Political pantos I'd like to see:
1. The Princess and the Pea - entitled royal in faux national emergency.
2. Sorcerer's Apprentices - young fools ignore ban on dark magic, get more than bargained for.
3. The Golden Eggs - peace after a witch war spurned in the name of freedom from repression.
1. The Princess and the Pea - entitled royal in faux national emergency.
2. Sorcerer's Apprentices - young fools ignore ban on dark magic, get more than bargained for.
3. The Golden Eggs - peace after a witch war spurned in the name of freedom from repression.
December 8, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Political pantos I'd like to see:
1. The Princess and the Pea - entitled royal in faux national emergency.
2. Sorcerer's Apprentices - young fools ignore ban on dark magic, get more than bargained for.
3. The Golden Eggs - peace after a witch war spurned in the name of freedom from repression.
1. The Princess and the Pea - entitled royal in faux national emergency.
2. Sorcerer's Apprentices - young fools ignore ban on dark magic, get more than bargained for.
3. The Golden Eggs - peace after a witch war spurned in the name of freedom from repression.
Well, I'll be there.
Or get to know the London community in person and spend a relaxed afternoon with fellow Wikimiedians in London.
meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Meetup/...
meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Meetup/...
Meetup/London/223 - Meta-Wiki
meta.wikimedia.org
December 8, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Well, I'll be there.
Pasquale Paoli: the English Wikipedia is quite long, if lacking references for parts.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasqual...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasqual...
December 8, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Pasquale Paoli: the English Wikipedia is quite long, if lacking references for parts.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasqual...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasqual...
There is plenty to say about Wikidata, WikiCite, Scholia, SPARQL, and Blazegraph. About software development and big data issues. I don't propose to discuss all that here, though.
new blog: "Rescuing Scholia: will we make it in time?" https://doi.org/10.59350/yh369-rr787 https://chem-bla-ics.linkedchemistry.info/2025/12/08/rescuing-scholia.html
"What started out in 2016 on Twitter became a (small) award winning decade long collaborative project. Unfortunately, the future […]
"What started out in 2016 on Twitter became a (small) award winning decade long collaborative project. Unfortunately, the future […]
Original post on social.edu.nl
social.edu.nl
December 8, 2025 at 7:44 AM
There is plenty to say about Wikidata, WikiCite, Scholia, SPARQL, and Blazegraph. About software development and big data issues. I don't propose to discuss all that here, though.
Why does it help to blur the distinction in this way between the work and the image of the work? What is said about THJ v. Sheridan, 2023 in the UK at the end of the Wikipedia article on Bridgeman v. Corel is more helpful.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgem....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgem....
December 8, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Why does it help to blur the distinction in this way between the work and the image of the work? What is said about THJ v. Sheridan, 2023 in the UK at the end of the Wikipedia article on Bridgeman v. Corel is more helpful.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgem....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgem....
Reposted
#Metaverse
For many years now, Mark Zuckerberg seems to have been the only one with any great belief in the future of his so called ‘metaverse’, but reality may now be hitting home.
For many years now, Mark Zuckerberg seems to have been the only one with any great belief in the future of his so called ‘metaverse’, but reality may now be hitting home.
Meta to cut metaverse budget and team – to no-one’s great surprise
Investors have complained for years that Mark Zuckerberg's metaverse operations were a drain on resources. Now they're welcoming news of cuts.
www.siliconrepublic.com
December 5, 2025 at 11:13 PM
#Metaverse
For many years now, Mark Zuckerberg seems to have been the only one with any great belief in the future of his so called ‘metaverse’, but reality may now be hitting home.
For many years now, Mark Zuckerberg seems to have been the only one with any great belief in the future of his so called ‘metaverse’, but reality may now be hitting home.
Reposted
Some v interesting stuff in this paper on where Grokipedia draws its information from, but this bit from the introduction has really caught my eye - the cite is to Gettier on justified true belief. A lot to think about there!
