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The Texas Bookshelf is for single, specific books' reviews and author interviews . The Texas Parlor ranges more broadly than my other websites. The Young Texas Reader focuses on the youngest through teenagers. Texas Blog Notes surveys blogs of historical and literary interest. I've started a Will's Texana Youtube collecting channel where 1,000 videos are collected in 100 playlists . Find Will in Houston or at willstexana {at} yahoodotcom
Showing posts with label wikipedia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wikipedia. Show all posts

Friday, May 02, 2008

Wikipedia: A Free Encyclopedia and Texas

WIKIPEDIA AND TEXAS

Broader searches

A search of Google for "Texas Wikipedia" brings almost 4,000,000 hits. This includes many entries from the various language variants of Wikipedia - Spanish to German to Indonesian. Spelling variation may explain why a Yahoo search is so different. Google's penchant to avoid showing page variations may also help this disparity.

However, a similar search of Yahoo bring almost 40,000,000 (yes 40) hits. You may prefer

Going directly to usual, English language Wikipedia where you'll find the following:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas
Using the typical search box at Wikipedia for the term "Texas" brings only 1 article - the usual long encyclopedia article on the topic (not the shorter one at Wiki's "Texas Portal." The search does not automatically bring you a list of all articles with that keyword.

Some of that main, long article's sections (littered with Wikipedia links) include
[A disambiguation link]
[Summary] and hot table of "Contents"
Etymology
History: Colonization, Independence, Statehood, Civil War, Reconstruction and disfranchisement, Modern Texas
Geography: Borders, Categorization, Geology
Demographics: Racial groups and ethnic origins, Religion, Cities and Towns, Colonias
Government and Politics: State government, Judicial System, Politics, Administrative Divisions
Economy
Culture: Arts, Sports
Transportation: Highways, Airports, Passenger Rail Transportation, Trans-Texas Corridor
Healthcare: Medical research
Education: Primary and secondary, Post-secondary
See Also
Footnotes
References
Further reading
External links


While this general enclopedic article is littered with links, there is a particular link that produces a list of about 500 "Texas-related topics" from Abilene to Renee Zellwenger:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Texas-related_topics

Further approaches to Wikipedia and Texas follow in other blog entries. Or retrieve them all by searching the Texas Parlor blog for "Wikipedia."

Wikipedia: WikiProject Texas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Texas

A WikiProject self-definition is
"This is a WikiProject, a collaboration area and open group of editors dedicated to improving Wikipedia's coverage of a particular topic, or to organizing some internal Wikipedia process."

The WikiProject Texas is defined as:
"Some Wikipedians have formed a project to better organize information in articles related to the U.S. state of Texas. This page and its subpages contain their suggestions; it is hoped that this project will help to focus the efforts of other Wikipedians. If you would like to help, please inquire on the talk page and see the to-do list there."
Scope: "This WikiProject aims primarily to expand Wikipedia's resources on Texas and present Texas in a fair and accurate manner."
Goals:
"To improve the quality and quantity of Texas related articles, as exemplified by the featured articles Galveston Hurricane of 1900; Ike Altgens; Texas Ranger Division; Marshall, Texas; Houston, Texas; 2005 Texas Longhorn football team; and Texas A&M University.
To present a holistic view of Texas rather than the view of one region of Texas.
To make Wikipedia one of the premier online resources on Texas.
Contribute to the Texas portal: WP:Texas "

A list of individual participants is available on the webpage.

One of the sub-projects is exemplified by Dallas-Fort Worth project
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Dallas-Fort_Worth

Wikipedias Texas Lists

A List of Two Options for Finding Texas lists in Wikipedia

1. Surfers can use the Wikipedia search box for "Texas list" and discover that it finds over 18,000 hits, 500 of which are presented to observe. Apparently, if there is a page on which Texas is mentioned and a list accompanies, the entry appears. Many are duplicative in nature, but many are truly a list of something Texan. Using particular words, e.g., "Austin list" can produce others wherein the word Texas may not appear, some of which are applicable. Most are not found in Wikipedia's Category of "Texas-related lists" as more broadly explored below in option 2. Searching this first option can be useful to add to the second option.

2. One of Wikipedia's conceptual options is the "Category" of "Lists" of other lists of topics under a subject. Yes, that sounds a bit convoluted. One such List is the "Texas-related lists." Go to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas-related_lists

As of today, May 2, 2008, "The following 57 pages are in this category, out of 57 total. Updates to this list can occasionally be delayed for a few days. "

They're usually arranged alphabetically by keyword but you'll notice that several are filed under L, apparently for the keyword "List of ...."

Two lists are actually "Timelines," under that entry below.

