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History of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia/Topical/Biographies/John William Ormsby Hamilton/Notes

1897 01
Detailed report of Hamilton's first marriage in the social pages "SOCIAL. . . . The marriage of Mrs. Elizabeth Galbraith James, widow of the late Dr. James, of Heidelberg, Victoria, and only daughter of the late Mr. James Paterson Jameson, formerly of Kelmore, with Mr. John William Ormsby Hamilton, only son of the late Thomas Ormsby Hamilton, of Hobart, was solemnised at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, on Wednesday, December 23, at 2.30 p.m. The Very Rev. W. Macquarie Cowper, Dean of Sydney, officiated, and was assisted by the Revs. Read and Simpson. The service was fully choral, and the sacred edifice was beautifully decorated with ferns, hot-house plants, and choice white flowers. The bride was given away by her brother, Mr. David S. Jameson. She was handsomely dressed in white silk, handsomely trimmed with Brussels lace and chiffon. The costume was completed by a becoming picture hat of white crinoline straw, trimmed with ostrich tips, and a lovely shower bouquet; jewels — diamond pendant and gold bracelet, gifts of the bridegroom. Miss Jameson, niece of the bride, Miss Hamilton and Miss Isabelle Hamilton (sisters), and Miss Fisher (cousin of the bridegroom) were in attendance. They were similarly attired in white Indian muslin, richly finished with valenciennes, and wore picture hats to harmonise. Shower bouquets of pink roses made a happy note of contrast. Their souvenirs of the occasion were gold bamboo bracelets. Mr. T. Copley Calvert was best man, and Mr. C. H. Slade groomsman. At the conclusion of the ceremony a reception was held at the Australia, where Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton received the congratulations of their friends. Later on the newly-wedded pair left for Armidale en route for Warwick, Queensland, where they will take up their residence. The wedding gifts were both numerous and well chosen, and among those present were Mrs. James Barnet, Mr. and Mrs. John Calvert, Mr. and Mrs. John Hern, Mr. G. C. Westgarth, Mr. Artlett, Mr. and the Misses Bibby, Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright Ashe, Mr. Norman West, Mrs. Z. O. Hamilton (mother of the bridegroom), Mr. T. H. Magrath, the Misses Magrath, the Misses Fisher, the Misses Wilson, the Misses Van Henckelum, Mr. and Miss Drake, Miss Marsden, Miss Seaborn, Mr. and Mrs. Penfold, Mr. P. Cooley, and Mr. Cecil Cal-vert."

1904 12
Apparent first reference in Trove for Hamilton and wireless telegraphy "The representatives of an English wireless telegraphy company (Mr J. W. Ormsby Hamilton) approached the Postmaster-General on Thursday, and asked him if it would not be possible to establish the system in the Commonwealth with advantage to the Postal Department. Mr Sydney Smith stated that he did not think wireless telegraphy was required in the settled portions of the Commonwealth, and it was then suggested that a communication might be established between British New Guinea, Thursday Island, and Queensland. The Postmaster-General declined to commit his department to a project of this character, but admitted that it was possible that the Defence Department might favorably consider such a proposal."

1905 05
First detailed description of proposal of International Telegraph Construction Co with commentary by Hamilton '''WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. AN AUSTRALIAN SCHEME. LOOPING ISLANDS AND MAINLAND.''' The Postmaster-General, the Minister of Defence and the Admiral in command of the Australian squadron have under consideration an important and far-reaching scheme for the installation of the Shoemaker system of wireless telegraphy, submitted to it by Mr. J. W. Hamilton, attorney for the Commonwealth of the International Telegraph Construction Company of London and New York. The scheme, as far as it affects the Commonwealth, proposes to couple up New Zealand with Australia direct, and again via Tasmania, and also via Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island; then to link Queensland with Port Moresby, in New Guinea, and with Samarai, in the same possession. It also embraces a series of stations beginning in Queensland and reaching out to Yapp Island, in the Carolines Group, and so on to the cable routes radiating from Yapp Island, via Samarai and Herbertshohe, in German New Guinea. As far as the Admiralty is concerned, the scheme proposes to install six of the ships of the Australian squadron with the instruments, at a cost which will for a few hundred pounds place Admiral Fanshawe in possession and absolute control of generator, receiving and sending apparatus, without any vexatious royalties to pay or outside interference to combat. The inducement held out in connection with the linking of New Zealand and Australia with the Shoemaker system is a reduction in the rates for messages from 4½d. to 1d. per word. This reduction, it is claimed, is no mere guesswork. The company's agents point out that the cost of wireless telegraphy installation and maintenance is about 10 per cent. of that of a submarine cable. There is, it is remarked, a company being formed at the present time to connect Monte Mario, in Italy, with a station in Argentina, 6000 miles away, where 4,000,000 Italians live, by means of which messages will be sent for 6 c. a word, as against the present cable charge of 1 dol. 50 c. per word! The reduction is here far greater than that proposed in connection with the Australia-New Zealand stations. The guarantees in the matter of continuous service offered by Mr. Hamilton to the Federal authorities are remarkable. They embrace a minimum continuous transmission of twenty-five words a minute where poles or an elevation of 200 feet high is obtainable, and a maximum of forty words a minute. When it is remembered that the majority of cables cannot go higher than ten words a minute, the revolution in long distance transmission now proposed can be easily appreciated. To these guarantees is added another, to the effect that the messages sent by the Shoemaker instruments cannot be cut into, as is the case with other systems, by other messages. Interference is reduced to an absolute minimum. In case some slight interference is detectable a very simple operation counteracts it at once. The present position of the scheme is that the Federal and Admiralty authorities are investigating its merits. Mr. Hamilton has had several interviews with Mr. Sydney Smith and his adviser, Mr. Hesketh, the departmental electrician. Sir Joseph Ward, Postmaster-General of New Zealand, is much taken by the proposals, and is pressing the Commonwealth authorities to take some decided action in connection with them.

In the course of an interview yesterday Mr. Hamilton supplemented the facts summarised above with an interesting statement concerning the advantages of wireless telegraphy generally, and of the particular system he is in Australia to represent. "Wireless telegraphy," he said, has many obvious advantages over the old submarine cable system. The cable system is not only more costly, but it is ineffective for defence purposes. Wireless telegraphy is, in fact, indispensable, present methods of warfare being considered. It enables, for example, messages to be transmitted over a distance of 2000 miles, between fleets, with the utmost accuracy. Take the case of the "Times" enterprise during the present war. The instruments used on the "Times" ship were so effective that they became a positive terror to the belligerents. The "Times" got to know too much, and was ordered off by the Japanese authorities, and the senders were threatened with instant death by the Russians. Messages of 2000 words were sent continuously with perfect accuracy. Our instruments — those invented by Mr. Harry Shoemaker — were used by the "Times" for this enterprise in preference to five other competing systems. We were then working with the De Forrest [sic] company, but have now separated, and have a distinct company. In addition, I may mention that the American Government has selected our Shoemaker instruments for installation on United States war ships. The British Government has also given instructions for them to be tested, with, presumably, a similar end in view. Mr. Shoemaker has quite recently entered into a ten year contract with the Western Union Telegraph Company of America for the utilisation of his system by that great corporation. We have already, in working operation daily, stations at Wilson's Point, Connecticut and Point Judith, Rhode Island, which are in connection with other stations 550 miles distant. Those stations operate without a hitch. Even American river steamers are being equipped with wireless telegraphy apparatus, so useful has it become in commercial life."

PMG clarifies the Government's position on the proposal of the International Telegraph Construction Co "NEWS OF THE DAY. . . . The Postmaster-General, while interested in the description given in yesterday's issue of 'The Age' of the offer made by the International Telegraph Construction Company of a wireless telegraphy scheme which will link Australia with Tasmania, New Zealand, British New Guinea and a number of the islands of the Pacific, declines to state at present whether or not the scheme is officially regarded as an acceptable one. The Minister of Defence was in negotiation with the Admiralty over the matter, in order that the British and Commonwealth authorities might have the same system for defence purposes. So, until the whole matter was further advanced, no statement could be made."

