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Sinbad Rises From Wikipedia Grave

Posted by Zonk on Sat Mar 17, 2007 12:23 PM
from the i-don't-want-to-go-on-the-cart dept.
It's funny. Laugh. The Internet Entertainment
A Chicago Sun-Times article passed to us by an anonymous reader pointed out the fact that the comedian Sinbad is still alive. This is notable, only insofar as Wikipedia thought otherwise. "Rumors began circulating last weekend regarding the posting, said Sinbad, who first got a telephone call from his daughter. The gossip quieted, but a few days later the 50-year-old entertainer said phone calls, text messages and e-mails started pouring in by the hundreds. 'Saturday I rose from the dead and then died again,' the Los Angeles-based entertainer said in a phone interview." Based on the article he seemed fairly okay with the mixup: 'It's gonna be more commonplace as the Internet opens up more and more. It's not that strange.' Wikipedia didn't comment for the Times piece, nor has it contacted the entertainer about the incident.
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  • However (Score:5, Funny)

    by nuclearpenguins (907128) on Saturday March 17 2007, @12:27PM (#18386975)
    His acting career is still in critical condition.

  • Really? (Score:5, Funny)

    by soupforare (542403) <soupforare@gmail.com> on Saturday March 17 2007, @12:30PM (#18387005)
    Unfortunate that his career has been dead for a decade+
  • ...they gave Sinbad another TV show? <scream>
  • Since when is "some dipstick believed something they read on Wikipedia" news?

    I can't help but darkly suspect that this is mostly about a major newspaper trying to declare, "You still need us". And I think that we do, neither blogs (opinion) nor Wikipedia (rumor) replace news from organizations that have an interest in being first (or at least timely) and in being correct.

    But non-stories like this make me wonder if the Chicago Sun-Times is one of those organizations.
    • That's just a little too convoluted a bit of reasoning for me to believe. I'd be more inclined to think "It's a slow news day for the entertainment section, let's do something a bit controversial, and slam an online source in the process.... win-win for us"

      • The real question is not how it ended up in the newspaper, but how it ended up on Slashdot. We all understand Wikipedia and its strengths and limitations. This is not news.

    • ``But non-stories like this make me wonder if the Chicago Sun-Times is one of those organizations.''

      Add to that their publishing of Robert Novak's drivel and it pretty much proves that to be the case. Besides, the Sun-Times hasn't been relevant since they let Royko go way back when.

    • I can't help but darkly suspect that this is mostly about a major newspaper trying to declare, "You still need us". And I think that we do, neither blogs (opinion) nor Wikipedia (rumor) replace news from organizations that have an interest in being first (or at least timely) and in being correct.

      Yet even they make the same mistakes, from time to time...

      I think I'll just sit and wait and watch how this whole media situation develops... who knows what it'll all look like in 10 years' time...

    • this story is proof of that.

      Newspapers used to do the same thing for Abe Vigoda [abevigoda.com] announcing that he was dead too.

      Sindbad the comedian ought to play Sindbad the sailor in an action adventure movie with some comedy in it.

    • I can't help but darkly suspect that this is mostly about a major newspaper trying to declare, "You still need us". And I think that we do, neither blogs (opinion) nor Wikipedia (rumor) replace news from organizations that have an interest in being first (or at least timely) and in being correct.

      Just a nit maybe, but I think you commingled a couple of organizations there that shouldn't be. I think we still need some organization(s) that focus on getting the news early (not necessarily first though) while a


    • They often fail to even check facts, and even when they do, the quality of their output is limited by the fact that journalsists are experts in writing, and not experts in the subject matter they write about, which they often don't really understand.

        • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

          by Afecks (899057)
          but when it comes to being 'tolerant' of the faith of the majority of Americans

          "Let's don't become so tolerant than we tolerate intolerance." -Bill Maher

          Religions that seek to spread the message of inferiority in atheists, women and homosexuals are incompatible with civilized society.

          It's also just plain silly.
          • That would be fine if that were the case here. Slashdot (both as an entity and community) is simply anti-religion - anything faith-based is either shown in an unfavorable light (story selection by editors) or railed upon (by the community in comments). I think you'll find that religions are trashed equally across the board, and not just the "Religions that seek to spread the message of inferiority in atheists, women and homosexuals".

