52 replies to this topic

[William Hunt]

Could someone here with a Wikipedia account interfere here bevause an idiot is destroying the 1984 F1 page (possibly more that I don't know off.

https://en.m.wikiped...ld_Championship

He has replaced the McLaren name, has put a fake inexisting driver name 'Pete Thomas (with a German flag) in the McLaren (renamed Moody by him)

He has also moved Senna from Toleman to 'Moody' and put Boutsen in Senna's Toleman...

Can this bastard wiki hooligan be stopped please?

Can someone fix this asap please?
Who knows what else he did...

Edited by William Hunt, 18 March 2025 - 19:01.

[pRy]

Blimey you're on the ball. Those changes were made three hours ago.
 
Here's everything the user has edited if you want some reassurance other F1 pages aren't impacted.
 
https://en.wikipedia...scarmaebrinnger

[Afterburner]

Is Pete Tomas the guy who got beat by Mark Plourde?

[Nicktendo86]

What an absolute spanner

[BertoC]

So random. Why the 84 season?

[lustigson]

Fixed.

[pdac]

Do you need a wikipedia account to change anything on there? Isn't that the point of 'wiki'.

[chdphd]

Nope. They keep track via IP addresses and stuff, but it's fallible. I was banned for six months because I apparently edited pages about some rap singer I had never heard of.

 

I created an account for when I want to make some edits.

Edited by chdphd, 18 March 2025 - 21:49.

[William Hunt]

So random. Why the 84 season?

Probably because he thought people would realize it later as on a more recent season.

I accidently saw him changing stuff on the 1984 page because I wanted to check how much slower François Hesnault exactly had been as Andrea de Cesaris in 1984. That was because I just read an article in a magazine about Hesnault.

Off course Hesnault also drove for Brabham (half a season before the much quicker Marc Surer replaced him) and one race for Renault (in a third camera car) in 1985.

Edited by William Hunt, 19 March 2025 - 00:32.

[jonpollak]

Is Pete Tomas the guy who got beat by Mark Plourde?

Elvis Costello’s drummer ?
Jp

[pup]

The vandalism is running deeper, now they’ve invented a guy named Alain Prost and given him his own Wikipedia page.

[AByrne27]

One of the more bizarre cases of Wikipedia vandalism I encountered was on the page for the 1931 Italian Grand Prix, where someone multiplied the race distance by ten (1,550 laps in 100 hours instead of 155 laps in 10), and then added a sentence calling it the longest motor race in history. I still wonder how this was supposed to be amusing even to the perpetrator...

[jradicals]

I was thinking it is some guy who has told someone he raced in F1 in the 1980s to impress them, and thought 1984 was far enough back that he could just send them the Wikipedia article and nobody would question it. As long as this Mr Tomas somewhat resembled Alain Prost who was pictured above his name   

But then in that case I don't know why the McLaren name had to be changed too. Very odd.

[pdac]

It's to the benefit of people who sell encyclopaedias and other authoritative material to foster distrust in a free online service.

[JimmyClark]

It's to the benefit of people who sell encyclopaedias and other authoritative material to foster distrust in a free online service.

Big Encyclopedia have a lot to answer for.

[Beri]

It's to the benefit of people who sell encyclopaedias and other authoritative material to foster distrust in a free online service.

I genuinely wonder who up here still has encyclopedias and if they were purchased during the last 10 years or not. Because for the life of me I can't imagine someone recently buying one.

[1player]

I genuinely wonder who up here still has encyclopedias and if they were purchased during the last 10 years or not. Because for the life of me I can't imagine someone recently buying one.

I don't but I still vividly remember how many times, as a curious kid, I wanted to know more about a topic and it wasn't present in my grandma's 25 volume encyclopaedia. Wikipedia with all its faults is one of the greatest things humanity has ever created.

[PayasYouRace]

It's to the benefit of people who sell encyclopaedias and other authoritative material to foster distrust in a free online service.

[SenorSjon]

Since we're talking about the wiki's.

 

There was once a vivid argument about the English wiki pages for showing the constructor points per driver/car number or in highest points order for a given race. 

Compare:

https://nl.wikipedia...e_constructeurs

https://en.wikipedia...nship_standings

 

Up until 2013 it was easy to see on the English pages as well. Now it is just annoying to look up and to me rather pointless.

Edited by SenorSjon, 19 March 2025 - 10:26.

[Risil]

It's to the benefit of people who sell encyclopaedias and other authoritative material to foster distrust in a free online service.

Penn from Penn and Teller, what a guy

[JimmyClark]

When I was young I really wanted the whole collection of Encyclopaedia Britannica. And to be honest I still do - if I ever see a full set on a good deal, I'll likely buy it. But indeed, for information Wikipedia is just unparalleled.

[PayasYouRace]

Could someone here with a Wikipedia account interfere here bevause an idiot is destroying the 1984 F1 page (possibly more that I don't know off.

https://en.m.wikiped...ld_Championship

He has replaced the McLaren name, has put a fake inexisting driver name 'Pete Thomas (with a German flag) in the McLaren (renamed Moody by him)

He has also moved Senna from Toleman to 'Moody' and put Boutsen in Senna's Toleman...

Can this bastard wiki hooligan be stopped please?

Can someone fix this asap please?
Who knows what else he did...

Do you have a Wikipedia account? Asking here isn’t exactly going to get things fixed rapidly. Though by the time I went to the page it had been corrected. I know that well supported pages such as F1 topics tend to get edited and fixed rapidly when a vandal comes along. Wikipedia is quite good for that.

 

Just looks like a bit of petty vandalism. Those names hardly ping back when you search for them. Storm in a teacup.

[jonpollak]

Asking here isn’t exactly going to get things fixed rapidly. Though by the time went to the page it had been corrected.

Fixed.

5th post down…
Jp

[Collombin]

Wikipedia deals remarkably well with vandalism in general, someone is usually on the case pretty quickly. For that reason it's a far greater success than you might expect of something so easily vulnerable to sabotage.

Where wiki has problems is when it takes things from authoritative but incorrect sources. Some known errors are simply not worth trying to correct because some well meaning person will soon "fix" it again with strong sources to support them.

[Risil]

Fwiw that's not limited to Wikipedia either...

 

I suppose what a historian would do is record the differences between various secondary sources and evaluate their likelihood/improbability. Not sure if Wikipedia's processes are well set up for that.

[ensign14]

Fwiw that's not limited to Wikipedia either...

 

I suppose what a historian would do is record the differences between various secondary sources and evaluate their likelihood/improbability. Not sure if Wikipedia's processes are well set up for that.

There is an issue because of a philosophical attitude that sources have to be secondary rather than primary - because secondary sources denote notability.  If something is reported by a total neutral, it must be important.  But for many things there are ONLY primary sources.  My prime focus of research for instance is 19th century football and whereas the clubs that still survive have their early histories recorded by books and newspapers a century later, nobody is going to do that for, to take one random example, Wood Grange F.C., who were Notable in their day by being one of the first FA Cup entrants.

 

One way to get around that is to say any newspaper report counts as a secondary source rather than primary...

[Myrvold]

Since we're talking about the wiki's.
 
There was once a vivid argument about the English wiki pages for showing the constructor points per driver/car number or in highest points order for a given race. 
Compare:
https://nl.wikipedia...e_constructeurs
 
<a data-ipb="nomediaparse" data-cke-saved-href="https://en.wikipedia...ld_Constructors" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Formula_One_World_Championship#World_Constructors" _championship_standings"="">Up until 2013 it was easy to see on the English pages as well. Now it is just annoying to look up and to me rather pointless.

Oh wow.NL is so much better!!

Edited by Myrvold, 19 March 2025 - 18:34.