Adelaide Register reports a little differently "COMMONWEALTH NOTES. MELBOURNE, May 26. . . . Wireless Telegraphy. The postal authorities ere perplexed by the contradictory information received regarding the merits of rival wireless telegraphy inventions. The Shoemaker Company has offered to provide a wireless service between New Zealand and Australia. Mr. Hesketh, chief electrical engineer of the Queensland Postal Department, was asked if this company was well known in the old world, and he is almost unable to recall its existence. The postal officials have therefore asked the Minister for Defence to cable to the Admiralty regarding the overture of the company, and also to ascertain if the British Government has any agreement with the Marconi Company respecting the equipment of British warships with wireless apparatus."

Sydney Sunday Times report, again a little different "WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY FOR AUSTRALIA. ('SUNDAY TIMES' SPECIAL MESSAGE.) MELBOURNE, Saturday Night. Referring to the matter of installing a system of wireless telegraphy between Australia and New Zealand, also to its proposed use in various parts of the Commonwealth, the Postmaster-General said today that he could not state yet whether the Marconi or some other system would be adopted. Mr. Smith has referred a question on this subject to the Defence Department, and he proposes ascertaining what the British authorities have done in the matter before he fixes upon any particular system. 'The Marconi people, I understand,' he said, 'will not work their system in conjunction with any other, and if it happened that we adopted another system, while the British Government had a contract with Marconi, we might find ourselves in difficulties at war time. I shall do nothing definite in the matter until I get full particulars of what the British Government has done.'"

Hamilton advises the Shoemaker has taken out no fewer than 80 patents in wireless telegraphy "COMMONWEALTH NOTES. MELBOURNE, May 29. . . . Wireless Telegraphy.— No fewer than 80 patents in connection with wireless telegraphy have been taken out by Mr. Schumacher, whose system and instruments have been placed under offer to the Federal authorities by Mr. J. W. Hamilton, the Australian representative of the International Telegraph Construction Company. It was stated in error last week that the proposal emanated from the Schumacher Company. Mr. Hesketh, the electrical engineer of the Queensland Postal Department, has examined a specification of Schumacher's latest patent, but negotiations between Mr. Hamilton and the Federal authorities have been suspended pending the receipt of certain information which the Admiralty has been asked to supply."

Sydney Evening News opinion piece based heavily on the 26 May 1905 article "CHEAP AND WIRELESS. WHILE the local military forces are returning to first principles in the shape of communication by means of carrier pigeons, the Federal military authorities are considering a new scheme of wireless telegtapliy with the same purpose in view. At the Victoria Barracks in Sydney there is talk of establishing a 'columbary,' or home for pigeons; while in Melbourne is being discussed the possibility of linking islands and continents and spanning oceans and seas by electricity. As a pastime the training and flying of post-pigeons is a harmless sort of amusement enough; but in the presence of the discovery of wireless telegraphy the utility of its pursuit seems fairly open to question. A proposal, it appears, has been made to the Commonwealth Government by a London and New York firm of experts to connect Australia with New Zealand once direct, and again via Tasmania, Lord Howe Island, and Norfolk Island; also to effect communication between Queensland, the Carolines, and German New Guinea. Of course, most people have realised that the contest between submarine and wireless telegraphy most sooner or later reach an acute stage. So far as regards this country, always supposing that those responsible for the present offer are able to fulfil their promises, and of that there would appear to be small doubt, the contest would seem about to begin. And it must be confessed that the inducements offered in favour of the wireless scheme are very great. For instance, the International Construction Company say that by its system, if adopted, there will be a reduction in the rates for messages between Australia and New Zealand from 4½d to 1d per word. The cost of installation, it is claimed, is so much less than that of the submarine cable as to leave a profit even on the scale of the enormously lower charge. In support of this statement, an instance is quoted of an undertaking which is being entered upon in Italy to connect a station in that country with one in Argentina at a distance of 6000 miles. Messages over this route will be forwarded for 1 cent. per word, as compared with the existing cable rates of 1 dollar 50 cents. per word — or in the proportion of one halfpenny as against six shillings. The conditions offered by the representative of the International Company to the Federal Government are well worth noting for their comprehensiveness and guaranteed effectiveness. Where an elevation of 200ft in height is procurable, either by erecting poles or taking advantage of the natural features of the country, a continuous transmission of 25 words a minute as a minimum, and of 40 words as a maximum is vouched for. This improvement on the submarine cable's average of speed of 10 words per minute is a most important feature of the system; as is also the guarantee that, unlike some of the other systems, this one of Shoemaker's cannot be interfered with and rendered unintelligible by other messages. Considered in its entirety, this wonderful and far-reaching scheme seems to carry with it extraordinary possibilities in the future. There appears, indeed, to be no reason, if the present proposals ever take successful and concrete form, why the 'Hertzian wave' should not send its vibrations across the Australian continent, via Singapore and Java, to England and Europe. Such a service at popular rates would render submarine cables worth less than their weight as old wire. And there can be no question but that at the present moment, even, attention is being devoted in other directions than ours towards those surfaces of the globe in which it is possible to send messages chiefly by landlines, and to bridge over comparatively small spaces of sea by the wireless method. Viewed in the light of recent discoveries and of improvements in the latest instruments, the success or otherwise of any undertaking of the kind seems to lie, to a great extent with the ability to construct convenient stations for the receiving or sending of messages. And perhaps it may be possible to presently perfect arrangements so as to cause the receiver at any particular point to translate its message into a form suitable for sending automatically. When, if such an invention has not already been hit upon, this can be done, many of the wayside stations will be almost wholly self-working, and ocean floating stations will waft the world's news and the messages of the world's people over the length and breadth of the earth. In both warfare and commerce the perfected system of wireless telegraphy will prove invaluable. Deep-sea cables can be groped for and cut by an enemy; but one can neither cut the impalpable atmosphere, nor 'tap' the invisible 'wave.' With reference to the particular scheme submitted to the Federal Government, we are told that the Commonwealth and Admiralty authorities are giving it their careful consideration. Were the Naval Commander-in-Chief on the station to have his ships all fitted with the requisite apparatus, and in addition to possess personal controlling power over the sending and receiving instruments, the advantages of such a plan are too obvious to need comment. Meanwhile, perhaps in place of experimenting with pigeons the local military forces might do well to inquire into what may with a certain amount of assurance be advanced as the superior claims for their purposes of wireless telegraphy."

