Wikipedia Games

Dude,

Sometimes I play a game I made up that I thought was original, I call it degrees of Wikipedia. Turns out my idea is so unoriginal it already has a wikipedia page. I thought I'd share my experiences on playing some of the variations of this game.

Both of these versions you can only use links in the main body. I assume that meant table of contents too, it wasn't specific. It does not include category links, and obviously not the main menu on the left.

5 Clicks to Jesus
random page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphanius_sirhani
click 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_classification
click 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution
click 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion
click 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_of_Nazareth
1 under par, I believe they call that a birdie. I dunno, I didn't pass through the golf Wikipedia page.


Find Hitler!
random page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IL_Therapeutics
click 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Saskatchewan (there were only two options!)
click 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Historic_Site_of_Canada
click 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Depression_in_Canada
click 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II
click 5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler

My version
In my version I choose two random pages and get from one to the other. The advantage is you can see the links on the target page. Sometimes it's a lot harder than others. The above two have the advantage that the target page is popular and has a lot of links to them. My rule is slightly different in that I allow for the use of any links (category included) except for the left hand menu. For particularly hard to find pages (like my target below) I'll use the "what links here" button.

random page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_Is_a_Winding_Road
click 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Chart
click 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States
click 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico
click 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_New_Mexico
click 5: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_New_Mexico_Arboretum
click 6: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotoneaster
target page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotoneaster_scandinavicus
6 clicks + 4 for two uses of "links to page" = 10 points

I vary on some of their rules too. I'm okay with using countries, but I generally stay away from dates (you can't use dates and countries in the first two variations). I also don't think the use of ctrl+f to be a cheat.

Far too interesting Wikipedia Pages (by category)

Warning: This post could lead to a serious waste of time (source).

Dude,

Just to kill your productivity today, over the past few weeks I've been bookmarking Wikipedia pages I have found far too interesting. This says something. I'm not sure if it says something about Wikipedia, my browsing habits, or if it explains how Google knows I'm a male in my 30's, but none the less I felt it was worth sharing with you... and I guess the world.

Also I organized them into arbitrary categories to kill my productivity for the day. We're even.

Criteria
Of course this all varies from user to user. My criteria for considering Wikipedia pages to be too interesting is if they meet one of the following:

Interesting
There are a number of things in the universe that are just plain interesting. These will prepare you for that cocktail party you've always been afraid of not having anything to talk about at.
Example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Moon

Unknown Before
Something that was completely unknown before found on Wikipedia. Most links fall in this category because there is a lot I don't know. Bonus points if it is related to a topic I already know about.
Example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punctuation_(chess)

Basically Hidden
Something incredibly basic that has a surprising amount of interesting information. A little harder to find because you have to read (or at least scroll) most of the article.
Example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solid

Surprising List
A list that when you first see it you wonder why it exist in the first place, but as you read it you wonder why you’ve never heard of this list before.
Example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_music_considered_the_worst

Life Rule: You are always moving

This life rule is more of a universal constant instead of the usual rule to live by. I picked it up from my uncle (link should tell you a little about him), and I am learning from experience in more than one area of my life.

You are always moving.

You are either moving forward, practicing learning, doing. Or you are moving backwards. You don't stay at the level of expertise you stopped at. You're moving ahead or falling behind. The old adage, "use it or loose it" is another way to put it. No matter how you look at it, if you want to be good at something... never stop doing it.

Life Rule: Embrace Change

This is one that has come up a lot recently. Recently as in TODAY!

Embrace Change

Do it or you'll die from high blood pressure. Because, guess what, there are a lot of things that are out of your control that effect you. Get over being force feed health care, the MS Office Ribbon Bar, the potential loss of the Windows Start button, and the fact you are going to end up paying too much for that smart phone you don't even want... and focus on the things you have control over in life. There are a lot of them, just look around.

Two Dudes Discuss: Cloud Storage

Raining on your storage parade.

Two dude's conversing mostly about cloud storage. Turned out to be an interesting conversation. The kind of conversation that started this blog in the first place. Only slight edits from the original text for readability.

Some background, Michael is the Apple fan who has lent James his old iPad (no bloody 2, 3, or 4 -- points if you get the reference). James is not an Apple fan but willing to try new things for little to no cost.

Conversation after the jump.

How to interstitial suspend with a paper towel using nothing but your hands and water!

Hey dude I found this video that coincides with a an annoyance of mine. I'd say, on a least a semi-regular basis I find myself in a public restroom. When I do I make it a point to dry my hands with a single paper towel. It irks me when I see guys go up and grab one after another after another after another... well you get my point.

Apparently I am not the only one this bothers, but this guy puts a lot more thought into it that I ever did.

http://www.ted.com/talks/joe_smith_how_to_use_a_paper_towel.html

I shake like he demonstrates, but I find 6-7 good shakes sufficient. Maybe I have small hands. The bit about the folding is far more interesting to me than it should be (it's spelled "interstitial suspension" and good luck finding anything on it). You will also learn an interesting fact about the number twelve.

-Other Dude

Motivation

Dear Other Dude,

Every day, in every way, you get better and better.

Thanks,

Dude

And now for something completely different...

When I hear a guy refer to a woman in the context of a 10 point scale, I find it crude and appalling. It's wrong in the obvious objectifying ways, but also the scale is wrong. Most guys, especially those that would rate woman in such a way, don't understand that Beauty is Boolean.

What does that mean? Beauty is either there, or it isn't. It is true or it is false. It is a 1 or a 0!

Don't get me wrong, "beauty is still in the eye of the beholder." We're not here to test that axiom. Just the one that put's one beauty over another. Beauty is not something to be put in order. Perhaps it could be put into a category, but not in an order. A beautiful car is rather different than a beautiful flower. I might appreciate or even prefer one car or flower over another, but is one less beautiful? To be more specific, if I can appreciate the beauty of one... should I not appreciate the beauty of all.