I recognize that this user page belongs to the Wikipedia project and not to me personally. As such, I recognize that I am expected to respectfully abide by community standards as to the presentation and content of this page, and that if I do not like these guidelines, I am welcome either to engage in reasonable discussion about it, to publish my material elsewhere, or to leave the project.
Bella Beane 1997-2007Rock's Anne, our new baby (mid 2007 photo)Rock's Anne as a 2 year old (mid 2009 photo)
I am extremely proud that User:Josette was my wife.
My real name is Larry Pieniazek and I am probably not notable. I like LEGO ® Brand building elements. The WMF has seen validation of my identity (see credentials box at right). I have means to validate my identity and credentials independently if necessary. Contact me if for some reason you have a valid need to do this. Be prepared to explain the need in great detail or for me to decline to validate for you, because I've already done so with the WMF.
Roles:
I served on the WMF Ombudsman commission for the 2010 term. (While serving, I was temporarily suspended from all Checkuser roles. These suspensions were noted with strikeouts)
I was an English Wikipedia administrator and checkuser but I stepped down in April 2011.
I was also an administrator on Wikisource, the wiki for making source text available but I stepped down in October 2008.
I was formerly (for two "terms" in 2008 and 2009) a steward, which gave me certain roles and responsibilities on every WMF wiki. After the early 2010 confirmation process, marked by controversial secret proceedings that went against apparent steward consensus, I no longer hold those rights.
Let me know if you have any questions or issues with any of these roles or wikis, and I'll do what I can to help.
Other things:
Other accounts I openly acknowledge having: User:Larbot (for rote edits), User:Larpersona, User:Larzilla (both for fun) User:Larry_Pieniazek (anti-impersonation) ... did I forget any? LMK!, preferably by leaving me a note on my talk or email.
I have userids at various non WMF wikis. For some of them, see my wiki matrix.
I am "Lar" at Wikipedia Review. For why I participate there, see [1].
My Admin Policy: I trust that my fellow admins' actions are done for the good of Wikipedia. So if any of my admin actions are overturned I will not consider such an action to be a "Wheel War", but rather an attempt to improve Wikipedia. If I disagree with your action, I will try to discuss it with you or with the admin community, but I absolve you in advance of any presumption of acting improperly. We should all extend the same benefit of the doubt to our fellow admins, until they repeatedly prove that they are unworthy of such a presumption.
These credentials are unverified, except for name, see my WikiMatrix which explains how this diff verifies it. Other credentials could be verified if there was compelling reason to do so.
Outside interests
Avocations
I'm a LEGO community activist, I guess you could say, getting involved in lots of LEGO related projects... some might say more to the detriment of the project than the benefit! In the past, I've been involved in BrickWiki a MediaWiki based wiki concerned with LEGO, LEGO fans, and LEGO creations. My personal website is Milton Train Works. (yes I realise that the WP:MoS says LEGO isn't to be written in all caps. I'll do my articles that way, but this is my user page!!! Deal!)
Professionally I am a System architect / Data engineer, working on data and application integration projects and (until COVID) I traveled for work a lot (most of the states and countries below are due to work related travel). I live in Michigan.
Beliefs
I believe in WP:NPOV so these beliefs are listed so you know how I feel about stuff and (VERY IMPORTANT) you should call me on any editing that looks like I'm POV pushing!!!! Seriously. Please do if you see it. Mostly I edit technical stuff so hopefully it's not that big an issue, but if you see it, call me on it.
Politically I'm a libertarian, or a freedom advocate. I come out in the far upper right on the Nolan Chart almost to anarchy. I don't think government is good socially for much of anything except protecting our individual liberties. I've belonged to the ACLU on and off for years.
Economically I'm a libertarian too, or a free market capitalist if you prefer. I don't think goverment is good economically for much of anything except protecting people from fraud and theft and suchlike.
I'm pro choice on *everything*. Legalise everything and expect people to do the right thing, or suffer the consequences.
I'm an atheist, or at best a very skeptical agnostic. Personally I think religions as a whole have done more harm than good, overall, to society since we've been civilised. I oppose any sort of state imposition of a particular religion, but if you want to have one, by all means, be my guest. Just don't impose your views on me and mine.
Wikipedia
I'm a Wikipedia noviceapprenticejourneymanadministrator, -holic with only a fewa few hundredless than just over twothreefourfivenineelevenfourteen I don't know how many thousand edits to my credit, mostly typos I spotted and WP related advocacy in Wikiproject space, but I have created a few articles here and there.
I am an inclusionist but not enough to join an association.
I may (see above) have a bit of editcountitis (d'ya think??).
When I get too proud of my edits, I need to go look at WP:1000
When I get too proud of my adminship, I need to remember that not everyone looks favorably on my actions here, or in my previous community activities: 1 and 2... (don't discount that user just because they chose to speak anonymously)
Feel free to mail me with comments or concerns, my mail link should work.
One annoying habit I have, I forget to hit preview before save, or preview, but miss some typo causing multiple edits. I hate that!
Other Wikis... I have the ID "Lar" on many other places. See my WikiMatrix for details on many of them. (Note: Since that matrix has links to all of my accounts, and since I link to it from here, and since only I edit it, it fulfills the requirement for a "link to my account on wiki X" for any wiki X that I have listed there, by transitive closure, for any page of mine that links to it on any wiki. This reduces the N squared problem to 2N)
This user is a member of WikiProject Michigan, a WikiProject which aims to expand coverage of the State of Michigan on Wikipedia. Please feel free to join us.
