Wondering what could possibly link Philosophy to Chuck Norris?
September 16, 2022 7:23 AM Subscribe
Wikipedia Speedruns is a browser-based game where the goal is to navigate between two articles as efficiently as possible. Start with the tutorial, then try your hand at one of several game modes, including "Prompt of the Day", "Marathon Mode", and "Party Mode". The project's Python source code is available for those who want to contribute.
FWIW, there have been numerous implementations of this idea:
- Wikirunner (Expat Games)
- WikiRunner (mtsl.dk)
- a Windows version made for Ludum Dare (download at your own risk)
I got from Philosophy to Chuck Norris in six steps, and one or two of those were probably unnecessary.
posted by box at 8:02 AM on September 16, 2022
posted by box at 8:02 AM on September 16, 2022
Okay, maybe they were all necessary.
posted by box at 8:10 AM on September 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
"Philosophy", "Japanese philosophy", "Japan", "Judo", "Gendai budō", "Karate", "Chuck Norris"
posted by box at 8:10 AM on September 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
Doesn't everything connect to philosophy on Wikipedia? You click on the first link in any Wikipedia article, then click on the first link in the linked article, and eventually you always end up on philosophy?
That was true at one point, but not any more. Wikipedia mentions this game and gives the rule of "[c]licking on the first non-parenthesized, non-italicized link". I took ten random articles and they all led to the cycle:
Science -> Scientific method -> Empirical evidence -> Proposition -> Logic -> Reason -> Consciousness -> Sentience -> Feeling -> Emotion -> Mental state -> Mind -> Phenomenon -> Observable -> Physics -> Natural science -> Branches of science -> Formal science -> Science
Even the "philosophy" article itself leads to this cycle, now, via
Philosophy -> Existence -> Reality -> System -> Interaction -> Causality -> Past -> Spacetime -> Physics
posted by madcaptenor at 8:47 AM on September 16, 2022
That was true at one point, but not any more. Wikipedia mentions this game and gives the rule of "[c]licking on the first non-parenthesized, non-italicized link". I took ten random articles and they all led to the cycle:
Science -> Scientific method -> Empirical evidence -> Proposition -> Logic -> Reason -> Consciousness -> Sentience -> Feeling -> Emotion -> Mental state -> Mind -> Phenomenon -> Observable -> Physics -> Natural science -> Branches of science -> Formal science -> Science
Even the "philosophy" article itself leads to this cycle, now, via
Philosophy -> Existence -> Reality -> System -> Interaction -> Causality -> Past -> Spacetime -> Physics
posted by madcaptenor at 8:47 AM on September 16, 2022
Okay, maybe they were all necessary.
You can cut that by at least one:
posted by cardboard at 8:48 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
You can cut that by at least one:
Japan/Japanese Martial Arts/Martial Arts/Chuck Norris
posted by cardboard at 8:48 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I can win this game by editing Wikipedia as I play.
posted by clawsoon at 8:50 AM on September 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by clawsoon at 8:50 AM on September 16, 2022 [7 favorites]
For example, in the Chuck Norris article:
"He is a noted writer, having penned books on martial arts, exercise, philosophy..."
All that's needed there is a [[ ]] pair to get a direct connection.
posted by clawsoon at 8:52 AM on September 16, 2022
"He is a noted writer, having penned books on martial arts, exercise, philosophy..."
All that's needed there is a [[ ]] pair to get a direct connection.
posted by clawsoon at 8:52 AM on September 16, 2022
Done, I win.
posted by clawsoon at 8:55 AM on September 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by clawsoon at 8:55 AM on September 16, 2022 [2 favorites]
Chuck Norris can win this game without editing Wikipedia.
posted by madcaptenor at 8:58 AM on September 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by madcaptenor at 8:58 AM on September 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
Chuck Norris philosophy:
Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.
In the Beginning there was nothing ... then Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked nothing and told it to get a job.
If Chuck Norris were to travel to an alternate dimension in which there was another Chuck Norris and they both fought, they would both win.
Chuck Norris does not own a stove, oven, or microwave , because revenge is a dish best served cold.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:02 AM on September 16, 2022
Time waits for no man. Unless that man is Chuck Norris.
In the Beginning there was nothing ... then Chuck Norris roundhouse kicked nothing and told it to get a job.
If Chuck Norris were to travel to an alternate dimension in which there was another Chuck Norris and they both fought, they would both win.
