A little while back, I proposed an idea to rename what we, at the time, called "Articles of the Month." The new name would be called "Featured articles," the more basic and general term used on most wikis and Wikimedia projects. The name was not all I proposed to be changed - the entire layout and system would be changed to a more strict yet somewhat looser policy.
Now we officially have them. That's right folks, those big things on the main page, Featured articles. I encourage everyone to, when writing an article, keep in mind a goal to bring it to "FA" level. The requirements are actually very simple:
It must be void of grammar errors or inaccurate statements
It must be well written
It must have no tags other than "Spoiler"
It must be of reasonable length
It must have sources
If your article has this, you're only one step closer to your goal!
Now you got to go and head to FAN, where you just have to type in the article name in the box. Then type in your reasons for the article's status promotion in the page that will appear and save! Then reviewers will give their opinions and support/oppose it. To the reviewers, from my personal experience, please be nitpicky - this doesn't mean "Fail - This article has a typo!" It means, "Comment - There's a bit redundancy in the third section. Also, "adventure" is misspelled in the opening. Fix those and it's good."
Now, what are you waiting for! Get up and write those articles! Users can be able to see our top articles on the main page every two weeks. Vote now!!
Songs and Tunes
Special mention from Tri-State Gazette crew.
PF-Projects are projects where several users join together to work on and improve articles relating to a topic that the wiki covers. Right now, we have around 6, the majority of which are relatively "dead." Currently, though, a PF-Porject covering songs is rocketing up and rising from the grave - Songs and Tunes!
Formed by Phineas Flynn earlier this month, the group contains several different users, each with a different single-project to work on that falls under the main PF-Project. The Gazette proudly endorses PF-Project Songs and Tunes! Join now!
Last time, we talked about what our community is. Let's take a look at how we can all help grow our community. I don't just mean how we get new members. That is important, but it is just as important to grow from within.
What does that mean? It means that we need to build relationships within the wiki. Have you taken the time to welcome a new editor who's been working on a page on your watchlist? Do you know the personality of any of your fellow editors? Have you ever been to the IRC Chat Channel?
As we learn more about each other, we will help each other do better work. Next time, we'll look at ways you can help us get new members to add to our community.
We have seen many new members and visitors to our wiki in the past few months. Some came because of the Wikia Spotlight ads, and some came because of the new episodes. We have a Community Portal that new users can check out. It is a collection of help files and tips.
At the moment, the Community Portal contains just the default information that is added when new wikis are created. We will be updating and customizing it so that new folks and long-time members alike will benefit.
Task force to Major Monogram. Task force to Major Monogram. Come in, Major Monogram.
Monogram to task force. Report.
We were at the Super Food Stuff Mart earlier today and spotted Dr. Doofenshmirtz at the checkout line. He had five shopping carts, filled with tinfoil. We checked the shelves. All the tinfoil is gone.
That's strange. I wonder what he's up to.
It gets worse. We checked other stores. Eighty per cent of the nation's tinfoil has been bought, and all by Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
Great googly moogly! That can't be good. I'll get our best agent right on it. Monogram out. Now where did I put that communicator for Agent P...?
Oh! There you are Perry! The hunt begins for Perry the Platypus-themed merchandise for many Phineas and Ferb fans.
Whenever I find myself growing close to a television show, I often find that my responsibilities change. It seems the more I devote myself to a show, the more I want to do everything I can to support it, to help the fandom grow, and to insure that not only as many people as possible are watching and enjoying the show, but also that the show itself will continue.
It’s often this feeling of responsibility (paired with my own fangirl-inspired obsessions) which leads me to seek after merchandise for the show. In the past my friends have known me to scour the internet and Disney stores alike in a scavenger-like search for a t-shirt or figurine bearing the likeness of the show’s characters. I would, of course, justify my purchases in reminding myself how much I was supporting the show. And this is not a false fact, in fact the more merchandise that a show can sell, the more likely the show is to continue airing due to its profit potential. But deep I know that my motivation to buy things is driven only by my desire to have more stuff.
And naturally Phineas and Ferb is no exception to this. What started out as a simple walk into a Disney Store in a mall by my house quickly escalated into a near-insane obsession with one article of merchandise in particular – the 20” talking Perry the Platypus.
The day felt ordinary enough – after all it was just another shopping trip with my mother and sister during which I requested we go into my favorite store. At the time I was looking at buying a shirt I had seen before at the store (and which I have still seen occasionally at the store), a grey tee with Phineas on it, and the statement “So not busted” printed next to him. It was certainly not my favorite idea for a shirt, but hey, it’s merchandise, right? But something else in the store quickly caught my eye – Phineas and Ferb plush toys!
They were maybe 15” (38 centimeters) tall, and when you squeezed their hand, they spoke! (Phineas’s lines include things like “Hey, where’s Perry?” “Yes, Yes I am,” while Ferb’s include such direct quotes from the show as “Well it’s definitely better than the gorilla in the cake,” “Sharks have to continue to move forward, or they’ll drown,” and “Because, she a tire spinning, gear grinding, clutch grinding, back firing, paint trading, redlining, overheating, throttle stomping, truck driving girl.”) The figures were adorable, but one caution to these for any potential buyers – their batteries are not replaceable, there is no zipper, creating a seamlessly smooth plush. The original price for the toys was $19.99.