            A prime example. The grandparent post was modded offtopic. Yet your res

          • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

            by khallow (566160)
            Hmmm, I disagree with Bill Maher here. We can and should tolerate intolerance. Intolerance doesn't in itself kill people. If someone is obeys the rule of law they should be tolerated even if they hold views that you find reprehensible.

  • Another victim of wikiality... (Score:5, Funny)

    by TheRon6 (929989) on Saturday March 17 2007, @12:33PM (#18387045)
    Doesn't he understand how wikiality [wikipedia.org] works? He's dead when we say he's dead!
    • It's like a twist on the old joke...

      "Jimbo Jimbo Jimbo omg the Wikipedia article says Sinbad's dead!!! What do we do what do we do?????"
      "Calm down, calm down. Just follow Wikipedia procedure. First, is Sinbad dead?"
      *long pause* "Okay, done. Now what?"

      • Correction (Score:3, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward
        Line 2: "First, make sure he's dead."
    • You know what, I read that the number of Sinbads has trippled in the last year!
  • How come Slashdot death rumors don't make the news? :(
  • Goodbye, Spaceman.

    Unless it's possible that news isn't true either.
  • How many "kid defaces wikipedia, media reports wikipedia is wrong" cases are we going to see? Haven't people figured out by now that Wikipedia is edited by the public, and might occasionally be vandalized or show inaccurate information? Why are we treating every instance of vandalism as though it were some major media-worthy event?

    If anything, this just encourages more kiddies to go do the same thing to more visible entries. "What can we make up about President Bush? Maybe we can get it on CNN like Bobbie did last week!"

    • Things on the internet may be false? YOU DON'T SAY (Score:5, Insightful)

      by porkThreeWays (895269) on Saturday March 17 2007, @01:01PM (#18387311)
      This is dumb. The fact that things on the internet might not be true is old news. Wikipedia is no more a reliable source than the rest of the internet and for some reason traditional media just don't get this. Traditional media don't understand the internet and try to apply their rules against it. There's much more information available than traditional sources, but you must be much more vigilant in confirming that information is true.

      And knowing all that, wikipedia is still a damn good source. So what if vandalism occurs. They are doing a pretty good job at controlling it. All these people who bitch and whine that wikipedia might not be true obviously don't use it on a regular basis. There's more information on wikipedia than most libraries and the info is a hell of a lot more updated. I'd go as far as to say wikipedia has the most (and most accurate for its volume) information in one single source than any other site on the internet. Complain if you want, but once you find me a source with better, more up to date, free, and accurate information as wikipedia, let me know. Until then I'll support them with my money.

      At least wikipedia has peer review processes in place. If a piece of information is wrong in a traditional source, good luck getting it changed. It could take years for it to be changed and up to the sole discretion of one source.

    • Re:How many times is the media going to do this? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by porkThreeWays (895269) on Saturday March 17 2007, @01:09PM (#18387381)
      I think the reason the media keeps reporting these things is they are trying their best to show the world internet sources may not be true; and wikipedia is their poster boy. There was a frontline special recently documenting traditional media and what's happened to it in the past few years. I think many in the traditional media are still trying to fight and discredit the internet as much as possible. They think it's a fad and people will return to traditional media. They don't understand that the internet is just as much a fundamental shift as the Gutenberg press. They need to embrace it correctly rather than fight it. I have yet to see a traditional outlet of information fully use the internet in the same way wikipedia has. Wikipedia has become the NY Times of the internet, while other media outlets have a bunch of homer simpson sites they use to throw their print stories on the web.
    • Where's the huge story every time they have to post a retraction in the media? It's not like Wikipedia's the only place that has errors anyway. Sometimes publications run false information and never correct it, sometimes they put spin on it, sometimes it's biased.

      Tinfoil hat: Big media also has a vested interest in trying to discredit Wikipedia, because they have to make their own information seem real and be taken seriously even when it's not. If they discredit Wikipedia, it's harder for Joe Six to fin
      • Who has claimed that Wikipedia is accurate, authoritative and truthful? Can you provide links to these claims being made?