Chuck Norris does not own a stove, oven, or microwave , because revenge is a dish best served cold.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:02 AM on September 16, 2022
I used to do something like this on Everything2, and then Wikipedia, except start with a topic and go without an end goal, and just fall down a rabbit hole.
posted by gc at 9:24 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by gc at 9:24 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
"Czech language" to "National Register of Historic Places listings in North Carolina" took me 9 jumps, but I noticed that for every long page, it got cut off at the end, so there could have been useful material that just wasn't included?
posted by mittens at 9:57 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by mittens at 9:57 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
"Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana" to "Cold War"
Time: 90.435 Seconds
Number of links visited: 5
The path you took:
[ "Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana", "Italy", "Italian economic miracle", "World War II", "Joseph Stalin", "Cold War" ]
uh oh, this is fun
posted by gc at 10:15 AM on September 16, 2022
Time: 90.435 Seconds
Number of links visited: 5
The path you took:
[ "Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana", "Italy", "Italian economic miracle", "World War II", "Joseph Stalin", "Cold War" ]
uh oh, this is fun
posted by gc at 10:15 AM on September 16, 2022
I don't understand why Chuck Norris is considered so tough.
BRIAN BLESSED has climbed Everest without oxygen, summited Aconcagua, survived a plane crash in the jungle, is the oldest person ever to reach the North Magnetic Pole on foot, and he once punched a polar bear in the face.
Chuck Norris....played a tough guy in a bunch of terrible movies and television series, and he has some extremely problematic views re: fascism.
I don't think there's any contest.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 10:17 AM on September 16, 2022 [8 favorites]
BRIAN BLESSED has climbed Everest without oxygen, summited Aconcagua, survived a plane crash in the jungle, is the oldest person ever to reach the North Magnetic Pole on foot, and he once punched a polar bear in the face.
Chuck Norris....played a tough guy in a bunch of terrible movies and television series, and he has some extremely problematic views re: fascism.
I don't think there's any contest.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 10:17 AM on September 16, 2022 [8 favorites]
Here, let me pitch somebody a pop-culture one: Timmy T, of 'One More Try' semi-fame, to 1973 horror movie Ganja & Hess.
posted by box at 10:21 AM on September 16, 2022
posted by box at 10:21 AM on September 16, 2022
Feel like XKCD’s influence on society remains underappreciated
posted by Going To Maine at 10:35 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 10:35 AM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
If you want a really wild starting point to fall down a rabbit hole, start on the page for Jack Parsons.
Things get really weird so fast it'll make your head spin. Founding JPL and being involved in aerospace and early rocketry is like the least weird thing going on. That page is a few clicks away from some of the weirdest stuff in known history ranging from Thelamite/OTO sex magic to post modern experimental music like Coil and all kinds of deeply weird shit.
posted by loquacious at 11:34 AM on September 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
Things get really weird so fast it'll make your head spin. Founding JPL and being involved in aerospace and early rocketry is like the least weird thing going on. That page is a few clicks away from some of the weirdest stuff in known history ranging from Thelamite/OTO sex magic to post modern experimental music like Coil and all kinds of deeply weird shit.
posted by loquacious at 11:34 AM on September 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
Done, I win.
posted by clawsoon at 11:55 on September 16
He actually did it
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:33 PM on September 16, 2022
posted by clawsoon at 11:55 on September 16
He actually did it
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 3:33 PM on September 16, 2022
He actually did it
And the best part is that it's a totally legitimate edit. What links Chuck Norris to philosophy is that he wrote a book about it.
No word on the quality of his contribution to philosophy.
posted by clawsoon at 4:01 PM on September 16, 2022
And the best part is that it's a totally legitimate edit. What links Chuck Norris to philosophy is that he wrote a book about it.
No word on the quality of his contribution to philosophy.
posted by clawsoon at 4:01 PM on September 16, 2022
There are more things in Chuck Norris, clawsoon, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
Not to brag, but that might be the worst Chuck Norris one-liner ever written.
posted by box at 5:58 PM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Not to brag, but that might be the worst Chuck Norris one-liner ever written.
posted by box at 5:58 PM on September 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
This is fun! I m am going to put it in my tab group with Wordle et al and see how long it stays.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:41 PM on September 16, 2022
posted by jacquilynne at 9:41 PM on September 16, 2022
It is fun! "Forage Fish" to "Wrecking Yard' in 8 links! Who would have known!
posted by mittens at 5:04 AM on September 17, 2022
posted by mittens at 5:04 AM on September 17, 2022
was doing fairly well with the first random suggestion until I was stopped short by Monotype not linking to OCR-B so if you need me I'll be sulking in my bedroom for the rest of my life
posted by taquito sunrise at 9:56 AM on September 17, 2022
posted by taquito sunrise at 9:56 AM on September 17, 2022
taquito sunrise, your problem is solved. You're welcome. You may come out of your bedroom now.
posted by clawsoon at 10:53 AM on September 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by clawsoon at 10:53 AM on September 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
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I'm going to try it with Chuck Norris right now...
posted by clawsoon at 7:34 AM on September 16, 2022