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Chinese Ban on Wikipedia Prevents Research

An anonymous reader writes "China has banned access to Wikipedia for the third time, outraging students and intellectuals." From the article: "The latest blocking of the website, the third shutdown of the site in China in the past two years, has now continued for more than 10 weeks without any explanation and without any indication whether the ban is temporary or permanent ... Others said the blocking of Wikipedia has been a major blow to their research projects and even to their prospects of passing civil-service exams. 'How can I do my thesis now?' a university student asked on another Chinese website."

10 of 439 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Wikipedia may not always be the best choice by MoonFog · · Score: 4, Informative

    I found Wikipedia to be an excellent starting point on several issues when I was writing my thesis, but I did not use it as the source itself. The explanations on wikipedia are often very good and will give some insight into a topic you can explore further with more indepth research papers.

  2. Chinese need a Satmodem by digitaldc · · Score: 3, Informative

    Using a satellite modem or Satmodem, you can bypass the censors.
    Read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite_modem
    Or, maybe not.

    For anyone who can read this in China...try http://www.zensur.freerk.com/

    --
    He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
  3. Do any of you understand the research process? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Wikipedia is a great source of information for research papers, specifically the Wikipedia citations. Wikipedia allows a broad overview of a subject, which is helpful in guiding the author, but overall its principle value is a collection of relevant, human-verified links, many of which lead to primary authorities on the subject matter.

    I almost always head to Wikipedia before Google when doing research, for this reason. (I work in SEO, by the way)

  4. Re:Back to (Tiananmen) Square One? by BewireNomali · · Score: 2, Informative

    Agreed. Even more, in New York, marchers need permits from the city. How's that for non-violent protest. The bureaucracy has to pre-approve your protest before you can gather en masse. lol.

    Marches might have worked for somebody way back when, but not today.

    --
    un burrito me trampeó.
  5. Re:Must be pretty bad off in China.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    No its not. He started the sentence off in the subject line and continued it in the body.

    Maybe he didn't punctuate or capitalize very well but at least he communicated his thoughts clearly, which is more than can be said for a majority of the posters here.

    It is a pretty sad statement of the sate of things here when you would rather talk about grammatical mechanics than actually debate the merits of the argument.

  6. Re:So, if it were up to you... by truthsearch · · Score: 2, Informative

    Since the major media doesn't regularly report on Chinese attrocities like they do Iraq's that means their not performing them? You don't know about the thousands of tortured prisoners? And the people who've killed their first born child to hide the fact it was a girl to prevent government penalties? And the children who work in practically slave labor, endangering their health?

    And how about the nuclear weapons pointed at us? And the economic threat as they undercut us in production costs? But that's ok because the top echelon of wealthiest Americans are becoming richer because of it. Therefore China isn't a threat to the rest of us Americans, right?

    Stop watching Fox News and start reading.

  7. Re:Back to (Tiananmen) Square One? by MillionthMonkey · · Score: 2, Informative

    Agreed. Even more, in New York, marchers need permits from the city. How's that for non-violent protest.

    That's so they can set up a fenced-in area and call it a "First Amendment Zone". All protest is required to take place inside this fenced-in area. You still have your First Amendment rights, but only inside the fence. They are usually set up a considerable distance away from whatever event is being protested, and reporters are forbidden to speak to or take pictures of anyone inside.

    It's what the Framers intended.

  8. Re:Back to (Tiananmen) Square One? by metternich · · Score: 3, Informative

    China has had several thousand protests a year for the last few years and they're getting more numerous. They're only getting scant attantion in the Western media though, since it's mostly poor people protesting poor wages, unsafe working conditions, corrupt officials, government abuses, etc., rather than media savy students fighting for democracy.

    --
    Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
  9. Re:Doomed. Doomed, I tell you! by syukton · · Score: 5, Informative

    UMass student admits "Little Red Book" Hoax:
    http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=510754

    In addition to forgetting, you also evidently didn't do any due diligence on the linked material.

    --
    Reinvent the wheel only at either a lower cost, greater effectiveness, or your own personal enrichment and satisfaction.
  10. Re:Doomed. Doomed, I tell you! by neodragonslayer · · Score: 3, Informative

    You must be new here.

    The reason it was modded Overrated was because Overrated and Underrated mods don't show up in Metamoderation.