Author Topic: Your Wikipedia find of the week (Read 115957 times)

Vince · « **Reply #325 on:** 29 October, 2014, 01:43:43 pm »

The most interesting thing about Keynsham (and its spelling) is found on their Wiki page under culture.

Vis:
Culture

In 1969 the town was featured as the title of the fourth album Keynsham by the Bonzo Dog Band. The title was chosen in honour of Horace Batchelor, who had been referenced in previous Bonzo Dog Band recordings. In the early 1960s, Batchelor became known through his regular advertisements on Radio Luxembourg for his football pools prediction service. When giving his contact address, he would slowly spell out 'Keynsham' letter by letter, and this became an amusing feature for many young listeners.

Pingu · « **Reply #326 on:** 07 November, 2014, 11:14:11 pm »

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?search=soundburger&title=Special%3ASearch&go=Go

Quote

The page "Soundburger" does not exist.

T42 · « **Reply #327 on:** 10 November, 2014, 11:14:49 am »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threatening_the_President_of_the_United_States

nikki · « **Reply #328 on:** 17 November, 2014, 10:33:52 pm »

A new tool for feeding this thread:
http://listen.hatnote.com

Quote

Listen to the sound of Wikipedia's recent changes feed. Bells indicate additions and string plucks indicate subtractions. Pitch changes according to the size of the edit; the larger the edit, the deeper the note. Green circles show edits from unregistered contributors, and purple circles mark edits performed by automated bots. You may see announcements for new users as they join the site, punctuated by a string swell.

Andrij · « **Reply #329 on:** 17 November, 2014, 10:45:28 pm »

Quote from: nikki on 17 November, 2014, 10:33:52 pm

A new tool for feeding this thread:
http://listen.hatnote.com

Quote
Listen to the sound of Wikipedia's recent changes feed. Bells indicate additions and string plucks indicate subtractions. Pitch changes according to the size of the edit; the larger the edit, the deeper the note. Green circles show edits from unregistered contributors, and purple circles mark edits performed by automated bots. You may see announcements for new users as they join the site, punctuated by a string swell.

Kim · « **Reply #330 on:** 17 November, 2014, 11:03:41 pm »

I'm finding that particularly pleasing, for some reason.

nikki · « **Reply #331 on:** 17 November, 2014, 11:06:38 pm »

I've been listening to it for aaaaages.

May replace http://asoftmurmur.com for background-noise-to-drown-out-other-noises-noise!

andrewc · « **Reply #332 on:** 17 November, 2014, 11:49:55 pm »

You could burn that to CD & sell it!

jsabine · « **Reply #333 on:** 17 November, 2014, 11:50:58 pm »

It's really quite soothing. I may have to bookmark that.

HTFB · « **Reply #334 on:** 29 December, 2014, 09:29:55 pm »

Category: things of which things are not made. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Misidentified_chemical_elements

The best one is Gnomium.

(Scene: a chemical laboratory. Day.)
SCHMIDT: Herr Professor Krüss, we have a problem. Cobalt has these chemical properties, and this weight, and you will at once see that by our theory it is too heavy to have this chemistry. What can we about this do?
KRÜSS: That is quite all right, Herr Professor Schmidt. If cobalt has these properties, then by our theory it must be lighter. So, then, our sample of cobalt must be mixed with something heavier but chemically indistinguishable. Let us call it Gnomium. Is sehr funny German joke, ja?
SCHMIDT: Ach, I see. So, this Gnomium, it must have the same chemistry as cobalt, and is heavier than cobalt, and it is so because cobalt is already too heavy to have this chemistry. Do you not perhaps a teensy tiny contradiction in this see?
KRÜSS: Hush! Let us publish quick and hope nobody notices.
(Exeunt to nearest Bierkeller.)

JennyB · « **Reply #335 on:** 30 December, 2014, 12:33:39 pm »

Quote from: HTFB on 29 December, 2014, 09:29:55 pm

Category: things of which things are not made.

