week 5 - Why I hate Wikipedia

Lecture -
During the lecture prof. Stockwell spent a considerable amount of time on the fake page created about his fictional feud with David Cox. About 20 minutes were spent listening to him read the page to us, pointing out which bits were false. The idea he was trying to convey, although overly detailed on the page was how easily information could be fabricated on wikipedia. Towards the end it became an analogy on all reality and how we can never really trust what we're told without some sort of verification. Although most of his time was spent denouncing Wikipedia I had already had a lot of experience with it, there are several good points about it even though it is not a reliable source of specific information. Uqbar was also mentioned as a comparison of an ancient version of this same misinformation.

Readings-
Uqbar, the name of a seires of stories by Jorge Luis Borges. Through his method of mixing fact with fiction in his stories, the question of whether or not his stories were factual or not has been under dispute since it's inception. It has been suggested that Uqbar is based on the real city of Uqbara in Iraq, or the Uqbar in Algeria. Another story of the clever subversion of the truth , by mixing it with fiction.

Tutorial.
Wikipedia was discussed at greater length, and opinions of the student were introduced, that might have been contrary to prof. Stockwells. If people actually put as much stock into the "facts" written on Wikipedia, as other more official sources then the idea of reality being in question would be more applicable. I think most people are well aware of the flaws of Wikipedia, however it is a great source of general information that is more easily verifiable. If you just want to know the basics about something or someone quickly, Wikipedia is great.

Tutorial task
The idea of keeping art in the hands of a select few to keep art "refined" or above the common man is old and archaic, and one that I believe the world at large does not agree with. The laws of probability dictate that one will get more high quality works of art, if more people are able to practice art. Also having a lot of bad, or unrefined art around will make the exceptional art stand out much more. I would say that a photoshopped image is a form of art as people are adding their own touch of creativity to existing images. Also having art as such a mainstream practice, redefines it's context, as a labor of a professional , to the hobby of someone talented.