Wikipedia is Cool!!!

I first heard about Wikipedia last year at a web usability conference I attended in Cambridge, MA. It was apparently a web encyclopedia, which users can add to. I thought, "Sounds cool, but there must be more to it that that."


Now, a whole year later I try it out. My latest celebrity interest is Idris Elba (before that it was Gary Dourdan of CSI fame) and I was reading up on him on the web. Let me tell you, there is not a whole lot written about this actor and what there is, I've seen by now. So, by the time I got to page 5 of my Google search (I know, I know..... who goes all the way to page 5 of their Google search?), I got linked to the Wikipedia site, where I found one pitiful paragraph on Mr. Elba. I saw an edit button and decided to try it out. Lo and behold, it works! My entry (the last line of para. 1, and the whole of para. 2 and 3) was up within seconds. This is so cool! I know I sound like someone's grandmother, who is discovering Discmans just as everyone else has moved on to iPods. Now, if only there was a way to leave my name on the entry, so that I can really go out and make my mark on the World Wide Web (insert maniacal laughter here). BTW, if you're interested:

HBO "The Wire" Website:
Idris Elba page on HBO “The Wire” site

Idris Elba Interviews:
ABC News, (March 2005)
Black Film.com, (March 2005)
Las Vegas Tribune, (March 2005)
New York Times, (December 2004)
AOL Black Voices (formerly Africana.com), (December 2004)
Sacramento Observer, (December 2004)

Miscellaneous
Funny story by blogger who met Idris Elba
Blog post about a Feb. 2005 seminar on The Wire

PS: This is also my first time uploading pictures in Blogger. It was easier than I expected - I assumed that I'd have to upload the pics to my personal server and then point to them.
(Photo from Yahoo)