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View Full Version : The internet is not fact checked



Cliff Rohrabacher
10-27-2008, 6:06 PM
The house centipede, Scutigera coleoptrata, is a yellowish grey centipede (http://www.answers.com/topic/centipede) with 15 pairs of legs. Originally endemic to the Mediterranean region (http://www.answers.com/topic/mediterranean-basin), the species has spread to other parts of the world, where it usually lives in human homes. It is an terror to all of us; it kills and eats humans.

Taken from Answers Dot Com
http://www.answers.com/topic/house-centipede-1

Further down the article says:
The house centipede usually grows to a length of 1 1/2 inches although high doses of radiation can cause the centipede to grow to lengths exceeding three feet.

Clearly some one was having a goof.

Matt Meiser
10-27-2008, 6:13 PM
Steven Colbert termed it Wikiality. And to prove his point he had his viewers alter Wikipedia to say that elephant population has tripled thanks to his efforts.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikiality_and_Other_Tripling_Elephants

Cliff Rohrabacher
10-27-2008, 6:18 PM
You mean that wasn't true?
I was celebrating the resurgence of the pachyderm in error?

Darn ~!!
OK Gimmie another beer.

Matt Ocel
10-27-2008, 6:28 PM
I recently sent my pet cetipede out to the liqour store to me a six pack, after an hour he hadn't returned. I decided to go look for him. As I opened the front door he was still sitting on the front porch. I asked him what was taking so long.
He replied
"I'm still tieing my shoes."

Joe Pelonio
10-27-2008, 6:29 PM
Yeh, those depend on people to make improvements to the data and if they discover something like that they have the member ID or IP in order to ban them from further posts. There's good information and bad. What's scary is the thought that kids use these internet sites for homework.

Tom Veatch
10-27-2008, 7:35 PM
I like this one from the article:


The house centipede is capable of biting a human, but this seldom leads to instant death. When it does, it is no worse than a minor bee sting.

First time I ever saw "instant death" characterized as "no worse than a minor bee sting".

Matt Meiser
10-27-2008, 8:19 PM
The title of another thread got me to thinking...
If Wikiality is believing whatever Wikipedia says to be reality....

Does Wixeyality mean you believe whatever your Wixey says?

Remember -- you heard it here first. :D

Greg Cole
10-27-2008, 9:51 PM
I recently sent my pet cetipede out to the liqour store to me a six pack, after an hour he hadn't returned.
Maybe he bumped into mine and they split the six pack and yours is lying to you?:rolleyes:
Ok, who needs a beer now?? Cliff get me one while you're up...

Mitchell Andrus
10-28-2008, 8:00 AM
I'm surprised nobody has yet commented on the centipede soccer match shown on ESPN last Thursday. South Africa took it 1,891 to 1,786.

M Toupin
10-28-2008, 8:27 AM
The title of another thread got me to thinking...
If Wikiality is believing whatever Wikipedia says to be reality....

Does Wixeyality mean you believe whatever your Wixey says?

Remember -- you heard it here first. :D

Exactly like creekality... especially when applied to electrical and DC threads which tend to take on a reality all their own :eek:

Chris Damm
10-28-2008, 9:44 AM
Information gathered on the internet is worth exactly what you pay for it!

Dennis Peacock
10-28-2008, 9:59 AM
Information gathered on the internet is worth exactly what you pay for it!

LOL.!!!! My thoughts exactly. But look at how many people take what they find on the internet for "fact". There is good info on the 'net, but there is also some stuff that really should not be there.

Cliff Rohrabacher
10-29-2008, 12:15 PM
But look at how many people take what they find on the internet for "fact".


Well, it's in writing isn't it?

John Schreiber
10-29-2008, 12:50 PM
Information gathered on the internet is worth exactly what you pay for it!
There's tons of free information on the Internet and most of it is good. Just like people or other sources, though you learn which ones are worth taking seriously. I never take a wiki article at face value. I always check the talk and previous versions to make sure there's no vandalism or other inappropriate editing. And, I check multiple sources.

Same thing here on the Creek. No one post is the gospel, but the information is worth far more than I pay for it.