WizardryDragon does not have a photograph of himself online at this time.Peter M Dodge (that's me) is a Wikipedia editor that uses the screenname Wizardry Dragon. I have been an official contributor to Wikipedia since Jan 12, 2006. When I am not busy contributing to Ultima VII: The Feudal Lands as a Lead Designer, or to Elvenblade as a Producer, you can find me here at Wikipedia, working away endlessly to try to maintain and improve Wikipedia's integrity as an encyclopedia. To that end I have recently founded a WikiProject called the Wikipedia Neutrality Project to help maintain the objectivity of Wikipedia's articles. I am also a Recent Changes Patroller and a member of the Counter-Vandalism Unit, though I am not an active member anymore.
(→Crzrussian, et al Sock/Meat Puppettry - 5722 characters recycled into a lovely article on tree frogs or something) ~ Thatcher131
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A Wikipedia Editor's Mission Statement
I believe strongly in the integrity of the editing environment of Wikipedia: that is, a freely editable place where everyone is allowed to contribute. That said, I believe that these edits are also freely editable. We must take caution in our editing and contributions, however, to ensure that they are factual, well-sourced, and objective articles. I also realize that such an open environment leaves itself open to vandalism, and therefore I attempt to revert any and all vandalism attempts I encounter on Wikipedia. Finally, I strongly believe in a transparent process in which nothing is hidden, and legal threats are not a way to 'cleanse' factual accounts on an objective and neutral encyclopedia.
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If it's not broke, fix it till it is -Vistaer (Ultima VII: The Feudal Lands Writer)
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Background
Peter M Dodge is currently studying Computer Science at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada as part of a long-term plan to obtain a university degree in Computer Science. He is currently employed at a Michaels arts and crafts store as a part-time sales associate after leaving Boston Pizza, where he worked as a cook for several months during a new restaurant's 'honeymoon period'. Skilled in C++, PHP, UCC, art, and writing, he currently is considering persuing a career as an artist or writer. He prefers to keep programming as a hobby: "after all, I do it for fun, and it wouldn't be much fun if it were a job."
Subpages
I have a handful of side projects that don't warrant their own pages except for a side page from my userpage, and I have some random miscellania as well:
There's always the sandboxen (/2). Erm, that's sandbox.
I have a collection of templates that I've made Free time? Hah!
Puppets must die! Erm, sock puppets that is. Ebil socks...
Sometimes I my thoughts are coherent enough to put them on paper. You can find them here. Well, digital paper anyways.
I keep a collection of links and excerpts of ArbCom cases I feel have relevant implications to my editing here. Ignorance is no excuse.
In the middle ages, the French had Joan of Arc to lead them to victory. I have had a handful of my own personal Jeanne d'Arcs in my life, and my edits are dedicated to them.
Over the ages, philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle have debated on how we should conduct ourselves. Our personal philosophies shape our conduct and our interaction on the wiki, and as such it is valuable to elaborate them.
My Philosophy
Above and beyond the Wikipedia policies and guideline, I hold myself to a personal code of conduct. An outline goes as thus:
I avoid taking sides in disputes. I follow the spirit of Essjay's neutrality philosophy. Oftentimes I will step in to diffuse pointed debates, or to try to assist in contentious issues, but I do not invest myself in either side. It's divisive, and contributes to a negative atmosphere on Wikipedia.
I hold myself to a voluntary 1-revert rule, except in the case of blatant policy violations. Revert-warring with people only serves to aggravate content disputes and lengthens them, not shortens them, and can poison the well - scaring others away from editing the article themselves. This is counterproductive, and so instead I discuss contentious changes on the talk page. The exception of course is blatant policy violations, which I feel should be blanket reverted on sight.
Everyone who contributes to the Encylopedia in good faith I value and respect as an editor. The beauty of Wikipedia is the variety of backgrounds and ways of life of the people who contribute. I cherish all of these editors contributions and strive to help improve them whenever I can, and venerate them when I feel they are perfect.
Wikipedia is not a collection of everything that ever existed. Some things just aren't encyclopedic, and should be removed. Obvious examples include advertising and attack pages, but it also include vanity pages and non-notable subjects. Also, if it's not contributing positively to the encyclopedia, regardless of other merits, it should be removed.
Sysop status, or other special rights such as CheckUser, Oversight, or membership in a WikiProject, does not confer immunity to policy. Many users that get these special rights seem to get an ego complex and think that their contributions are somehow more valuable than others, or that their opinions should be weighted more heavily. This could not be further from the spirit of Wikipedia. Every good faith contributor is a valuable and respected part of the community, considered equally with any other good faith contributor.
In law, there is a latin saying, audiatur et altera pars. Literally, it means "hear the other side", but is often used to mean "hear both sides". It is important when in Wikipedia disputes to remember that reasonable discussion can't happen without listening to our fellow editors as well as ourselves.
Released under the GFDL
I agree to release my text and image contributions, unless otherwise stated, under the GFDL. I feel that releasing my contributions in another way dilutes the usefulness of the encyclopedia, creates needless legal problems for the Foundation, and divides the community. Please be aware that other contributors might not do the same, so if you want to use my contributions under public domain terms, please check the multi-licensing guide.
This is not an encyclopedia article. If you find this page on any site other than Wikipedia, you are viewing a mirror site. Be aware that the page may be outdated and that the user this page belongs to may have no personal affiliation with any site other than Wikipedia itself. The original page is located at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Peter_M_Dodge.
