Wiki not wicked, it's wiki-pedia - a whole new project. Online encyclopedia.
Have you heard of Linux? No this article is not stamped "nerds only" (tech-savvy weirds), it's for everybody...curious.
Linux is the Microsoft alternative. Everybody feels like Microsoft has been around since the world was created but Linux is FREE. More and more governments in Europe are adopting Linux for their PCs instead of Softy (Micro-soft). All Google servers are Linux based and they hold 8 billion pages within 0,25 seconds reach (free).
The catch word FREE goes with the Wikipedia project as well. The idea is that the encyclopedia is maintained by the people and for the people (just like our website SVCH.blogspot).
You can make history today. If you are looking for something obscure and you can't find it in the encyclopedia but you know something about it - well, you can write what you know in the Wikipedia. The experts from the project will check the information and there you go - a piece of history has been created.
Wikipedia is growing every day. It already contains more pages than Encyclopedia Britannica (120,000 articles) and the last time we checked, this thing was huge - 342,000 articles.
A few facts from the Wikipedia.
Did you know that the first computer was invented by a Bulgarian? Well, he did it at the University of Iowa but a Bulgarian no less. And the funny part is that while his father was carried away from his village pursued by the Turkish militia a bullet scratched baby's forehead. The baby survived, the family emigrated to the land of dreams (USA, that is) and his son invented the first computer called (appropriately) ABC. Not even a rusty Turkish bullet can stop the modern technology, I guess.
"It's all inside" - Wikipedia, not JCPenny.
Rockefeller was without doubt the richest man in the world in modern history. Yes, he was richer than Bill Gates, just for the records. And, attention all Islander residents, even if you can't believe it, Mr. Rockefeller lived just around the corner from us - in Strongsville.
Isn't this funny - Microsoft has at any point of time $45 billion in the bank. And since Google is a public company now, the combined worth of the founders is more than $12 billion. So much money for a company that has never made anything that you can feel and touch. Where is the old business of cars, refrigerators and, and...light bulbs. Is everything becoming virtual?
Well, we did not study medicine for the money (only). We wanted to do something good for the humanity or at least this is what every medical student-want-to-be is writing in their personal statement. The good thing about our job is that cannot be outsourced. It's never virtual, it's about human touch, physical exam and history - let's don't forget that - we all Meditech people. I still remember Dr. Mehta asking the interns "when do you guys see patients? Every time I come I see you sitting in front of the computers."
Anything else that you can look up in the Wikipedia?
Cleveland Auto Show is coming and if you don't know the difference between the usual car engine and the the V-6, there is nothing easier than a Wikipedia check - everything is nicely explained and Italians invented it - could you believe it...
That's all folks. If you are interested in Wikipedia it's easy to find. Just google for "wikipedia", 0.25 seconds and the first hit of the search engine is the right one. From there only sky is the limit.
Happy surfing.
References:
Wikipedia, Salon.com 4/04
Wikipedia Rocks - Russell Beattie.com 5/05
It's a Wiki, Wiki World - Time.com 5/05
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