Slashdot Mirror
Wikipedia Corrects Encyclopedia Britannica
javipas writes "Despite all the controversy about Wikipedia's work model, no one can argue the potential of a project that has so effectively demonstrated the usefulness of the 'wisdom of crowds' concept. And that wisdom has detected a large number of mistakes in one of the most revered founts of human knowledge, the Encyclopedias Britannica. Among the wrong information collected on this page are the name at birth of Bill Clinton and the definition of the NP problems in mathematics."
Wikiality bites.
So says Stephen Colbert.
Britannica should also check its facts about elephant populations. I heard it has tripled.
All of them.
What?
his name is Robert Paulson
talk: I hate Britanicca. It's at best a well spoken gentleman in a pub. It sounds right but I can't be sure. Fixed that for you.
talk: I hate Britannica. It's at best a well spoken gentleman in a pub. It sounds right but I can't be sure. Fixed that for you.
Fixed that for you.
Reference, please?
How many of those errors were purposefully introduced? Encyclopedias and map makers do that all the time to see if others are plagerizing.
I love irony.
...is even self-aware
"Laugh while you can a-monkey boy!" - Dr Emilio Lizardo
Thanks! I spell like I love: Poorly and with great haste.
Obligatory xkcd.
EB was being corrected by others long before Wiki existed. A 9 year old corrected their statement that Mercury was the hottest planet. He correctly notified them that Venus was.
/. posts are wrong.
Wiki is now operating at the level of a 9 year old.
OTOH, perhaps Wiki will have an article on how often
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
Wikipedia says it was Flavor Aid
In reaction to the Wikipedia page pointing out EB's errors, Conservapedia has
put up a link in their "Breaking News" section to their page listing examples
of Wikipedia's strongly liberal bias (you did know that, didn't you? Wikipedia
is SIX TIMES MORE LIBERAL THAN AMERICA! (as reported by Wikipedia on their
page about Conservapedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservapedia )).
As of 11PM PST, July 23rd, Conservapedia has a link to the bias page at the top of
their "Breaking News" section on their home page. But here's the direct link:
http://www.conservapedia.com/Bias_in_Wikipedia
A few choice examples:
A devastating critique of Wikipedia by Fox News describes the impact of Wikipedia smears on popular golfer Fuzzy Zoeller.
Wikipedia is sympathetic to Fidel Castro in its entry about Cuba.
Wikipedia's entry for the Renaissance denies any credit to Christianity, its primary inspiration.
Plus 63 more! Enjoy.
So you were thinking exactly the SAME.
Too bad most of the administrators think they know more than you, simply because they read an article on the subject. The others are all to happy to demonstrate the Wikipedia caste system to you.
[citation needed]
Female Prison Rape in NY
you're talking about e. e. cummings again, aren't you?
Please stop stalking me, bro.
I believe the correct phrase on wikipedia is [citation needed].
"Hello 911? I just tried to toast some bread, and the toaster grew an arm and stabbed me in the face!"
There are times when I feel the urge to write "citation needed" on every single article on conservapedia, eg. on the origins of kangaroos:
"After the Flood, these kangaroos bred from the Ark passengers migrated to Australia." [citation needed]
I mean, what the fuck?
"There is debate whether this migration happened over land with lower sea levels during the post-flood ice age, or before the supercontinent of Pangea broke apart, or if they rafted on mats of vegetation torn up by the receding flood waters." [citation really fucking needed]
Kangaroos crossing thousands of miles of ocean on rafts.. I'm not sure these guys are strictly adhering to their anti-pot-smoking policy.
I wrote my first program at the age of six, and I still can't work out how this website works.
[citation needed]
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." -- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
skewed towards old people
sorry, i couldn't help it.
How do you digg comments on here? I see all these scores but no way to digg people up or down.
"I don't want more choice, I just want nicer things!"
-Jennifer Saunders as Edina Monsoon