Wiki Sites

Now gentle readers, I know I promised you a review of Inception, but let's face it- you've seen the movie, you probably enjoyed it, and you and all your weird friends have been talking about it all week and debating the ending like every other 16-30 year old in America. I don't think I need to say anymore on it.

I moved into a new apartment recently, and I do not have a T.V. The last T.V. I had was a typical dorm-room 19 inch 480p tube-tv, and at the end of the year I said "I'm throwing this out. My next T.V. is going to be an HDTV. If I throw this out, I'll be forced to buy a new T.V., no matter how broke I am."

Of course, if you know me, you know it is very hard for me to part with money. Perhaps this can be blamed on my Semitic lineage, my current unemployed status, or maybe I'm just a sniveling miser. I know that many of you will elect the latter choice as explanation. Don't get me wrong, I've found some good deals- I uncovered a 26 inch Dynex HDTV for 165 bucks on Craigslist- but I just can't bring myself to buy one. I'll probably cave in a couple of weeks- It's been too long since I've watched a movie on DVD.

In the fleeting moments of spare time I've had between setting up my new apartment, working at a terrible temporary job., being married, and dealing with life. I've found myself occupied with my favorite timesink, Wikipedia (what else am I gonna do if there's nothing to watch?). If you know me, you know I have had a love affair with the hive-minded website since 2005 that just won't quit. I am a huge information and trivia junkie, and Wikipedia fills that niche perfectly.

The thing I have always loved about Wikipedia is the trail of topics you will find yourself on. The other night, a friend of mine sent me a video of a terrifying sea creature called a Siphonophore:



Yes ladies and gentleman, this thing exists. I was fascinated with this creature, and of course, looked it up on Wikipedia. This lead to the finding that these creatures are related to the Portugese Man' O War, a hideous jellyfish-like creature that floats on the surface of the ocean. I found out that a certain type of sea turtle eats Portugese Man O' Wars (is that the plural form?) and I just HAD to know about that. Then I remembered that I wanted to look up dolphins because I had seen some on my honeymoon cruise. This lead me to look up almost every species of dolphin. I then found out that there is a type of "river-dolphin" in China called a "Baiji" that may have gone extinct. This linked me to a page of animals that scientists think may be extinct. This then lead me to extinct animals, including an eagle that went extinct 500 years ago that was so huge it could kill emus. I then remembered I had my dolphin page still open. This linked me to whales. Before I knew it, I found myself on a page about whale-dolphin hybrids, and I decided this was a good stopping point for bed.

This chain of madness is an almost daily occurrence for me. Another site I frequent notorious for Wiki-chaining is Tvtropes.org. TVtropes.org is a Wikipedia style site dedicated to media cliches. This site arguably addicts me more than Wikipedia. I write this blog to observe and criticize media, and if there is a Wiki of like minded people, I'm doomed. One day I spent 2 hours on a single page reading about shows that were cancelled due to network executive interference. I also like reading about classic cliches like "camping trip episodes" in sitcoms and "There are two types of people in this world..." lines in movies. I remember I once lost a whole Saturday due to T.V. Tropes.

Here's one thing I can't stand- when people say "HOW CAN YOU TRUST WIKIPEDIA PIXELATEDCYNIC? DON'T YOU KNOW ANYONE CAN EDIT IT LOL? YOU'LL BELIEVE ANYTHING!" These people fail to realize that most Wiki sites have administrators that regularly comb through each page to check inaccuracies and point out ways the page can be improved. I don't think I'm going to find a page on Henry VIII telling me how he was in fact a grilled cheese sandwich.

Other Wiki sites I enjoy are those dedicated to nerdy stuff like Star Wars, Warhammer and anime series. While Wikipedia has great information on these things, series-specific Wikis are where you go if you absolutely want to know every finite detail on a movie or show (and believe me, I do).

One more great Wiki site is Wikitravel.com. I recently spent my honeymoon in Orlando and The Bahamas, and I made time to look up each area's Wikitravel entry. Wikitravel tends to be written by people who like to get off the beaten, tourist ridden path and experience a region's unique culture, and the website was able to point me to some great locations.

The aspect I love most about Wiki sites is that they will never get old. Since they have thousands of contributors, new information is always being added, and information NEVER stops. Because of this, there will always be something new to catch my interest. I have noticed that whenever I experience anything, I look it up on a Wiki site so I can know everything about it. For example, I looked up the exact cruise ship I went on my honeymoon to find that it has been plagued by a series of frightening occurrences like suicides, murders, fatal accidents and near-sinkings (I kid you not!).  Why am I addicted to information? Perhaps it's the modern age we live in and the effect of the internet. Or I'm probably just a huge nerd.

Inception

Was awesome

I have become one of those idiots that doesn't update

Dear Readers,

I have not updated in a while. That is because I have been planning for my wedding/having my wedding/going on my honeymoon. I promise I will give you all an update later this week. I realize I have not done a summer movie preview for July. Alas, July is halfway over already so there's really no point. The best I can do is offer you a review of Inception, which I plan on seeing this week. I will write here soon!

Meanwhile, enjoy this: