User:Jgm
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Enjoying my time here.
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Wiki sophomore philosophy
The appeal of the Wikipedia is a reflection of man's innate desire to create order from chaos.
Wiki cream
However, I'm beginning to see Wikipedia articles (and, by extension, the Wikipedia itself) as analogous to whipping cream. At first there is great anticipation as the raw material is revealed and the process of whipping it into shape begins. When conditions are right, at some point, the churning and friction result in something approaching ideal -- well structured, tasty, substantive.
The problem is that the whipping never stops. What was near-perfect turns into homogenous goo; the main ingredient hasn't changed and it's still capable of meeting basic dietary needs, but far less enjoyable to consume.
Wiki cream, II
Some cream is more difficult to whip than other cream.
And then there are those who insist on throwing their favorite flavor into everything.
On inclusion
A good reference puts as much work into defining what it doesn't include as what it does. This is a primary challenge of the Wikipedia, where deletion of others' work is considered bad form.
Wiki Sophomore Philosophy, II
As the Wikipedia effort grows, there exists a personality litmus test: some people -- those whose primary instinct is to create order from chaos -- continue to focus on the end product, while others -- those whose primary instinct is to build relationships, power, and influence -- focus on the community aspects. The result is a model for the organic growth of a bureaucracy.
Selected pages I started
Police Story - The Rockford Files - Peter Straub - "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" - "Sultans of Swing" - Leo Kottke - Second City comedy troupe - The Groundlings - Sheb Wooley - Jack White (musician) - Dan Neil - Joseph Wambaugh - After the Gold Rush - Electric Mud - Ted Hawkins
Selected pages I've contributed to
Pinball - 1970s in film - Smashing Pumpkins - Horror film - Led Zeppelin - IMAX - Rock and roll - Warren Zevon - Space Shuttle Columbia disaster - Wings (band) - Chicago (band) - Smile (album) - "Hotel California (song)" - "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - Heavy metal music - Pat Metheny Group - "Sympathy for the Devil" - "Good Vibrations" - "A Day in the Life" -