User:Viewfinder

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Hello World!

My name is Jonathan de Ferranti and my year of birth is 1957. My e-mail address, and more about me, can be found on my home page. My main interests are hiking and topographic research. My favorite quotes are "live and let live" and "the free flow of knowledge is strength". My main dislikes are elitocracy, misinformation, disinformation, copyright, patents, intellectual property and the general privatisation of knowledge. My number one dislike is political and commercial distortion of fact, particularly in the field of topography. Long live Wikipedia!

Economic theory tells us that the general interest is best served when price is based on cost of reproduction. It follows that what can be reproduced cheaply should be priced accordingly. Viewfinder 11:15, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

I make one reservation to the above comments - other people's research should not be reproduced without proper credit. Viewfinder 17:07, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Some thoughts about Wikipedia

Wikipedia has been criticised for being anti-elitist. Yes, I think it does have an anti-elitist streak, but I see that as good. I oppose the control of information by elitocracy.

Wikipedia has been criticised for being inaccurate. No, Wikipedia does not always get it right but then neither do the long established encyclopedias. See the claim in Encyclopedia Britannica that Ulugh Muztagh is over 7,700 metres, for example. See also the claim by Guinness World Records that Khardungla Pass as 5,682 metres high and the world's highest motorable road pass. Also note that Wikipedia has many more articles, and they are often kept right up to date by enthusiastic editors.

It is claimed that the fact that anyone can edit Wikipedia downgrades its professional quality. But, unlike other encyclopedias, anyone can correct it and revert incompetent edits! Vandalism almost invariably has a short life, although there has been the occasional unfortunate exception. The professional researchers should welcome good faith criticism from the general public. They are free to use Wikipedia to improve their own work.

However, if you Google search on almost any subject, the Wikipedia article on that subject will be top or near the top. This means that the Wikipedia biographies of famous people are likely to be among the most frequently read. Many critics are concerned that this gives malicious editors the power to damage reputations, often by adding improperly sourced or downmarket titillating material. I strive to assist those who are trying to counter these editors. Viewfinder 18:42, 1 August 2006 (UTC)