A
List of Texas amphibians List of Texas area codes
B
List of Texas butterflies
C
List of cities in Texas List of counties in Texas Current and former railroad companies operating in Dallas, Texas
F
List of Farm to Market Roads in Texas
G
List of German Texans List of Governors of Texas
H
List of high schools in Texas List of hospitals in Texas
I
List of Interstate Highways in Texas
L
List of Austin neighborhoods List of Dallas-Fort Worth area colleges and universities
List of Dallas-Fort Worth area freeways List of Houston neighborhoods List of Presidents of the Republic of Texas List of Registered Historic Places in Texas List of Texas Governors and Presidents List of Texas county name etymologies List of Texas county seat name etymologies
List of Texas sports teams List of Texas state symbols List of Texas-related topics
List of U.S. Highways in Texas List of colleges and universities in Houston List of colleges and universities in Texas List of individuals executed in Texas List of largest Texas universities by enrollment List of mayors of Austin, Texas List of mayors of Dallas, Texas List of mayors of Fort Worth, Texas List of mayors of Houston List of mayors of Plano, Texas List of mayors of San Antonio, Texas
M
List of mammals in Texas List of Texas metropolitan areas List of military installations in Texas
N
List of neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas List of newspapers in Texas List of all newspapers in the United States List of city nicknames in Texas
P
List of people from Texas
R
List of Texas railroads List of Texas reptiles List of rivers of Texas List of the ten longest Texas rivers
S
List of school districts in Texas List of schools in Harris County, Texas List of state highway spurs in Texas List of state highway loops in Texas List of state highways in Texas List of Texas state parks
T
Timeline of the Republic of Texas Timeline of the Texas Revolution
V
List of Vice Presidents of the Republic of Texas
u
List of unincorporated communities in Texas

Do you have a list to share?

Wikipedia's Texas Portal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Portal

A Wikipedia conceptual option is a "Portal." The self-definition is:

"The idea of a portal is to help readers and/or editors navigate their way through Wikipedia topic areas through pages similar to the Main Page. In essence, portals are useful entry-points to Wikipedia content.
Portals are subject to the five pillars of Wikipedia, and must comply with Wikipedia's core content policies like Wikipedia:Neutral point of view, Wikipedia:No original research and Wikipedia:Verifiability.
At present, there are 115 featured portals, of a total of 548 portals on Wikipedia."

So, there is a "Texas Portal" is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Texas
at which you'll find there are also Portal for Houston, Dallas, UT-Austin, and U of Houston.

At that Texas Portal you'll fine a variety of search options. One of those options is the Category of "Texas Lists."

Texas Wikipedia Encyclopedia Collaboration

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Texan_Collaboration_of_the_Month#Selecting_the_next_Collaboration_of_the_Month

Among Wikipedia's options is the creation of a groups who wish to collaborate toward creating or improving particular topics or categories. "One such is the Texan Collaboration of the Month."

The self-description is "Every month, a Texan Collaboration of the Month will be picked using this page. This is a specific topic which either has no article or a basic stub page that is directly related to Texas, the aim being to have a featured-standard article by the end of the period, from widespread cooperative editing."

This month's collaborative effort is described as:
"The current Texan Collaboration of the Month is Marshall, Texas. Every month, a different Texas-related topic, stub or non-existent article is picked. Please read the nomination text and improve the article any way you can."

Go to Wikipedia for further info.

Texas Writers, Authors in Wikipedia

Texas Writers Category
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Texas_writers

Here's a list of about 100 Texas writers with their own Pages in Wikipedia. The implicit task is, well, Texan in dimension - not to mention who qualifies. The "Texas Portal" link is displayed to link you to a general article on Texas; it is not that fine group of University of North Texas librarian smoothing the wrinkles in the sheet of Texas time through their "Portal to Texas History," itself a broad and admirable effort.

Wikipedia, the community based international encyclopedia, includes the option of clustering topics for users convenience. This clustering or categorizing is called a "Category." One such category is "Texas Writers" which offers an opportunity for enrichment. As with other Wikipedia efforts, its improvement rests with users, as occasionally supervised by another participant. The current list is a good beginning. It does properly include William Goyen who has been slighted by some current raining critics of Texana. It does not include Cormac McCarthy whose writing is also refined and literary.

The lists includes novelists, journalists, folklorists, playwrights, essayists, and other idlers travelling under the social approbation of wordsmithery. Who is Paco Ahlgren? He's just a click away.

