View source for User:Nickshanks

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''“Here I am standing in a street with mud and a cow” — Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia.<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7347766.stm
| title = Wikipedia takes business approach
| publisher = [[BBC]]
| date = 15 April 2008
}}''</ref>
<hr>
__NOTOC__
'''[http://web.nickshanks.com/ Nicholas George Shanks]''' was born on [[1 May]] [[1981]] at the [[Queen's Medical Centre]] in [[Nottingham]], to a [[Scottish people|Scottish]] father and [[Hungarian people|Hungarian]] mother. He was raised in [[West Bridgford]] before moving at age 18 to [[Hatfield, Hertfordshire|Hatfield]] to attend the [[University of Hertfordshire]] where he [[wiktionary:Read#Transitive verb|read]] [[Astrophysics]].

Although presently a [[web developer]] at the [[Royal Opera House]], in London's [[Covent Garden]], Nicholas has won an Apple Design Award whilst working as a [[Cocoa (API)|Cocoa programmer]] for [[Boinx Software]] of [[Bavaria]], where he wrote [[Apple Macintosh|Mac]] [[application software|applications]]. Interests include learning languages ([[Scottish Gaelic language|Gàidhlig]], [[Latin language|Latina]], [[Japanese language|日本語]], [[Russian language|Русский]]). Besides [[wikibooks:Astronomy|astrophysics]], [[wikibooks:Computer programming|computing]] and [[wikibooks:Linguistics|linguistics]], his interests include [[wikibooks:Archaeology|archaeology]], [[wikibooks:Paleontology|paleontology]], [[wikibooks:Introduction to Paleoanthropology|paleoanthropology]], [[human spaceflight|human]] and [[unmanned space mission|robotic]] spaceflight, [[terraforming]], [[sexual attraction|females]], [[natural disaster]]s and a plethora of other topics. His musical tastes include [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[The Police]], [[Die Prinzen]], [[Chris Isaak]], [[Jefferson Airplane]], [[Peter Gabriel]], [[Steve Miller Band|The Steve Miller Band]] and [[U2]] amongst [http://www.audioscrobbler.com/user/nickshanks/ many many others].

<table id="toc" summary="Contents" style="box-shadow: 0.2em 0.2em #CCC;">
  <tr id="toctitle"><th>
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  <tr id="tocinside"><td>
[[#Languages|1 Languages]]<br/>
[[#Major Contributions|2 Major Contributions]]<br/>
[[#Images|3 Images]]<br/>
[[#Articles of Interest|4 Articles of Interest]]<br/>
[[#External Links|5 External Links]]
   </td></tr>
</table>

== Languages ==
{| id="userboxes" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1ex; width: 242px; clear: right; box-shadow: 0 0.2em 1em #CCC; background-color: transparent;"
| {{User en}}
|-
| {{User de-1}}
|-
| {{User fr-1}}
|-
| {{User la-1}}
|-
| <div style="float:left;border:solid #FFB3B3 1px;margin:1px">
{| cellspacing="0" style="width:238px;background:#FFE0E8"
| style="width:45px;height:45px;background:#FFB3B3;text-align:center;font-size:14pt;white-space:pre" | '''[[Hungarian language|hu]]-½'''
| style="font-size:8pt;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em" | This user only knows '''[[:Category:User hu-1|a few words]] in [[:Category:User hu|Hungarian]]'''.
|}</div>
[[Category:User hu-1|{{PAGENAME}}]]
|}
For anyone who's interested, I have an [[Received Pronunciation|RP]]‐like [[rhotic and non-rhotic accents|non‐rhotic]] [[East Midlands English|East Midlands accent]] with [[linking R|linking and intrusive [ɹ]]], and almost exclusively use a [[Phonological history of English short A#Trap-bath split|short /æ/]] in words like ''grass, path, laugh, dance;'' exceptions being ''aunt, can't, half'' and ''calf.'' I read ''wh'' as {{IPA|/w/}} in almost all cases, except where distinctions are significant ''(which witch?),'' and exhibit partial and sometimes inconsistant [[English consonant cluster reductions#Yod dropping|Yod dropping]] for example in ''lute, suit'' but not ''new, dune'' or ''Zeus.'' The words ''chew'' and ''juice'' may be pronounced both with and without /j/ with no apparent (to me) reason why I would choose one over the other, and I more frequently coalesce the noun ''tune'' to /ʧuːn/ than not; the verb ''to tune'' is never coalesced. I have written an [[/IPA|IPA transcription of myself]] reading the above passage and made an [http://web.nickshanks.com/accent/samples/GB/nicholas_shanks.m4a audio recording of myself] reading the passage from the [http://accent.gmu.edu/ English Speech Accent Archive].