Unobtanium, handwavium, and of course the mysterious enzyme Godnose.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #336 on:** 30 December, 2014, 01:57:48 pm »

To say nothing of the sub-atomic particles such as the bogon and the theakston. I am disappointed that Jim Al-Khalili and Brian Cox have yet to touch on these.

HTFB · « **Reply #337 on:** 30 December, 2014, 05:27:33 pm »

There's a particle theory of rowing crews, which are made of massive bowons and strokons in equal numbers, all held together by tiny excited coxswaons.

Here, if you want.

mattc · « **Reply #338 on:** 30 December, 2014, 07:42:35 pm »

Quote from: Andrij on 17 November, 2014, 10:45:28 pm

Quote from: nikki on 17 November, 2014, 10:33:52 pm
A new tool for feeding this thread:
http://listen.hatnote.com

Quote
Listen to the sound of Wikipedia's recent changes feed. Bells indicate additions and string plucks indicate subtractions. Pitch changes according to the size of the edit; the larger the edit, the deeper the note. Green circles show edits from unregistered contributors, and purple circles mark edits performed by automated bots. You may see announcements for new users as they join the site, punctuated by a string swell.

+1 !

Gives a great insight to the daily life on planet wiki. Definitely a great source of serendipity - some things that scrolled past today, I would never have found by just following links.

(On the down side, it reminded me of what depresses me about the interweb and wikipedia in particular; so much time wasted on updating info like "Apprentice (TV) Series 3" or "Photoshop v4.2.1"

There's a whole UNIVERSE of interesting stuff out there to read about guys! )

Vince · « **Reply #339 on:** 22 January, 2015, 11:36:44 am »

I had thought that Merkins were people who lived south of Canadians.
Apparently not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin

Random Wiki will get you into trouble

Andrij · « **Reply #340 on:** 22 January, 2015, 01:34:02 pm »

Quote from: Vince on 22 January, 2015, 11:36:44 am

I had thought that Merkins were people who lived south of Canadians.
Apparently not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merkin

Random Wiki will get you into trouble

The local hostelry in the Radio4Extra comedy The Castle was the Merk Inn (assumed spelling).

Kim · « **Reply #341 on:** 22 January, 2015, 02:17:50 pm »

Quote from: Vince on 22 January, 2015, 11:36:44 am

I had thought that Merkins were people who lived south of Canadians.
Apparently not.

That was a standard FAQ entry from the more British corners of 90s usenet...

Quote from: FAQ

Q. What's a merkin?
A. A pubic wig.

Thereby deliberately leaving the reader no more enlightened as to the meaning of the term as it was generally used (ie. to affectionately refer to USAnians). Unless they asked the question out loud, anyway.

Ham · « **Reply #342 on:** 26 January, 2015, 12:56:48 pm »

The topic is a tad NSFW, but the page is ok http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pricasso

Riggers · « **Reply #343 on:** 26 January, 2015, 01:05:56 pm »

Bit of a fag having to clean your brush for a different colour all the time, surely!?

Ham · « **Reply #344 on:** 26 January, 2015, 01:13:33 pm »

I just hope he uses water soluble.....

clarion · « **Reply #345 on:** 26 January, 2015, 01:20:43 pm »

That's bollocks. Arse.

Nuncio · « **Reply #346 on:** 04 February, 2015, 03:33:50 pm »

One-man attempt to rid Wikipedia of 'comprised of'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Giraffedata/comprised_of

https://medium.com/backchannel/meet-the-ultimate-wikignome-10508842caad

Canute, Sisyphus, hero, or fool?

nikki · « **Reply #347 on:** 05 February, 2015, 06:03:03 pm »

Oh my!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cakes

clarion · « **Reply #348 on:** 11 February, 2015, 09:51:37 am »

Radio comedy producer Bill Dare's (Now Show, Dead Ringers, Spitting Image, Mary Whitehouse Experience, Secret World, I've never Seen Star Wars etc) full name is Bill Dare Jones

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Jones_%28actor%29

Vince · « **Reply #349 on:** 11 February, 2015, 09:54:17 am »

Quote from: nikki on 05 February, 2015, 06:03:03 pm

Oh my!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cakes

How can a list of cakes not include Flapjack?