MetaFilter posts tagged with wikipedia

Wikipedia Recent Changes Map

codacorolla — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:37:22 -0800

A visualization of Wikipedia edits in real time. A portion of the edits, anyway. From the about section:

When an unregistered user edits Wikipedia, he or she is identified by his or her IP address. These IP addresses are translated to users' approximate geographic location. Unregistered users only make a fraction of total edits -- only 15% of the contributions to English Wikipedia are from unregistered users. Edits by registered users do not have associated IP information, so the map actually represents only a small portion of the total edit activity on Wikipedia.

Madame, it is an old word and each one takes it new and wears it out

dubusadus — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:56:21 -0800

"There is consternation at Wikipedia over the discovery that hundreds of novelists who happen to be female were being systematically removed from the category American novelists and assigned to the category American women novelists." The full discussion at Wikipedia. The full American novelists category appears to have been restored. Currently, American men novelists has 111 pages and American women novelists 551.

Wikipedia Live Monitor

stbalbach — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:52:32 -0800

Wikipedia Live Monitor is an experimental site that scans Wikipedia edits real-time searching for frenzied editing sessions. Matches are compared with "plausibility checks" on Facebook, Google etc.. to see if there is something in the news, thus quickly pinpointing unexpected events.

Paging Madame Streisand

elgilito — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 08:09:59 -0800

This rather bland article on the French Wikipedia about a military radio station (now in English!) became on April 6 the most viewed page on the site, after agents of the DCRI (French Homeland Security) summoned the president of Wikimedia France, Rémi Mathis, to the DCRI headquarters last Thursday and (allegedly) forced him to delete the page under threat of prosecution, on the grounds that the page divulged classified military information. The page was quickly undeleted by other users, as could be expected. Mathis, an historian and library curator at the French National Library is also known as an advocate for freedom of panorama.

Reading Wikipedia Randomly So You Don't Have To

The Whelk — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 06:41:04 -0800

Random Article. Bunny Ultramod likes hit "random page" on Wikipedia and sometimes he reports what he finds there. [via mefi projects]

Wikipedia page view analysis 2012

stbalbach — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:11:18 -0800

"The best way to reach the highest levels of Wikipedia popularity are to be a celebrity who (a) dies, or (b) plays the Super Bowl halftime show". Examining the popularity of Wikipedia articles: catalysts, trends, and applications. See also the annotated Top 25 Report. Previously: Wikipedia in 2012.

Spoiler: Everyone Dies

codacorolla — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:42:36 -0800

The Timeline of the Far Future is a Wikipedia article which serves as a gateway to a ton of fascinating scientific topics on the far edge of human understanding: ~50,000 years from now the Earth will enter a new Glacial period; ~100,000 years from now the Earth will likely have experienced a supervolcanic eruption; ~10,000,000 years from now the East African Rift divides the continent of Africa in to two land masses; ~20,000,000,000 years from now the Universe effectively dies due to The Big Rip.

Wikipedia in 2012

Winnemac — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:00:10 -0800

A list of the most viewed articles on Wikipedia in 2012 from many of the site's main languages. Johan Gunnarsson's Wikitrends project identifies the wikipedia articles with the greatest uptrend in page views each day. The surprising popularity of "cul-de-sac" on the German site may be explained by mistaken translation of the boy bad "One Direction". (German link)

"Where sex is work, sex may just work differently" & "the WEIRDest people in the world?"

flex — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 08:07:07 -0800

When sex means reproduction, certain proclivities may simply not be part of cultural models of sexuality: "Barry and Bonnie Hewlett had been studying the Aka and Ngandu people of central Africa for many years before they began to specifically study the groups' sexuality... [T]he Hewletts conclude, "Homosexuality and masturbation are rare or nonexistent [in these two cultures], not because they are frowned upon or punished, but because they are not part of the cultural models of sexuality in either ethnic group.""