1905 06
Audley Coote emerges as another promoter of the International Telegraph Construction Co "WIRELESS SYSTEM OF TELEGRAPHY. ACROSS THE PACIFIC OCEAN. LOOPING THE COLONIES AND ISLANDS. A few days ago an article was republished in these columns from the Melbourne 'Age,' giving some particulars of an important proposal, now under consideration by the Postmaster-General, the Minister for Defence, and the Admiralty in command of the Australasian squadron, for the installation of a system of wireless telegraphy, which will couple up Australia with New Zealand, thence stretching away across the Pacific to Fiji, Samoa, Fanning Island, Honolulu, and on to San Francisco. As far an the Admiralty is concerned, the scheme proposed to instal six of the ships of the Australian squadron with the instruments at a cost which will for a few hundred pounds place Admiral Fanshawe in possession and absolute control of generator, receiving, and sending apparatus, without any vexatious royalties to pay or outside interference to combat. The inducement held out in connection with the linking of New Zealand and Australia, is a reduction in the rates for messages from 4½d to 1d per word, and a minimum continuous : transmission of 25 words a minute, where poles of an elevation of 200ft. high are obtainable, and a maximum of 40 words a minute, in comparison with the present cable rate of transmission of something like 15 to 20 words a minute. The suggested system is that known as the Shoemaker system, a definite offer, as far as the coupling up of Australia and New Zealand is concerned having been made by Messrs. J. W. Hamilton and Audley Coote, advisory representatives of the International Telegraph Construction Company of London and New York, who are at present in Australia. The present position of the matter, however, is that the Federal and Admiralty authorities are investigating its merits. The Postmaster-General of New Zealand, Sir Joseph Ward, displayed considerable interest in the scheme when he was in Australia recently, and discussed it with the Federal Postmaster-General, and on his returning to his own colony, he expressed the opinion that there was a possibility of the proposals fructifying. Further than that, there is just now no definite information. Mr. Audley Coote, who is at present in Sydney, on being interviewed by a 'Daily Telegraph' representative, supplied some additional information regarding the scheme generally, and the possibilities of wireless telegraph, to the development of which considerable attention is now being given, on account of its immediate, as well as its prospective value as a comparatively cheap agent for rapid communication by sea and by land. THE SHOEMAKER SYSTEM. 'You hear,' he said, 'a great deal now about the wireless system of telegraphy, principally the Marconi system, but there are other wireless systems said to be equally reliable, and which are now being worked successfully for both Governments and companies. For instance, the Harry Shoemaker system, the instruments and patents for which were used by the De Forest Wireless Company on the London 'Times' ' chartered steamer at the commencement of the Japanese-Russian war. All these wireless patents are now held by the International Telegraph Construction Company, of London and New York. Fresh developments in wireless telegraphy seem to be eagerly sought after by English and American companies. News comes to hand that Mr. Shoemaker, of Philadelphia, who was at one time the leading technical spirit of the De Forest Company, has made such improvements in his system, now called the 'Shoemaker system,' that he is enabled to send and receive messages perfectly and continuously through mountainous country, in any weather, over a distance of 800 miles by land and 1200 miles by water. This is a record, as no other company's system has so far been able to achieve such results. 'It is generally known that trouble has arisen in connection with the wireless system in the way of interference with other systems when messages are in course of transmission. This difficulty, however, has quite recently been entirely overcome by Mr. Shoemaker's latest patents, which provide for such a contingency, and which secure non-interference. Mr. Shoemaker is now actively engaged in putting his system to further practical use, having formed a company which is now installing systems in the United States, South America, and the Pacific Islands, for use in commercial and shipping circles. The leading telegraph company of the United States, viz., the Western Union, has undertaken to co-operate with him in opening up fresh stations.' THE DOOM OF THE CABLE. Mr. Coote, who has probably had to do with the laying of more cables than any man in Australia, solemnly, but still with conviction, pronounces the coming doom of the submarine cable with the advance of the wireless system of communication. 'They can now be left,' he says, 'to Force Majeure, or, say, 'the devils of the sea,' for the reason that the wireless system is coming so rapidly to the fore that I think it will come into general use as quickly as that of the telephone. For instance, there would be no difficulty at the present moment of coupling up with the wireless system Sydney and Honolulu, a distance of about 6000 miles, using the most convenient islands en route as 'stepping-stones' for stations, in distances of about 1200 miles apart. The immediate offer made by the International Telegraph Construction Company to the Federal Government and New Zealand is for a route from Sydney by way of Lord Howe Island to Auckland, New Zealand. An alternative route suggested is one from Victoria to Tasmania, and thence to the Bluff, New Zealand. For this we guarantee a 30 words per minute continuous service. 'The proposed extended route, to give rapid communication across the Pacific, is this:— Say, Sydney to Lord Howe Island, thence to Auckland (New Zealand), thence Suva and Fiji, thence Pago Pago and Samoa, thence Fanning Island, thence Honolulu, Hawaii — in all about 6000 miles. The longest stretch would be 2500 miles, between Honolulu and San Francisco. At present, as I have already pointed out, the wireless system is not wholly effective beyond a range of 1200 miles, but nevertheless I am convinced that within 12 months this 'toll-gate' will be swept away, and the long-distance difficulty will be surmounted — at least to the extent that distances like that just mentioned will be within easy range of the system. The cable, as you are perhaps aware, is not so effective over a long distance as it is over a short one — the messages take much longer to transmit. So with the wireless system at present. The ether waves do not operate so freely over a long distance, but as the difficulty of sending messages through mountainous country and their interruption by contact with another system has been overcome by our system, so will the long-distance trouble.' SOME COMPARISONS. Mr. Coote went into a comparison of the cable system with the wireless system, for the purpose of showing the advantages of the latter. 'Take,' he said, 'the nearest cable to us, the Pacific cable. That cable cost over £2,000,000, which also provided for the repairing ship, costing £100,000, and which now costs of itself £10,000 a year to maintain. The communication could be now given with the wireless system for £200,000. This Pacific cable is, as you are aware, a Government undertaking, and has in one of its sections a single stretch of cable 3500 miles in one length. This stretch is their 'toll gate,' and will always remain so, because the messages that travel rapidly over their ordinary stretches of cable do not travel at the same rate of speed over this long-distance section. 'Now, take the wireless system of telegraphy. The 'ether rays' above us are there, and will remain there till the crack of doom, and only require to be tapped and made use of for all time. They are already harnessed, and can be held by the various systems at quite an infinitesimal cost compared with the making and laying of submarine cables. For instance, you are probably aware that I laid the first section of the Pacific cable, viz., from Queensland to New Caledonia, a distance of about 900 miles. This cable cost to make and lay about £200,000. The two places could be coupled up by the wireless system at very small cost in comparison. The bottom of the sea has fallen in twice since the cable was laid, and twice broke the cable. In one instance the subsidence left a chasm nearly as large as Tasmania. The cost of repairs to the cable have each time been heavy. When I tell you, further, that a submarine range of mountains was discovered as high as the Himalayas — 18,000ft. — about 500 miles off the coast of Queensland, and coming up to within 900ft. of the surface of the ocean, that will, I think, give some idea of the trouble to lay and locate a cable round the sidlings of such unseen archipelagos.' A FURTHER SCHEME. Mr. Coote has also maturing a scheme for coupling up New Caledonia and the New Hebrides with the wireless system of telegraphy. The New Hebrides are now isolated, except for the monthly steamship service to and from Sydney. 'Before the Consul-General for France left Sydney,' said Mr. Coote, 'I had an interview with him on the subject, and also with the Governor of New Caledonia, who was in Sydney recently. They were both favorable to the proposal which I put before them, and they will, I understand advise their Government that it should be accepted. The scheme provides for the installation of the wireless system from New Caledonia, now connected by cable with Queensland, to Vila, New Hebrides, where both the French and the British Residents have their headquarters. I am in hopes of being able to arrange in connection with this proposal for a joint purse between the Federal Government and the New Caledonia local Government, with respect to meeting interest, etc., on the cost, which will not amount to more than £10,000. For that sum, in fact, we could hand over the system as a going concern, in full working order. As to its advantages in the interests of shipping and commerce in those parts, I need only point, as an instance, to the case of the Fiji steamer Pilbarra. If the wireless system had been in vogue, the mishap would have been known here in half an hour after her plight was discovered at the New Hebrides. 'You may rest assured,' said Mr. Coote, in conclusion, 'that those long-headed, clever, engineering wireless experts have come to stay, and I feel sure in quite the near future the wireless system will be soon established in Australia and the outside world, as easy and free in its methods as the cable offices are today, but with rates astonishing in their cheapness in comparison with those existing today.'"

Sydney Sunday Times lends its support to the proposal of the International Telegraph Construction Co "Mr. Sydney Smith, Postmaster-General, has a great chance in connection with wireless telegraphy, and we have reason to believe that he discerns it, and is giving the subject much thought. His development of the telephone services in the country is an indication that he is a live Minister, ready to adopt new ideas, and he may be sure of appreciation of further efforts to serve the public convenience. In the larger work lying to his hand he has an opportunity of rearing a lasting monument to himself."

Map illustrating main and alternative routes for proposal of International Telegraph Construction Co "WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY SCHEME. (Start Graphic Caption) The sketch map here given will make clear to readers of the article on wireless telegraphy, published on Saturday, the scheme proposed by the representatives of the International Telegraph Construction Company of London and New York for coupling up Australia with New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Fanning Island, Honolulu, and San Francisco. The scheme, so far as it relates to Australia and New Zealand, is now under consideration by the Commonwealth and New Zealand Governments, and it is stated that the Admiralty is also interested in the proposals, which offer the advantages of what is claimed will prove a cheap and speedy means of communication. (End Graphic Caption)"

