the qualifier affects the parameter it appears after. Most qualifiers are position independent. Qualifiers may also be assigned values or a series of values. Only the first most significant part of the verb and qualifier name is required. Parameters can be integers or alphanumeric text.

An example OS command may look like: The second show command could also be typed as: sho dev $1$DGA1424:/fil

While DCL documentation usually shows all DCL commands in uppercase, DCL commands are case-insensitive and may be typed in upper-, lower-, or mixed-case.

Some implementations such as OpenVMS and RSX used a minimum uniqueness scheme in allowing commands to be shortened.

Unlike other systems which use paths for locating commands, DCL requires commands to be defined explicitly, either via CLD (Command Language Definition) definitions or a foreign symbol. Most OpenVMS-native commands are defined via CLD files; these are compiled by the CDU, the Command Definition Utility, and added to a DCL 'table' -- SYS$LIBRARY:DCLTABLES.EXE by default, although processes are free to use their own tables—and can then be invoked by the user. For example, defining a command FOO that accepts the option "/BAR" and is implemented by the image SYS$SYSEXE:FOO.EXE could be done with a CLD file similar to: The user can then type "FOO", or "FOO/BAR", and the FOO program will be invoked. The command definition language supports many types of options, for example dates and file specifications, and allows a qualifier to change the image invoked—for example "CREATE", to create a file, vs. "CREATE/DIRECTORY" to create a directory.

The other (simpler, but less flexible) method to define commands is via foreign commands. This is more akin to the Unix method of invoking programs. By giving the command: the command 'FOO' will invoke FOO.EXE, and supply any additional arguments literally to the program, for example, "foo -v". This method is generally used for programs ported from Unix and other non-native systems; for C programs using argc and argv command syntax.

Versions of OpenVMS DCL starting with V6.2 support the DCL$PATH logical name for establishing Unix-style command paths. This mechanism is known as an Automatic Foreign Command. DCL$PATH allows a list of directories to be specified, and these directories are then searched for DCL command procedures (command.COM) and then for executable images (command.EXE) with filenames that match the command that was input by the user. Like traditional foreign commands, automatic foreign commands also allow Unix-style command input.

Scripting
DCL scripts look much like any other scripting language, with some exceptions. All DCL verbs in a script are preceded with a $ symbol; other lines are considered to be input to the previous command. For example, to use the TYPE command to print a paragraph onto the screen, one might use a script similar to:

Indirect variable referencing
It is possible to build arrays in DCL that are referenced through translated symbols. This allows the programmer to build arbitrarily sized data structures using the data itself as an indexing function. In this example the variable rainbowblue is assigned the value "red", and rainbowgreen is assigned the value "yellow".

Commands
The following is a list of DCL commands for common computing tasks that are supported by the OpenVMS command-line interface.

 * COPY
 * COPY/FTP
 * CREATE
 * DELETE
 * DIRECTORY
 * EDIT
 * LOGOUT
 * PRINT
 * RENAME
 * SET
 * SHOW
 * TYPE

Lexical functions
Lexical functions provide string functions and access to VMS-maintained data.

Some Lexicals are:
 * F$EXTRACT(start,length,string) extract a substring
 * F$CVTIME obtain date/time info, e.g.
 * YEST_DOW=F$EXTRACT(0,3,F$CVTIME(DATE_EXPR,,"WEEKDAY"))
 * F$ELEMENT(0," ",ABC_DEF) for  would return "ABC"
 * F$SEARCH searches for a file, returns a null ("") if not found
 * F$LOCATE(needle,haystack)
 * F$SetPRV("BYPASS,CMKRNL,ALTPRI") it's a privilege to have access to this.

title: DIGITAL Command Language


text:
Talk:Topcoder

Stub
I put the stub message on this page because I thought it was incomplete and needed some work, but... Decumanus (Talk) (- not a stub). I guess he/she thought that since there were already a number of paragraphs here, it wasn't a stub. Is it ok for me to put the stub message on the page again?

Cleanup due to quality standards
I don't think this article adheres to the quality standards imposed/expected by Wikipedia. I am going to put {Cleanup} until then...

I'm fairly new to Wikipedia editing - but I made some effort to clean up this article (added section breaks, some more info on the varying types of competition, and some organization). Hopefully it helps. -jmzero

Codejam
I'm removing codejam from tournaments because google has deployed their own system for codejam. —Preceding unsigned comment added by MahasonaLK (talk • contribs) 18:46, 12 June 2008 (UTC)

Criticisms
Needs a criticisms section to have any appearance of objectivity.