![Classical epistemology assumes identifiable knowers who assert propositions and justify them through reasons or evidence [14]. At the core of Wikipedia’s distributed nature is a testimonial responsibility of a human speaker, transparently made public in the revision history tab, that represents a traceable act with a clear line of responsibility. LLM-based systems, by contrast, generate synthetic testimony, producing claims without a determinate speaker. Here, claims are not derived through intentional assertion, but through probabilistic pattern extraction over vast corpora, shifting epistemic authority from human deliberation to computational inference. In other words, the transition to LLM-based encyclopedias represents a shift to "algorithmic authority" [15].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:phyrjqtsscocqllqjsw2jnqn/bafkreib34yri4siautjrxslxau4c7qgfyyjl5b247gp4xssqwcjxk7gote@jpeg)
December 5, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Some v interesting stuff in this paper on where Grokipedia draws its information from, but this bit from the introduction has really caught my eye - the cite is to Gettier on justified true belief. A lot to think about there!
I notice on
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observa...
nine uses of the word "greetings". The redirect "holiday greetings" goes to
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christm...
(section anchor). I would say a "Christmas greetings" article is warranted.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observa...
nine uses of the word "greetings". The redirect "holiday greetings" goes to
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christm...
(section anchor). I would say a "Christmas greetings" article is warranted.
December 2, 2025 at 8:04 AM
I notice on
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observa...
nine uses of the word "greetings". The redirect "holiday greetings" goes to
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christm...
(section anchor). I would say a "Christmas greetings" article is warranted.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observa...
nine uses of the word "greetings". The redirect "holiday greetings" goes to
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christm...
(section anchor). I would say a "Christmas greetings" article is warranted.
To a man toxic to the core, everything looks like a pretext.
Trump says he will ‘permanently pause’ migration from ‘third world countries’ after national guard shooting
Trump says he will ‘permanently pause’ migration from ‘third world countries’ after national guard shooting
In a social media post sent late on Thanksgiving, US president said he would ‘end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens’ following Washington DC shooting
Donald Trump has said he will “permanently pause migration from all third world countries,” a day after two national guard members were shot in Washington DC in an attack that has become a political flashpoint in the president’s ongoing crackdown on immigration.
In a social media post beginning with “a very happy Thanksgiving,” sent after 11pm on Thursday, the US president said his administration would “end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens” and remove “anyone who is not a net asset to the United States”. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:56 AM
To a man toxic to the core, everything looks like a pretext.
The point I see is that administrative measures can be changed by administrative means.
Why Starmer’s desire to govern as ‘Mr Rules’ is bound to fail | Andy Beckett
Why Starmer’s desire to govern as ‘Mr Rules’ is bound to fail | Andy Beckett
In the face of multiple crises, disruptive technology and populism, making Britain orderly again is an impossible goal, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:44 AM
The point I see is that administrative measures can be changed by administrative means.
"Google's mission is to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Yes, Google, so you say. You do _index_ that information, and now process it with machine learning. I think you'll find Wikimedia organises it, in detail, for people and machines.
And finally, 21. It has been nice to see Wikipedia graduate from "silly project with no grasp of the challenges or the practicalities" to something more along the lines of "core piece of internet infrastructure" and I'm proud I helped that along, in my own little way.
On to the next twenty years.
On to the next twenty years.
November 28, 2025 at 7:10 AM
"Google's mission is to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." Yes, Google, so you say. You do _index_ that information, and now process it with machine learning. I think you'll find Wikimedia organises it, in detail, for people and machines.
There are people who think Wikipedia is a tech project and should be managed like one. There are people who think Wikipedia is a community project and should be managed like one. I belong to the second group. But I do think it important to understand what the first group talk about.
17. The WMF plays an essential role and we'd be in a bad place without it, but most of the mistakes it's made can be traced back to acting like it's any other tech company, managing users rather than working for a community.
November 28, 2025 at 7:05 AM
There are people who think Wikipedia is a tech project and should be managed like one. There are people who think Wikipedia is a community project and should be managed like one. I belong to the second group. But I do think it important to understand what the first group talk about.
Working flat out could be a mistake.