Sydney Daily Telegraph expresses conditional support for the proposal of the International Telegraph Construction Co "WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. The 'fairy tale of science' of today not infrequently becomes the humdrum handmaid of mankind tomorrow. And this it would seem is likely to be the case with wireless telegraphy. Negotiations for the installation of the Shoemaker system between Australia and New Zealand, with the possibility of continuing the connection to Honolulu and thence to San Francisco, are now in progress, and should the installation become an established fact, it could hardly fail to prove an enormous benefit to the people of Australia, both for national and private purposes. Communication with the outside world would be provided at a small fraction of the cost of communication by cable, and the new system would be absolutely free from either accidental or intentional interruption. Cheap, speedy, and safe communication with the rest of the world is what the Commonwealth badly needs, and when it is obtained, doubtless many of the prejudices, founded on ignorance, which still prevail in the minds of certain people in Europe with regard to Australia, may disappear. For the purpose of national defence, the installation of some trustworthy system of wireless telegraphy — that is to say, whatever system may be decided upon by experts as most suitable for Australian needs — is in these days an absolute necessity. Potential enemies of the Empire in every part of the world are fully equipped with the means of sending messages without the intervention of wires, and for the Commonwealth to be faced with the prospect of hostilities against such enemies, when no workable system of the same kind is in existence in Australia, would be to terribly hamper the defenders. Wireless telegraphy, as many phases of the naval operations at Port Arthur showed, is a powerful weapon for attack, and also for defence. The Commonwealth cannot afford to do without that weapon when other countries are armed with it, any more than Australia could afford to do without the machine gun or the magazine rifle. On this point, however, the selection of the particular system to be adopted is of vital importance. For defence purposes, it will probably be considered necessary to have the same system which is in use on the ships of the British navy, or, at any rate, some system by which communication with British warships could the maintained. But if the defence authorities find wireless telegraphy a necessity, the commercial world also will welcome it as a boon. A great deal of business between Australia and Europe is at present transacted by means of the submarine cable as in every way preferable to the slow, tedious, and, in recent times, untrustworthy postal service. When it may take nearly three months to receive by post the answer from London of a question asked in Sydney, the questioner naturally uses the cable if he can afford it, and gets his question answered in 24 hours. Nothing but the heavy expense of cable communication prevents its convenience from being far more largely utilised. It may be safely conjectured that if a business man could for a few shillings send a message to London which at present costs him almost as many pounds, he would choose that means of communication every time as against the postal service, with its tedious delays. A satisfactory wireless system therefore might be expected to develop fresh commerce as well as to materially assist the protection of existing commerce at sea. Possibly, like most new inventions, at first it would bring with it certain small inconveniences for special classes. The busy brain-worker who is in need of rest could not hope to find it by adopting the favorite prescription of a long sea voyage. The longer the voyage the more he would be worried by daily messages conveying to him all that unduly exciting information which his physician was so anxious that he should escape. Then again the criminal flying from justice would be safer almost anywhere than on board a ship, the captain of which might any morning receive per ethergram the published description of the fugitive and the full account of his crime. However, the disadvantage to the criminal would be amply compensated by the gain to justice, and in this respect also the value of the new means of communication would be undoubted. At present the remoteness and the isolation of Australia have fostered ignorance in the rest of the world on the subject of Australian conditions. To reduce remoteness and annihilate isolation are the special functions of wireless telegraphy. The early installation of a cheap, rapid, and efficient system will be heartily welcomed."

Brisbane Courier Mail expresses conditional support for the proposal of the International Telegraph Construction Co "WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. The wide use of wireless telegraphy in connection with the Russo-Japanese war, both by belligerents and war correspondents, has done much to demonstrate the practicableness of the ethergram methods. Naturally those concerned in the wider strategic aspects of defence in these seas are giving serious consideration to the supplementing of the cable system by installations of wireless telegraphy, and the result so far as it has been outlined, is a proposal of a very important nature to Australia and the neighbouring territories. A scheme has been submitted to the Federal Government for linking up New Zealand with Australia direct, and by way of Tasmania, also by way of Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island; then for linking up Queensland with Port Moresby and Samarai, in New Guinea. In addition it is proposed to connect Queensland with Yapp Island, in the Carolines, and places en route, and so on to the cable routes, we are told, 'radiating from Yapp Island, via Samarai and Herbertshohe, in German New Guinea.' The scheme has been submitted by Mr. J. W. Hamilton, attorney for the International Telegraph Construction Company of London and New York. It is proposed to install six ships of the Australian squadron with the Shoemaker instruments, and at a cost, we are told, of a few hundred pounds, 'place Admiral Fanshawe in possession and absolute control of generator, receiving and sending apparatus, without any vexatious royalties to pay or outside interference to combat.' For the Shoemaker system many advantages are claimed, and the offer made on behalf of the International Telegraph Construction Company includes a reduction in transmission rates between New Zealand and Australia from 4½d. to 1d., with a greatly increased speed in sending messages along the line. The offer made is under the consideration of the Federal Government and the Admiralty authorities, and Mr. Hamilton has discussed it with Mr. Sydney Smith, Postmaster-General, and with Mr. Hesketh, the electrical adviser to the department. When it is remembered that communication by wireless telegraphy has been made over 2000 miles between fleets it will be conceded that this linking up of the main British centres in the Pacific seems quite within the range of practical operations. Should it prove successful it will considerably modify the present Australian and New Zealand strategic schemes in so far as naval defence is concerned, and the risk of an enemy coming down on our coasts without warning will be very considerably mitigated. In connection with this matter it may not be out of place to urge the necessity for the early opening of wireless communication between Brisbane and Cape Moreton. This is a matter of commercial importance apart altogether from its desirableness in the way of conveying urgent news to and from the Cape. The decision of the Federal Government and the Admiralty upon the Shoemaker system submitted by Mr. Hamilton will be looked for with much interest."

1905 07
Ernest Kilburn Scott elicits information from Marconi Wireless Telegraph Co evidencing breach of Marconi patents by Shoemaker "WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. Mr. E. Kilburn Scott, of the Electrical Engineering Laboratory, Sydney University, writes: 'Knowing that the Marconi Company would be interested in the various references regarding wireless telegraphy which have appeared recently in the Australian press, I sent them copies, and in reply I have today received the following interesting cablegram from London:— 'Contract with Italian Government for station Monte Mario communicate with Argentine is with Marconi Company. In action won by Marconi in United States Court against De Forrest, judge said Shoemaker claims so utterly unsupported they will not be discussed.' 'From the above it will be seen that after the most mature consideration 'the Italian Government has definitely contracted for the establishment of communication from Italy to the Argentine in South America, a distance of over 6000 miles, or about double the distance between Poldhu, in Cornwall, and Cape Breton, in Canada, which the Marconi Company has successfully worked for some time. 'This great increase in the distance of transmission leads one to think that perhaps the time when wireless messages may reach Australia from Europe is not so far distant, for in this new contract the distance is about the same as from West Australia to Suez. It will thus be seen that connecting up Australia with New Zealand and the various islands is play-work compared with what is now being done, and there ought certainly to be no foolish talk about experimenting, as the work only requires to be put in hand. 'The dismissal of the claims by the judge of the United States Court, as mentioned in the second paragraph of the cablegram, is very significant, because it may be assumed that if a company is unable to support its claims in its own country there is very little likelihood of its faring better elsewhere. The position is especially interesting in view of the fact that the British Government have identified themselves with the Marconi system only, and it shows that they have been well advised in taking this step.'"

The Sydney Evening News provides Scott's full letter to the editor (only the last portion here transcribed) ". . . If it is true, as the evidently inspired article of May 27 would have us believe, that the Commonwealth Government are considering a contract for an installation on the Shoemaker system, then I think they would be advised to first make sure of the legal position. At this juncture it cannot be too widely known that Mr. Marconi has successfully defended his wireless telegraph patent in the Supreme Court of the United States against infringement by the De Forrest Company. In commenting on this judgment, the 'Electrical World and Engineer,' of New York, which is one of the leading and most influential technical journals in the world, says:— As to the argument of the counsel for the defendant that the said prior disclosures and the imperfect operation of Marconi's apparatus prior to 1898 or 1899, when he introduced various improvements, deprived the original patent of all claim of novelty except for specific improvements on various parts of prior existing complete systems, the court held that this contention is not well founded, and that the facts stated serve to support the claim for Marconi of a high exercise of inventive ability. No prior existing system was complete, or had been shown or conceived to be commercially operative. A sufficient answer to the attempts to belittle Marconi's great invention is that with the whole scientific world awakened by the disclosures of Hertz in 1887 to the new and undeveloped possibilities of electric waves, nine years elapsed without a single practical or commercially successful result, and that Marconi was the first to describe and the first to achieve the transmission of defined intelligible signals. Trusting you will be able to insert my somewhat lengthy letter.— Yours, etc., E. KILBURN SCOTT. Electrical Engineering Laboratory, Sydney University, July 5, 1905."