 * I guess it would be easier to add one if it wasn't for the fact it is incredibly difficult to find objective criticism about topcoder. In fact, I think that just putting a criticism section in this case would be the opposite of being objective. The most I could find was a slashdot article about crowdsourcing in which some slashdot kids complained about it. Then we have http://amplicate.com/hate/topcoder in which some guys are venting frustration after losing or complaining about technical issues during contests in which they participated, but 9 opinions out of thousands active coders seems too small... If you wish to have an objective criticism section, a good start would be to begin by giving us a pointer to it.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 190.103.71.220 (talk) 23:36, 24 July 2010 (UTC)

Python in Algorithm Matches
TopCoder does not support Python in Algorithm Matches. Python is supported in Marathon Matches, and in the Google Code Jams of the past. Will someone change that, or am I missing something? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 119.30.38.36 (talk) 12:32, 6 May 2010 (UTC)

No you are not missing anything. In Algorithm Matches Python is not available as an option for coding. It is availble in Marathon Matches, thus I am removing it from the Algorithms section. --62.241.151.161 (talk) 16:46, 20 October 2010 (UTC)

Now, Topcoder allows Python in all matches. I've just tested it. --Etrebil (talk) 00:22, 2 August 2013 (UTC)

Requested move 11 April 2018

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: moved as requested. Dekimasu よ! 11:20, 18 April 2018 (UTC)

TopCoder → Topcoder – For a while now Topcoder spells its name as Topcoder rather than TopCoder across their website, blog, etc. Birdofpreyru (talk) 13:09, 11 April 2018 (UTC)

 * Support Vpab15 (talk) 18:38, 11 April 2018 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Proposed merge with Topcoder Open
Topcoder Open is not independently notable and thus should not have its own list. Previous arguments against a redirect have boiled down to WP:OTHERSTUFF. This merge should be done as alternative to outright deletion. Best, Barkeep49 (talk) 01:10, 22 June 2018 (UTC)

 * Why don't we start with merging Google Code Jam into Google, Facebook Hacker Cup into Facebook? Apparently, by Wikipedia guidelines, those are even less notable events than Topcoder Open: while Topcoder Open page has some references to news and other sources not directly related to organizers, those don't.
 * On a more serious notes, although there is not much exclusive reports about Topcoder Open in big international medias (but the same is true for many other events having individual pages at Wikipedia), you can check that there are plenty references to Topcoder Open in variety of sources completely independent from Topcoder, including many other Wikipedia articles. I underline, they refer not to the Topcoder (company), but specifically to Topcoder Open championship.
 * Part of the problem is that WP:NSPORTS misses Competitive Programming as sport discipline, thus you are trying to argue about notability of Topcoder Open according to generic event notability guidelines, rather than on sport event notability guidelines. Birdofpreyru (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 11:52, 22 June 2018 (UTC)
 * IF you want to make an argument about WP:OTHERSTUFF doing so there is what I would suggest. In my mind this about assessing the notability of Topcoder Open. I think you bring up an interesting point about WP:NSPORTS but it's important to remember that WP:SNG are suppposed to be shortcuts for, not replacements of WP:GNG and so there's no real "loss" by talking about the open in the context of GNG.. Best, Barkeep49 (talk) 16:54, 22 June 2018 (UTC)
 * Closed, given the lack of support, policy argument against and that the discussion is stale. Klbrain (talk) 20:30, 15 October 2019 (UTC)

Excessive cite bombing with low-quality and self-published sources
I have cleaned up a lot of "cite bombing" (excessive overusage of redundant citations) throughout the article. For common statements 1-2 reliable sources are perfectly sufficient (ideally independent expert sources). Self-published sources can occasionally be used, but not when better sources exist or half the article depends on them (see also WP:RS and WP:SPS). Any claim of success, quality, importance, etc. must be based on an independent reliable source - occasional self-published sources are only acceptable for absolutely uncontroversial, non-promotional details. The spamming of numerous backlinks to the organization's PR publications, forums and campaign sites is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. The article needs further cleanup of remaining similar issues throughout. The usage of such sources should be reduced and/or replaced with independent reliable sources where needed. GermanJoe (talk) 16:57, 12 April 2019 (UTC)

title: Talk:Topcoder


text:
USS Belknap (CG-26)

USS Belknap (DLG-26/CG-26), named for Rear Admirals George E. Belknap (1832–1903) and his son Reginald Rowan Belknap (1871–1959), was the lead ship of her class of guided missile cruisers in the United States Navy. She was launched in 1963 as DLG-26, a guided missile frigate under the then-current designation system, and reclassified as CG-26 on 30 June 1975.