Now I was very excited about these two, but of course being the gigantic Perry fan that I am, began to wonder if there was a third to the set. We even asked one of the delightful sales-personnel there, and she confirmed that such a plush did exist. The only problem? Perry sold out within the first hour they had him on display. They couldn’t keep him stocked on the shelves! Everybody wanted their own talking Perry the Platypus. And as excited as I was that my dream toy existed, I was also disappointed to know that they were going to be difficult to find.Thanks to the internet, however, I was able to receive a Perry the Platypus plush in only a couple of weeks through the listing at DisneyStore.com. I received my Perry, chattering happily (Perry, not me), 14 inches (35 centimeters) without the tail, and 20 inches (51 centimeters) including it. This little blue-green stuffed animal quickly became the biggest hit at my dorm, has his own Facebook, and is constantly being invited places by those who know him. Needless to say, he is very loved.
The amazement to me began when I went back on the internet and noticed how the demand for this platypus had grown. Within only a couple of months of its release, Perry the Platypus was sold out on DisneyStore.com (as was the one Perry the Platypus shirt – white with Perry in “pet form” on it). Every so often it would be in stock, but then within days would be out of stock once more. Prices on Amazon.com and Ebay.com were skyrocketing upwards towards $50.00 for a new stuffed, talking Perry! The world had Perry the Platypus fever and needed the web-footed comfort of the plush Perry. More recently the prices have dropped some, and although DisneyStore.com gives no indication of having more Perrys soon, the Amazon.com price continues to stabilize at $35.00.
But fear not, for within the last month, Disney released something else to satisfy the public’s hunger for Perry – new beanie-sized plushes. The more recently-released toys are only about 7 inches (18 cm) long and do not talk, but maintain the adoreable nature of Phineas, Ferb, and Perry. I bought mine at the Disney Store for $8.99, and they are selling on E-bay.com for about $10.00 each, and the Perry can be found on Amazon.com for $15.00. So far, they have not been listed on DisneyStore.com. I would encourage anyone trying to find this toy to look at your local Disney Store before buying online, but last time I searched my local mall for them, they only had Phineases and Ferbs left. I have no doubt in my mind that demand will continue to rise for these toys, and their prices will likely spike too.
Of course, there are still other options available for merchandise. If stuffed Perry’s aren’t up your alley, or if you’re still looking for other things above and beyond, you should look into:
Do you have your copy of the extended version of Gitchee, Gitchee, Goo yet? Buy it from iTunes or Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Gitchee-Goo/dp/B002BB0TP2) or buy the CD Disney Channel Playlist through your local CD provider.
Now, "No More Bunny Business" followed Candace taking in a stray rabbit that's more than he's worth. I particularly liked seeing the bad side of The O.W.C.A. for once, what with Dennis (a name you'd never expect to be that of a bad guy, oddly enough) being a rogue agent. I'm not a big Candace fan, honestly, so I found her goggling over him a wee bit annoying, as it really interrupted what could have been some really cool fight scenes between Perry and Dennis. Though her name for him was definitely hilarious.... Overall, B.
"Spa Day" was rather mediocre, but had so much funny stuff in it I can't really talk bad about it. Phineas and Ferb build a spa while Candace and Stacy, supposed to attend an official one, help rebuild a house for charity. And in the meanwhile, Doofenshmirtz takes in a cat that causes more trouble then he ever does. Now, the entire Phineas and Ferb part was thin and heavily underused - I'm not a big Candace fan and seeing her pretty much being a babbling fangirl most of the time was pretty annoying. Especially when the whole "being distracting by your crush" is so overused in television and it's surprising to see Phineas and Ferb doing anything already used in television as the big plot.
Usually, I'm a fan of Aliki Theofilopoulos (known for such classics as "I, Brobot") episodes, but this one was surprisingly lacking. But two things really saved it: that brilliant song and Doofenshmirtz's entire plot. The latter was a parallel to the plot of "Bunny Business," a fun little thing to see that's a rarely used formula on the show. It also gave me a little callback to "It's About Time!," with Doofenshmirtz trying to explain himself to Perry. And for the song, I loved how they went from soft to hard rap, a very clever transition we all expect from this show. In a podcast interview with Dan and Swampy, they said there was an episode where they worked in "Pennsylvania dutch" into a song, which happened to be this - brilliant job of doing so, I have to say. The highlight of the episode definitely had to be Planty the Potted Plant being dubbed an agent. I can't nearly describe how hard I was laughing. Overall, B+.
Agree with this review? Disagree? Can't really decide? Let us know on our talk page.
I just saw the coolest thing today. I was riding with my mom in the car on the way back from the grocery store and there was this rollercoaster right in the middle of the street! Good thing I always have my InstaPic camera with me at all times. I got a picture of it just as the coaster whooshed by! I think I recognize one of the kids in the car. He looks like a boy from near where I live.
Topher and Ardi have been working on redesigning the Main page to make it easier to use and present the current news better. The time has come to vote on which one should become our new Main page.
Check out Topher's design and Ardi's design, then cast your vote in the forum. We're asking everyone to choose just one: the Main Page as it is right now, Ardi's design, or Topher's design.
Voting will close at 23:59 UTC on August 22, 2009.