WikiDumper

WikiDumper is a blog that collects the best Wikipedia entries that are on the verge of being deleted from Wikipedia, typically because the topics are obscure or pointless (such as a list of animal sounds).

The blog is worth following if only for highlighting the bizarre corners of human thought. For example, if I hadn’t been reading WikiDumper, I’d have probably never heard about 9/11 uber-conspiracy theory, the Hologram Theory.

The Hologram Theory claims,

…that south tower (WTC2) was not hit by a large Boeing 767-200 (flight UA175) but by a USAF cruise missile or drone with a large holographic cloak around it that made it look like a flight UA175, i.e. a flying deception.

The proponents of the theory go to great lengths to imagine some secret, as-yet-unknown holographic technology that could accomplish this, though if it really were a missile camouflaged by holography, I’m betting its the fault of our reptilian alien overlords.

The amusing thing is that more “respectable” conspiracy theorists are upset that “fringe” conspiracy theories like the Hologram Theory make the run-of-the-mill Bush/The Jews/Trilateral Commission/Fill-In-The-Blank conspiracies look even nuttier than normal.

Daniel Brandt As Clueless As Ever

Daniel Brandt is again embarassing himself, this time claiming that he’s found evidence of widespread plagiarism among Wikipedia entries. But how much of this is genuine plagiarism rather than just Brandt’s typical incompetence.

Take, for example, the Wikipedia entry on Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. Brandt claims here that large portions of Wikipedia’s entry on de Tournefort has been swiped from an entry on de Tournefort at Armenica.Org, an online encylopedia of everything Armenian.

The only problem is that the origins of the Armenica.Org entry is made quite clear at the end of the article: Source: Wikipedia.org”

That’s right, Armenica.Org borrowed its entry from Wikipedia, not vice versa — so it’s not surprising the entries are almost identical!!!

This is fairly typical of the quality of Brandt’s investigations and conspiracy theories about Google and Wikipedia.