  • An old slashdot meme.. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Junta (36770) on Saturday March 17 2007, @12:54PM (#18387221)
    Sinbad was found dead in his home this morning. There were not any more details. I'm sure everyone in the Slashdot community will miss him - even if you did not enjoy his work, there is no denying his contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.

  • If only . . . (Score:3, Insightful)

    by cashman73 (855518) on Saturday March 17 2007, @01:02PM (#18387317) Journal
    . . . news about Richard Jeni's death could have turned out to be fake. Now there's a comedian that will be missed! RIP Richard Jeni!
    • I actually found out about that through wikipedia (checking on one of my edits) :(
    • Holy crap, I didn't even know. What a bummer. I *loved* Platypus Man and just re-watched Big Steaming Pile a couple weeks ago. Well, I guess he can hang out with Kinison & Hicks now. Bye bye, Richard. Thanks for all the laughs.
  • Sinbad isn't funny... at all, but he was a pretty good sport about this. You'd think, "Hey, why shouldn't he be? It's kind of funny, and he's a comedian," but given previous people's reactions to Wikipedia innacuracies, I'd say this is deserving of at least a nod.

    Cheers to you Sinbad. You still suck, but you have my respect.
    • Cheers to you Sinbad. You still suck, but you have my respect.

      Let me guess, you lost out to him in Star Search?
  • I'm nominating his article for deletion for lack of notability. Sinbad hasn't been notable since the early 90s, and if he refuses to stay dead, then we need to kill off his wiki entry as some satisfaction for all the pain he's caused us. I mean, have you seen Houseguest?

  • To resolve this issue, we need only ask: (Score:5, Funny)

    by ettlz (639203) on Saturday March 17 2007, @01:13PM (#18387427) Homepage Journal
    Does Netcraft confirm it?
  • Another "problem" attributed to Wikipedia, when the actual problem lies in the dumb masses interpreting Wikipedia as some sort of peer reviewed encyclopedia...
  • Stephen King and Marlon Wayans, who did not recently die in a car crash, told me so!
  • I don't know how accurate this is, but I've heard that there's an ongoing group prank on b3ta involving obiturising Wikipedia articles. Anyone familiar with the site know?
  • Great, someone vandalizes Wikipedia, Rick Romero will give us news at 11.

    So just how long until Slashdot troll postings make the news!? Seriously, I dread the day they start reporting things like "Are YOUR children in danger? Malicious internet 'trolls' may be posting links to goatse! We'll tell you how to protect your children via the SCO chairman's new Clean Port 80 anti-porn act... after a word from our sponsor, KY Inc."

  • Schrodingers wiki (Score:4, Funny)

    by smoker2 (750216) on Saturday March 17 2007, @01:32PM (#18387629) Homepage Journal
    Maybe we all live in a kind of non-determinate universe, where we can only discover our current state of existence by reading wikipedia ...

    Oh bugger, I'm not mentioned on WP AT ALL ! &7ds9Ddsa9
    <No Carrier>

  • Maybe Sinbad needs a website like this one for Abe Vigoda.

    http://www.abevigoda.com/ [abevigoda.com]
  • This goes to show why Wikipedia should never be trusted as the only source for information.

    Sinbad made an appearance on Leo LaPorte's "Screen Savers" program on ZDTV back around 1999 or 2000. ZDTV was the predecessor to TechTV a/k/a G4. During the interview, Sinbad mentioned he had a T1 line in his house in LA. Leo, who at that point was just getting comfortable with DSL, was green with envy, as were most tech junkies on the set.

    So, while his career may not be at its zenith, I learned from that intervie

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by cawaker (262993)
      Sinbad is indeed a techie, I've seen him numerous times at Macworld over the years.
  • I've seen his act, the Wiki entry reporting his death was way overdue.
  • Blue Öyster Cult wrote a song called Joan Crawford [blueoystercult.com] with the wonderful refrain "Joan Crawford has risen from the grave." And after Joan Wikipedia can resurrect Richard Nixon.

  • ... Wikipedia thought otherwise.
    Stop anthropomorphising Wikipedia. It doesn't like it.
  • I guess someone will have to add him to the List of Premature obituaries [wikipedia.org]

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