Topic: Wikipedia

John Dvorak's "Tip of the Day" recommends using Britannica.com as a professionally curated alternative to Wikipedia. The suggestion follows reports of a typhus outbreak in Los Angeles and news of an AI bot being banned from Wikipedia for autonomously updating articles. The hosts argue that the internet is "breaking" as automated systems increasingly clash with human-curated platforms.

The hosts discuss the Wikimedia Foundation's 2023 revenue of $245 million, claiming it acts as a "slush fund" for DEI initiatives and intelligence operations. They contrast Wikipedia's funding model with their own "Value for Value" system. A brief clip also mocks the term "Chrismukkah" used in a PBS report.

Investigative reporter Christopher Rufo published findings alleging that Kamala Harris plagiarized sections of her 2009 book, "Smart on Crime." The report claims Harris copied passages verbatim from a John Jay College press release and Wikipedia without proper attribution, leading to a debate over copyright violations and academic integrity in political writing.

A study published in Nature magazine reveals that AI models fed on AI-generated data quickly "collapse" into nonsense. Researchers found that by the ninth generation of training on synthetic text, the output becomes incoherent. This "model collapse" theory suggests that the cost of training models will increase while quality decreases if they cannot access original human-generated content.

Wikipedia editors have officially designated the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) as an "unreliable source" regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. The decision stems from concerns that the ADL's advocacy work taints its research and data. ADL representatives defended their methodologies on *Morning Joe*, arguing that excluding their data will lead to an increase in anti-Semitic incidents.

Reflecting on the late 90s, the hosts recall how Yahoo dominated search before Google's rise, suggesting it takes a decade to unseat a market leader. They prompt ChatGPT for a description of the "No Agenda" podcast, finding the result surprisingly accurate and comparable to a Wikipedia entry. A brief mention is made of Mycroft, an open-source alternative to Siri and Alexa.

A host tests the beta version of Google Bard, which provided inaccurate personal information about Adam Curry's family and history of being banned from Twitter. The discussion covers the high cost of running AI queries and the looming legal battles regarding plagiarism and copyright violations by AI models.

The Grayzone and its contributors have been "deprecated" as sources on Wikipedia, meaning their reporting cannot be cited on the platform. This move is attributed to a "regime change racket" within Wikipedia's editing cabal, specifically citing a user named Philip Cross who allegedly spends excessive time scrubbing anti-imperialist voices and protecting US hegemony narratives.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared on Meet the Press to defend the appointment of Nina Jankowitz, describing her as eminently qualified for the role. Critics point to her background in Russian and Ukrainian political science and her work at the Woodrow Wilson Center as evidence of deep-state ties. Observations are made regarding the sparse nature of her Wikipedia entry and her personal interests in musical theater.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki introduced the term "Putin's Price Hike" to blame rising gas and food prices on the invasion of Ukraine. The hosts investigate the term "headline inflation," finding its Wikipedia entry dates back to 2007. They argue the administration is using "alliteration" and new economic categories to distract from domestic policy failures.

Adam Curry discusses his past conflict regarding the Wikipedia entry for podcasting, where he was accused by Rogers Cadenhead of editing the page to inflate his own importance. Curry explains he was unaware of the unwritten rule against editing one's own entry. The hosts critique Wikipedia's reliability and its use as a PR tool for figures like Noam Chomsky.

The hosts discuss the growth of No Agenda Social, a federated Mastodon instance, and the broader movement toward decentralized social networks and Wikipedia alternatives. These projects aim to create "cancel-proof" platforms that operate without algorithms or centralized corporate control.

The "Standard Man" or "Reference Man" is a theoretical model established by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in 1974. This individual is defined as being 20-30 years old, weighing 70 kilograms (154 lbs), and standing 170 centimeters (5'6") tall. The definition specifically identifies the subject as a Caucasian of Western European or North American habitat, a standard now criticized for its lack of diversity.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has launched WT.Social, a social network intended to compete with Facebook without selling user data. However, the site currently requires a monthly subscription fee of $12.99 or a $100 annual payment for immediate access, placing users on a long waiting list otherwise. The lack of a "free taste" or visible timeline is criticized as a poor business strategy.

The hosts continue testing NewsGuard on various digital platforms, noting that Breitbart is flagged with a red exclamation mark while the Drudge Report remains unrated. Wikipedia receives a blue informational icon due to its user-generated nature. They suggest the rating system is biased against independent media and serves the interests of large advertising agencies.

The state of modern journalism is critiqued for its heavy reliance on PR Newswire and the decline of professional fact-checking. Many news stories are reportedly derived directly from corporate press releases, with interns checking facts against Wikipedia rather than primary sources. This shift has led to a news cycle driven by social media outrage and "native ads" rather than independent investigative reporting.

John C. Dvorak argues that the modern version of Thanksgiving involving pilgrims and Indians is a "bogus" holiday. He asserts that the holiday was actually established by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 to give thanks for the end of the Civil War. He further claims the inclusion of turkey was a marketing scam by the poultry industry to sell large birds.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales launched Wikitribune, a news service intended to combat fake news through factual and neutral reporting. The hosts express skepticism about the project's ability to remain truly neutral, suggesting that the platform's collaborative nature may lead to inherent biases. They characterize the initiative as a rebranding of existing Wikipedia news efforts.

Burger King released a 15-second television ad designed to trigger Google Home devices by saying, "OK Google, what is the Whopper burger?" This caused devices to read the Whopper's Wikipedia entry, which was promptly vandalized by internet users to include ingredients like "cyanide" and "medium-sized child." Google eventually disabled the specific voice trigger, highlighting a new conflict between advertisers and smart device ecosystems.

Whistleblower John Bates, a former lead scientist at NOAA, alleged that the agency manipulated data to hide a "global warming hiatus" ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Summit. Bates claimed that high-quality buoy data was discarded in favor of flawed ship data to make the oceans appear warmer. The discussion notes that Wikipedia has since banned the Daily Mail as a source after it broke the story.