Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Fictional applications of real materials

Fictional applications of real materials

Entirely original research (from primary sources) that attempts to catalogue every fictional application of a real materal. Merge any relevant information into the partent articles, but we shouldn't be a repository for comic book/sci-fi trivia.

Delete as nominator. /Blaxthos 23:35, 3 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Comment How is a list of "primary sources" any different than any other WP:LIST? ~a (user • talk • contribs) 00:09, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
- Reply - My intent was showing that each entry is referenced by the primary source (namely, the work of fiction in which each material is fictionally applied). However, we prefer secondary sources on Wikipedia -- a source that cites the primary source and discusses the subject matter. It's doubtful any of these have such significant real-world relevance that secondary sources will discuss the fictional applications. This is simply trivial. /Blaxthos 16:08, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Keep. I see this as no different than listing fictional characters, which is very common and accepted in Wikipedia. Also, no one is putting in their own fictional uses, it's all used in other fiction and hence not original research. On the third hand, I find the 'Science origin' series pretty useless, since there is no connection at all to real properties. (i.e How could experimenting with Argon make characters more resistant to damage, even in principle?). Most of the others have *some* connection to the real material. —Preceding unsigned comment added by LouScheffer (talk • contribs) 01:59, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Delete. Besides consisting of trivia, the article tries to have far too broad of a scope for a list. Eric119 04:55, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think the scope is too big. After a year or so, there are still a manageable number of entries. If you look at the description, it is not any use in fiction of a real material. It's only when the *use* is fictional, so it's not something the real material can be used for. Can you think of any more examples, offhand? If not, the list is probably fairly close to it's natural size. LouScheffer 03:01, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Delete - imagine what this list would look like if someone decided to add every time a doctor administered oxygen on a medical show or every movie with a building made out of brick. Otto4711 13:48, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

But the list is not uses in fiction, it's fictional uses. Since oxygen is used in ERs, and bricks in buildings, they should not be included. LouScheffer 02:50, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Delete per Otto, lol. – sgeureka ^t•c 14:31, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Are you sure you are not confusing "uses in fiction" with "fictional uses"?. I think Otto's examples are "uses in fiction", but they are not "fictional uses", since they are normally used for these purposes. LouScheffer 03:01, 6 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Strong Keep In a Wikipedia that is populated by articles about comic book characters, it's good to see an article that shows that exposing yourself to radioactivity will give you cancer rather than superpowers. TV, movies and comic books, which Wikipedians are so fond of, are woefully ignorant of chemistry and physics. You can have your articles about the various forms of kryptonite. Let us have an intelligent "you can't actually do that" article to balance out the kid's room in Wikipedia. Mandsford 15:37, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
- Comment - We don't keep articles around simply because they're useful. Beyond that, information about radioactivity and cancer should be in articles about radioactive materials, not in a list of fictional applications of real materials. Even if we granted your utility argument your logic is broken -- someone who does not know that a property was fictional would not by default go looking for a list of fictional properties. /Blaxthos 16:07, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
  - No, but their friends who have a tighter grasp of reality might... I disagree with the description of this as "comic book/sci fi trivia". This isn't in the same league as, say, "The Justice League". Mandsford 18:31, 4 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Keep, because it is a beautifully organized article. All articles can become unwieldly somehow, so just keep it as restrained as possible and continue to add references. Sincerely, --Le Grand Roi des Citrouilles^Tally-ho! 19:12, 5 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The cosmetic appearance of an article is completely irrelevant to its encyclopedic merit. Otto4711 21:01, 5 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]