Over the next few months I'll be working with @nebulousflynn.bsky.social on this project to explore what the heritage sector needs when it comes to 3D. I'm excited to see where it leads.
Wikimedia UK has been awarded a grant of £56,198 from National Lottery Heritage Fund towards our ‘UK Heritage 3D Data at Risk: Developing a Strategy for Long Term Access & Storage’ project. The grant will help ensure future access to the UK’s 3D heritage data.
More info: tinyurl.com/3ma28psr
More info: tinyurl.com/3ma28psr
November 27, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Working flat out could be a mistake.
Which cat breed can tie your tie?
Siamese.
Siamese.
Which breed of dog can create print-ready proofs?
A Type Setter.
A Type Setter.
November 26, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Which cat breed can tie your tie?
Siamese.
Siamese.
New Wikipedia article from me. I'd be very grateful for a reliable source stating that Brenda Crowe died in January 2016. (No, I'm not going to buy a death certificate.)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_...
Brenda Crowe (child educator) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 26, 2025 at 11:22 AM
New Wikipedia article from me. I'd be very grateful for a reliable source stating that Brenda Crowe died in January 2016. (No, I'm not going to buy a death certificate.)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_...
Reposted
How Lord Dannatt used his peerage to open doors for business interests
How Lord Dannatt used his peerage to open doors for business interests
Former head of British army is suspended from the House of Lords after being filmed breaking rules
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:58 AM
How Lord Dannatt used his peerage to open doors for business interests
Indeed, but Europe gave the world text messages and the Web. The callow version of communication that calls itself social media may come to be seen as "antisocial entertainment channels", for the most part. After things get dumbed down, degradation is next stop on the slippery slope.
America gave the world the Internet and now they’re turning it into a useless sewer and I for one welcome the silence of decay the slow fungal overgrowth of analogue reconsuming the information space get me some paper and a damn pigeon
November 25, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Indeed, but Europe gave the world text messages and the Web. The callow version of communication that calls itself social media may come to be seen as "antisocial entertainment channels", for the most part. After things get dumbed down, degradation is next stop on the slippery slope.
Hmmm. Wikipedia medical disclaimer errs rather on the side of caution, and overstates the amateur nature of editors. Tweaking timing is one thing: taking dosage advice from the Internet is quite a bad idea. ChatGPT disclaimer?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
November 25, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Hmmm. Wikipedia medical disclaimer errs rather on the side of caution, and overstates the amateur nature of editors. Tweaking timing is one thing: taking dosage advice from the Internet is quite a bad idea. ChatGPT disclaimer?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiped...
Oooh, don't they know that "doubling down" by repeating mistakes is an irreplaceable shot in a politician's locker? Where would people be if they can't just prove they've always been right by sheer insistence? This is just correct correctness running out of control. A chancer never says sorry.
Findings partic brutal about early 2020, describing the Feb as “lost month”. If lockdown was imposed a week earlier than March 16, it could've cut deaths in England by almost half. Many of same mistakes then "inexcusably" repeated - @peterwalker99.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response
Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Oooh, don't they know that "doubling down" by repeating mistakes is an irreplaceable shot in a politician's locker? Where would people be if they can't just prove they've always been right by sheer insistence? This is just correct correctness running out of control. A chancer never says sorry.
Reposted
A great presentation/summary on the state of #biodiversity data on #Wikidata by @tiagolubiana.bsky.social at the recent #WikiCon2025. He links/discusses A LOT of information in the 20 min he has to present. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WYf... #HighlyRecommended
WikidataCon 2025: Wikidata and Biodiversity — a match made for Earth
YouTube video by Wikimedia Deutschland
www.youtube.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:42 AM
A great presentation/summary on the state of #biodiversity data on #Wikidata by @tiagolubiana.bsky.social at the recent #WikiCon2025. He links/discusses A LOT of information in the 20 min he has to present. www.youtube.com/watch?v=1WYf... #HighlyRecommended
For why? The Ph.D. is to academia what the masterwork was to joining a guild in the old days. There's a decision box that reads "is the reputational boost from being Dr. Gerard going to make more difference to you than anything else?"