== Major Contributions ==
<!--{| style="border: 1px solid #AAA; background-color: #F8F8F8; margin-left: 0.8em; padding: 0.4em; float: right; clear: right; border-right-width: 2px; border-bottom-width: 2px; white-space: nowrap;"
|+ '''Contact Information'''
|-
| [[Image:vcard.png|24px|vCard]] [http://web.nickshanks.com/personal/nicholasshanks.vcf Download vCard]
|-
| [[Image:aim logo.png|24px|AIM]] nicholasshanks <!-[aim:addbuddy?screenname=nicholasshanks Add Buddy] - [aim:goim?screenname=nicholasshanks&message=Greetings%20fellow%20Wikipedian! Send Message]->
|-
| [[Image:yahoo! Messenger.png|24px|Yahoo]] [http://edit.yahoo.com/config/set_buddygrp?.src=&.cmd=a&.bg=Friends&.bdl=nickshanks Add Buddy] - [http://edit.yahoo.com/config/send_webmesg?.target=nickshanks Send Message]
|-
| [[Image:Messenger Logo.png|24px|MSN]] contact&#x40;nickshanks.com
|-
| [[Image:ICQ Logo.gif |24px|ICQ]] [http://wwp.icq.com/scripts/search.dll?to=55542254 Add Buddy] - [http://wwp.icq.com/scripts/contact.dll?msgto=55542254 Send Message]
|}-->

=== Computing ===
* [[Apple Advanced Typography]] – wrote article
* (Apple typography) – added section on Apple Advanced Typography, now moved to seperate article
* [[Comparison of web browsers]] – added two browsers
* [[Comparison of layout engines (CSS)]] – created article

=== Events ===
* [[Hatfield rail crash]] &ndash; created article
* [[List of rail accidents in the United Kingdom]] &ndash; created article

=== Locations ===
* [[Hatfield, Hertfordshire|Hatfield]] – greatly expanded, categorised
* [[Hatfield House]] – expanded content
* [[West Bridgford]] – re-wrote article, categorised
* [[Bayfordbury]] – created stub
* [[Old Market Square]] – re‐written and cleaned up
* [[Rongbuk Monastery]] — created stub

=== Space ===
* [[Hot Jupiter]] – re&#x2010;wrote article from scratch
* [[Extrasolar planet]] – corrected a lot of errors
* [[Planetary migration]] – created stub
* [[Rossiter–McLaughlin effect]] — created article
* [[HD 189733]] — created article
* [[HARPS]] – created article
* [[Spiral Galaxy NGC 2403|NGC 2403]] – created article
* [[Hodge 301]] – created article
* [[41450 Medkeff]] – created stub
* [[SN 1604]] – added table
* [[SN 1987A]] – added table
* [[SN 2004dj]] – created article
* [[Geoffrey Marcy]] – created article
* [[R. Paul Butler]] – created stub
* [[Debra Fischer]] – created stub
* [[Didier Queloz]] – created stub
* [[Myasishchev Design Bureau|Машиностроительный Завод им. Мясищева]] — created stub
* [[:Category:Astronauts]] – organised by nationality
* [[:Template:Minor planet]] – created template
* [[:Template:Supernova]] – created template
* [[:Template:Galaxy]] – created template
* [[:Template:Star]] – created template
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Astronomical objects|Astronomical objects]] project member

=== Miscellaneous ===
* [[Baby boomer]] &ndash; re-wrote article as non-US-centric. moved existing contents to [[Post-WW2 baby boom]] and [[Year 2000 baby boom]]
* [[List of English words with diacritics]] — created stub
* [[Nik og Jay]] – created stub
* [[Kent's Cavern 4]] — created article
* [[Iceberg B-15]] — created article
* [[Lunar Government]] — created article
* [[List of fonts in Mac OS X]] — created article
* [[History of copper currency in Sweden]] — wrote article
* [[:Category:British archaeology]] – reorganised sites into subcategory

== Images ==
All images created by me are licensed through a [[Creative Commons License|Creative Commons Attribution license]] of one form or another, some require [[Share Alike]], some just attribution. My photographs have the additional condition that I be notified by email explaining when and where they are to be used. I retain [[copyright]] on these works, unless otherwise noted.<br/>
''See [[/Gallery|english gallery]] (content in English) and [[commons:User:Nickshanks|commons gallery]] (language neutral content).''