On 22 November 1975, Belknap and the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) collided, killing seven sailors on the cruiser and one on the aircraft carrier.

Construction
Belknap, the first of a new class of guided missile frigates, was laid down by the Bath Iron Works Corporation at Bath in Maine on 5 February 1962. She was christened by Mrs. Leonard B. Cresswell, the granddaughter and daughter of the RADMs Belknap and was launched by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine on 20 July 1963 and commissioned on 7 November 1964.

Collision, fire, and reconstruction
Belknap was severely damaged in a collision with the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) on 22 November 1975 off the coast of Sicily. A fire broke out on Belknap following the collision, during which her aluminum superstructure collapsed after it was weakened by the heat. Seven sailors were killed on Belknap and one on John F. Kennedy.

Shortly after the fire began, boats from other vessels operating with John F. Kennedy and Belknap began to pull alongside the burning ship, often with complete disregard for their own safety. The guided missile destroyer USS Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5) and destroyer USS Bordelon (DD-881) moved in on both sides of Belknap, their men directing fire hoses into the amidships area that the stricken ship's crew could not reach. Bordelon was also badly damaged in a collision with Kennedy the following year, forcing her removal from service. Claude V. Ricketts moved in, secured alongside Belknap port side, and evacuated the injured while fragments from exploding ammunition showered down upon her weather decks. The frigate USS Pharris (FF-1094) closed in the carrier's starboard side to provide firefighting assistance. Ammunition from Belknap three-inch ready storage locker, located amidships, cooked off, hurling fiery fragments into the air and splashing around the rescue boats. Undaunted, the rescuers pulled out the seriously wounded and delivered fire-fighting supplies to the sailors, who refused to surrender their ship to the conflagration.

The ammunition ship USS Mount Baker (AE-34) was involved later in the rescue and salvage of Belknap, escorting her to an ammunition depot and then providing electric and water services as Mount Baker Explosive Ordnance Disposal team retrieved all of the remaining ammunition from Belknap. Mount Baker also took aboard most of Belknap crew until they could be transferred to a way station for reassignment.

The fire and the resultant damage and deaths, which would have been less had Belknap superstructure been made of steel, helped persuade the U.S. Navy to pursue all-steel construction in future classes of surface combatants. However, in 1987, the New York Times cited cracking in aluminum superstructures such as what occurred in the Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates, rather than fire, as the reason the Navy returned to steel on some ships. The first USN combatant ships to revert to all steel superstructure were the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, which were commissioned beginning in the 1990s. Belknap was reconstructed by the Philadelphia Navy Yard from 30 January 1976 to 10 May 1980. Since the hull was still in good condition the Navy decided to use this as a test platform for the Aegis class cruiser electronics and updated weapons systems. Until the Aegis class cruisers came along, Belknap was one of the most powerful warships in the world and saw service in Beirut as part of the multinational peacekeeping force, becoming the first American ship to fire on an enemy since the Vietnam War. It was the ship's Naval Tactical Data Systems' (NTDS) reliability during this time in Beirut that was named as the defining reason that the Belknap was chosen as the Sixth Fleet flagship.

Later service and Malta
Belknap was converted to a flagship by Norfolk Naval Shipyard from May 1985 to February 1986. This conversion work entailed building out the superstructure forward to just aft of the missile launcher and three decks up to add flag spaces (accommodation and office), and additional communications gear. In addition, the helicopter hangar aft was turned into accommodation spaces for flag staff and a small detachment of Marines. After this conversion she sailed to Italy [Gaeta naval base] and became Sixth Fleet flagship, relieving USS Coronado (AGF-11). On 27 May 1986, she participated in a naval parade with ships from 10 countries at Barcelona.

Belknap played a role in the Malta Summit between U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet Leader Mikhail Gorbachev on 2 December and 3 December 1989. President Bush, along with his advisers, James Baker, John Sununu and Brent Scowcroft, had their sleeping quarters aboard Belknap, whereas the Soviet delegation used the missile cruiser Slava. The ships were anchored in a roadstead off the coast of Marsaxlokk. Stormy weather and choppy seas resulted in some meetings being canceled or rescheduled, and gave rise to the moniker the "Seasick Summit" among international media. In the end, the meetings took place aboard Maxsim Gorkiy, a Soviet cruise ship anchored in the harbor at La Valletta. Engineers from the Navy Ship Systems Engineering Station devised a mooring arrangement for this event, and, despite the worst-case 100-year storm event, Belknap held its ground using emergency operating procedures as outlined by the engineers.

Decommissioning
Belknap was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 February 1995 and sunk as a target on 24 September 1998.

title: USS Belknap (CG-26)


text:
Philippe Buonarroti

 * See also Filippo Buonarroti (1661–1733).

