Talk:Store/Historical/Think Free

Add your ideas to this list

82.124.203.158 20:36, 3 November 2007 (UTC)==Other Historical Figures==

These would make good subjects for posters:

• Abraham Lincoln
• Gutenberg
• Joan of Arc
• Frederick Douglass
• Benjamin Franklin
• William Shakespeare
• Albert Einstein
• Socrates

Tlogmer 23:34, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

I think it would be helpful to identify the subject of the photo. I would say that only 15% of American adults would know that Walt Whitman is the portrait subject. --72.94.150.46 14:50, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Good idea; I'll make an alternate version. Tlogmer 23:12, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

• Cyrus the Great (Cyrus Cylinder) (suggested by 81.226.248.182 at 23:27, 28 April 2007)

I have some points to make, if you can clarify that for me:

1) Is it necessary to have only English language on the t-shirts?

2) One person you spot out is unknown outside North America: who is Douglass??? It's like if i was talking to you about Victor Schoelcher or William Wilberforce.

3) If the theme is "think free", how do you choose the best theme? What are the criteria?

4) Some European celebrities that could ring a bell as far as free thinkig is concerned: Christopher Columbus who dared to go across the ocean, trusting his scientific reasoning, Leonardo Da Vinci for his work as an artist and as an engineer known as a very strong free thinker, Copernicus for his fight for science and knowledge, Voltaire for his writings leading to the French revolution, Luther for breaking the tabooes of catholic religious beliefs,Descartes for his "Cogito ergo sum" also known as "I think therefore I am"; Humes, Hobbes and Jean-Jacques Rousseau for their political and philosophical writings, Lech Walesa for his independance from the Polish communist dogma...

5) Some other celebrities: Nelson Mandela for his fight for freedom in South Africa, Gandhi for his non violent fight for freedom in Asia, Atatürk for his impact on the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East...

6) Strong images can be interesting too: the Wall in Berlin was such a symbol! And also "La liberté guidant le peuple" by Delacroix (look at it on your search browser, you'll recognize it), the text of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations... 82.124.203.158 20:36, 3 November 2007 (UTC)Julien Créteur

We should recruit graphic designers

It would be great if we could get professional designers to make some of these. Tlogmer 00:44, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Whatever you do, don't get public relations professionals to help with this. Jimmy Wales hates public relations folk. --72.94.150.46 14:50, 23 December 2006 (UTC)

Jimmy Wales also helped find a PR firm that works occasionally to stir up interest in certain stories. He hates when they mess with us, loves when they helps us. -- Zanimum 21:31, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

Wikipedia and Freedom

One problem is that the freedom of Wikipedia is more virtual than anything. The ability of anyone to actually create reasoning or opinions of their own is very limited on Wikipedia. I say "think secure" would be a better motto as such. "Sapere aude!" does not apply to Wikipedia. No new information is ever created, only found. "Think convenient" would also work. But not "think free". Wikipedia can be in some ways the ultimate in neutral censorship. As Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, says, "[d]on't step on the toes of the dog lovers, the cat lovers, doctors, lawyers, merchants, chiefs, Mormons, Baptists, Unitarians, second-generation Chinese, Swedes, Italians, Germans, Texans, Brooklynites, Irishmen, people from Oregon or Mexico." In short, true freedom is lost, or is in the process of being lost, to political correctness. Where are the ideals that have led to intellectual development? How can we realize, for example, Martin Luther's view of every individual being a priest, when those without recognition are cast out from developing their own ideas!?

I'm sure this comment will be deleted, soon enough. Merely proving, of course, my thesis. An idea running counter to the overall schema!? Unheard of! Send it to the incinerators! We must protect neutrality at all costs!

It's funny when people add "I'm sure this comment will be deleted, soon enough" in an attempt to protect their worthless comments. Why should your comment be deleted? It's presumptuous, poorly worded, and has no coherency. You first talk about freedom, then you go on talking about the fact that no information is new information. What does rehashing information have to do with freedom? Then you finally go on some pathetic rant about censorship. Do you not know what freedom is? I have the freedom to write racist comments wherever I want on wiki. Other people have the freedom to reverse what I write. This is freedom. Your comment will be deleted, for the aforementioned reasons. It is my freedom to do so, hahaha.

—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.168.199.174 (talk • contribs) .

Even if you don't like aspects of Wikipedia, you're still allowed to take text from it and do anything that you want with it, without getting permission or paying anybody. (Though actually, I was thinking of using this to make a think free poster for people who don't like wikipedia. =p ) Tlogmer 23:41, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

True... wikipedia is a source of information, but you only acquire knowledge by sharing thought, crossing different sources of information and thinking about the topic. That's all the difference between knowing and understanding something: the second one is dynamic, you have a broader picture and a personnal input. You only get out of wikipedia what you put into it...

idea for a poster

I don't know if it's possible to print also persons of the modern history. The man I'm thinking about is Linus Torvalds, who else represents "freedom" better:

Sounds like a good idea. Normally images of living people are under copyright, but if I get time I'll try to contact Torvalds -- I'm sure he'd be willing to release a picture of himself under a free licence. Tlogmer 09:54, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

„Software is like sex. It's better when it's free.“

Good slogan. Here you go. Tlogmer 09:54, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

that's the spirit of Wiki, isn't it?

Life Is Crazy, Therefore I am. Or, Our Family Trees can Be filled With Nuts. --Ezthinker 22:35, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

How about MLK? Free at last, Free at last...

