View source for User:EyeSerene

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|  || [[Hill 262]] (polishing) ||  || [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Military history/Academy|Academy]] development ||
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EyeSerene
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''The pretentious bit:''
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'''Who is EyeSerene?'''

[[File:Eye blue small.JPG|60px|left|EyeSerene]]
A being breathing thoughtful breath; a traveller between life and death...
<br clear="all" />

'''Why EyeSerene?'''

To truly appreciate the [[tapestry]] we walk though, we must see the colours and threads of that tapestry.

Seeing is both a [[passive]] and an [[active]] process—at its most basic, we simply pick up reflected [[photons]] that tell us about the physical shape of our surroundings. But of course it is much more than that. In those second-hand images we detect all the nuances of interaction that shape our lives. Love, hate, joy, sorrow, pleasure and pain—they are all somehow present, carried by the photons at a level beyond the merely physical.

So what is the carrier wave, the element that can propagate through a well-understood natural phenomenon? What causes us to feel connected when we catch another's gaze? How can emotions be stirred by minute electrical signals from the receptor cells in our eyes?

In a word, I believe the answer is ''empathy''.
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Passing through the tapestry, we feel the texture of certain threads, and on a visceral level learn the way in which they affect us, for good or evil. Interactions are based on experience: on the processing of photons. As that processing occurs, seeing becomes active. Our memory of the threads we have touched colours the active processes taking place, and triggers appropriate (or inappropriate) reactions within us.

And serenity? Where does that come in? For me, serenity is the ability to appreciate both the passive and active components involved in seeing the tapestry I am travelling through. It is pausing to consider my response before reacting to a signal: learning to empathise. Naturally some signals provoke a response that can be fairly called involuntary, and the processing I do on the photons I pick up is coloured by the beliefs and principles I hold dear. All the same, I hold serenity as a worthy mark to aim for.

''EyeSerene'' is the quest for self-knowledge; the capacity to touch others and be touched in return. It is inner calmness in the face of outer chaos. It finds hope in its failings, and mocks its own seriousness. It sees the world as it really is... and smiles.
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'''Riiight... who is EyeSerene really?'''

Really? Okay then.

I currently live in [[South Wales]], close to some of the best beaches in Britain. A few years ago I sidestepped out of the formal education system, where I taught [[Physics]], [[Maths]], [[Information technology|ICT]] and [[Engineering|Technology]], into the world of private training. Now I train [[engineering]] [[apprentice]]s and have drifted into the role of a [[health and safety]] practitioner.

Aside to my professional life, I'm married to a long-suffering <small>(and very wonderful, in case you're reading this)</small> wiki-widow, and have managed to father two more-or-less normal children. I have a longtime interest in the written word, and for my own enjoyment have penned a couple of novels. Who knows, maybe I'll even try to get them published one day...
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[[File:ThreeCliffsBay.jos.500pix.jpg|120px|right|My favourite local beach: Three Cliffs Bay on the Gower Peninsula]]
Before going into teaching, I served in the [[British Army|Army]]. My degree was read at the [[Defence Academy of the United Kingdom|Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham]], where I also indulged another lifelong passion of mine: [[military history]]. It is often the case that it takes a conflict to bring out both the best and worst in people—for any observer of human nature, it's a fascinating field.
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interests on Wikipedia
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''...so what do I do on here? (apart from waste far too much time wikisurfing)''
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Where to start? The quality of our encyclopedia is very important to me, so much of my on-wiki article work relates to improving or assessing content. Over the years I've been involved with the [[WP:GA|Good Article WikiProject]], the [[WP:FAT|FA-Team]], and most recently the [[WP:MILHIST|military history WikiProject]]. I welcome any queries or comments in this area; if I can't help, the chances are I'll know someone who can!

In my [[WP:ADMIN|caretaker]] role, I respond to [[WP:VANDAL|vandalism]] reports on the [[WP:AIV|AIV noticeboard]], can sometimes be found on the [[WP:ANI|Administrator's notice board]], and will help out elsewhere when the need arises. I have a fairly low tolerance for anything that detracts from the efforts of our article-writers and productive contributors, but I try to be fair and even-handed. If you feel I've treated you unjustly, let me know—most things can be sorted out through a little patience, goodwill, and willingness to communicate ;)

I ''refuse'' to [[Wikipedia:Edit war|edit-war]], assume [[WP:AGF|good faith]], and believe the principle "do no harm" is an excellent one to edit by. Wikipedia can be many things: amusing, frustrating, exhilarating, overwhelming, uplifting and challenging... but, so far, it's always been fun&nbsp;— and that's the way it always should be.

