Can we trust Wikipedia?

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Have you ever smelled something that made you think of sitting in the sand on the beach. Random aside.

So, this is really more of a statement than a question. I ran into a dude last night in a restaurant who just started talking to me. Turns out that he’s independently wealthy, doesn’t work, and has spent much of his time in the last five years editing Wikipedia articles. Oh, and he’s crazy.

I thought it was really cool to actually meet someone who actually helped contribute to the info source that has beat out all others for quick check ups on topics from the meaningful (example, the state of Biafra ) to the mundane (example: fish sticks ). Where did he get his information? What was his motivation? Was he one of those people that monitored posts, ferreting out erroneous entries like a hunter on a trail.

Turns out that the guy was just kind of crazy. His topics dealt with discussing people who were still alive. He said he “went after” people of privilege, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and that he recorded anything he thought was relevant. He harped on the fact that such people were always getting away with things that they shouldn’t, and I guess he thought that somehow, by writing (what he inferred were negative things about people), he was making it right. So, basically, if someone that he thought was too successful did something he disagreed with, he would write a negative encyclopedia article about them for the world to consume.

Maybe I’m just sensitive to this because I’ve been the target of media criticism. He did indicate that he sometimes consulted his subjects while he was writing. Which indicated to me that perhaps it’s not all negative.

I’m still disillusioned. Will I keep using wikipedia, now that the curtain has been removed, and the Wizard is just some wako in a coffee shop? What else would I use?

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Vote for REAL change in '08

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With Mid-term elections over with, it's time to press for some real change in the government. We need strength, we need intelligence, we need someone who can get through a three syllable word successfully. We need Oprah in '08.

Top 5 Reasons Oprah would be a better President:

1) Millions of Americans already love her.

2) She’s already worth billions of dollars – no worries about corruption.

3) Dr. Phil as VP (I’m not sure people’s opinions on Dr. Phil, but it would be hard to be worse than Cheney).

4) She’s used to dealing with important people.

5) She can speak English, and read it!

Got i-Privilege?

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So, I was in a class a while back where a group was discussing the pervasiveness of online video, when I brought up the fact that people who don’t have broadband probably don’t participate at nearly as high levels in the “Youtube phenomenon” as do people who have high speed connections. One of the guys in my class scoffed at my comment, saying that it wasn’t an important part of the discussion, and effectively suggesting that the over one-hundred million people in the US, and the billions around the world, who don’t have high speed connections, don’t matter for the purpose of pop-culture discourse.

Segue into an issue that I think about a lot: the fact that, increasingly, access to information will be what divides upper, middle, and lower classes. Those with options and mobility will be distinguished by their ability to grasp information readily and rapidly, while others will be left in the stone (or maybe paper would be better describer) age. Enter the state of the i-privileged. Able to access, communicate, anytime, anywhere, there is an increasing drive to make those who are plugged in more plugged in. As the digital links between the i-privileged are strengthened, there is the potential that insular communities will be developed. This is kind of what Manuel Castells talks about with the space of flows.

Anyway, part of my point is that those with facility in manipulating new media have to be mindful that left alone, technological development has the potential to result in a new-aged caste system. Inevitably, we will be doing ourselves and our fellow human beings a disservice if we focus exclusively on the benefits of new technology, and are blind to its divisive potential.

You are not a "Pimp"

Based on a recent article in "Pimps Business Weekly", the use of the term “Pimp” has increased exponentially in the last five years. Okay, so I made that up (gotcha!), but you had to have had your head stuck under a glacier with earplugs since 2000 (maybe you went just a little too far in Y2K preparations) to not have noticed how everyone … and I mean just about everyone, is using the term “Pimp” these days. Pimp my ride. Pimp my house. Pimp my golf cart. Pimp my jet. Pimp my apple pie (actually, that sounds kinda good). I swear I saw some old lady on the corner of Columbia and Union the other day with 20 inch rims on her walker wheels. Sure enough, someone who was my age probably around the time that platinum was invented had pimped her walker.