Filippo Giuseppe Maria Ludovico Buonarroti, more usually referred to under the French version Philippe Buonarroti (11 November 1761 – 16 September 1837), was an Italian utopian socialist, writer, agitator, freemason, and conspirator; he was active in Corsica, France, and Geneva. His History of Babeuf’s Conspiracy of Equals (1828) became a quintessential text for revolutionaries, inspiring such socialists as Blanqui and Marx. He proposed a mutualist strategy that would revolutionize society by stages, starting from monarchy to liberalism, then to radicalism, and finally to communism.

Early activism
Buonarroti was born in Pisa in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany to a family of local nobility, the same Buonarroti family to which Michelangelo belonged. He studied law at the University of Pisa, where he founded what was seen by the authorities of Grand Duke Peter Leopold as a subversive paper, the Gazetta Universale (1787).

It is thought that he joined a Masonic Lodge some time in 1786.

Though under constant surveillance by the authorities, he expressed support for the French Revolution when it broke out. He traveled to Corsica to spread the revolutionary message with the Giornale Patriottico di Corsica, the first Italian-language paper to openly support the French Revolution. In Corsica, Buonarroti joined the Jacobin Club, and became a friend of the Bonapartes.

Under the Convention
Buonarroti was expelled from the island in June 1791 and returned to his native Tuscany whereupon he was arrested and imprisoned.

In 1793 he traveled to Paris and became a member of the Society of the Panthéon. Maximilien Robespierre placed him in charge of organizing the expatriate Italian revolutionaries, which he did from a base in Nice. After denouncing Pasquale Paoli to the National Convention, he was rewarded for his revolutionary activities by a special decree of French citizenship in May 1793.

In April 1794 he was nominated National Commissioner in Oneglia, Imperia's port, the site of refuge for many pro-French Italians during the French attack on Northern Italy.

Babeuf conspiracy and later life
He was recalled to Paris in 1795, after the Thermidorian Reaction, whereupon he was imprisoned in the Plessis prison after his friends in office had been deposed by the Thermidorian Reaction. There he met Gracchus Babeuf, and became one of his most fervent supporters and co-conspirators during the time of their mutual imprisonment from March to October.

Buonarotti was rearrested by the French Directory on 8 May 1796, along with Babeuf and other conspirators. Babeuf was guillotined, and Buonarotti formally imprisoned in February 1797, and held on the island of Oléron. Napoleon Bonaparte allowed him to go free after he had become First Consul in 1799.

He exiled himself to Geneva during the Empire, and to Brussels during the Bourbon Restoration. In 1808 Buonarroti formed a Masonic Lodge, Les Sublimes Maîtres Parfaits (The Sublime Perfect Masters), to which only serving freemasons were admitted. Within this lodge he formed an inner circle which he used to further his political dreams and aspirations. He returned to Paris after the 1830 July Revolution. He was then acquainted with Marc-René de Voyer de Paulmy d'Argenson, Charles Teste, Ulysse Trélat, Hareau, François-Vincent Raspail, Louis Blanc and Auguste Blanqui.

He died suddenly in Paris.

Influence
Buonarroti's revolutionary principles were to prove important during the 1830s and early 1840s; Auguste Blanqui learned many of his insurrectionary skills and tactics from Buonarroti, and the Conspiration pour l'Egalité dite de Babeuf, suivie du procès auquel elle donna lieu may be seen as an important text in this respect.

Later, the 1848 revolutionaries in France and elsewhere placed much emphasis on this work as a cornerstone.

Mikhail Bakunin praised Buonarroti as "the greatest conspirator of his age", and was heavily influenced by the revolutionary practice of Buonarroti. The Bakunin scholar Arthur Lehning has written of Buonarroti: “He too built up on an international scale, though over a much longer period, an elaborate underground network, on a freemason pattern, sometimes using Masonic institutions, to work for his egalitarian creed of 1796, for a social revolution and for the republicanisation of Europe. For forty years the principles remained the same: the leadership was secret; the existence of the higher grades was unknown to the lower; protean in character, this network took advantage of and used other societies.” Some argue that these principles are clearly evident in Bakunin's writings.

Writings

 * ''La Riforma dell'Alcorano (1786)
 * Conspiration des égaux (1828)
 * Histoire de la Conspiration pour l'Égalité dite de Babeuf (1828)
 * Riflessi sul governo federativo applicato all'Italia (1831)
 * Del governo d'un popolo in rivolta per conseguire la libertà (1833)
 * Observations sur Maximilien Robespierre (1836)

title: Philippe Buonarroti