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About ArmaVirumque ( AHR-mah wih-ROOM-kweh) In the Aeneid, the Roman poet Virgil sang of "arms and a man" (Arma virumque cano). Month in and month out, The New Criterion expounds with great clarity and wit on the art, culture, and political controversies of our times. With postings of reviews, essays, links, recs, and news, Armavirumque seeks to continue this mission in accordance with the timetable of the digital age. Recent posts
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Aug 29, 2008 01:49 AM by Stefan Beck
I confess: I love Wikipedia. Where else can I get information about galangal, or a list of apex predators, or the history of Airstream, or a panoramic photo of the Bagger 288? Real reference books—maybe. But that would take a lot longer. Wikipedia is fun to browse in, but according to Martin Cohen, writing in the Times Education Supplement, it is primarily the work of “computer fanatics, generally male, usually teenagers.” Frankly, this seems unlikely. From what I remember of high school, I had very few peers who went home after school, ate a Fruit Roll-Up, and sat down to write, for instance: The story concerns the fate of Faust in his quest for the true essence of life (“was die Welt im Innersten zusammenhält”). Frustrated with learning and the limits to his knowledge and power, he attracts the attention of the Devil (represented by Mephistopheles), who agrees to serve Faust until the moment he attains the zenith of human happiness, at which point Mephistopheles may take his soul. Faust is pleased with the deal, as he believes the moment will never come. All the same, there are obvious dangers in treating Wikipedia as a legitimate reference work, and Cohen does a fine job of reminding us enthusiasts why that remains the case: Articles considered approved for being accurate, neutral, complete and stylish are given a bronze (although it looks like a gold) star. The whole thing is worth a look—as are the comments. My favorite: “And for eighteen months now, my own institution’s Wikipedia page has erroneously claimed that our Centre was opened by a Canadian hockey player, rather than the Duke of Edinburgh. I haven’t corrected that myself, as it is more useful as a demonstration of Wikipedia’s flaws.”
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