User:DannyRogers800

All comments, questions, and feedback are welcome! I often respond within a few hours, or even minutes :)

As you may have realized just by clicking on my username, I quite enjoy writing. There must be hundreds of words of information about me on this page, some nearly interesting, some nearly humorous, and all confidently worthless. In short, I have been editing here for one and a half years, many of which have been spent attempting to craft good and featured articles. My interests are all over the place, but music consistently crops up.

And, most importantly—far more important than anything else I have to say—I believe we should keep Wikipedia a kind, gentle community. Besides vandals, all editors here are working to ensure everyone a reliable source of information, in return for little social recognition and no pay. They mean well. Every attack or insult thrown at someone presumes malice on their end, which can hardly be bred on a site devoted to improving educational access. And if someone promotes hatred by hurling an attack, responding with an attack only doubles that hatred. This is the foremost, and only, dogma I follow on Wikipedia, having once disparaged a fellow editor who went on to guide me through one of my editing projects.

Approach to Wikipedia

The way I see it, a Wikipedia article is a summary of what sources^[a] say on the subject in the editors' words, but not in the editors' opinion. An editor's presence in an article can only be felt in one dimension: the writing. Their one-and-a-half decisions to make throughout any editing process are how to express the sources' statements, and, to a lesser extent, what to express, given that not all sources and statements are equally valid.^[b] And that's all. They cannot decide how to present the subject, how to describe the subject: all these decisions have already been made collectively by the sources. A proper editor's approach is, put simply, to stay humble and keep quiet. Let the sources do the talking, but decide in which language they talk.

With regards to writing, one can never go wrong with clear, simple prose. In my view, a fluent editor instinctively trims sentences longer than 40 words and paragraphs longer than 200 words. Since a summary cannot encapsulate all information on subject, they must ask before adding a new sentence, "Would this information interest most readers?"^[c] If yes, add the sentence; if not, scrap it.

I suggest considering other editors' approaches to editing and writing on Wikipedia. A great tutorial for crafting sharp, straightforward prose is Tony1's "How to improve your writing".

1. Sources being respected journalists, academics, writers, and critics.
2. Although this should be more a matter of instinct; once an editor has garnered enough experience on Wikipedia, they will have gained the ability to filter out poor sources from good ones thoughtlessly.
3. This includes casual readers, enthusiasts, and students, but not experts: experts would consult more detailed sources than Wikipedia.

History on Wikipedia

See the main page on my history, unless you value your time.

This chart misrepresents my editing efforts during the summer of 2024, as back then, I would pile many edits into one big edit. Furthermore, very minor edits such as altering article importance assessments count as much as huge additions of information, which can also give a false impression of my activity. Still, charts are fun.

My brief and bland life on Wikipedia began in January 2024. Then, I was a sixth form student studying English language and literature. My first efforts were two translations of English articles into Maltese for my local Wikipedia: "Hunters' Lodges" and "Camptown Races", both of which remain unfinished. I soon migrated to the English Wikipedia. The first English article I altered was "Camptown Races", a product of my fixation with American folk music. I then moved onto 4'33", which I overhauled and intended to bring to good article or perhaps featured article status. The efforts of Tim riley, the late Brianboulton, and company into refurbishing Wikipedia's coverage of classical music, composers, and opera certainly inspired me, and, admittedly, competition did play a role. I would continue to take up lengthy editing projects, especially starting from the summer of 2024. My first was "Henry Clay Work". In late 2025, I started participating in peer reviews for featured article candidacies and good article nominations; in other words, I began interacting with Wikipedia's community. I consider Wikipedia my main pastime, as it combines two of my greatest, lifelong passions: writing and research. My topics of interest are sharply varied, ranging from music and poetry to journalism and philosophy. All in all, however, music is the primary one.

The user name DannyRogers800, which I coined in 2021 for some other account, references a Youtuber I watched at the time, Danny Gonzalez, and a major character in a novel I had read for a school assignment, Mr. Rochester. I didn't like the novel much, but the surname Rochester must have left an impression; I simplified it to Rogers. There is no significance to the number 800.