Finally, if you want to remind yourself how far we've all come, [http://web.archive.org/web/20010727112808/http://www.wikipedia.org/ click here] (can be slow to load). This is Wikipedia's front page on 27 July 2001, boasting of over 6000 articles! From small acorns indeed...
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milestones
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''My editing milestones on Wikipedia''
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* Sept 2006: '''ACCOUNT CREATED'''
* Sept 2006: '''FIRST MAJOR EDIT''' Major copyedit of [[Parasite Eve II]]
* March 2007: '''FIRST ARTICLE CREATED''' [[Military simulation]]
* March 2007: '''DYK''' Fact from [[Military simulation]] featured in '''Did you know''' on front page
* May 2007: '''FIRST VANDALISM REVERTED''' to [[Astigmatism]] (& '''FIRST WARNING ISSUED''')
* June 2007: '''FIRST GOOD ARTICLE''' (assist) - copyedit on [[Henry Peel Ritchie]]
* June 2007: '''FIRST AfD NOMINATION''' for [[Brown envelope]] (deleted)
* July 2007: '''FIRST GA REVIEW''' on [[Operation Gibraltar]] (passed)
* Oct 2007: '''FIRST FEATURED ARTICLE''' (assist) - copyedit on [[Battle of Barrosa]]
* Apr 2008: '''GIVEN ADMIN TOOLS''' (too many thanks to list here, [[Wikipedia:Requests for adminship/EyeSerene|but you know who you are]]!)
* Nov 2008: '''MILHIST COORDINATOR''' (co-opted). Elected in March 2009, and re-elected in September 2009 and March 2010.

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useful stuff
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''Links, hints, tips and tricks''
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* [http://vs.aka-online.de/wppagehiststat/ Page history stats]

* [http://toolserver.org/~dispenser/view/Main_Page Various tools for technical article information]

* [http://toolserver.org/~mzmcbride/cgi-bin/watcher.py Page watchlist counter]

* [http://toolserver.org/~chm/blockcalc.php Rangeblock calculator]

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to do
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''Inspiration for when I'm at a loose end''
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Expand [[Prefab Sprout]] and get to GA

Copyedit of [[Deathstalker (novel)]] - ''in progress''

Copyedit of [[The Gap Cycle]]

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wikihumour
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''Proposed site tag lines:''

* '''Wikipedia: a community, not a crazy den of pigs.'''[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:NewUser7&diff=next&oldid=220506353]
* '''Wikipedia: a  mastercool hoggish plaza of truth or reality.'''[http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:Sponsorations&diff=prev&oldid=242606325]

''Misc:''

* [[WP:WIKISPEAK|WikiSpeak]]
* It takes two to edit-war... [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Odorheiu_Secuiesc&offset=20070504000000&limit=25&action=history or does it]?
* [[User:Raul654/Raul's laws|Raul's laws]]
* [[User:Bibliomaniac15/How many Wikipedians does it take to screw in a lightbulb?|How many Wikipedians does it take to screw in a lightbulb?]]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wet_floor_sign&oldid=210943969 Mankind's greatest achievement]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Log&offset=20050301000000&limit=1&page=User%3AHis+Own+Rectum&hide_patrol_log=1&month=2&year=2005 The important thing is not to judge]
* [http://i.imgur.com/0OKtK.jpg Coincidence?]

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''...and why not?''
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| {{User:UBX/triplecrown}}
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fridge door
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''Somewhere to stick stuff I'm proud of ;)''
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{{User:EyeSerene/Awards}}

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{| style="text-align: center; border: 1px solid #9999B9; background-color: #E5E5F5;"
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|  style="font-size: 85%"|'''This is a Wikipedia user page.'''
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:EyeSerene http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:EyeSerene].
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[[File:Wikimedia.png|60px|none|Wikimedia Foundation]]
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