I, for one, am tired of it. A pimp is a person that takes money from people who engage in prostitution. That’s pretty simple. Then how, in goodness name, did the meaning of “Pimp” spread. This is NOT PIMP. Not pimpped at school. This – not pimp (notice the rural, I’m actually in Appalachia, and not in the streets of Gotham, background with the not-pimp Cheve Silvarado dual cab). Not pimp (I’m not even sure if this is human). And, maybe, oh, still not “pimp” (you thought I was kidding about the walker).



Okay, pop quiz. Is this a pimp (I swear this image came up when I typed “Pimp” into the search engine). What about this. I’m not sure about “American Pokeman Pimp” (I’m not putting the link on here, ‘cause there’s some not so family friendly stuff on there, but check it out on youtube if interested). None of this is “pimp”, because pimps don’t spend their time making youtube movies. If they did, they’d be some sort of less pimped, youtube inclined, entity.

Above and beyond that, pimping isn’t all that cool. Sure, you’ve got the parties. And the ladies. And the outfit. But, consider the downsides. The hours you’de have to keep are ridiculous. Worker attrition rates – horrible. Gotten used to vacations – forget about it, someone’s bound to take your turf while you’re away. And, no health care – you think you can go around abusing people all day without catching some karma upside your head one day? Injuries come with the territory, and when you do need to go to the emergency room, you’ll look awfully silly trying to pay for an x-tray with five dollar bills. All this, above an beyond the fact that pimps tend to be violent, use drugs, and base all their relationships off of … well manipulation and exploitation.

So what’s the point? IF YOU ARE READING THIS, THERE’S A VERY HIGH LIKELIHOOD THAT YOU’RE NOT A PIMP! Furthermore, you’re friend is not a pimp. That new car your friend’s dad got – not pimp. That really cool basketball move that got pulled on you that made you fall down and embarrass yourself – not pimp. And, that rendition of the first four measures of “Fur Elise” that your little sister just learned how to play on the piano (and oh does she play it – whenever there’s house guests, whenever you’re in public and see a keyboard; four measures, over and over and over), definitely, unequivocally, without a doubt, I’m not talking weapons-of-mass destruction sure, but sure for sure, IS NOT PIMP.

Get a clue, cease and desist your pimp obsession (oh, and buy this t-shirt).

What do you mean, "No Meat"

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So, being a vegetarian guy in a society that equates meat with masculinity ain’t easy. There’s something about fried pork, steak, and chicken wings that screams “I am man, hear me roar” in a way that tofu, asparagus, and textured vegetable protein … well just don’t.

And, people get confused. Maybe not so much in California, but everywhere else in the country, male vegetarianism is considered a disorder and could be considered symptomatic of depression, dementia, depleted testosterone levels, inclination toward an irrational enjoyment of Barbara Streisand, and perhaps even taken as an early sign of the Apocalypse. I tried explaining to my grandfather that I didn’t eat meat, and our exchange went something like:



He: No meat?









Me: Yep









Chicken?









No, no meat at all.









What about fish?









Still, no.









What do you eat?









A lot of stuff – bread, vegetables, cakes. Stuff.









Are you gonna die?









So, not so encouraging necessarily, but that’s life sometimes. That being said, it’s the 21st century, and people should be able to trade in the sausages for the soysages regardless of gender. I mean, there were lots of famous male vegetarians. Gandhi, for example. He wasn’t the most buff dude in the world, but anybody who can stand up to an empire gets props in my book. That guy from super-size me, too.

I don’t know that he was actually a vegetarian, but I can’t imagine that after his horrific experience with McD’s he could look at a burger again without making a dash for the bathroom. Anyway, this shirt is for all those fella’s hold it down for the grilled cheese, hold the bovine. (I don't know if I would wear it, but if you're bold)

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