67466249
submission
sparkydevil writes:
This year Wikipedia's fundraising banner covers half of the screen. But, with $50 million in the bank, and most of last years $50 million raised going to a programming team instead of going to content creators, does the online encyclopedia really need your cash?
66588125
submission
sparkydevil writes:
Almost all Wikipedia criticism comes is about the vandalism, hoaxes and scandals. There's very little about how the software model creates the many problems on the site. As an ex-Wikipedia editor and founder of a crowdfunding startup I examine Wikipedia's problems and trace them back to the core Wiki software.
37328827
submission
sparkydevil writes:
How can you trust the media when they write the articles AND fact check them? WeCheck, the first wiki fact check system, uses Wikipedia-like collaborative editing to help contributors with varied political views work together to fact check speeches and articles in an independent, non-partisan system. It works by allowing users to tags and link text to create Fact Check pages. There are also over 40 tags including [[STRAW MAN]], [[CIRCULAR]], [[AD HOMINEM]], [[CORRELATION]], [[MORAL EQUIVALENCE]], [[NAZI]], [[RACE CARD]] etc. which editors use to alert reader to the speechwriter's techniques The site is currently looking for volunteer fact checkers.
33669029
submission
sparkydevil writes:
Today I wanted to post an update to ALL of my 3800 Facebook fans telling them that I had just updated my karaoke business website when I saw the Promote button: For $5 I can increase the "reach" of my posts to 1100 fans, for $10 FB would increase the reach to 2200 fans, for $15 it would increase the reach to 3300 and for $20 I would have the benefit of being able to reach all of my fans. This essentialy confirms what many fan page owners have suspected — that FB has been systematically restricting reach over the past year so that they could "fix" the problem by introducing the promote feature.
This is a slap in the face to people like me who have spent many thousands of dollars getting those fans to sign up to their page — Facebook is effectively restricting access to my own fans unless I pay up. Basically Facebook is saying those fans don't belong to me, but belong to them.
27442672
submission
sparkydevil writes:
Hi, In September my 7-year old daughter's iPod touch was stolen from her school bag while at school here in Sarasota, Florida. At that time nothing came up on Track My iPhone. 30 minutes ago I got an email saying the iPod had been located to a Day's Inn hotel in Talahasee. I called the police who said I should contact the hotel to find out the room but the hotel said they couldn't do it as their wi-fi is open. Are there any other options to track it?
7933078
submission
sparkydevil writes:
Some catnip to those who have long argued about administrator bias and groupthink in Wikipedia.
Canada's National Post reports here and here that one of the objectives of those promoting Climate alarm was to control Wikipedia. Starting in February 2003 U.K. scientist and Green Party activist William Connolley, one of nine Realclimate.org team members, rewrote Wikipedia'½Â½Â(TM)s articles on global warming, on the greenhouse effect, on the instrumental temperature record, on the urban heat island, on climate models, on global cooling as well as working to erase the Little Ice Age, the Medieval Warm Period and infamous hockey stick graph. He rewrote articles on the politics of global warming and on the scientists who were skeptical of the team.
According to the article Connolly created or rewrote 5,428 unique Wikipedia articles, removed more than 500 articles as an administrator and barred over 2000 Wikipedia contributors while rewarding those who supported his views. "In these ways, Connolley turned Wikipedia into the missionary wing of the global warming movement."
5818043
submission
sparkydevil writes:
The Prez's speech to kids was just released. In it he says "I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox." and a few sentences later, "Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor — maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone".
XBox bad, iPhone Good?