209 replies to this topic

[Jim Thurman]

For my wide-ranging tastes and interests, Wikipedia is very much improved these days compared to the early garbage it presented on almost every subject imaginable.  

 

Just be thankful for small mercies and - where it matters - double-check what it tells you.  

 

There's little profit surely in fulminating here about its manifest shortcomings, its policies seem unlikely to be changed by a handful of critics here - however expert or vocal they may be.  

 

Above all, whatever BS Wikipedia perpetuates it's not as if its inaccuracies will delay a cure for cancer...and I'd be pretty confident that the sun will still rise regardless tomorrow morning...  

 

One moment here Doug, aren't you the fellow who recently wrote: "Does historical accuracy matter if it makes a good story? Of course it does." 

[Michael Ferner]

Another wonderful passage from Wikipedia, this one on Ernie Triplett:

 

"He was killed from injuries sustained in a dirt-car accident. His Wife, Annie remarried twice more to two other Nascar drivers; the first remarry also dying in a car accident while racing."

 

Language aside, his wife's name was Lillian. She did marry Bob Swanson, who died a midget accident in 1940, but there was no third racer, though I have seen/read this incorrect claim. NASCAR would not be formed until 1948, more than 7 years + some months after the death of Bob Swanson.

 

The only corrections to this wonderful passage? The person who wrote the above went in and corrected her name to Lil, and another helpful soul changed Nascar to NASCAR   

 

We had this discussion before, I'm sure, although I don't remember the details, but reading through the November 27, 1974 issue of US West coast magazine "Racing Wheels" (as you do), I notice the article "Reminiscing" by Earl Sedgwick, which mentions the whereabouts of some former Pacific Coast stars, concluding with:

 

E. C. [i.e. "Woody"] Woodford - Lives in San Diego area and is married to the widow of Ernie Triplett, and later Bob Swanson.

[Sterzo]

Today I was reading an excellent, well-researched and well-reviewed book. You know, one of those paper things. I learned that over ten people died in the 1903 Paris-Madrid. I thought it was eight. There was a reference to the 1904 French Grand Prix at the Circuit des Ardennes. Felice Nazzaro's "strategy"  was "to allow the competition to begin leading the race, scope out their strengths and weaknesses, and then steal the lead and win." No doubt the author lifted that from a contemporary newspaper. I'd like to know how, starting at one minute intervals and having no source of information. I still respect this book and shall almost certainly recommend it when I've finished.

 

My point? Wikipedia did not invent inaccuracy.

[Ian G]

My point? Wikipedia did not invent inaccuracy.

 

Yep,like everything on the Net you have to check facts before taking anything as Gospel.

 

Military invented inaccuracies Centuries ago,misinformation,disinformation etc,putting spin on just about everything that did not go as planned.

Political entities and later Madison Avenue turned it into an art form.  

[Fatgadget]

Wiki is now a generic term. So..

[Jim Thurman]

We had this discussion before, I'm sure, although I don't remember the details, but reading through the November 27, 1974 issue of US West coast magazine "Racing Wheels" (as you do), I notice the article "Reminiscing" by Earl Sedgwick, which mentions the whereabouts of some former Pacific Coast stars, concluding with:

Quote

E. C. [i.e. "Woody"] Woodford - Lives in San Diego area and is married to the widow of Ernie Triplett, and later Bob Swanson.

 

Michael, I think we can both agree this was quite a feat for Mr. Woodford. My next thought is, was the former Mrs. Triplett aware?     Back in "The Good Old Days", many writers were going either solely by recall, or that coupled with what lthey had to refer to (books, magazines, newspapers), and I'm sure that was the case with Earl Sedgwick. I'm still amazed how often these fellows got things right with that approach.

 

And how is it you've managed to be able to read any Racing WHEELS newspapers?    My effort to get them digitized met a typical dead end 

[Jim Thurman]

 

My point? Wikipedia did not invent inaccuracy.

 

Absolutely. What I've tried to point out is the number of errors at Wikipedia that seem solely invented by whoever entered it, many of them seemingly conjured out of thin air. They are ones I've never seen in print. Some I mentioned were understandable confusion or lack of general knowledge, but others are so utterly off-the-wall they defy logic. The oft repeated ones from books and magazines are a given, it's the original content that concerns me 

[Michael Ferner]

What makes you so sure that Woody and Lilian didn't marry?
 
As for RACING WHEELS, try https://public.fotki...magazine-scans/. It's a bit of an eclectic smorgasbord of scans, but better than nothing.

[Jim Thurman]

What makes you so sure that Woody and Lilian didn't marry?
 
As for RACING WHEELS, try https://public.fotki...magazine-scans/. It's a bit of an eclectic smorgasbord of scans, but better than nothing.

 

It's certainly possible that Woody and Lilian could have married. I was referring to Woody's whereabouts in 1974. It would have been quite the feat for Woody Woodford to be in San Diego in 1974.

 

Ah, yes, Marty Kobata's site, which was my first thought as to where you'd been. It's about the only place online where there are any scans of Racing WHEELS.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 22 March 2020 - 17:57.

[Michael Ferner]

Ah, I get it... Clean forgot about Woody biting the dust. Have been having my head full of Stanley Woods, Ed Kretz and the like, recently. 

 

Since we're speaking of Woody, I dimly recall he was a cousin/brother-in-law/something else to another prominent driver, I want to say Mel McKee? Does that sound right?