Hamilton provides a defence of the Shoemaker System against Scott's promotion of Marconi's System "WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD. Sir,— Referring to Mr. Kilburn Scott's comments on wireless telegraphy, and his endeavour to belittle the Shoemaker system to the unmerited advantage of that of Marconi, I beg to point out that his statements place Mr. Shoemaker in an entirely false position, when he says that Mr. Shoemaker's claims were 'utterly unsupported' in the action Marconi v De Forest. As a matter of fact Mr. Shoemaker's interests have long ceased to be identical with those of De Forest; the points brought forward in the case were therefore quite immaterial to the Shoemaker system as it is worked today. I think that in justice to Mr. Shoemaker, the following facts should be made known:— 1. Over 80 patents have been granted in the United States and other countries for his inventions in wireless telegraphy. 2. Letters patent have recently been granted him covering New Zealand and the Commonwealth of Australia. 3. The Shoemaker system is now being installed by the United States Government on their latest battleships and land stations, such contracts being placed with us in spite of competition with all other known 'wireless' companies, including the Marconi company, notwithstanding the fact that the rival tenderers offered lower terms. Important contracts have also been entered into with the Republican Governments in South America. 4. The British Government sent an expert commission to America specially to inquire into and to test the Shoemaker. The report made was most favourable and highly recommended the system for service, with the result that we have been requested to furnish two complete equipments for installing our system by the English Admiralty. This action on the part of the British Government quite disposes of the error made by Mr. Scott. It will be seen from the foregoing that he is wrong in stating that the British authorities are identified only with the Marconi system. Admitted that the British Government have given Marconi very liberal assistance, it need not follow that the whole mantle of 'wireless' genius has fallen on his shoulders. Slow as the English proverbially are in adopting new inventions, the action of the Admiralty proves that they are fully alive to the advantages to be gained by inquiry. It would be absurd to suppose that any Government would be so blind to public interest as to limit their 'wireless' negotiations to one company and system when there exists such immense scope for development in the art as known today. I am, etc., J. W. HAMILTON. International Telegraph Construction Co. Melbourne, July 13."

Scott again responds to Hamilton's letter, almost a promoter of the Marconi System "WIRELESS TELEGRAPH. TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD. Sir,— I have been expecting the reply from Mr. Hamilton to my letter. Regarding the first paragraph, I simply have to repeat the statement made in the cablegram, viz.:— 'In action won by Marconi in United States Court against De Forrest, Judge said Shoemaker's claims so utterly unsupported they will not be discussed.' The fact that De Forrest and Shoemaker are now dissociated does not materially affect the above statement of the Judge. Regarding the 80 patents which have been taken out, I am too old in business matters to think much of such a statement. It is very easy to get a patent granted, especially under our laws, but it does not follow that it is novel, or at any rate a master patent. After the investigations of Hertz, Professors Hughes, Oliver Lodge, and Fleming, and others us well as Marconi, I do not believe anyone can now bring forward eight, much less eighty valid patents in wireless telegraph apparatus. Amongst technical men, all the principles of the system are common knowledge. Regarding the British Government, Mr. Hamilton says Shoemaker's system was investigated. Why, of course, and so was every other wireless telegraph system. The fact remains that the British Government entered into an agreement with the Marconi Company only, which came into force last January, whereby telegrams are now accepted in every telegraph office in the United Kingdom for transmission through any of the Marconi stations to America, the Continent, or to the many steamships which are equipped. Regarding the British Navy, every battleship and cruiser is equipped with Marconi apparatus, and, far from being slow, as Mr. Hamilton, insinuates, we were the first to appreciate wireless communication. The British Navy has had the Marconi apparatus in use for a considerable period. Regarding the Commonwealth Government and the Shoemaker system, I only say that it would be well for the Government to make quite sure of the legal position. At this juncture it cannot be too widely known that Mr. Marconi has successfully defended his wireless telegraph patent in the Supreme Court of the United States against infringement. In commenting on this judgment the 'Electrical World and Engineer' of New York, one of the leading and most influential technical journals in the world, says:— 'As to the argument of the counsel for the defendant that the said prior disclosures and the imperfect operation of Marconi's apparatus prior to 1898 or 1899, when he introduced various improvements, deprived the original patent of all claim of novelty, except for specific improvements on various parts of prior-existing complete systems, the Court held that the contention is not well founded, and that the facts stated serve to support the claim for Marconi of a high exercise of inventive ability. No prior existing system was complete, or had been shown or conceived to be commercially operative. A sufficient answer to the attempts to belittle Marconi's great invention is that, with the whole scientific world awakened by the disclosures of Hertz in 1887 to the new and undeveloped possibilities of electric waves, nine years elapsed without a single practical or commercially successful result, and that Marconi was the first to describe and the first to achieve the transmission of defined, intelligible signals.' I am, etc., E. KILBURN SCOTT, Electrical Engineering Department, Sydney University. July 17."


text:
Civic Technology

This book introduces the reader to common uses of civic technology, and ways ordinary citizens can improve the digital wellbeing of their local community.

This book gives the reader a number of example exercises they can use to help their community on the internet. To follow the exercises outlined within this book, all that is needed is simple computer knowledge. No exercise in this book require coding knowledge, or hardware more expensive than a basic computer or basic smartphone.

Table of Contents
This book contains a collection of primers with activities you can pursue to help your community digitally.

 * /Give Directions/
 * /Preserve History/
 * Speak your language
 * /Teach/

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Civic Technology


text: Category:Book:Civic Technology

title: Category:Book:Civic Technology


text:
Civic Technology/Give Directions

Having your community accurately represented on digital maps and geographic guides is very important. By ensuring your community is well marked, one can help reduce the number of people who are lost in your community, as well as make it easier for people to conduct business.

OpenStreetMap
OpenStreetMap (OSM for short) is a freely available, open source map of the world which anyone can edit, just like Wikibooks or Wikipedia. Behind the scenes, many programs use OpenStreetMap to provide directions and other information to their users. Here are just a few ways OpenStreetMap data is often silently used by common applications.
 * Giving Directions to travelers, delivery drivers, and general motorists.
 * Assisting visually impaired people by applications that use OSM to note sidewalk info.

The OpenStreetMap community maintains their own beginners' guide.

Wikivoyage
While basic maps are well and good, they don't offer further context of a location to a visitor. That's where Wikibooks and Wikipedia sister project Wikivoyage comes into play.

Wikivoyage is a travel guide that assists tourists in their journeys. Even if your city isn't a tourist hotspot, it may well lie on someone's journey, so it's worthwhile to improve local articles there. This helps tourists find local businesses, events, and other amenities to spend their time and money while visiting. Assisting tourists to have the best experience your community offers is mutually beneficial for both the community and the traveler.

If you want to act as a guide, you can become a docent on Wikivoyage as well.

Wikivoyage maintains a beginners guide with their plunge forward page. Editing Wikivoyage articles is easy, and many articles can be easily improved with a graphical listing editor.

title: Civic Technology/Give Directions


text:
Civic Technology/Preserve History

Digitize artifacts
Local museums and libraries often have collections of artifacts, photographs, and documents. In many cases, underfunded institutions have been unable to commit resources to preserving these objects digitally, while retaining and preserving the original article.

When properly digitized, backed up, and distributed these artifacts can be more easily shared with the world, and a facsimile can aid scholars should the original be destroyed in a disaster. Of course the original should always be retained and safeguarded. Ask their staff If there is a way you can help out, either by volunteering your time, spreading the word, or donating.

Wikimedia Commons
Wikimedia Commons is a sister project to Wikibooks and Wikipedia. It aims to be a collective repository of freely licensed images. By taking your own photos of local landmarks, events, and natural sites, you can help preserve local history for future generations.

Examples of features you should consider adding to commons if they are missing.
 * Important local buildings.
 * Monuments and structures.
 * Important parks and natural features.
 * Major events.
 * Historical Sites.

Visit the Wikimedia Commons welcome page to get started.

Record a Story
Many people have stories to tell, which are passed down verbally. These stories could one day help historians, but are all too often lost to time. By using a simple recording application, you can ask someone with such a story allow you to record and submit their story, preserving it for future generations. One example of an application that can help you do this is StoryCorps, which is focused on the United States. Other countries often have similar programs.

For more information on StoryCorps read their Wikipedia article.

If you live in a region without access to a service like StoryCorps there are other ways of sharing a story. A local library or historical society might be interested in a copy of your stories. You could share it as a podcast, or otherwise publish it online.

