Wikipedia and me

Maybe to shift somewhat to somewhat lighter subjects I think it
interesting to discuss my experiences with the Wikipedia and some of
math people's attempts at slanting that encyclopedia with their own
rather hostile antics.

First off, like most I came upon the Wikipedia as a useful resource,
where often it's true you need to check things in other sources, but
I've found that usually the Wikipedia is right, and you get more
information that is useful.

But one day while doing the routine searches that I HAVE to do as I
monitor the math wars, I found a search result showing up on the
Wikipedia to me!!!

Some nincompoop had put me on the Wikipedia as a sci.math crank.

I thought about it a bit, and decided to edit the article to make it
more accurate, clearing up some factual errors, like how long I'd
posted, and removing more libelous and hostile remarks.

Someone came back, reverted my edits.

I changed again, correcting the article.

My edits were reverted again, and remember, the math community is
HOSTILE, so we're talking about me finding some person had decided to
put up some nasty negative about me on the Wikipedia--trying to set
hostile opinions more firmly--and I was now in a fight against someone
trying to block me from making it into an objective encyclopedia
article--versus a rant against one individual.

Tiring of the stupidity, I put the page up for permanent deletion.

And it was so deleted, after a vote, and that was that.

The winning argument I gathered was that having a history of making
wrong claims on newsgroups did not justify getting into the
Wikipedia!!!

Oh well, all I cared about was preventing math people in the continual
fight of the math wars from getting that big of a leg-up by having a
hostile article against me in the Wikipedia, and remember, there are a
lot of them so it just wan't worth it to fight against a bunch of nasty
people by continually trying to edit the article to make it objective.

There may have been other paths to blocking them, but I like the one I
took.

Still that wasn't all with me and the Wikipedia as I've talked about
writing the first prime counting function article--which happened after
what I mentioned above--but there is more.

Some other math community knuckle-head decided to STILL try and get me
on the Wikipedia under the Cranks article, which I, of course, edited.
Luckily that article is in dispute already so this time it's harder for
my edits to be reverted. If you're curious go to the article and check
the history to see my changes.

My point here is that I prize knowledge. But math people are capable
of using means that are far beneath what you'd think, so I have to be
vigilant in the math wars, as I track them across cyberspace. And I
think the Wikipedia is valuable as an un-corrupted tool, while math
people are quite capable of trying to use it in personal vendettas and
attacks against individuals because they do not give a damn about the
truth.

The math wars are a political war, so yes, this is a political posting,
but hey, with people like I'm facing, if you do not step up to play
politics, you may find yourself just another victim.

Math people try to exploit the Wikipedia. You might say I try to
exploit the Wikipedia.

And our battles change your world.

THAT is how history is about INDIVIDUALS and GROUPS FIGHTING
individuals, versus what you may think history is about, as I can talk
about other battles across Blogger, where one is currently on-going as
some math twerp took over a blog page after I deleted it.

OUR BATTLES CHANGE YOUR WORLD.


James Harris

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Wikipedia and me
    ... math people's attempts at slanting that encyclopedia with their own ... First off, like most I came upon the Wikipedia as a useful resource, ... and removing more libelous and hostile remarks. ... people by continually trying to edit the article to make it objective. ...
    (sci.skeptic)
  • Re: Wikipedia and me
    ... math people's attempts at slanting that encyclopedia with their own ... First off, like most I came upon the Wikipedia as a useful resource, ... and removing more libelous and hostile remarks. ... Someone came back, reverted my edits. ...
    (sci.skeptic)
  • Re: Wikipedia and me
    ... math people's attempts at slanting that encyclopedia with their own ... First off, like most I came upon the Wikipedia as a useful resource, ... and removing more libelous and hostile remarks. ... people by continually trying to edit the article to make it objective. ...
    (sci.skeptic)
  • Re: Wikipedia and me
    ... math people's attempts at slanting that encyclopedia with their own ... First off, like most I came upon the Wikipedia as a useful resource, ... and removing more libelous and hostile remarks. ... Someone came back, reverted my edits. ...
    (sci.skeptic)
  • Re: Wikipedia and me
    ... math people's attempts at slanting that encyclopedia with their own ... First off, like most I came upon the Wikipedia as a useful resource, ... and removing more libelous and hostile remarks. ... people by continually trying to edit the article to make it objective. ...
    (sci.skeptic)