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Wikipedia went online January 15, 2001

Officer Big Mac

Officer Big Mac

Member
Oct 28, 2017
22,596
On this day in 2001 Wikipedia went online, much to the joy of grade school students with a research paper assignment. Over the years I've used Wikipedia as a "trust but verify" source of everyday information. Maybe I want to read the plot of a movie that I'm not super into but everybody else is and I'm curious about what's so appealing about it. Or I might want to learn about earths magnetic field and the effects of the tides on that field. It's expert knowledge at your fingertips.

so how has Wikipedia impacted your life? Do you use it much? Do you donate money to it?
 
Dest

Dest

Has seen more 10s than EA ever will
Coward
Jun 4, 2018
14,039
Work
The free online encyclopedia that ANYONE can edit!
 
Soda

Soda

Member
Oct 26, 2017
8,859
Dunedin, New Zealand
I've donated around $20 to it over the years. It's one of my most used websites whether it's for entertainment or the obtaining of new information.
 
julia crawford

julia crawford

Took the red AND the blue pills
Member
Oct 27, 2017
35,173
Who's going to the party?

I gotta skip, my day's packed already. I think i'm going to do some overtime too. Yeah it's been hard.

Would love to go though!
 
SchuckyDucky

SchuckyDucky

Avenger
Nov 5, 2017
3,938
One of the best things to ever happen to the internet. I donate the $3 every year since they have never given in and started selling ads on the site.
 
skeptem

skeptem

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,745
I love it. One of the greatest things to come out of the internet.

I still regularly donate.
 
Keyser S

Keyser S

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
8,480
KhQ6B3I.jpg
 
gnexus

gnexus

Member
Mar 30, 2018
2,286
I've donated a couple times over the years. Not a lot, but something is more than nothing I guess. Wikipedia is wonderful.
 

DeltaRed

Member
Apr 27, 2018
5,746
Wikipedia allows me to watch Horror films and read whats just about to happen so I can pretend it wouldn't have scared me.
 
FernandoRocker

FernandoRocker

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,987
México
I used the latest released version of Encarta a few months ago in an old PC from some relatives, and the first thing I searched was Videogames.

The main image was a Super Nintendo system/game, and they were talking about new consoles in the future were going to have 3D graphics (N64/PSX).
 
Blackthorn

Blackthorn

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,315
London
I use it multiple times daily and have donated throughout the years.

It's one of the most "sci-fi future" things in my life and humanity should be proud of it.
 

anamika

Member
May 18, 2018
2,622
Those were the days. I was in graduate school and we were told that we could not use it as a reference or as study material. Things are very different these days.
 
Lidl

Lidl

Member
Dec 12, 2017
2,568
Jimmy Wales describes himself as center-right libertarian. Probably in European terms though.
Thought it was interesting due to the leanings of this forum.
 
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CHC

CHC

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,246
To me it represents the greatest promise of the early internet made real. Free information, for and by whoever is interested in it, in a clear organized format and without commercial influence.

I use it all the time as a medical student. Not for actual research but just for quick checking of stuff like a drug's mechanisms of action or some random muscle's innervation.

I donate whenever they ask, usually 10 bucks. I know they have plenty of money but the idea of Wikipedia changing, compromising, or shutting down is horrifying to me.
 
yogurt

yogurt

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,803
Wikipedia has its flaws, but it's honestly a miracle that it is as great and useful as it is. In a world where social media is burning constantly a crowd-sourced encyclopedia mostly working is...incredible.
 
Captain Smoker

Captain Smoker

Member
Oct 30, 2017
1,719
Wikipedia is truly a lightning in the bottle if you imagine how things could've turned out (Facebook lol).

One of humanities greatest achievements.
 
Temascos

Temascos

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,505
Such a great website, obviously to get real use out of the pages you have to go to the sources, but it's an excellent place to collate sources.

I hope it continues to run just as it is for years to come.
 

Deleted member 24079

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
3,287
FernandoRocker said:
I used the latest released version of Encarta a few months ago in an old PC from some relatives, and the first thing I searched was Videogames.

The main image was a Super Nintendo system/game, and they were talking about new consoles in the future were going to have 3D graphics (N64/PSX).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
I collect old apples and I love seeing the old encyclopedia software from the mid 90s. It's so quaint to imagine purchasing next years edition to get the latest info delivered in a new way each year. So much info on multiple discs!
 
JaseC64

JaseC64

Enlightened
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
11,008
Strong Island NY
A teacher told my 9th grade niece not to use it ever as its not reliable. Wasn't sure how to respond to that other than its useful but still need to verify some data elsewhere.

The teacher made it sound like its all fake or something which is not true.
 
SatoAilDarko

SatoAilDarko

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,824
In my opinion the best single website.

Use for a variety of purposes from school to entertainment during the last two decades.

Cheers to 20 years!
 
Strike

Strike

Member
Oct 25, 2017
27,341
Huh. I didn't even think I knew about it until the mid-2000's. I was using encarta before that.
 
Princess Viola

Princess Viola

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,086
Florida
I still remember my teachers in elementary and middle school trying to drill it into our heads to never use Wikipedia for anything since 'anyone can edit it' and therefore it was completely unreliable for any research whatsoever. Luckily by high school, my teachers had gone from that to 'you can use Wikipedia, but don't cite it for anything and check the sources that Wikipedia articles use themselves'.

I also remember trying to make an article for some cool markers or whatever I saw advertised on TV but it got deleted. Then I tried making it again a few months later.

In my defence, I was like 10.
 
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