Wikipedia: Knowledge Free-for-All? March 29, 2006
Posted by Kathy in Internet.add a comment
At first I wasn’t convinced of the usefulness of Wikipedia. Come on: an online encyclopedia that anyone can add to or edit? Isn’t that a recipe for informational bedlam? Not necessarily, apparently — and I think I’m starting to like it.
Wikipedia is a web encyclopedia that anyone (really) can contribute to and change. It’s actually a form of a wiki, a type of web software that allows multiple people to collaborate on a web site. If you’re like I was at first, you’re thinking, isn’t that nuts? Won’t people make mistakes? Won’t pages be vandalized? That can and does happen. However, a wiki’s collaborative nature means that when stuff gets messed up, people can go right in and fix it, even to the point of restoring old versions. (In my previous line of work I implemented a wiki web site, so I was already familiar with the concept.)
So, back to Wikipedia. It started in 2001, and has grown to over a million articles in English, with several other languages available. I’ve been testing the comprehensiveness of this massive knowledge base, which is turning out to be something like Google-meets-Encyclopedia-Britannica. Topics for which I’ve found articles include: Colgate; my favorite Irish bands Clannad and Iona; and, yes, even the kitchen sink. Where more obscure, lesser developed topics are concerned there are indeed instances of questionable accuracy or author bias, as you might expect. One hopes that such problems are eventually edited away. Still, in articles that have been thoroughly vetted, the amount of information available is impressive. You really have to see for yourself to appreciate the breadth of this knowledge warehouse.
Google Earth March 20, 2006
Posted by Kathy in Software.add a comment
I’ve been sitting at the keyboard for 10 minutes trying to think of a clever lead for this entry. All I can say is: Google Earth is wild.
Google Earth is a program that brings satellite and aircraft images of the earth to your computer. Start with a view of the earth from space, and then zoom in to your country, your state, your city — even your house. (No way? Yes way.) Many locations have enough detail available to see cars. I could see my neighbor’s car parked in his driveway. Mark locations like tourist spots and schools, and get directions between points. Wow. This is an amazing way to kill time. As far as useful applications go, it would be a great learning tool for kids.
It does require a fairly new computer and a broadband Internet connection, but it’s FREE and it’s COOL.
The following image from Google Earth is of a playground near where I grew up (click image to see larger version).
