Freebase: Discussion about robert

George W. George: Merge request

2009-12-17T00:22:04.0005Z

How can I merge these two topics: http://www.freebase.com/view/en/george_w_george http://www.freebase.com/view/guid/9202a8c04000641f8000000012cfa3bf

and what exactly is the difference between these two...what's the word...ah yes: Topics?

Clearly, there are in fact two distinct entities--one has four types and the other has six.

Looks like I unwittingly created a new topic instead of adding to the existing one; I think I initially added a "record" to Rube Goldberg's topic...I think I initially created this article by adding a child to Rube Goldberg's topic. Oops.

Argh. Argh!

Column: Unsyndicated columns?

2009-12-17T00:08:33.0013Z

+1 on adding a property for the newspaper an unsyndicated column appears in. In fact, I think it should be a disambiguating property.

Does this Column type only apply to newspapers? Magazines and journals have columns too.

Column: Column frequency?

2009-12-17T00:02:46.0019Z

Great type, Chris!

May I suggest a property for capturing the frequency of a column -- daily, weekly, monthly, etc.

Columns: Promotion to commons?

2009-12-16T22:59:29.0000Z

Cool! Apart from the open question of unsyndicated columns, the main issue would be to document all the types, and as many properties as possible. I'll send out a note to the list for more review.

Column: Unsyndicated columns?

2009-12-16T22:58:14.0013Z

How would "published by" and "publishing entity" work? Would "entity" be for syndicates, and "published by" be for newpapers?

Yeah, I don't think there's a real value in modeling which newspapers carried a particular syndicated column.

Jeffrey Friedman: split

2009-12-16T18:53:17.0000Z

I know - I noted above that I had moved the film credits to the right one. The split process I refer to is to move the relevant keys/ids. Is that not the correct use of the term?

Jeffrey Friedman: split

2009-12-16T18:38:20.0013Z

No need to split, the topic of the right Friedman for the film business is here. Need to get the Entertainment Weekly Key moved to the right Jeff F.

Merge Snowy Plover with Kentish Plover

2009-12-16T17:31:25.0001Z

Same taxonomic concept but different common names. Keep Snowy Plover as topic name and Kentish Plover as alias because AOU recognizes Snowy Plover and the species apparently no longer breeds in Kent or any of Great Britain.

General Support: How does one change the main type of something

2009-12-16T17:14:02.0011Z

Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort shows up as a structure when it should show up as an accommodation. How do I change this?

Fictional employment tenure: Allow Multiple titles

2009-12-16T15:40:25.0019Z

Can we either allow a character to have multiple titles, (preferred) or add to/from fields so we can track the progression from one job/title to the next. If adding to/from fields, they would probably need to be typed as my Fictional Date/Time. As that type is not yet in the commons (I think it still needs to be refined) it's probably better to go with the former.

Column: Unsyndicated columns?

2009-12-16T13:46:46.0034Z

One approach would be to ignore the syndication status of a column when it comes to column publishers. A relationship type of column + published by + publishing entity, with date runs, may do the trick.

I haven't really thought about modeling syndication relationship to newspapers, mainly because data about subscribing publications (with dates) would be difficult to obtain for historical columns and newspapers.

Columns: Promotion to commons?

2009-12-16T11:37:59.0033Z

Yes to promotion.

People: name changes...

2009-12-16T06:49:16.0015Z

I think Al made a type called Thing of Many Names for this purpose.

(We need to figure out what to do about a Names commons, really, for that and namesakes and a handful of other name-related things that are kicking around.)

Long Island Press: Long and storied history

2009-12-16T05:16:41.0005Z

I created a placeholder for the other newspaper, Long Island Press and added a link to the Library of Congress' description(s). I'm not sure that Wikipedia's description (cribbed from the current LI Press?) is all that accurate, so you might want to research it a bit more when fleshing things out.

People: name changes...

2009-12-16T05:12:24.0006Z

To delete an alias click "add an alias" (naturally).

There isn't a Name Change type, as far as I know, but you could certainly define one. Legally changing ones name via the courts is a relatively recent phenomenon. Until relatively recently, all one had to do was start using the new name.

Long Island Press: Long and storied history

2009-12-16T04:58:13.0000Z

So the first thing that's obvious here is that there are two different Long Island Presses. Although Wikipedia distinguishes things mainly by name (thus two separate newspapers covered in the same article), Freebase has no problem with having two different newspapers of the same name, one ending a long run in 1977 and the other adopting the name in the last few years. Conversely, I'd add the various names of the original newspaper as aliases, as long as it was nominally the same paper in continuous existence. There will always be grey areas, so just use your best judgement as to whether something is the same thing with a different name or two different things.

People: name changes...

2009-12-16T00:42:48.0008Z

I see...sounds pretty loose...is there a Name Change Type? If one legally changes their name there's a date and undoubtedly lots of documentation of this event.

on a related topic: How can I delete an alias; an alias I created?

People: name changes...

2009-12-15T23:55:58.0003Z

Freebase doesn't distinguish name types beyond "preferred name" (ie name) and "other names" (ie aliases or AKAs). Ideally you'd want to be able to match up the name variant with the event or the source (e.g. name as it appears on the birth certificate), but the name model isn't that sophisticated yet.

People: name changes...

2009-12-15T23:31:36.0001Z

What is the correct way to enter a person who changed their name from the birth name?

Looking @ Bob Dylan; I see he's got a whole mess 'o aliases, however, looking @ his mother Beatty Zimmerman she's listed as giving birth to Bob Dylan, when in fact her child was not known as Bob Dylan until sometimes after his parents named him Robert Zimmerman.

Yes, yes, people should be listed by the name of which they are known, but isn't there a type to note name change(s)--or is this "type" the alias?

Video Game: Games "based on" existing works (e.g. films)

2009-12-15T23:09:07.0000Z

I thought about using the Adaptation type too...it would require an uncommon if not unusual interpretation of the word "adaptation". The Lego Star Wars games do follow the films' plot line closely, so I suppose it would make sense. Definitely will cotype with Work of Fiction.

Columns: Promotion to commons?

2009-12-15T21:01:58.0007Z

I'd like to suggest this base for promotion to the publishing commons. If you're amenable, I'll ask the D-M list to review it.

Column: Unsyndicated columns?

2009-12-15T20:10:39.0018Z

How should unsyndicated columns be connected to their newspapers? (I'm assuming that this type is for newspaper columns, since syndication is primarily a newspaper thing.)

Video Game: Games "based on" existing works (e.g. films)

2009-12-15T08:15:39.0013Z

I'd use adaptation: this game is an adaptation of Episodes I-III while this one is an adaptation of Episodes IV - VI, and they're both works of fiction set in the Star Wars Universe (without personally caring "which" Star Wars universe that is, but I appreciate other people might).

I'm not sure that the LEGO theme and the video game series should be the same topic.

Long Island Press: Long and storied history

2009-12-15T07:50:44.0018Z

The Long Island Press has a long and storied history that is missing here.

Any suggestions on how to record it?

Quoting the current wikipedia article: The Long Island Press was the name of a daily newspaper that lasted for 156 years. It was originally known as the Long Island Farmer which was founded in the 1840's. The paper changed its name to the The Long Island Daily Press in the 1920s, and then became simply Long Island Press in 1967. The Sunday edition bore the name Long Island Sunday Press. Both editions used a broadsheet format. It became known as the only New York paper to report on local government scandals until an extended strike by the Printing Pressmen's union forced the paper to go out of business on March 25, 1977[2]. Regular columnists included Walter Kaner.

How should this history, which includes multiple first issues be entered?

robert: confusion

2009-12-15T05:32:40.0006Z

Sorry for the slow reply. I was on the road.

Which type do you want to be promoted? This discussion is on my Military base in general.

Military: confusion

2009-12-15T05:32:40.0006Z

Sorry for the slow reply. I was on the road.

Which type do you want to be promoted? This discussion is on my Military base in general.

Video Game: Games "based on" existing works (e.g. films)

2009-12-15T00:45:51.0005Z

Hi,

How should I use to link a video game that either exists within the realm of or extends that of an existing work, such as a film? For example, I would like to say that the Lego Star Wars game series is derived from the Star Wars films, and is a part of the Star Wars franchise. There are several Franchise types but none pertains to video games. There's also Consumer Product with property Product Line that can probably be used to link books and films and games and toys of the same theme together.

Another possibility is to use Fictional Universe to indicate that a game is defined within a fictional universe. However, some fandoms are quite sensitive about Canon vs. Expanded Universe. Video games can be problematic when it comes to continuity.

Suggestions?

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-12T12:02:58.0030Z

I'd really rather not end up with two properties to determine who worked where when: that's just going to make the life of anybody searching for data that much harder. I know it's not perfect, but how about just setting "start end" and "end date" to the year in question?

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-12T00:00:05.0004Z

Well, here it is -- not so enlightening after all. The main issue, schema-wise, is that the same problem potentially exists for all types with a date range, and is related to the perennial "circa" problem with single dates.

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-11T23:37:39.0047Z

But the admins are always open to suggestions for improvements! The best place to make the suggestion is on the discussion board for the type in question.

On the larger question of known good dates, I'm pretty sure this has come up before. Let me see if I can find the old discussions, in case they shed any light on the issue.