A
Paco Ahlgren Susan Wittig Albert Aaron Allston Ellis Amburn Dr. Moe Anderson Mechelle Avey
B
Neal Barrett, Jr. Gordon Baxter Roy Bedichek Raymond Benson Sarah Bird Jayme Lynn Blaschke Timothy Braun Walter H. Breen Sandra Brown Paul Burka James Lee Burke
C
Rachel Caine Candace Camp Matt Clark (writer) Ernest Cline Madison Cooper Richard L. Cox
Deborah Crombie
D
J. Frank Dobie Allen Drury
E
Lars Eighner Linda Ellerbee P. N. Elrod
F
James L. Farmer, Sr. John Henry Faulk O. C. Fisher Brian Floca Robert Flynn (author) Horton Foote Kinky Friedman
G
Gail Giles Fred Gipson William Goyen John Gray (U.S. author)
H
Leon Hale Brett Halliday Charles L. Harness Vicki Hearne Allison Hedge Coke Kate Heyhoe
Donna Hogan Kimberly Willis Holt Robert E. Howard James Hynes
I
Molly Ivins
J
Bret Anthony Johnston Tom Jones (writer)
K
Elmer Kelton Rick Klaw
L
Woodrow Landfair Joe R. Lansdale Christopher Largen James Lavilla-Havelin
Thomas C. Lea, III Cara Lockwood
M
Ardath Mayhar Larry McMurtry Judith McNaught
N
Chris Nakashima-Brown Warren Carl Norwood
O
Joe M. O'Connell Chad Oliver Karen Olsson William O'Neil
P
Lawrence Person D. T. Pollard Katherine Anne Porter
R
Karen Ranney Nancy Taylor Rosenberg Ron Rozelle
S
Dorothy Scarborough Harvey Schmidt Duane Simolke Skeeter Skelton Jimmy Starr
Bruce Sterling Whitley Strieber Katherine Sutcliffe Shanna Swendson
T
Jodi Thomas John Thomason Frank X. Tolbert Sergio Troncoso Lisa Tuttle
U
Jim Underwood Steven Utley
W
Howard Waldrop Linda Warren Joanna Wayne Don Webb Walter Prescott Webb
Janice Woods Windle Gene Wolfe Ramsay Wood M. K. Wren
Y
J. Lanier Yeates

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Texas Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks in Wikipedia

Our built environment is a major portion of our preserved history and culture.

Wikipedia has some interesting offerings:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_historic_civil_engineering_landmarks#Texas

Brooks AFB, Old Hangar 9, San Antonio
San Antonio River Walk & Flood Control System, San Antonio
Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising, Galveston
Acequias of San Antonio, San Antonio
El Camino Real (The Royal Road) Eastern Branch, San Antonio
Denison Dam, Denison
Texas Commerce Bank (formerly Gulf, now Chase) Building, Houston
San Jacinto Monument, Houston
International Boundary Marker #1, El Paso
Houston Ship Channel, Houston

http://www.texasce.org/docs/PastLandmarks.cfm

HISTORIC CIVIL ENGINEERING LANDMARKS OF TEXAS SECTION-ASCE
with years of dedication (Click on a project name that is in red to see more information about it.)

National CE Landmarks in Texas
Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising Galveston 2001
Hangar 9, Brooks AFB San Antonio 1998
Gulf Building (Texas Commerce Bank, now Chase Bank) Houston 1997
San Antonio's River Walk San Antonio 1996
Denison Dam (with Oklahoma Section) Red River 1993
The San Jacinto Monument East Harris County 1992
Houston Ship Channel Houston 1987
El Camino Real, Eastern Branch San Antonio 1986
International Boundary Marker No. 1 (with New Mexico and Mexico Sections) El Paso 1976
Acequias of San Antonio San Antonio 1968

Texas CE Landmarks
Bataan Memorial Trainway El Paso 2003
Hays Street Bridge San Antonio 2001
Highland Chain of Lakes Texas Hill Country 2000
Holly Pump Station and North Holly Water Treatment Plant Fort Worth 1992
Medina Dam Lake Medina 1991
Buchanan Dam Lake Buchanan 1990
Original Dallas Floodway Dallas 1989
Houston Street Viaduct Dallas 1989
Corpus Christi Seawall Corpus Christi 1988
El Camino Real, Central Branch El Paso 1988
Mills Building El Paso 1981
Paddock Viaduct Fort Worth 1976
Alamo Portland and Roman Cement Works(San Antonio Japanese Tea Gardens) San Antonio 1976
Franklin Canal El Paso 1976
Galveston Seawall and Grade Raising Galveston 1975
Waco Suspension Bridge Waco 1971

Historic Markers with Other Sections
International Boundary Marker No. 1 (with New Mexico and Mexico Sections) El Paso 1976
International Boundary Markerbetween the Republic of Texas andthe U.S. (with Louisiana Section) Logansport, LA 1980
Denison Dam (with Oklahoma Section) Red River 1993

Other sources:
Texas Almanac
see also: http://www.texasalmanac.com/history/highlights/landmarks/

Texas CE
http://www.austinasce.org/hh.htm (Austin Branch, Texas Section - History and Heritage Committee)

http://www.texasce.org/docs/AwardsNational.cfm (for national awards)

Consider adding to these lists or using them to augment your communites awareness of their history through civil engineering