2008 Woodie Awards
WEB JUNKIE: Wikicites: Welcome to the Dark Side
Luke McIntyre
Issue date: 2/7/06 Section: Life
Our professors tell us not to use Wikipedia as a reference. It's not to be trusted, they say, anyone can alter the information. Obviously, that's exactly the point. If you have a thousand eyes staring at a problem then certainly one of them will have an answer; meaning that with the millions of people looking through Wikipedia daily, it is next to impossible for mistakes to go unnoticed. The result is the largest and most thorough encyclopedia ever made by man. On the other hand, giving millions of computer geeks free reign over a website will undoubtedly bring some interesting results.
One of those interesting results is Wookieepedia, the biggest collection of Star Wars information on the Internet. Wookieepedia is hosted through the Wikicities service, which allows users to set up smaller and much more specific sections of Wikipedia. Similar to Wookieepedia is Memory Alpha, which describes itself as "the most definitive, accurate, and accessible encyclopedia and reference for everything related to Star Trek." Seeing a pattern here?
There are Wikicities dedicated to everything imaginable, be it beer, Calvin and Hobbes, or the fake languages created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Any bit of knowledge that can be known is probably in the process of being put online. Did you know that Mace Windu developed the seventh form of Juyo, a style of lightsaber fighting? Or that Pa'nar Syndrome is a Vulcan disease that destroys the synaptic pathways? Of course not, no normal person would. But it's there, and that's the point.
There's Colbertopedia, a Wikicity dedicated to Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Central show The Colbert Report. Or, as the Colbertopedia says it, "The free Stephen Colbert based encyclopedia that anyone can edit - If they have the balls." Another Wikicity, CheatBase, is exactly what it sounds like; a collection of cheats for every game system from Xbox to Game Boy.
The eWrestling Encyclopedia chronicles the online game of e-wrestling, a kind of role-playing game. Players create a character, complete with his gimmick and special move, then send him into the ring. Entire e-federations are created and intricate plots played out. Think of it as a sweaty version of Dungeons & Dragons.
Micronations is a Wikicity that could be giving way to a digital revolution. In it users write articles about their miniature self-created countries. Most founders have seceded from their home countries with little struggle, such as the Kingdom of Talossa, which now stakes its claim to the east side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Topping off the odd, Uncyclopedia is a direct parody of Wikipedia. Rather than facts, entire entries are dedicated to historical events that never happened, such as the formation of a fourth branch of American government completely comprised of "some guy named Eddie." Most of Uncyclopedia is simply humor, like the article on nihilism that is left blank or the article on Morse code actually written in Morse code.
These are some of the more absurd examples of Wikicities content to be sure, but still indicative of the time and effort that people will put into something if they feel they can make part of it theirs. There's no doubt a certain amount of pride that goes with knowing you helped in such a noble venture. At least as much pride as you might get from being the king of Talossa.
Visit wikicities.com
One of those interesting results is Wookieepedia, the biggest collection of Star Wars information on the Internet. Wookieepedia is hosted through the Wikicities service, which allows users to set up smaller and much more specific sections of Wikipedia. Similar to Wookieepedia is Memory Alpha, which describes itself as "the most definitive, accurate, and accessible encyclopedia and reference for everything related to Star Trek." Seeing a pattern here?
There are Wikicities dedicated to everything imaginable, be it beer, Calvin and Hobbes, or the fake languages created by J.R.R. Tolkien. Any bit of knowledge that can be known is probably in the process of being put online. Did you know that Mace Windu developed the seventh form of Juyo, a style of lightsaber fighting? Or that Pa'nar Syndrome is a Vulcan disease that destroys the synaptic pathways? Of course not, no normal person would. But it's there, and that's the point.
There's Colbertopedia, a Wikicity dedicated to Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Central show The Colbert Report. Or, as the Colbertopedia says it, "The free Stephen Colbert based encyclopedia that anyone can edit - If they have the balls." Another Wikicity, CheatBase, is exactly what it sounds like; a collection of cheats for every game system from Xbox to Game Boy.
The eWrestling Encyclopedia chronicles the online game of e-wrestling, a kind of role-playing game. Players create a character, complete with his gimmick and special move, then send him into the ring. Entire e-federations are created and intricate plots played out. Think of it as a sweaty version of Dungeons & Dragons.
Micronations is a Wikicity that could be giving way to a digital revolution. In it users write articles about their miniature self-created countries. Most founders have seceded from their home countries with little struggle, such as the Kingdom of Talossa, which now stakes its claim to the east side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Topping off the odd, Uncyclopedia is a direct parody of Wikipedia. Rather than facts, entire entries are dedicated to historical events that never happened, such as the formation of a fourth branch of American government completely comprised of "some guy named Eddie." Most of Uncyclopedia is simply humor, like the article on nihilism that is left blank or the article on Morse code actually written in Morse code.
These are some of the more absurd examples of Wikicities content to be sure, but still indicative of the time and effort that people will put into something if they feel they can make part of it theirs. There's no doubt a certain amount of pride that goes with knowing you helped in such a noble venture. At least as much pride as you might get from being the king of Talossa.
Visit wikicities.com