Board Member: Committee Membership

2009-12-11T23:34:15.0040Z

Is there any reason that committee membership is not a part of this type?

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-11T22:47:29.0026Z

Spencer: I thought you were in Toronto? If so, I am in fact planning to be there in February and was going to talk to you about having a Freebase meetup while I'm there. It would probably be during the week starting Feb 8th.

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-11T22:38:25.0029Z

welcome to freebase dan~ the pink stuff comes from the schema documentation, which in the case of /people/person is locked with admin permissions so its only possible to improve documentation for types that you've created yourself... frustrating i know, because schema builders don't always properly document things. @workshop - lucky! those guys never seem to travel up to northern Ontario....

Board Member: Company vs. Organization, Huh?

2009-12-11T22:27:23.0024Z

Last time I checked a company was an organization.

Why not make this: Entity (Company, Institution, Not-For-Profit, Group of People, etc....) Entity Type: (See above)

I'm guessing that for-profit, not-for-profit, religious, public, private, illegal, etc., are enumerated in another type, but as I am new to this there is a high probability that I am wrong.

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-11T22:03:34.0009Z

...could also just name it During.

@ this point I am just getting my feet wet with FB (what's the preferred acronym that avoids confusion with Facebook?); Yesterday I attended the New York Freebase Workshop http://wiki.freebase.com/wiki/Freebase_Workshop_NYC_2009 where I met: Robert Cook, Jamie Taylor, and Will Moffat

Alas, I am currently doing my edits by hand and I am not a possessor of a large data-set with Freebase Potential...@ least not anything obvious, yet.

Here's a new question: Where can I suggest, or edit, the Help Text that displayed when you click on the (?) button...here's a link to a screengrab: http://aviary.com/artists/dme212/creations/freebase_helptext

--Dan

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-11T21:34:49.0034Z

i like this idea. we could just hide the property. (cc-ing jeff) do you have much data?

Jeffrey Friedman: split

2009-12-11T21:03:02.0017Z

I moved the film credits to the correct Jeffrey Friedman and removed those tyoes - the film credit related ID's still need to be moved.

Employment tenure: Employment Tenure...variation of?

2009-12-11T20:45:35.0031Z

Currently, Employment Tenure is defined by two dates that connote the start and end of the tenure. I would like to be able to add supporting data to what is an unknown tenure that would assist future contributors. I suggest that we add a field called KnownToBeInPositionDuring. In this manner I could add a year that I believe someone held a position, but was not necessarily the first, or last, year of their employment. Alternatively we could always resort to the handy-dandy multi-purpose field name that is suitable for just about every occasion: Notes.

robert: confusion

2009-12-09T19:57:30.0013Z

ya, or atleast beside them in suggest. i really like this schema. /military/military posts are vague. but i did, yesterday, spend a fair amount of time writing data to the wrong type. maybe we can push it for promotion?

Military: confusion

2009-12-09T19:57:30.0013Z

robert: confusion

2009-12-09T05:41:25.0013Z

How will it steal writes? Are types in this base appearing higher than types in the military commons?

Military: confusion

2009-12-09T05:41:25.0013Z

How will it steal writes? Are types in this base appearing higher than types in the military commons?

robert: confusion

2009-12-09T05:36:27.0013Z

i'm worried this type will steal writes intended for the military commons, rename it?

Military: confusion

2009-12-09T05:36:27.0013Z

i'm worried this type will steal writes intended for the military commons, rename it?

Aviation: "Aircraft"==aircraft model, so ??? = aircraft?

2009-12-06T13:09:52.0014Z

Calling The Spirit of St. Louis an aircraft model isn't such a bad thing - officially it was a "Ryan NYP", but only one was made.

On the other hand, I think maybe there should be a manufacturer/model or type/model heirarchy to make it clearer.

Aviation: "Aircraft"==aircraft model, so ??? = aircraft?

2009-12-06T07:19:50.0020Z

+1 To a new aircraft type (== aircraft instance), and renaming aircraft to aircraft model.

Aviation: Aircraft types need cleaning

2009-12-04T21:47:47.0013Z

We're up to 661 types of aircraft. That seems nuts. These seem to be a combination of mistypes (e.g. Hughes Aircraft), duplicates, and overly specific types (e.g. four-engine, mid-wing, monoplane). Curation needed by someone with an interest in aviation...

Aviation: "Aircraft"==aircraft model, so ??? = aircraft?

2009-12-04T21:44:06.0005Z

The Spirt of St. Louis has been typed as an Aircraft Model as well. Any progress on a type for instances of an aircraft? Can we get the name of /aviation/aircraft_model changed from 'Aircraft' to 'Aircraft Model' so that people know they're choosing the wrong type?