Tuesday, January 23, 2007
See ya in the funny pages
This morning's "Sally Forth" strip mentioned Wikipedia, but I'm not sure whether it is a good thing or bad.
Sally, the working mother of the household and title character, is about to turn 40. In the first panel, her husband Ted says he doesn't see why she should be concerned, and she responds with the pointed question, "Do you even remember how you handled it, Ted?" The second panel shows him hiding in bed, crying "If you don't say it, it won't age!" In the final panel, Ted defends his behavior by saying "That idea came from an unverified Wikipedia article."
On one hand, I'm always glad to see someone repeat the advice that anything written in Wikipedia ought to be viewed with a healthy skepticism -- for all of our best efforts, mistakes errors, and some truly bizarre stuff does creep in. On the other hand, there is the implication that nothing in Wikipedia ought to be trusted -- that it is nothing but a collection of truthiness.
But Ted did say "an unverified article"!
Sally, the working mother of the household and title character, is about to turn 40. In the first panel, her husband Ted says he doesn't see why she should be concerned, and she responds with the pointed question, "Do you even remember how you handled it, Ted?" The second panel shows him hiding in bed, crying "If you don't say it, it won't age!" In the final panel, Ted defends his behavior by saying "That idea came from an unverified Wikipedia article."
On one hand, I'm always glad to see someone repeat the advice that anything written in Wikipedia ought to be viewed with a healthy skepticism -- for all of our best efforts, mistakes errors, and some truly bizarre stuff does creep in. On the other hand, there is the implication that nothing in Wikipedia ought to be trusted -- that it is nothing but a collection of truthiness.
But Ted did say "an unverified article"!
