Thursday, July 27, 2006

Wikipedia - "a lumpy work in progress"

Whew....did all the IAgers consume much caffeine today? We are active!

A short note to draw your attention to a New Yorker article about Wikipedia. Well worth reading as it is informative and balanced.

"...Wikipedia is a combination of manifesto and reference work. Peer review, the mainstream media, and governement agencies have landed us in a ditch. Not only are we impatient with the authorities but we are in the mood to talk back. Wikipedia offers endless opportunties for self-expression. It it the love child of reading groups and chat rooms, a second home for anyone who has written an Amazon review. This is not the first time that encyclopedia-makers have snatched control from an elite, or cast a harsh light on certitude. Jimmy Wales may or may not be the new Henry Ford, yet he has sent us tooling down the interstate, with but a squint back at the railroad. we're on the open road now, without conductors and timetables."

Hat tip to Arts & Letters Daily for the pointer to the article.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

For another (satirical and sometimes potty-mouth) perspective on Wikipedia, check a recent issue of "The Onion." An article titled "Wikipedia celebrates 750 years of American independence" may give you a giggle, or at least a snort. An online version can be found at http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50902.

Anonymous said...

Wikipedia - the resource for all information. Find iit useful all the time.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you arianne. They have good and useful articles for any topic you want to know.