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         Todd Hembrough Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 16 April 2004 Posts: 4171
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 1:42pm | IP Logged | 1
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It wasnt silly until this page.
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         Jeremy Nichols Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 02 May 2005 Location: United States Posts: 634
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 1:47pm | IP Logged | 2
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I don't even understand what's being said on this page. My 
 babelfish must have died.
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         Todd Hembrough Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 16 April 2004 Posts: 4171
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 1:54pm | IP Logged | 3
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Nice one with the babel fish.
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         Steve Jones Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 25 August 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 548
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:01pm | IP Logged | 4
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Just because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone doesn't mean it's worthless. It will mean that some of the information is, of course, complete crap but then there will be gems of information that will not be available via more traditional means. To simply dismiss out of hand as many have done seems to me to miss the point of Wikipedia and what it is about. Sure, some of the contributors are motivated by little more than malice but most are not; perhaps, it is nothing more than a glorified if more formal message board and as we all know some of them are very good indeed. 
  
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         Richard Callaghan Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 09 July 2005 Posts: 343
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:03pm | IP Logged | 5
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 QUOTE:    
   
    
    
      
       | Just because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone doesn't mean it's worthless. It will mean that some of the information is, of course, complete crap but then there will be gems of information that will not be available via more traditional means. To simply dismiss out of hand as many have done seems to me to miss the point of Wikipedia and what it is about. Sure, some of the contributors are motivated by little more than malice but most are not; perhaps, it is nothing more than a glorified if more formal message board and as we all know some of them are very good indeed. | 
       
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Nice sentiment... I have personally used it to research trivial things... it's just a shame that the entry that is most relevant to this site should arguably be Wikipedia at its worst.  
  Edited by Richard Callaghan on 22 September 2005 at 2:04pm
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         Jacob P Secrest Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4068
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:06pm | IP Logged | 6
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When I am looking up something that is trivial (such as "Fizzbin", from 
 that episode of Star Trek), Wikipedia works great, when I'm looking up 
 Tennessee Williams or something else I need to do a report on, not so 
 great.
  Edited by Jacob P Secrest on 22 September 2005 at 2:06pm
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         Richard Callaghan Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 09 July 2005 Posts: 343
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:08pm | IP Logged | 7
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Agreed... but for stuff like DOB of writers or Stones discographies (ain't their new album a stinker?) it works for me.
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         Martin Kogan Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 13 July 2004 Location: Argentina Posts: 1477
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:14pm | IP Logged | 8
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Head hurts... just read... all thread... I only wish Mr. Tishman would stop by again to enlighten us all. 
mk 
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         Francis Grey Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 07 August 2005 Posts: 771
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:21pm | IP Logged | 9
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Masochism...OHHH, it hurts so good...
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         Jeremy Nichols Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 02 May 2005 Location: United States Posts: 634
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:27pm | IP Logged | 10
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If SOME of the information is suspect, how is one to know what 
 it and what isn't? It puts ALL the information as suspect, and 
 thus, as a research device, is worthless. Unless of course one 
 doesn't care if their information is correct. I look up a lot of 
 information during my days and nights... I don't need nor want 
 one of those sources to be reliably inaccurate in any way. Out-
 of-date I could understand... but, well, the whole idea of the 
 Wikipedia seems self-defeating to me. I first discovered it about 
 a year or so ago, I'd guess, and was using it to do research until 
 I realized what it was. Haven't been back (except to watch the 
 Byrne stuff unfold recently).
 
 
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         Roger A Ott II Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 29 April 2004 Location: United States Posts: 5371
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:33pm | IP Logged | 11
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Steve Jones: Just because Wikipedia can be edited by anyone doesn't mean it's worthless. 
Yeah, it does to me.  If I can't trust the source, the information is worthless as far as I'm concerned, and I'm not going to bother with any of it.  Just my opinion, of course, but according to someone earlier, my opinion can't be wrong, so there!  Nyah! 
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         Jacob P Secrest Byrne Robotics Member 
  
  Joined: 18 October 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4068
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           | Posted: 22 September 2005 at 2:37pm | IP Logged | 12
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What Roger said, anybody can say anything (I tried today to convince 
 someone that humans laid eggs, of course I failded miserably), but that 
 by no means makes it true.
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