You might be wondering about the rather strange and lengthy title to this blog post. You should. It does not mean that some catastrophe, such as overloaded servers or ownership by Ted Stevens has befallen it, no. It means that it is merely obtaining a rather negative reputation.

You see, most of the common population, ranging from school teachers and professors to the person sitting next to me, think that it is an untrustworthy source of information. Why? "Because there is no restrictions on who can pretend to be an expert!" replies one victim of this negative brainwashing. While I may later take time to point out the inaccuracy of this statement, I would rather waste my words on my opinion of this whole issue.

Yes, it is possible for people to edit Wikipedia and bestow it with the fruits of false information, but why would they do this? Aside from politicians and their bickering, why would people waste their time? Oh yes, I can see it now... the terrorist hunched over his laptop, cackling in glee at the thought of some middle schooler getting a D on their paper because of his false information. Or, perhaps, the white-haired, wizened old scholars playing massive pranks on each other by editing each other's theories of cultural diffusion and how it relates to the golden mean. Really, why WOULD anyone waste their time corrupting Wikipedia?

And, don't forget, there are swarms of editors and admins out there, ready to revert any edit that they think isn't worthy of Wikipedia.  True, there are far more articles than people caring for them, but it is still a pretty effective system. Almost all factual information in Wikipedia is cited from "proper" sources, and often includes external links to other relevant websites. And every page has its own Discussion Page, where people can discuss whether such and such fact is true, necessary, or grammatically correct. Wikipedia is a very bureaucratic entity, with numerous votes and discussions being held about major page movings, mergers, deletions, and major edits.

Don't let me forget, YOU CAN HELP! Don't complain about how Wikipedia is wrong. If you know something is wrong, FIX IT! That is the point of Wikipedia! You can edit it! People complaining about Wikipedia are just like the people who complain about the president and the government, but haven't voted in twenty years. Don't be a complainer, actually try to solve the problem. Sure, if everyone spent their time pointing out how wrong everything was on Wikipedia, nothing would ever get done. Instead, people who believe in the cause of a free and open reference spend hours writing, editing, checking, and discussing. They do what they can to help. So can you.



Oh yeah, Wizard 2.5 is almost done. The boss battles are quite fun, and we are in the process of thoroughly testing the whole game now.  Happy Easter!