Projects

• Hunters' Lodges: The first Wikipedia article I ever edited and the first I created (January 2024)
• "Camptown Races": The first article I edited on the English Wikipedia (January 2024)
• 4'33": My first major editing efforts on Wikipedia as well as the first vital article I tinkered with (February 2024)
• "Kingdom Coming" (June–July 2024)
• Henry Clay Work: My first project on Wikipedia, the first biography I edited, and the first article I nominated for peer review (June–July 2024; August 2025–)
• C. M. Cady: The first article I created on the English Wikipedia (July 2024)
• "Marching Through Georgia": My first good article and the first article I brought to featured article candidacy (September 2024–February 2025; August 2025–)
• Donald Trump 2024 presidential campaign: The first non-music related article I revamped as well as the first related to a living person or current affairs (March–May 2025)
• Jonathan Swan: The first biography of a living person I reworked (May 2025; July–December 2025)
• Herbert Morrison: The first vital article I nominated for good article status (July 2025; November 2025–)
• "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" (July 2025–)
• "Come Home, Father" ((July 2024); August 2025; November 2025)
• Pietru Caxaro: The first article related to my homeland, Malta, I overhauled (September 2025)
• Herostratus (October 2025)
• Kevin MacLeod (October 2025–)
• "Her Majesty" (October–December 2025)
• "Wild Honey Pie" (November–December 2025)

Short autobiography

I have passed all eighteen years of my brief vacation in Malta, a small island in the middle of the Mediterranean. Growing up, I lived off non-fiction books and Hanna-Barbera cartoons and fathered numerous short story characters. I wasn't a sociable, outdoors person but neither was I an active citizen of the internet, being old enough to dodge an overwhelmingly digitized upbringing. A capable student, my main subjects in secondary school were chemistry and biology, although in sixth form I opted for English and Maltese. Now at university, I am studying political philosophy and sociology. Consistency isn't my middle name, it seems. I'm also unsure of what will become of my professional life, assuming I will earn one in this day and age.

As for interests, I spend much of my free time reading about any topic that comes to mind. Philosophy comes first, although politics, eighteenth and nineteenth-century Western history, and poetry occupy me as well. There was a time when I thought of little else besides Emperor Donald. I also translate my reading into blogs on a quiz site, which is the closest I come to being useful to society. Above all else, however, I enjoy music, with the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Frédéric Chopin, and Pete Seeger being my favorite artists and among my most compelling muses. I also hold classical philosophers in high regard, especially the placid Epicurus and the cynical Diogenes, as well as the most honest thinker in recent times, George Carlin. If I had to change one thing about the world, I would present every student and every worker with a copy of Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Userboxes

Maybe slightly noteworthy, one can argue, perhaps
ra+ This user is a rationalist. This user is a freethinker. This user supports protection of the environment. This user is interested in beauty. This user believes that one should never stop feeding one's brain.

... not

This user is interested in anthropology and sociology. This user is a bibliophile. This user is interested in economics. gtr-1 This user is a novice guitarist. This user likes walking by the Coast This user is a Charlie Chaplin fan. This user enjoys the poetry of Wilfred Owen. This user enjoys the works of Mark Twain. This user loves The Beatles. This user is an atheist who defends the rights of people of faith. This user supports sustainable living. This user believes in materialism, the belief that everything that exists is made of matter. This user subscribes to eternalism and argues against an objective flow of time. This user is a fan of the Hitch. This user's personal hero is Carl Sagan. This user is a determinist. This user supports animal liberation. This user is against most forms of copyright. This user is an anti-capitalist. This user believes that both capitalism and state socialism a.k.a. state capitalism are inherently unjust and oppressive and that humans can do better. This user despises Gerrymandering. This user is a civil libertarian. This user dreams of a democracy without kings. This user heeds the teachings of George Carlin, a sage in clown's clothing. This user esteems Epicurus and simple taste. This user is a nihilist in theory, but, being a human with emotions and beliefs, cannot be a nihilist in practice. This user listens to the beautiful dreamer Stephen Foster. This user's favorite journalist is John Oliver. This user is Maltese. This user understands classical nationalism but opposes neonationalism that justifies xenophobia and tyranny. This user doesn't criticize what they can't understand. This user enjoys quizzes on JetPunk. Nothing is safe from this user's skepticism. This user will never forget January 6. This user likes creating custom userboxes, for some reason. This user is a peacenik on Wikipedia. This user supports open access. This user is indebted to the Internet Archive. This user thinks government abuse would dwindle if citizens had a better understanding of history. This user is independent of ideology and party. This user is nostalgic for Athenian democracy. This user would not entrust politicians with anyone's life. This user's favorite politician is George Washington. This user thinks the Western world is overdue for another folk revival. This user longs for the Second Constitutional Convention. This user writes in the simpler, cleaner American English. This user is a child of 1848. This user is nocturnal. This user knows that humans are animals too. This user favors changing the U.S. national anthem, perhaps to "Hail, Columbia". This user thinks about the Israelis and Palestinians hurt or killed at the hands of a warhungry apartheid regime. This user loves lasagna. This user is an introvert. This user hails from the Distant Generation. This user wants humans to remain humans and machines to remain machines. This user thinks they're a banana tree. This user only uses public transport. This user doesn't care about their own pronouns, but respects others' as a gesture of goodwill. This user insists we learn the ugly chapters from our history, lest we repeat them. This user sees nothing wrong with decluttering one's body. This user knows the difference between biased news and fake news. This user has been influenced by Noam Chomsky. This user is an aspiring journalist. This user opposes dog breeding. This user favors giving Ireland back to the Irish. This user rejects doublespeak. This user boycotts AI-generated art and music out of concern that they oppress artists and musicians. This user thinks that slavery was never abolished; it just changed form. This user distinguishes between body positivity and neglecting one's health. This user opposes the "everyone is a winner" mentality and recognizes that loss makes children tougher. This user is a socialist who doesn't trust loud corporate "democratic socialist" politicians. This user has learned that fortune comes once you stop looking for it. This user fears influencers have too much influence. This user favors popular sovereignty over national union. This user has been influenced by Richard Dawkins. This user thinks all experience is perception and all perception is illusion. This user thinks with conviction but never with certainty. This user has changed his mind about many issues, but he will die certain that no president can be as bad as Donald Trump. This user opposes consumerism. This user thinks creativity in music has surrendered to commercialism. This user leans toward libertarian socialism.