[PlatenGlass]

I remember when the Wikipedia thought that from 1981 to 1984 all rounds counted towards the drivers' championship because the best 11 rule was never "tested".

[Collombin]

I remember when the Wikipedia thought that from 1981 to 1984 all rounds counted towards the drivers' championship because the best 11 rule was never "tested".

It's still wrong about 1975. The season was an 8-6 split, not 7-7.

[DW46]

This Pete Thomas guy sounds like a decent driver especially to run Lauda so closely.

[JacnGille]

[aportinga]

Mark Plourde is at it again!

[pdac]

Penn from Penn and Teller, what a guy

 

Patented a device too.

[Risil]

Patented a device too.

 

I think I know the one you mean -- let's leave it there!

[pdac]

Do you have a Wikipedia account? Asking here isn’t exactly going to get things fixed rapidly. Though by the time I went to the page it had been corrected. I know that well supported pages such as F1 topics tend to get edited and fixed rapidly when a vandal comes along. Wikipedia is quite good for that.

 

Just looks like a bit of petty vandalism. Those names hardly ping back when you search for them. Storm in a teacup.

 

Last time I looked, you don't need to have an account to edit a page. Just click on the `edit` link and make your changes. Most 'wiki's are that way.

[Afterburner]

I think I know the one you mean -- let's leave it there!

Can Likely Infer Through Just Enough Thinking 

[Jim Thurman]

Wikipedia deals remarkably well with vandalism in general, someone is usually on the case pretty quickly. For that reason it's a far greater success than you might expect of something so easily vulnerable to sabotage.

Where wiki has problems is when it takes things from authoritative but incorrect sources. Some known errors are simply not worth trying to correct because some well meaning person will soon "fix" it again with strong sources to support them.

Not so sure about the first part. I've run across "histories" of a couple of small California towns that had been vandalized for years before I stumbled across them and went in and changed them. Both were glaringly obvious too (the names of the "founders" not matching the town name, and a mountain in Nigeria being visible from there)

 

The second part. Yes. A big yes. Try correctly editing a Wikipedia page with something not available online.

 

On the internet, seemingly almost everyone is some form of "The Joker." Life was so much better without having to deal with that 

Edited by Jim Thurman, 19 March 2025 - 16:52.

[KWSN - DSM]

Growing up we had the "Salmonsens Lexicon" the Dictionary which settled any and all disagreements coming up in during conversations, and the three of use took turns with the intent of reading all of it - Slight stone in the shoe, Salmonson were published in 1936, meaning the disagreements had to be before that.

[Risil]

I can't think of any major disagreements that occurred after 1936

[juicy sushi]

The user seems to have been read the riot act twice in a week and seems to be in the formal process of getting the ban hammer swung at them, so whatever jollies they've been getting, they won't be able to for much longer.

[Lemnpiper]

Wow,   

 

One time i went to the wikipedia site of my father;s hometown in Minnesota and was surprised to see it was the KAZOO  capitol of Minnesota???????(or some such nonsence)

 Needless to say about a month later  the kazoo reference was gone.   

 

  The town population about 420 then , i'm sure whoever posted the kazoo(or whatever it was)  figured the small town folks would never become  wise  of the reference on wikipedia.     For that reason i'll bet there are lots of edits at wikipedia with "cute" comments about places that have gone unnoticed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  here's a hint  it is  in southwest Minn in Nobles county  and shares it's name with a nearby mountain with images of 4 US presidents on it.  LoL  i  it was  boring when we would visits dad's relatives, but now i admit it was  a little slice of Heaven

 

  Paul

Edited by Lemnpiper, 20 March 2025 - 00:10.

[Afterburner]

One time i went to the wikipedia site of my father;s hometown in Minnesota and was surprised to see it was the KAZOO  capitol of Minnesota???????(or some such nonsence)
 Needless to say about a month later  the kazoo reference was gone.   
 