I'm pretty sure King's estate tightly controls the use of his likeness (but I'm not positive). Tlogmer 17:33, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Media to emphasize WikiMedia funds

Since the fundraiser benefits Wikimedia Commons, one poster in the store could double as a grassroots ad campaign. The most affordable manner is to start with public domain sheet music accompanying the wikipedia text theme in pictures of such historical composers as John Phillip Sousa or others old enough to have their work available as part of the public domain. That way, the first posters would not have to cost much (making them more attractive to shoppers) because no royalties are due.

Later, music/audio clip compilation CDs encompassing particular themes/time periods could be sold within the Wikimedia benefit store, using the posters as the album covers and wikipedia articles as liner notes.

As proceeds build, later artists/lecturers/ etc, whose estates may still charge royalties, can be featured on posters and compilation CDs.

That's an idea. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that because the store is an arm of Wikimedia, anything Wikimedia spends on it, even if that expense is recouped drives up the percentage of funds spent on fundraising and drives down the percentage spent on maintaining Wikipedia. Right now that latter percentage is incredibly high (basically higher than almost any other nonprofit) and that fact in turn helps raise money effectively. (One solution might be to spin off the store as a for-profit entity, like Mozilla has done with some stuff, but that's very far in the future, if it ever happens.) Tlogmer 17:38, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

More Wikipedia-y

I'm not sure the current poster ideas emphasize Wikipedia enough. Instead of say, "Wikipedia. Think Free", we might consider something like "[[Walt Whitman]] on Wikipedia. Think Free" (sic brackets) instead. Or, perhaps that's not cryptic enough? :)--Pharos 22:45, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

Yeah, you have a point. By far the best-selling items in the store are the jigsaw globe stuff; I think people want the stuff they buy from the wikipedia store to, understandably, scream "Wikipedia". Tlogmer 17:39, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Also, it might not hurt if the slogan stood out a bit more graphically (either white text or black text in a white partition). Currently, it's very hard to make out on the Whitman poster.--Pharos 22:21, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

T-shirts

Why this nice design is utilised only for posters? This is the really first patern, which I would like to wear I would like to carry it on my dress, the rest of shirts seems to be too straightforwardingly advertising. On the other hand I think that only minority of people will buy poster for themselfs. So it's double pity. Anyway this idea with such designs is fresh and nice. I'am crossing my fingers for further progress. --Reo On|+|+ 23:03, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! I hadn't put it on shirts because, as a photograph, it would end up being a huge square chunk of plastic-y stuff, which is a little stiff to wear and tends to look a little amateurish. But if you really want one: http://www.cafepress.com/wikipedia.105327192 . Tlogmer 23:17, 1 February 2007 (UTC)

Thanks! That was very quick!

In fact I miss here shirts with something not so straightforward and inteligent, but still openly pro-Wikipedian. This seems to be good begining. --Reo On|+|+ 08:55, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

P.S. I want to add that I would only support, if it would be even more openly pro-wikipidian (I mean the text or in a meaning as commented above), but I value that it is not restricted only to Wikipedian symbolism. I feel that when I wrote to be against "straightforwardingness" then it could be missunderstood in a manner interfering with my feelings toward Wikimedia projects. I do not want lessen the conection with Wikipedia (just an oposite), I would like to have something, which on the first look does'nt look as advertisement, so people would like to ask what that mean or try to figure out themselfs. As the outcome it would be "advertising" more intensively - deeper in them. :) --Reo On|+|+ 09:08, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

I agree with you -- I'm working on a series of somewhat cryptic items based on unusual articles. Tlogmer 18:22, 3 February 2007 (UTC)

Clarify licensing

The two images on this page are gorgeous. Dare I suggest they could do with some kind of licensing and source info. And in the future please upload to Commons so everyone can enjoy such beautiful creations. :) --pfctdayelise 08:46, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

Done and done. Thanks. :) Tlogmer 03:04, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

Good Idea

These are cool you should keep doing them....maybe like the 100 most influential historical figures of alltime...although i dont know how many people would buy a Hitler poster....so maybe the 100 greatest thinkers of all time? I would buy a poster of that it would be cool... Socrates, Darwin, Marx, Rousseau...maybe the events they influenced too? I dunno anyways Wikipedia is really awsome keeeep it up. Oh and the person that was bitching about this free encyclopedia down below is stupid I dread a return to the dark ages of Britannica.

- Where can i post some designs?

"Think free" poster suggestions

Hello, I just found out this way to contribute financially to Wikimedia, I bought Walt Whitman's poster. But I have many walls with nothing on it, and I'd love to suggest a few. If I'm wrong, or if I can help to create them, please just tell me! --Antaya 11:34, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

#1	Lady near the Berlin wall (Wikipedia : Meinung frei)
#2	Next generation in a garbage dump, Jakarta.
#3	Homeless with the American flag in the background.
#4	Great colony of hatching King Penguins
#5	Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin.
#6	One of the first flights in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina by Wright brothers.
#7	The second atomic blast in history, Nagasaki, Japan.
#8	British trench at Ovillers-la-Boisselle, July 1916 (Battle of the Somme).
#9	Larvae of Culex Mosquitoes make dense groups in standing water.
#10	Humanitarian aid gives a young Pakistani girl a drink of water.

• My bests are : #1 - #2 - #7 - #8 - #10 --Antaya 11:35, 24 October 2007 (UTC)

Giordano Bruno

There are two beautiful pictures of Bruno in Wikipedia. One shows him as a young inquisitive looking lad. In the second one he is looking defyingly, dressed as a Dominican monk at the exact spot where he was burnt to death. The contrast is enormous. We find it back in two quotes:

"I cleave the heavens, and soar to the infinite. What others see from afar, I leave far behind me."

"Perhaps you, my judges, pronounce this sentence against me with greater fear than I receive it."

I leave it to the designers to make something striking out of this contrast.