Is the strong cultural focus on sex as a reproductive tool the reason masturbation and homosexual practices seem to be virtually unknown among the Aka and Ngandu? That isn't clear. But the Hewletts did find that their informants -- whom they knew well from years of field work -- "were not aware of these practices, did not have terms for them," and, in the case of the Aka, had a hard time even understanding about what the researchers were asking when they asked about homosexual behaviors. The Ngandu "were familiar with the concept" of homosexual behavior, "but no word existed for it and they said they did not know of any such relationships in or around the village. Men who had traveled to the capital, Bangui, said it existed in the city and was called 'PD' (French for par derriere or from behind)." ... The finding with regard to homosexuality is perhaps not that surprising. As the Hewletts note, other researchers have documented cultures where homosexuality appears not to exist. If homosexual orientation has a genetic component to it -- and there is increasing evidence that it does, in many cases -- then it would not be surprising that this complex human trait (one that involves non-procreative efforts) would be found in some populations but not others. Moreoever, sexual behavior -- whether homosexual, heterosexual, or any other type -- is never simply genetically determined in humans. Humans are born with sexual potentials that will manifest differently in different cultural settings. So, about heterosexuality, the Hewletts note that Western cultures' valuing of sleeping through the night probably limits Western heterosexual couples' interest in having sex multiple times between dusk and dawn. In our culture, the work we have to do by day may overtake "the work of the night." It's also worth noting that Western science specifically distinguishes between three components of sexuality: desire, behavior, and identity. While the Hewletts' research suggests that homosexual behavior and identity are foreign to the Aka and Ngandu, it's entirely possible that homosexual desire does exist in these groups, at least for some of their members (so to speak). A culture that recognizes such desires -- and especially a culture that does not condemn them -- and especially one that involves large groups where homosexually-inclined people can find each other -- is the type where such desires will become openly apparent.

Jesse Bering covers similar ground (with different details) in Slate - Does homosexuality exist in every human society? Sex and Searching For Children Among Aka Foragers and Ngandu Farmers of Central Africa (PDF, 19 pages) - "[Barry Hewlett] has conducted research with these groups of Aka and Ngandu for over 35 years, and [Bonnie Hewlett] has conducted research with them for over 10 years." *wikipedia - Aka people *The Guardian: Are the men of the African Aka tribe the best fathers in the world? Both the Atlantic piece and the Slate piece reference "a much-discussed 2010 Behavioral and Brain Sciences paper called "The WEIRDest people in the world?" in which the authors argued that far too many sweeping claims about "human nature" are drawn exclusively from samples of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies." The Weirdest People In The World? (PDF, 68 pages)

Short abstract: Broad claims about human psychology and behavior based on narrow samples from Western societies are regularly published in leading journals. Are such species‐generalizing claims justified? This review suggests not only that substantial variability in experimental results emerges across populations in basic domains, but that standard subjects are in fact rather unusual compared with the rest of the species—frequent outliers. The domains reviewed include visual perception, fairness, categorization, spatial cognition, memory, moral reasoning and self‐concepts. This review (1) indicates caution in addressing questions of human nature based on this thin slice of humanity, and (2) suggests that understanding human psychology will require tapping broader subject pools. We close by proposing ways to address these challenges.

*Toronto Star - Why we're the weirdest people in the world *NYT - A Weird Way of Thinking Has Prevailed Worldwide *Big Think - The Weirdest People in the World? *Public Library of Science - Reflections on the WEIRD Evolution of Human Psychology

History's most influential people, ranked by Wikipedia reach

stbalbach — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 13:50:26 -0800

History's most influential people, ranked by Wikipedia reach (jpg version).

"Especially with the country in great need of donation, science should speak louder than stigma in determining who can help."

flex — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 07:10:29 -0800

Tainted: Why Gay Men Still Can't Donate Blood - "Since 1983, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines have disqualified men who have ever had sex with men (MSM) from donating blood... Uneven application of exclusion to at-risk individuals suggests that risk aversion disproportionately impacts MSMs. For example, a non-MSM individual who has had sexual contact with a commercial sex worker or HIV-positive partner is deferred for only twelve months... The fact that the U.S. upholds a lifetime ban on MSM donation while Australian policy allows MSM individuals to donate a year or less after contact reveals a glaring discrepancy. Both ethics and science point to a flaw in FDA policy. That I could have had sex with 365 partners this year and be a perfectly fine candidate for donating blood, while the MSM next to me wouldn't qualify, betrays a faulty line of logic." *Macleans - Who's afraid of a gay man's blood? We are:

"Starting in November [2011], the United Kingdom will join South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and other countries that have lifted the lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with other men (MSM) and instead impose a 12-month deferral period after oral or anal sexual contact with a same-sex partner has occurred. This rule will apply whether or not a condom was used. The policy change is based on the findings of the independent Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues, and Organs, which reviewed the evidence on donor selection criteria, taking into account improvements in blood testing, monitoring from countries with shortened deferral periods, and donors’ compliance with the ban. They concluded that the science “no longer support[s] the permanent exclusion of men who have had sex with men.” ...In Sweden, Japan, and Australia, the wait is one year. In New Zealand, it’s five. In South Africa, six months from a man’s last same-sex encounter is enough. In Italy, the restriction lasts for four months after sex with a new partner. Canada—along with the US, France and many other countries—continue to refuse MSM donors all together. Why this variation?"

*Wikipedia - Gay male blood donor controversy *Red Cross Favors Amending Blood Donation Policy by Gay and Bisexual Men: "The FDA maintains that gay and bisexual men should not be allowed to donate blood, but the Red Cross believes there should only be a 12 month deferral" *CNN - As blood donations decline, U.S. ban on gay donors is examined:

While he is a gay man, Adam Denney thinks he would be the perfect candidate to donate blood. He doesn't use IV drugs. He practices safer sex. He even educates people on how to prevent new HIV infections as a regular volunteer educator with AIDS Volunteers Inc. in Lexington, Kentucky. He thinks his exclusion is unfair. "Yes, gay men are still a high-risk community, but so are minority women, and there are no standards prohibiting them from donating. There would be rightful outrage against that kind of blanket population ban," Denney said. "I am banned based on one reason only, my sexual orientation. It's totally discriminatory."

*Buzzfeed - Hurricane Puts A Blood Ban Back In The Spotlight: "Hurricane Sandy means an urgent need for blood donations. But gay men still can't donate." (previously: the ban on blood donation)

José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano

growabrain — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 14:56:17 -0800

José "Pepe" Mujica had been the President of Uruguay since 2010 and is considered to be the 'World’s poorest president'. "His humble lifestyle is reflected by his choice of an aging Volkswagen Beetle as transport, his only asset. The Economist describes him as "a roly-poly former guerrilla who grows flowers on a small farm and swears by vegetarianism". He also donates 87% of his state salary to charitable causes. He does not believe in God." Previously José Mujica

The neutrality of this article is disputed.

indubitable — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 03:50:08 -0800

Meet The Climate Change Denier Who Became The Voice Of Hurricane Sandy On Wikipedia"Ken Mampel, an unemployed, 56-year-old Floridian, is in large part the creator of the massive Hurricane Sandy Wikipedia page. He's also the reason that, for nearly a week, the page had no mention of climate change."

Improving the visibility of women in Wikipedia for Ada Lovelace Day 2012

AFII — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 07:57:33 -0800

An Ada Lovelace Day editathon is happening at the Royal Society in London This is part of a project to improve the representation of 'women in science' on Wikipedia and is hosted at the Royal Society of London after previous edit-a-thons at Harvard and Stockholm. It seems like most of the participants are women. If it sounds intriguing, it's not too late to register for a subsequent session in Oxford on the 26th (You might even be given cake).

A Scandal in Wikipedia?

unSane — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 21:42:32 -0800

Allegations have surfaced that a Wikipedia trustee and a Wikipedian In Residence have been editing the online encyclopedia on behalf of PR clients, while running an SEO business on the side. Response. Trigger warning: Violet Blue content.

Wikipedia adds export feature

Egg Shen — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:40:37 -0800

... a new EPUB export feature has been enabled on English Wikipedia. You can use it to collate your personal collection of Wikipedia articles and generate free ebooks. These can be read on a broad range of devices, like mobile phones, tablets and e-ink based e-book readers. ... Collections can be exported in a variety of formats like PDF, EPUB, or OpenOffice.