Example story ideas to record:
 * Family history.
 * Major events in someone's life.
 * Stories about a local event or business.

Transcribe Documents
There exist vast numbers of documents which predate computers which have been scanned, but not formatted for efficient digital use. This creates problems, as such documents can't be searched, and can also not be used with a screen reader by those with vision impairments.

 * Wikisource has a number of transcription projects.
 * The Smithsonian Institution recruits digital volunteers for such work.

title: Civic Technology/Preserve History


text:
Civic Technology/Translation

Translate
The World Wide Web provides a wonderful resource, yet all too often many bits of important information are only available in one language such as English. Many open projects such as Wikibooks allow content to be translated into a number of languages. If you know an additional language, you can help keep it alive by translating content from English to another language.

One example of such a project is Wikibooks and its sister projects such as Wikipedia. A full list of Wikimedia projects can be seen here.

Train AI
Oftentimes AI are trained to recognize speech patterns from a specific group, and then are unable to understand those with a regional accent. You can help AI understand your accent by giving samples of your voice to help train software. Common Voice, a project by the nonprofit Mozilla, allows you to easily help train an AI on your own unique voice.

You can read more about Common Voice on Wikipedia or you can also jump in and get started on their website.

title: Civic Technology/Translation


text:
User talk:Itswikisam

Welcome
Welcome to Wikibooks, Itswikisam!

 First steps tutorial Wikibooks is for collaborative development of free textbooks.

You do not need technical skills to contribute. You can easily change most books. Please introduce yourself, and let us know what interests you.

If you already contribute at other Wikimedia projects, our Wikimedia Orientation should quickly get you started. (Would you like to provide feedback on this message?)

  Getting help   Made a mistake?   Goodies, tips and tricks
 * Read the Using Wikibooks book for a friendly introduction to the project, or our help pages for more information.
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--Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 04:05, 29 December 2020 (UTC)

title: User talk:Itswikisam


text: Template:Shogi diagram

title: Template:Shogi diagram


text:
Template:Shogi diagram/doc

Usage
This is a template that can be used to create simple diagrams of shogi positions.

Syntax
An example of the starting position for shogi can be found at Even game between players of same rank.

Parameters

 * <1>: "floatright" or "tright" and "floatleft" or "tleft" sets the horizontal placement of the diagram in the article space: "tright" means diagram will be floated to the right allowing any text to flow to the left, and "tleft" means diagram will be floated to the left allowing any text to flow to the right. No entry for this parameter means that the diagram will simply be displayed in the default position on the left.
 * <2>: Explanation added to top of diagram. For example, a player's name, the name of an opening, etc. (optional)
 * <3>: This is the parameter for the pieces in hand for the White player (gote).
 * <4> to <84>: Each number represents a square on the board, from square 3 (9th file, ath rank: "9a") in the upper left of the board to square 83 (1st file, ith rank: "1i") in the lower right of the board. Codes for "piece types" (see below) can be entered to display pieces on the board. No entry of a code means no piece will be displayed on that particular square.
 * <85>: This is the parameter for the pieces in hand for the Black player (gote).
 * <86>: Explanation added to bottom of diagram; For example, a player's name, etc. (optional)

"Piece type" entry
Squares with no entry made for "piece type" will be displayed as an "empty square".

A "piece type" is designated by a combination of two to four letters like XXYZ.

 * The XX part represents a one or two letter combination which indicates the piece type.

 * The piece type codes are as follows:

 * [[Image:shogi_ks22.svg|25px]]/[[Image:shogi_aks22.svg|25px]] k - 玉将 (gyokushō) or 王将 (Ōshō) (king)
 * [[Image:shogi_rs22.svg|25px]] r - 飛車 (hisha) (rook)
 * [[Image:shogi_bs22.svg|25px]] b - 角行 (kakugyō) (bishop)
 * [[Image:shogi_gs22.svg|25px]] g - 金将 (kinshō) (gold)
 * [[Image:shogi_ss22.svg|25px]] s - 銀将 (ginshō) (silver)
 * [[Image:shogi_ns22.svg|25px]] n - 桂馬 (keima) (knight)
 * [[Image:shogi_ls22.svg|25px]] l - 香車 (kyōsha) (lance)
 * [[Image:shogi_ps22.svg|25px]] p - 歩兵 (fuhyō) (pawn)
 * [[Image:shogi_ds22.svg|25px]] d - 龍王 (ryūō) (dragon or promoted rook)
 * [[Image:shogi_dxs22.svg|25px]]dx - 竜王 (ryūō) (simplified character for promoted rook)
 * [[Image:shogi_hs22.svg|25px]] h - 龍馬 (ryūma) (horse or promoted bishop)
 * [[Image:shogi_pss22.svg|25px]] ps - 成銀 (narigin) (promoted silver)
 * [[Image:shogi_pns22.svg|25px]] pn - 成桂 (narikei) (promoted knight)
 * [[Image:shogi_pnxs22.svg|25px]] pnx - (variant character for promoted knight)
 * [[Image:shogi_pls22.svg|25px]] pl - 成香 (narikyō) (promoted lance)
 * [[Image:shogi_plxs22.svg|25px]] plx - (variant character for promoted lance)
 * [[Image:shogi_ts22.svg|25px]] t - と金 (tokin) (tokin or promoted pawn)
 * [[Image:shogi_txs22.svg|25px]] tx - (variant character for promoted pawn)

 * Sho shogi codes:

 * [[Image:shogi_es22.svg|25px]] e - 酔象 (suizō) (elephant)
 * [[Image:shogi_as22.svg|25px]] t - 太子 (taishi) (crown prince or promoted elephant)

 * Please note that all of the above combinations are case sensitive, so lower case letters must be used.

 * All things considered equal, the "king" of the player who is "sente" (i.e., the player who moves first) is indicated by 玉 and the "king" of the player who is "gote" (i.e., the player moves second) is indicated by 王. In even games between players of different ranks, the "king" of the higher ranked player is 王, and the "king" of the lower ranked player is 玉. In handicap shogi, even though the player giving the handicap (上手) moves first, their "king" is 王 and the "king" of the player receiving the handicap (下手) is 玉. In problems, the "king" of the attacking (or mating) side is 玉 and the "king" of the defending side is 王. To indicate 玉 for "gote" (e.g., the lower ranked player in an even game is "gote") or 王 for "sente", insert ak instead of k into the template.

Sente or gote
The Y indicates sente (black) or gote (white). For "sente" add the letter s, and for "gote" add the letter g to the end of the character string. Sente's pieces will be displayed at the bottom of the board facing up and gote's pieces will be displayed at the top of the board facing down. So a "pawn" for "sente" is indicated as ps, while a "rook" for "gote" is indicated as rg.

 * [[Image:shogi_ps22.svg|25px]] - ps
 * [[Image:shogi_pg22.svg|25px]] - pg

Last move played
The Z indicates the last move played. To indicate a piece that has just been moved, add the letter l (for last) to the end of the character string. For example, the show indicate that the last piece moved was a "rook" by "gote", use rgl.

 * [[Image:shogi_rg22.svg|25px]] - rg
 * [[Image:shogi_rgl22.svg|25px]] - rgl

Pieces-in-hand
Pieces-in-hand are entered directly into parameters <3> and <85>. The following characters (and templates) can be used: 歩 for "pawn", 香 for "lance", 桂 for "knight", 銀 for "silver", 金 for "gold", 角 for "bishop", and 飛 for "rook".

To indicate that a player is holding more than one of the same type of piece in hand, one may use piece type + (number) if repeating multiple instances of the piece is unwieldy. For example, having 7 pawns in hand can be indicated as 歩 (7).

Exhaustive piece exemplification
ps pg psl pgl ts tg tsl tgl txs txg txsl txgl

ls lg lsl lgl pls plg plsl plgl plxs plxg plxsl plxgl ns ng nsl ngl pns png pnsl pngl pnxs pnxg pnxsl pnxgl ss sg ssl sgl pss psg pssl psgl

gs gg gsl ggl

bs bg bsl bgl hs hg hsl hgl

rs rg rsl rgl ds dg dsl dgl dxs dxg dxsl dxgl

ks kg ksl kgl aks akg aksl akgl

es eg esl egl as ag asl agl

Other diagram files
These files can be used to create diagrams for explaining certain positions or indicating piece movement.

