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*** reminder *** Virgil
Griffith, tonight Sept 15, 6p.
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Un-hacking Wikipedia:
Who's Editing that
Wikimedia
Page?
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Virgil Griffith speaks at Santa Fe Complex, 632 Agua
Fria, on September 15th at 6:00 p.m. Parking is available
from via Romero St. Admission is free but a $5.00
contribution is suggested. Light refreshments will be
available. For more information, call 505/216.7562 or visit
sfcomplex.org.
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Wiki Edits
I've Known
and Loved
Don't Like
History? Rewrite It.
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We can expect the electoral campaign season to be
filled with the usual rewrites of history, similar to the
recent New York Times story on the
changes made to Sarah Palin's wikipedia page the night
before she was introduced as John McCain's running mate.
WikiScanner creator Virgil Griffith
(aka Romanpoet) will offer his analysis of the various ways
people and corporations try to rewrite history--or, at
least, their Wikipedia pages--on September 15 at 6:00.
Admission is free but a $5.00 contribution is
suggested. Virgil, a graduate student in computation
and neural systems at Caltech, spends his weekends using
"data-mining to make the Internet a better and more
interesting place." He is also a visiting researcher at the
Santa Fe Institute where he studies emergence and innovation
in evolutionary systems and the dynamics of living
systems Virgil describes Wikipedia as "Wikipedia is
a staple of the Internet user's information diet." That
isn't necessarily good, however, as he cautions: "Because of
this, Wikipedia is also laden with manipulation, forgery,
and the downright unscrupulous." Which leads to his
current passion--or, at least one of his passions--tracking
down the clandestine edits designed to buff up a reputation
in Wikipedia. As the New York Times
says, "Griffith created a computer program to unmask
Wikipedia vandals." That program, WikiScanner,
offers trackbacks to the networks used when anyone changes a
Wikipedia page. While it can't tell who made the edits, it
points in the direction of the editor. That means a bit more
sleuthing can, potentially, identify the
culprit. Virgil speaks at Santa Fe Complex on Monday,
September 15 at 6:00 for an informal discussion of his work,
the future of wikis and questions from his
audience. |
What Can You Do?
As a follow-on to Virgil Griffith's discussion of Wikipedia
edits, Santa Fe Complex will host a three-part seminar on
using the Internet to understand the infomation and
disinformation in the current national and local political
campaign. Journalist and professor Tom Johnson will lead the
sessions. Participants will have assignments and will help
build a wiki that can be used by the general public this
fall in New Mexico. Click here more
information. |
Virgil Griffith News and
Info
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- Official Site: Virgil Griffith
- Wikipedia: Virgil Griffith
- Official Site: The WikiScanner
- ABC News: Wiki-Revise: CIA, Politicians, Microsoft
Change Their Wikipedia Entries (August 14,
2007)
- Wired Blog: Vote on the Most Shameful Wikipedia Spin
Jobs (August 13, 2007)
- NPR: Scanner Tracks Who's Changing What on
Wikipedia (August 16, 2007)
- Lifehacker: Identify anonymous edits with Wikipedia
Scanner (August 15, 2007)
- Reuters: CIA, FBI computers used for Wikipedia
edits (August 16, 2007)
- New York Times: Seeing Corporate Fingerprints in Wikipedia
Edits (August 19, 2007)
- Wired: See Who's Editing Wikipedia: Diebold, the
CIA, a Campaign (August 14, 2007)
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| Coming Event: Richard Bassara
Concert Kicks Off Occam's Razor Festivities |
In the spirit of Occam's Razor, Robert Bassara will offer a
"Symphony of the Solo String" on Saturday, September 27
beginning at 7:00 pm.
Bassara, a world traveler,
artist, and ethno-musicologist, will play some of the
simplest and most exotically named instruments -- with
exotic names like ecktar, birembaud, winged thing, kyi tzi,
jaws a phone, breathe flute, bird flute and ker pe -- in
this one-night performance. His performance is a prologue to
the Occam's Razor
show, which opens on October 18th.
Bassara has
collected, borrowed, modified, invented, designed,
handcrafted or fabricated all the instruments he plays. He
will be joined by several other musicians in concert as well
as the artists whose work will be displayed in the actual
show. The concert is free; a contribution of $5.00 is
suggested. Click here for more
information.
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Come Visit
Us
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Santa
Fe Complex is located in the Railyard Art District within
walking distance of the hotels, restaurants and shops at the
plaza downtown. We're housed in two facilities, the project
space at 624 Agua Fria and the work space at 632 Agua
Fria. The conference area contains meeting rooms and
facilities for short-term use associated with on-going
sfComplex projects. The project space houses the great room,
where we hold events and offer Internet access, working
facilities, a coffee lounge and work carrels for laptop
users. While there is parking at 624 Agua Fria, the
Romero Street parking lot is more conveniently located for
the 632 facility. Romero St. is an old-style Santa Fe
ox-cart road just east of the 624 driveway. Follow it until
it opens up to two lanes and turn hard right into the
parking lot for 632. Here's a map to
our location, a representative shot showing the Railyard
District and a sketchup drawing of the facility at 632. For
more information, call 505/216.7562 or click here. |
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Don
Begley
Managing Director
Santa Fe Complex
624 Agua
Fria St
Santa Fe, NM 87501
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Santa Fe Complex | 624 Agua Fria
| Santa Fe | NM | 87501 | 
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