Gender bias on Wikipedia

dontjumplarry — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 06:26:21 -0800

A data visualization reveals the gender bias in thousands of Wikipedia articles. While articles on the 1940 Pride and Prejudice film, gender identity, the sport of reining and scoleciphobia (fear of worms) were edited by a relatively even balance of men and women, the same cannot be said for articles on The Sting, worry, mud-wrestling and the Marvel cinematic universe, all entirely edited by men. Previously. via reddit's delightful r/dataisbeautiful and Digital Analog.

An Open Letter to Wikipedia, from Philip Roth

KokuRyu — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:08:23 -0800

Dear Wikipedia, I am Philip Roth. I had reason recently to read for the first time the Wikipedia entry discussing my novel “The Human Stain.” The entry contains a serious misstatement that I would like to ask to have removed. Yet when, through an official interlocutor, I recently petitioned Wikipedia to delete this misstatement, along with two others, my interlocutor was told by the “English Wikipedia Administrator”—in a letter dated August 25th and addressed to my interlocutor—that I, Roth, was not a credible source: “I understand your point that the author is the greatest authority on their own work,” writes the Wikipedia Administrator—“but we require secondary sources.”

Wikitravails

stbalbach — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 22:58:04 -0800

Wikitravel.org is sort of like a Wikipedia for travel information. It's a for-profit service supported by banner ads. In a recent RfC over at Wikimedia - the non-profit that runs Wikipedia and other projects - it was decided to start a new Wiki-based travel project. Meanwhile at least 38 of 48 the volunteer admins at Wikitravel.org said they would jump ship and join a new Wikimedia travel site (travel.wikimedia.org). The owners of Wikitravel, Internet Brands, have responded by issuing law suits against two of its admins in a possible bid to intimidate the creation of a Wikimedia travel site. Wikimedia is counter-suing and supporting the legal defense against the two admins.

It's just redirects all the way down

23 — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 22:23:53 -0800

If the Body Parts of Individual People category or the List of Fictional Plants don't do it for you, you're sure to find something on Wikipedia's List of Lists or perhaps even the List of Lists of Lists. If none of that does the job, then give the List of Unusual Articles a try. (previously)

Real Life

homunculus — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 17:45:12 -0800

What "Real Life" Means On Wikipedia.

Diff's of CNN and NYT articles

stbalbach — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:24:58 -0800

Online articles often change after publication, except there is no history tab and sometimes those revisions are controversial, for example this Politico story on General Stanley McChrystal. Enter NewsDiff: Tracking Online News Articles Over Time. It allows you to compare evolving versions of online news articles after they are published, starting with The New York Times and CNN. Here are some example diffs - see anything controversial? Last year, Times executive editor Jill Abramson called the idea "unrealistic" in response to an OpEd calling for diffs. (via)

S03E23: Comparative Hoaxology

Sebmojo — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:36:22 -0800

A woman opens an old steamer trunk and discovers tantalizing clues that a long-dead relative may actually have been a serial killer, stalking the streets of New York in the closing years of the nineteenth century. A beer enthusiast is presented by his neighbor with the original recipe for Brown's Ale, salvaged decades before from the wreckage of the old brewery--the very building where the Star-Spangled Banner was sewn in 1813. These stories have two things in common. They are tailor-made for viral success on the internet. And they are all lies.

"What did they talk about all those days?"

IvoShandor — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 17:00:39 -0800

"The 'Undue Weight' of Truth on Wikipedia" - When historian Timothy Messer-Kruse attempted to edit the Wikipedia article on the Haymarket Affair he ran up against the project's policies and editors. Besides the coverage by Messer-Kruse about his two years trying to edit the article in The Chronicle, linked above, the story has spilled out into other media outlets. An article in The Atlantic, an NPR segment with Messer-Kruse and Andrew Lih, a Reddit thread, Bigthink, and others have chimed in on the situation. Lengthy discussion, and a "good article reassessment", has resulted on Wikipedia.

Strnaeg psot

Blazecock Pileon — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 01:53:40 -0800

Wikipeetia (the misspelled encyclopedia)