 * Shogi rah22.svg  rah - indicate start position for a move one square to the right (rah is for 'right arrow half')
 * Shogi rat22.svg rat - indicate movement from left to right (rat is for 'right arrow tip')
 * Shogi ras22.svg ras - indicate start position from right to left (ras is for 'right arrow start')
 * Shogi lra22.svg lra - indicate movement from right to left or left to right (lra is for 'left right arrow')
 * Shogi lah22.svg lah - indicate start position for a move one square to the left (lah is for 'left arrow half')
 * Shogi lat22.svg lat - indicate movement from right to left (lat is for 'left arrow tip')
 * Shogi las22.svg las - indicate start positiong for movement from left to right (las is for 'left arrow start')
 * Shogi uah22.svg uah - indicate start position for a move one square upward (kadl is for 'up arrow half')
 * Shogi uat22.svg uat - indicate movement from bottom to top (uat is for 'upward arrow tip')
 * Shogi uas22.svg uas - indicate start position for movement from bottom to top (uas is for 'up arrow start')
 * Shogi uda22.svg uda - indicate movement from bottom to top or top to bottom (uda is for 'up down arrow')
 * Shogi dah22.svg dah - indicate start position for a move one square downward (dah is for 'down arrow half')
 * Shogi das22.svg das - indicate start position for movement from top to bottom (das is for 'down arrow start')
 * Shogi dat22.svg dat - indicate movement from top to bottom (dat is for 'downward arrow tip')
 * Shogi durh22.svg durh - indicate start position for a move one square diagonally upward to the right (durh is for 'diagonal up right half')
 * Shogi dau22.svg dau - indicate movement diagonally upward to the right (dau is for 'diagonal arrow upward')
 * Shogi daus22.svg daus - indicate start position for movement diagonally upward to right (daus is for 'diagonal arrow upward start')
 * Shogi da22.svg da - indicate movement diagonally left to right (da is for 'diagonal arrow')
 * Shogi ddlh22.svg ddlh - indicate start position for a move one square diagonally downward to the left (ddlh is for 'diagonal down left half')
 * Shogi dad22.svg dad - indicate movement diagonally downward to the left (dad is for 'diagonal arrow downward')
 * Shogi dads22.svg dads - indicate start position for movement diagonally downward to left (dads is for 'diagonal arrow downward start')
 * Shogi dulh22.svg dulh - indicate start position for a move one square diagonally upward to the left (dulh is for 'diagonal up left half')
 * Shogi daau22.svg daau - indicate movement diagonally upward to left (daau is for 'diagonal arrow averse upward')
 * Shogi daaus22.svg daaus - indicate start position for movement diagonally upward to left (daaus is for 'diagonal arrow averse upward start')
 * Shogi daa22.svg daa - indicate movement diagonally right to left (daa is for 'diagonal arrow averse')
 * Shogi ddrh22.svg ddrh - indicate start position for a move one square diagonally downward to the right (ddrh is for 'diagonal down right half')
 * Shogi daad22.svg daad - indicate movement diagonally downward to right (daad is for 'diagonal arrow averse downward')
 * Shogi daads22.svg daads - indicate start position for movement diagonally downward to right (daads is for 'diagonal arrow averse downward start')
 * Shogi kar22.svg kar - indicate movement of knight upward to the right (kar is for 'knight arrow right')
 * Shogi kal22.svg kal - indicate movement of knight upward to the left (kal is for 'knight arrow left')
 * Shogi kadr22.svg kadr - indicate movement of knight downward to the right (kadr is for 'knight arrow down right')
 * Shogi kadl22.svg kadl - indicate movement of knight downward to the left (kadl is for 'knight arrow down left')
 * Shogi ddl22.svg ddl - indicate movement of silver downward to the left (ddl is for 'diagonal down left')
 * Shogi ddr22.svg ddr - indicate movement of silver downward to the right (ddr is for 'diagonal down right')
 * Shogi dul22.svg dul - indicate movement of silver downward to the left (dul is for 'daigonal up left')
 * Shogi dur22.svg dur - indicate movement of silver downward to the right (dur is for 'diagonal up right')
 * [[Image:shogi_yy22.svg|22px]] yy - highlighted yellow square (yy is for 'yellow')
 * Shogi gr22.svg gr - highlighted gray square (gr is for 'gray')

Examples
The following are examples of the types of diagrams which can be created.

Even game between players of same rank
Diagrams for such positions typically show "sente" at the bottom of the board, and "gote" at the top. Relevant information such as player names, tournament names, etc. may be entered into parameters <2> and <84> if desired.

Even game, sente and gote reversed

Even game, gote lower ranked player

Handicap game (rook handicap)

Last move played (e.g., Position after ....)
The diagram for the position after the moves 1. P-26, 2. P-84, 3. P-25, 4. P-85, 5. G-78, 6. G-32, 7. P-24, 8. Px24, 9. Rx24 is created as follows:

Tsumeshogi problems
Example of how this diagram can be used for "tsumeshogi" problems

Highligting squares and indicating piece movement
Examples of how specific square can be highlighted and piece movement indicated.

Alternate versions
This diagram uses an Arabic numeral to designate each file, and a lowercase alphabetic character to designate each rank.

This template can be easily edited to use Arabic numerals or kanji numerals to designate ranks by simply replacing the number text.

To create a diagram with no rank or file designations, simply delete rows of number and letter.

Regardless of how the ranks are designated, care should be taken to use a form of notation consistent with the diagram to avoid confusion.

title: Template:Shogi diagram/doc


text:
Module:Shogi diagram

local shogiobject = {}

--- -- internal functions ---

-- returns a japanese character for a roman letter abbreviation -- called by the shogiboard function local function piecesymbol(abbreviation) -- the abbreviation argument is a string of 1-3 letters that stand for the English names of the shogi pieces -- the abbreviation is extracted out of a longer string by the processString function -- letter to character mapping (hash table) local piecenames = { p = '歩', t = 'と', l = '香', pl = '杏', n = '桂', pn = '圭', s = '銀', ps = '全', g = '金', b = '角', h = '馬', r = '飛', d = '龍', gyoku = '玉', ou = '王', tx = '个', plx = '仝', pnx = '今', dx = '竜', e = '象', a = '太' }	-- spit out the character corresponding to abbreviation -- if the abbreviation string is empty, then spit out nobreak space (for html tables) piece = piecenames[abbreviation] or ' ' return string.format( piece ) end

-- function separates out the piece, the side, and the boldness info present in the string argument -- it returns an array with these three values plus the color (for promoted pieces) -- this info is passed to the makeTD function function processString(ss) -- strip whitespace ss = mw.text.trim(ss) -- get the last character of the string local lastchar = mw.ustring.sub(ss, -1) -- chop off last character of string local restofstring = mw.ustring.sub(ss, 1, -2)

-- default is normal font -- but if the string ends with 'l' for 'last move', -- then the font should be bold and we need to get a new string with the this 'l' chopped off (with a new last character) local boldness = 'normal' if lastchar:match('l') then boldness = 'bold' lastchar = mw.ustring.sub(restofstring, -1) restofstring = mw.ustring.sub(restofstring, 1, -2) end -- the side is either 'g' for 'gote' or 's' for 'sente' -- it's the last character in the string (and if the string ended) local side = lastchar -- the leftover string is the shogi piece abbreviation local pieceabbr = restofstring -- default is black font -- if the piece is promoted (one the abbreviations below), then the piece should be red local color = 'black' if pieceabbr:match('t') or pieceabbr:match('pl') or pieceabbr:match('pn') or pieceabbr:match('ps') or pieceabbr:match('h') or pieceabbr:match('d') then color = 'red' end -- this is an exceptional bit: -- gote's king is usually 王 instead of 玉 by convention, -- but it's convenient to use the 'k' code for both sente and gote and let the default character be side-dependent if pieceabbr:match('k') and side:match('g') then pieceabbr = 'ou' end if pieceabbr:match('k') and side:match('s') then pieceabbr = 'gyoku' end -- similar to above exception, reverse default if pieceabbr:match('ak') and side:match('s') then pieceabbr = 'ou' end if pieceabbr:match('ak') and side:match('g') then pieceabbr = 'gyoku' end -- convert abbreviation to Japanese character local piecechar = piecesymbol(pieceabbr) if ss:match('yy') or ss:match('gr') or ss:match('rat') or ss:match('lat') or ss:match('uat') or ss:match('dat') or           ss:match('lra') or ss:match('las') or ss:match('ras') or ss:match('uda') or ss:match('das') or ss:match('uas') or            ss:match('da') or ss:match('dau') or ss:match('dad') or ss:match('daus') or ss:match('dads') or ss:match('daa') or            ss:match('daad') or ss:match('daau') or ss:match('daaus') or ss:match('daads') or ss:match('kar') or ss:match('kal') or            ss:match('kadr') or ss:match('kadl') or ss:match('rah') or ss:match('lah') or ss:match('dah') or ss:match('uah') or            ss:match('durh') or ss:match('dulh') or ss:match('ddrh') or ss:match('ddlh') or ss:match('ddl') or ss:match('ddr') or            ss:match('dul') or ss:match('dur') then piecechar = '' side = 'arrow' color = 'arrow' boldness = 'arrow' end local result = {piecechar, side, color, boldness} return result end

