User:Jgm

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Enjoying my time here.

1 Wiki sophomore philosophy
2 Wiki cream
3 Wiki cream, II
4 Wiki cream, III
5 On inclusion
6 Wiki Sophomore Philosophy, II
7 Selected pages I started
8 Selected pages I've contributed to

[edit] Wiki sophomore philosophy

The appeal of the Wikipedia is a reflection of Nature's Cycle to bring order from chaos and then to return back to chaos. Man is merely an expressive means through which order is achieved. It is an eternal cycle, and continues without end.

[edit] Wiki cream

However, I'm beginning to see Wikipedia articles (and, by extension, the Wikipedia itself) as analogous to whipping cream. At first there is great anticipation as the raw material is revealed and the process of whipping it into shape begins. When conditions are right, at some point, the churning and friction result in something approaching ideal -- well structured, tasty, substantive.

The problem is that the whipping never stops. What was near-perfect turns into homogenous goo; the main ingredient hasn't changed and it's still capable of meeting basic dietary needs, but far less enjoyable to consume.

[edit] Wiki cream, II

Some cream is more difficult to whip than other cream.

And then there are those who insist on throwing their favorite flavor into everything.

[edit] Wiki cream, III

Several people have recently pointed out that "if you whip cream long enough, you get butter". Well, yes, but I wouldn't want to eat it in that in-between stage.

[edit] On inclusion

A good reference puts as much work into defining what it doesn't include as what it does. This is a primary challenge of the Wikipedia, where deletion of others' work is considered bad form.

[edit] Wiki Sophomore Philosophy, II

As the Wikipedia effort grows, there exists a personality litmus test: some people -- those whose primary instinct is to create order from chaos -- continue to focus on the end product, while others -- those whose primary instinct is to build relationships, power, and influence -- focus on the community aspects. The result is a model for the organic growth of a bureaucracy.