=== Photographs ===
* [[:commons:|Photograph of myself]]
* [[:commons:Image:Sfcityhall.jpeg|San Francisco City Hall]]
* [[:commons:Image:Lombardst.jpeg|Lombard Street, San Francisco]]
* [[:commons:Image:Bigsurnorthface.jpeg|Big Sur, California]]
* [[:commons:Image:Pebblebeach par3.jpeg|Pebble Beach, California]]
* [[:commons:Image:Lonecypress.jpeg|Lone Cypress, Pebble Beach]]
* [[:commons:Image:Hősök tere.jpeg|Hősök tere, Budapest]]
* [[:commons:Image:Palace of Art, Budapest.jpeg|Palace of Art, Budapest]]

=== Diagrams & Artwork ===
* [[:Image:Extrasolar Planets 2004-08-31.png|Extrasolar planets]]
* [[:Image:Mesoplanets.png|Mesoplanets]]
* [[:Image:Large rocky planets.png|Large rocky planets]]
* [[:commons:Image:Rossiter-McLaughlin effect.png|Rossiter-McLaughlin effect]]
* [[:commons:Image:Delta4 family future.png|Delta 4 rocket family]]
* [[:Image:Macosx-allfonts.png|Fonts supplied with Mac OS X]]
* [[:Image:Gold price 2001-2006.png|Gold price, Troy Oz morning fix, 2001–2006]]
* [[:commons:Image:British Empire.png|Territories under control of Britain]]
* [[:commons:Image:British Empire 1897.jpg|Territories under control of Britain (1897)]]
* [[:commons:Image:British Empire 1921.png|Territories under control of Britain (1921)]]
* [[:commons:Image:Anglophone map.png|English‐speaking countries (2005)]]
* [[:commons:Image:Northern Ireland election seats 1997-2005.svg|General election seats won in Northern Ireland, 1997-2005]]
* [[:commons:Image:Northern Ireland election seats 1997-2005-by.svg|General election seats won in Northern Ireland, 1997-2005, including 2000 South Antrim by‐election]]
==== SVG Optimisations ====
:''The following were optimised by me in a text editor. I did not draw the originals.''
* [[:Image:Information icon.svg|Info icon]] (reduced to 1,315 bytes from 4,351 bytes; 70% reduction)
* [[:Image:Padlock.svg|Padlock icon]] (reduced to 17,658 bytes from 27,265 bytes; 35% reduction)
* [[:commons:Image:Flag of Wales.svg|Y Ddraig Goch]] (reduced to 122 KB from 245 KB; 50% reduction)
* [[:commons:Image:2005UKElectionMap.svg|UK general election results, 2005]] (uses classes instead of inline style attributes)
* [[:Image:BBC owl.svg|BBC Computer Literacy Project owl logo]]

== Articles of Interest ==
=== Wikipedia ===
* [[Wikipedia talk:UK Wikipedians' notice board|Notice Board]]
* [[Wikipedia:Meetup/London|Meet-ups]]

=== Space ===
* {{dp|Eris}} ({{mp|2003 UB|313}}) (Xena & Gabrielle)
* {{mpl|2003 EL|61}} (Santa & Rudolph)
* {{mpl|2004 XR|190}} (Buffy)
* {{dp|Makemake}} ({{mp|2005 FY|9}}, Easter bunny)

=== Friends ===
* [[Bill Heineman|Rebecca Heineman]]

=== Software ===
* [[HexEdit]]
* [[ResKnife]]
* [[Alkor]]
* [[BoinxTV]]

=== Subpages ===
* [[/Multilingual Macintosh software]]

== External Links ==
<div style="float: right;">{{user page wikicommons}}</div>
* [http://web.nickshanks.com/ Nicholas Shanks' Homepage]

* [http://www.aquarius.geomar.de/omc/make_map.html Aquarius Online Map Creation] (uses GMT)
* [[meta:Map generator|Map generator]]

== Reference ==
<references/>

© Copyright 2004-2008 Nicholas Shanks.<br/>

[[Category:British Wikipedians|Nickshanks]]

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