True story. When I was showing Tom, the new programmer in my group, the Wikipedia (which I wrote about last week), I turned to the entry on Shania Twain (who went to the same high school as I did -- though I'm sure she doesn't remember me!) to demonstrate how anyone can edit a page on a wiki. I had fixed a link to connect the Twain article to the one on Timmins, Ontario (our hometown) and wanted to show Tom how random persons can improve an article. When I clicked on the Timmins, Ontario article, I was shocked to read at the end of the piece
Timmins natives include well-known country singer Shania Twain, b. 1965 and Raymond Yee, Ph.D., b. 1967, technology architect of the Interactive University Project at UC Berkeley. [archived version].
I burst out laughing with gleeful incredulity! I could not have found a better way to illustrate the power/splendor/weirdness of wikis. And no, I didn't write that sentence -- I'm not that egotistical. One of my readers had obviously followed my blog, pulled together various pieces of information about me, and assembled it all to place on the wikipedia! I jumped in the fray and edited the sentence to:
Timmins natives include well-known country singer Shania Twain (b. 1965) and the not-so-well-known-but-well-meaning Raymond Yee, Ph.D. (b. 1967), technology architect of the Interactive University Project at UC Berkeley.
I fully expect someone to clear the article of any references to me. No one is in Shania's league -- let alone someone like me! Actually, I'm surprised that Andreas Hörstemeier, who continues to clean up the Timmins page and who commented "(Fixed links - but is that Raymond Yee really known enough to be listed?)" didn't actually expunge my name from the annals of Timmins. (Let me go add a reference to this blog entry in the discussion page on Timmins.)
Anyone care to fess up here to being the author of this awesome little stunt?
Yes, Raymond, I am indeed overwhelmingly pleased to have taken you by surprise and brought you a moment of “gleeful incredulity” in the presence of your new programmer with an “awesome” little wiki stunt. If I had read this entry before you called, I would have been more reluctant to confess my identity when you asked me that question out ‘n’ out! It just “shows to go you” how compellingly you were able to challenge certainly the most computerly-naive of your fans when you suddenly introduced one of them to an idea so intriguing as the wiki wiki wow concept. My dear housemate recently suggested that keeping a weblog/wiki could turn into a full-time job for someone like me (or someone like you). Too bad we don’t pay ourselves anything, to paraphrase a great line from a great play, “A Thousand Clowns.” Yup,who knows how many Watch Birds are watching Timmins, Ontario’s, second-most-well-known native? Raymond, Up!