i am being advised to start a Ph.D in my 50s by a friend who's in the middle of one in her 60s
there's a Ph.D track for old people who know shit that apparently i should hook myself into?
sounds like work
this doesn't require a degree btw, she didn't even finish high school
there's a Ph.D track for old people who know shit that apparently i should hook myself into?
sounds like work
this doesn't require a degree btw, she didn't even finish high school
November 18, 2025 at 3:12 PM
For why? The Ph.D. is to academia what the masterwork was to joining a guild in the old days. There's a decision box that reads "is the reputational boost from being Dr. Gerard going to make more difference to you than anything else?"
"I will be telling my patients that doing their own research is not a bad thing. But where they do that research needs much more thought than they have reason to imagine."
Long story short: type WP:MEDRS into the Wikipedia search box. This is not a new problem. The advice there is solid.
Long story short: type WP:MEDRS into the Wikipedia search box. This is not a new problem. The advice there is solid.
Doing your own research isn’t a bad thing, I tell my patients. But just how will they spot the fraudulent papers? | Ranjana Srivastava
Doing your own research isn’t a bad thing, I tell my patients. But just how will they spot the fraudulent papers? | Ranjana Srivastava
While every self-aware doctor knows no one is an expert on everything, the average person turning to the internet cannot distinguish evidence from gloss
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 3:06 PM
"I will be telling my patients that doing their own research is not a bad thing. But where they do that research needs much more thought than they have reason to imagine."
Long story short: type WP:MEDRS into the Wikipedia search box. This is not a new problem. The advice there is solid.
Long story short: type WP:MEDRS into the Wikipedia search box. This is not a new problem. The advice there is solid.
Don't want to spend time reading more GroPe articles.
The prose style is quite inadequate for encyclopedia work.
Musk should first invest in a Manual of Style, rather than hiring Nibelungen to churn out turgid guff, stuffed with tendentious epithets. Elon, the word is "taut".
The prose style is quite inadequate for encyclopedia work.
Musk should first invest in a Manual of Style, rather than hiring Nibelungen to churn out turgid guff, stuffed with tendentious epithets. Elon, the word is "taut".
White nationalist talking points and racial pseudoscience: welcome to Elon Musk’s Grokipedia
White nationalist talking points and racial pseudoscience: welcome to Elon Musk’s Grokipedia
World’s richest person wanted to ‘purge’ propaganda from Wikipedia, so he created a compendium of racist disinformation
www.theguardian.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Don't want to spend time reading more GroPe articles.
The prose style is quite inadequate for encyclopedia work.
Musk should first invest in a Manual of Style, rather than hiring Nibelungen to churn out turgid guff, stuffed with tendentious epithets. Elon, the word is "taut".
The prose style is quite inadequate for encyclopedia work.
Musk should first invest in a Manual of Style, rather than hiring Nibelungen to churn out turgid guff, stuffed with tendentious epithets. Elon, the word is "taut".
Reposted
Around ten years ago Marijn Heule, Oliver Kullmann and Victor Marek proved that if you 2-colour the positive integers from 1 to 7825, then you must be able to find x, y and z all of the same colour with x^2+y^2=z^2 -- that is, a monochromatic Pythagorean triple. 1/
November 11, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Around ten years ago Marijn Heule, Oliver Kullmann and Victor Marek proved that if you 2-colour the positive integers from 1 to 7825, then you must be able to find x, y and z all of the same colour with x^2+y^2=z^2 -- that is, a monochromatic Pythagorean triple. 1/
There's whole raft of issues around perverse incentives in academia. The Cambridge story that for a D.Sc. they weigh your publications can stand for some of that. Becoming a tenured academic is still a stand-out career for people with matching values.
Until we confront this quiet hypocrisy, real innovation will remain the exception, not the rule.
November 9, 2025 at 9:21 AM
There's whole raft of issues around perverse incentives in academia. The Cambridge story that for a D.Sc. they weigh your publications can stand for some of that. Becoming a tenured academic is still a stand-out career for people with matching values.