Wikipedia turned 20 today. I read an article that claimed that the majority of articles on Wikipedia are more accurate than, say, the Encyclopaedia Britannica. However, the article went on to say that a lot of Wikipedia is either untrue and/or unreliable.
Possibly the greatest and the worst thing about Wikipedia as a source of information is the ability to change it. This is something that a lot of commentators maintain is what’s wrong with it. Of course, a print edition of a big international encyclopaedia has only one chance to be accurate.
I guess it just shows that the world still needs information scientists (librarians) to disseminate vital information for people who are, possibly, not so well equipped to figure out fact from falsehood, newspeak from actual journalism.
So, happy 20th birthday Wikipedia and, like Marion, the trusty and reliable librarian, long may you exist.
Moving right along…
I thought this picnic set looked nice and comfy with big fluffy cushions ready to receive aching butts and tired elbows. Obviously, no-one else thought so.
Regarding the weather, one of the things that Mirinda has embraced, wholeheartedly, here in Sweden is the Winter Palaver. Keeping calm while taking the requisite ten minutes to leave the house as she dons various layers and pulls the snow boots on, has become an essential part of every departure. I see it as being one of those things I see through Japanese eyes.
It is part of the Essential Slowness of our lives these days. The importance of the trip as well as the destination. The appreciation in all experiences rather than the irritation and impatience at the preamble.
As part of all this, we even have a Palaver Chair which sits in the airlock between the warmth of the house and the chill of the outside world. It’s ideal for putting on boots and connecting the girls to their lead.
The airlock was very handy today given the temperature was -10° and the snow fell in the patches between sun and blue sky. The wind made it feel quite a bit colder, something we felt slapping our cheeks as we went for our evening constitutional.
The blue sky was something I experienced from afar as it put in an appearance mostly as I sat in the spare room recording the Talking Newspaper with Robert and Mike P. As I told them, the snow lay round about and the sun made it sparkle. Farnham was cold, grey and miserable so they may have been a bit jealous.
Because of the recording, I didn’t go shopping until afterwards. This is something I’ll probably not repeat. A lot of people shop after 2pm at the Ica in Trollbäken on a Friday. It was not as pleasant as it can be in the mornings. I decided that I’ll shop on a Thursday when I have a recording of a Friday. Annoying in reference to the schedule but essential in reference to any kind of shopping pleasure.
Late on, as Mirinda talked on various forms of electronic communication, I took the girls out the back. Emma chased a stick while Freya went exploring. It was very cold. Emma didn’t seem to mind but, every time she stopped walking, Freya started shivering.
She is also sometimes hard to see. In particular in the half light of twilight, between the trees, she just vanishes. It must be very difficult if your dog is actually white rather than champagne coloured.
At the end of the day, John sent a photograph through the Weasel WhatsApp group. It caused him a lot of distress and garnered all manner of shocked responses from other dedicated purists.
When asked where the alcohol went, Tom reckoned it was extracted for use in hand sanitiser. I thought it was a teetotal version of a vegetarian sausage. Whatever, it can’t be good for you.