Interesting quotes and observations

• Money! There’s nothing in the world so demoralizing as money. – Sophocles, Antigone
• So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause. – George Lucas, Star Wars: Episode III
• As [Diogenes] was coming out of the baths, someone asked if there were many men bathing there, and he said, 'No'; but when asked if there was much of a crowd, he replied, 'Yes indeed.' – Diogenes Laërtius, Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
• The contacts of the city may indeed be face to face, but they are nevertheless impersonal, superficial, transitory, and segmental. … Acquaintances tend to stand in a relationship of utility to us in the sense that the role which each one plays in our life is overwhelmingly regarded as a means for the achievement of our own ends. – Louis Wirth, "Urbanism as a Way of Life"
• The advantage that the corporation has over the individual entrepreneur … derives not only from the possibility it affords of centralizing the resources of thousands of individuals or from the legal privilege of limited liability and perpetual succession, but from the fact that the corporation has no soul. – Louis Wirth, "Urbanism as a Way of Life"
• Radio, it was alleged, 'gave capitalism an additional, influential means of promoting its own ideals', and created a 'conspiracy of silence regarding all those aspects of the individual and social life that do not contribute to the objectives of the advertising'. – David Eldridge, American Culture in the 1930s
• – John Cage, 4'33"
• The home is in fact the most dangerous place in modern society. In statistical terms, a person of any age or of either sex is far more likely to be subject to physical attack in the home than on the street at night. – Anthony Giddens, Sociology (1997)
• Bourdieu … in his study of the Kabyle of Algeria has noted how a social-time system is created which is not only different to clock-time but actually hostile to it. The Kabyle live with indifference to the passage of clock-time; they are scornful of haste in social affairs, lack any notion of precise meeting times, and have no set times for eating. They commonly refer to the clock as 'the devil's mill'. – John Hassard, The Sociology of Time (1990)
• [The mercantilists] aimed at lowering the standard of living of the working population in order to compel them to work both harder and longer. If high incomes lowered the willingness of the labourers to work, it was reasoned, low incomes should have the opposite effect. The state, therefore, had a duty to intervene to ensure not just that wages were kept low, but that the poor were kept poor. – Chris Nyland, "Capitalism and the History of Work-time Thought" (1986)
• The social and economic rhythm of urban industrial society is far different. In industrial society the occupational order, day by day, has nothing to do with the phenomena of nature; it is largely governed by the speed of the machine system, whose rhythm does not follow the rhythm of life. … Such change of habits is as much necessary for the urban individual's survival as for the efficiency of the mechanised urban–industrial society. The rural dweller who remains unadjusted to the tempo of the urban environment is a misfit. – Radhakamal Mukerjee, "Time, Technics and Society" (1943)