More Wikipedia

I've been browsing Wikipedia articles for several hours, and before I fall asleep I wish to offer some more observations on the topic. The "many-voice" phenomenon is annoyingly clear, especially in such controversial topics as Cold Fusion. The article is quite enlightening about the subject, but it is nevertheless awkward to read a document in which the very paragraphs seem to be at war with each other.

To be more specific, "the author" devotes a great deal of attention to the reality or at least demonstrated plausibility of a cold-fusion effect. It is noted that there are thousands of published papers on the subject of cold fusion, that the claimed measurements are quite significant (far above background levels), and that some experiments have proven to be repeatable. "The author" then notes that "It is not difficult to be convinced that such phenomenon is impossible."

I would propose two adjustments to the Wikipedia process: (1) A good peer-review process for proposed edits; (2) A more complete and direct identification of the contributors, their biographies and qualifications; and (3) Where there are opposing views on a topic, clearly label them as such and divide them into separate documents or sections. One voice at a time, please.

That MIT Time Traveler Convention Thing

Although the convention itself is only a day away in linear time, your future efforts could still effect the turnout. Please help the MIT Time Traveler Convention guy.

I stuck the info into copies of In Search of Lost Time and a big book of 18th century Dutch architecture at the UCSD library. I figure that if Proust doesn't survive, nothing will.

UPDATE: Yikes. Now there's a Times story about it. Of course, some of us have known about it for days. We're called MeFi snobs.

"The calculation of alpha is quite difficult."

"The result is alpha = (pi^2)/4."

There is no calculation.

Earlier:

The derivation of the Fermi energy in three dimensions is somewhat difficult, so we will just give the result.

Perhaps my appearance deceives you, Mr. Text. Perhaps you've mistaken me for something that I am not. I appears as though you consider me a mook.

Give me the damn derivation. I can handle it. I swear. If I can't, I'll read it a thousand times. How dare you force me into another book.

Fuck, Mr. Text, I'm left with the impression that advanced solid state physics is actually hard.

Whatever, man.