-- function makes a containing the piece with CSS stuff -- uses the info from processString to customize the CSS based on which side, color, and boldness function makeTD(stringarg) -- got to process the string argument into its informational bits -- this processedstring is an array (or whatever the equivalent is in Lua) local processedstring = processString(stringarg) -- saving the pieces of the array as separate objects to be referred to below local piecechar = processedstring[1] local side = processedstring[2] local color = processedstring[3] local bold = processedstring[4] -- i guess one needs a root node? local root = mw.html.create('') -- the default local td = root:tag('td') td:css('border', 'black 1px solid') td:css('width', '20px') td:css('height', '20px') td:css('padding', '0') td:css('line-height', '0') td:css('font-family', '"Hiragino Mincho ProN", serif') if not side:match('arrow') then td:wikitext( piecechar ) end -- g = gote -- gote should be upside down text if side:match( 'g' ) then td:css('transform', 'rotate(180deg)') end -- for promoted pieces if color:match( 'red' ) then -- this is a darkish reddish color td:css('color', '#E00303') end

-- for bold pieces if bold:match( 'bold' ) then td:css('font-weight', 'bolder') -- traditionally bold type is gothic (sans serif) in Japanese typesetting of shogi diagrams within Japanese shogi books td:css('font-family', ' HiraginoSans-W5, sans-serif') end -- for arrow svgs if side:match('arrow') then td:css('padding', '0') td:css('width', '20px') td:css('height', '20px') td:css('font-size', '1px') td:css('line-height', '0') td:wikitext( piecechar ) end return tostring(root) end

-- function makes the shogi diagram -- this is basically a enclosing a .css wrapper with a inside function shogiboard(args) -- these are the column coordinate labels 9-1 local colLabels = {'9', '8', '7', '6', '5', '4', '3', '2', '1', ' '} -- these are the row coordinate labels a-i (western notation) local rowLabels = {'1', '2', '3', '4', '5', '6', '7', '8', '9'} -- these are the row coordinate labels 1-9 (Japanese notation) -- this isn't set up for use yet local rowLabelsJP = {'一', '二', '三', '四', '五', '六', '七', '八', '九'} local headerarg = args[2] local toppieceinhandarg = args[3] local root = mw.html.create('div')

-- wrapper local shogiboardwrapper = root:tag('div') :addClass('shogiboardwrapper') :css('padding-left', '4px') :css('padding-bottom', '2px') -- the diagram header/caption local headerstring = mw.text.trim(headerarg) local header = shogiboardwrapper:tag('div') header:css('padding', '0') header:wikitext(headerstring) header:css('font-size', '14px')

-- this is the 'piece-in-hand' argument for gote -- strip whitespace local strippedpieceinhandtop = mw.text.trim(toppieceinhandarg) or '' -- put it in a with .css formating local pieceinhandtopdiv = shogiboardwrapper:tag('div') pieceinhandtopdiv:css('padding', '0') pieceinhandtopdiv:css('font-size', '12px') pieceinhandtopdiv:wikitext('☖ pieces in hand: ') -- i was going to put the actual argument text into conditional .css formating, but i couldn't get the logical test in an if/else structure right... local piecesinhandtopspan = pieceinhandtopdiv:tag('span') piecesinhandtopspan:css('font-size', '13px') piecesinhandtopspan:wikitext(strippedpieceinhandtop) -- the shogi table local shogitable = shogiboardwrapper:tag('table') :addClass('shogitable') :attr('border', '1') :css('border-collapse', 'collapse') :css('border', 'none') :css('padding-top', '0') :css('background-color', 'white') -- font size for the shogi piece text piecefontsize = '17px' -- font size for the column/row piece coordinate labels (9-1) and (a-i) colrowfontsize = '11px' -- padding amount for the row piece coordinate labels (a-i) padrowlab = '1px' -- the row for the column coordinate labels local columnlabelrow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') -- iterating over the column label to put each label in a 	for i,v in ipairs(colLabels) do 		local td = columnlabelrow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('width', '20px') :css('height', '5px') :wikitext( v ) end -- iterate over the 81 shogi piece arguments (left to right, top to bottom) -- i couldn't figure out how to do this is in a clever loopy way as i couldn't figure out how to close the html tags -- whatever, it's repetitive, but it works -- index number displacement/offset -- this is just the number of arguments that precede the 81 shogi piece arguments that are in the html -- i just keep the piece arguments as indexes 1-81, then add nx to the index value nx = 3 -- the row for the shogi pieces -- row 1 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) -- put a single piece into a 	-- iterate over 9 pieces in the row for irow = 1,9 do		trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end -- add row coordinate label local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('padding-top', '0') :css('padding-bottom', '0') :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[1] ) -- row 2 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 10,18 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[2] ) -- row 3 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 19,27 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[3] ) -- row 4 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 28,36 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[4] ) -- row 5 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 37,45 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[5] ) -- row 6 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 46,54 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[6] ) -- row 7 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 55,63 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[7] ) -- row 8 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 64,72 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[8] ) -- row 9 local trow = shogitable:tag('tr') :css('font-size', piecefontsize) for irow = 73,81 do trow:wikitext( makeTD(args[(irow+nx)]) ) end local rowlabel = trow:tag('td') :css('border', 'none') :css('font-size', colrowfontsize) :css('padding-left', padrowlab) :css('background-color', '#f9f9f9') :wikitext( rowLabels[9] ) -- this is the 'piece-in-hand' argument for sente (same as above for gote) -- only difference is the black shogi piece glyph (☗) local strippedpieceinhandbottom = mw.text.trim(args[81+1+nx]) or '' local pieceinhandbottomdiv = shogiboardwrapper:tag('div') pieceinhandbottomdiv:css('padding', '0') pieceinhandbottomdiv:css('font-size', '12px') pieceinhandbottomdiv:wikitext('☗ pieces in hand: ') local piecesinhandbottomspan = pieceinhandbottomdiv:tag('span') piecesinhandbottomspan:css('font-size', '13px') piecesinhandbottomspan:wikitext(strippedpieceinhandbottom) return tostring(root) end

--- -- main function ---

function shogiobject.board(frame) -- need to use getParent.args for reasons i dont understand local args = frame:getParent.args return shogiboard(args) end

return shogiobject

title: Module:Shogi diagram


text:
Module:Shogi diagram/doc

Usage
This module is called by Template:Shogi diagram.

As the original template used .pngs/.svgs, when many templates were used on pages, the page load times became a bit long. In order to fix this, this module instead uses text. And, text is preferable anyway since it renders very sharp edges. The drawback is that it depends on web browser for rotated text – that is, the web browser must be a modern one.

It was based on Module:Chessboard.

title: Module:Shogi diagram/doc


text:
Wikibooks:Requests for import/Archives/2020/November

Rudd Concessions
Can you please import Rudd Concessions to The Story of Rhodesia/Rudd Concessions? I would like to see what I can do with its format, then embed it in the page The Story of Rhodesia/Rudd Concession & Royal Charter. Thanks in advance, -ElfSnail123 (discuss • contribs) 19:01, 13 November 2020 (UTC)
 * The page name is singular; I imported Rudd Concession to The Story of Rhodesia/Rudd Concession. --Pi zero (discuss • contribs) 19:27, 13 November 2020 (UTC)
 * Thank you very much! -ElfSnail123 (discuss • contribs) 10:52, 14 November 2020 (UTC)