  The town population about 420 then , i'm sure whoever posted the kazoo(or whatever it was)  figured the small town folks would never become  wise  of the reference on wikipedia.     For that reason i'll bet there are lots of edits at wikipedia with "cute" comments about places that have gone unnoticed.

Don't tell me Palm Springs isn't actually the source of over 80% of US-produced dates.

[Myrvold]

For a bit more fun thing.

 

Giovanni Lavaggi

https://en.wikipedia...iovanni_Lavaggi

 

And the Lavaggi Prototype
https://en.wikipedia...iki/Lavaggi_LS1

 

The wikis have been slightly changed, they were a lot more positive and bragging, and pointing to "would've scored points in the modern point system" etc.

 

Much of the praise of the car and driver, and a certain way of writing, almost defending certain elements was added in 2020, by an IP adress located in Monte Carlo, which, by coincidence is where Lavaggi lives.

Bits like:

The car’s electric project and installation had been entrusted to a third party therefore Scuderia Lavaggi found itself in a difficult situation.

 

Are fun to read back in changelogs.

[Ragamuffin]

I see he's been at the 2021 page too, making Verstappen the WC. Where will the madness end?

[Jim Thurman]

Wow,   

 

One time i went to the wikipedia site of my father;s hometown in Minnesota and was surprised to see it was the KAZOO  capitol of Minnesota???????(or some such nonsence)

 Needless to say about a month later  the kazoo reference was gone.   

 

  The town population about 420 then , i'm sure whoever posted the kazoo(or whatever it was)  figured the small town folks would never become  wise  of the reference on wikipedia.     For that reason i'll bet there are lots of edits at wikipedia with "cute" comments about places that have gone unnoticed.

Again, as I wrote, internet versions of "The Joker."  It was similar for the two small California towns. One, I assume a couple of teens/pre-teens inserted their names as the town's founder, while the other, someone replaced the names of a local mountain, creek and a few other items with locations in Africa. Hilarious! 

 

When it comes to U.S. motorsports history, much of what is on Wikipedia seems to have either been written by someone for whom English is a third language, or folks far from knowledgeable (putting it kindly) about the subject. I even made a list of things I learned about U.S. motorsports from Wikipedia.

 

And, as ensign14 wrote, "primary sources" are a real problem for material on U.S. motorsports, as it is usually full of exaggeration and error.

Edited by Jim Thurman, 20 March 2025 - 16:00.

[Jim Thurman]

Don't tell me Palm Springs isn't actually the source of over 80% of US-produced dates.

It isn't. Not in Palm Springs, which doesn't have date orchards, to my knowledge 

 

Now, the Coachella Valley, which Palm Springs is within, yes! The dates are to the south, around Indio and Thermal. Indio hosts the "National Date Festival" every February. 

[red stick]

And every night is date night . . .

NOT headed to wikipedia.

[jonpollak]

Don't tell me Palm Springs isn't actually the source of over 80% of US-produced dates.

🤣
Sub-editor submitting invoice for overtime !!!!
Jp

[BRG]

I wish I had never mentioned the date thing!

 

On Wiki matters, some years back, comedian Dave Gorman looked at his Wikipedia page and found that it said that he had "hitch-hiked around the Pacific Rim"   Except he hadn't nor done anything like it  So he had it removed only to find it got re-instated because there were other sources that said the same thing.  Trouble was, those sources had got it from Wikipedia in the first place and so you go round and round.

[pdac]

I wish I had never mentioned the date thing!

 

On Wiki matters, some years back, comedian Dave Gorman looked at his Wikipedia page and found that it said that he had "hitch-hiked around the Pacific Rim"   Except he hadn't nor done anything like it  So he had it removed only to find it got re-instated because there were other sources that said the same thing.  Trouble was, those sources had got it from Wikipedia in the first place and so you go round and round.

 

I remember that one. That's the general problem. Wikipedia often has warnings where quoted facts are not accompanied by a source reference. But journalists and others publishing information read something on Wikipedia without a source reference and report it as fact, which then provides the source.