Sorry your browser is not supported!

You are using an outdated browser that does not support modern web technologies, in order to use this site please update to a new browser.

Browsers supported include Chrome, FireFox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer 10+ or Microsoft Edge.

Geek Culture / Homework Help...

Author
Message
code master
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 4th Dec 2003
Location: Illinois
Posted: 22nd Sep 2007 01:38 Edited at: 22nd Sep 2007 01:46
Link
I'm not one to fill up the board with this sorta stuff, but it's got me terribly confused.

Actually, I don't even need homework help, per say, I need to FIND a Wikipedia article that I KNOW i read a couple of days ago. I've tried Google, Wikipedia, I can't find it.

AFAIK, It was about some Fisherman that started a country on an Island, and wrote up a constitution and everything, and even declared war on the Soviet union. It mighta been Russia the declared war on, but I can't remember. And then they sold it for a dollar to a Canadian bird watching group. So If anyone happens to know any information about that particular incident that will lead me to the page, I'll be eternally gratefull.

Thanks in Advance,
Codemaster

Weapon Creator V1 Is for sale!

Back to top
Profile PM Email
AndrewT
17
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 11th Feb 2007
Location: MI, USA
Posted: 22nd Sep 2007 03:26
Link
Whoa...is this serious?? Assuming that it is...I have absolutely no idea whatsoever where it may be.

Let's see how many people actually take the time to read this...
Back to top
Profile PM
Data
19
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 26th Nov 2004
Location: Winnipeg,Canada
Posted: 22nd Sep 2007 03:28
Link
I've heard of this article before, hang on let me find it.

Back to top
Profile PM Email
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 22nd Sep 2007 03:31
Link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Outer_Baldonia

This was discussed in this message board not one month ago :/


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
tha_rami
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 22nd Sep 2007 06:01
Link
Yup, I brought it up - a micronation, they call it. There's one near the UK as well. It was no ordinary fisherman though, it was the president of Pepsi.


http://www.ramiismail.com/
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 23rd Sep 2007 23:38
Link
According to wikipedia:

Quote: "Former top executives at PepsiCo

* Steven Reinemund
* John Sculley
* Donald M. Kendall
* D. Wayne Calloway
* Christopher A. Sinclair
* Roger Enrico
* Alfred Steele
* Joan Crawford
"


So I suspect you may be incorrect about that statement. But I don't have the interest to look into it further


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
tha_rami
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 02:21 Edited at: 24th Sep 2007 02:21
Link
"Russell Arundel, chairman of the Pepsi Cola Company (later: PepsiCo)"
The words chairman/president seem to be exchangable based on the several articles I found. I guess Wikipedia only cites the executives of PepsiCo, not of the earlier Pepsi Cola Company.


http://www.ramiismail.com/
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 02:32 Edited at: 24th Sep 2007 02:37
Link
Right, that's what I'm saying, it's weird that the pepsico entry doesn't have any mention of the guy who started his own island!

According to this book, he was a representative of pepsico:



(put in a codebox cuz it's long)

But no where can I find that he was ever the president, except in that un-sourced wikipedia entry, and various websites that obviously plagiarized from that very entry, or possibly plagiarized from some other source that I can't find. All these websites are plagiarizing from each other though, it's awesome looking at the search results in google for "Russell Arundel pepsi"!

People! This is why you never use an encyclopedia as a source, you've gotta back up your findings with real published works!


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Peter H
20
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 20th Feb 2004
Location: Witness Protection Program
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 02:42
Link
i remember reading that article ha... good for a laugh, especially declaring war against russia... ha!

One man, one lawnmower, plenty of angry groundhogs.
Back to top
Profile PM Email
tha_rami
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 02:58
Link
Well, actually I found the wikipedia article as source to back up the story which I read in a scientific youth magazine here in the Netherlands called Kijk (mean 'Look' (as in look)) - I had no reason to assume the normally accurate writers of the magazine made a mistake and a single book won't really bring me of my belief those people did their research well. It is odd, however, that Arundel is not listed there.

However, may you prove them wrong, of course I'll admit that you were right.


http://www.ramiismail.com/
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 03:00
Link
I'm so gonna call pepsi tomorrow morning


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
tha_rami
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 03:04
Link
Lol . Good idea, really. Let's do some Mythbuster-style investigation .

True, Plausible or Busted? We'll see... after the commercials!


http://www.ramiismail.com/
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 03:10
Link
Quote: "Well, actually I found the wikipedia article as source to back up the story which I read in a scientific youth magazine here in the Netherlands called Kijk (mean 'Look' (as in look))"


You don't use encyclopedia's to verify research. You verify encyclopedia entries with research Think of an encyclopedia as directories of knowledge, not the end all be all of proof.

Anyways, I do find it plausible that wikipedia is wrong because there is no source, and all other articles I can find that mention he was the president of pepsi are unashamedly plagiarized from some mystical source. That source is either wikipedia, or the wikipedia entry was a plagiarization itself.

And that book entry is probably true, as it's documented well, he being a lobbyist and all.


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
tha_rami
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 03:13
Link
You just call Pepsi and record it so I can verify it , or should I've verified if that was you posting you were calling them too?

You do have a point there, about the encyclopedia thing.


http://www.ramiismail.com/
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 03:17
Link
How bout a 3 way call


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Dave J
Retired Moderator
21
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 11th Feb 2003
Location: Secret Military Pub, Down Under
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 03:55
Link
Quote: "People! This is why you never use an encyclopedia as a source, you've gotta back up your findings with real published works!"


Encyclopaedia's are generally considered an acceptable source of information. The exception is Wikipedia because it's user-driven and any old Joe Schmo can just add or modify entries at will, without qualifications or valid references to back it up - you really can't trust any of it. Wikipedia are trying to battle this problem by including references as footnotes for each entry, but once again, it's up to the user to include them and who knows how valid they are.


"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers."
Back to top
Profile PM Email
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 04:46 Edited at: 24th Sep 2007 04:49
Link
Quote: "Encyclopaedia's are generally considered an acceptable source of information. The exception is Wikipedia because it's user-driven and any old Joe Schmo can just add or modify entries at will, without qualifications or valid references to back it up "


This seems to be the current thinking, but it's not even logical. Why would you source an encyclopedia, when encyclopedia's by definition do not contian original research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research

Therefore, any statement made in any research article needs to be backed up by a real source (ie, not an encyclopedia) or through the author's original research. (Of course using encyclopedias as a secondary source is acceptable, if only to back up the original source. I would be careful doing this, if the encyclopedia entry uses your primary source as it's reference!)

According to wikipedia, "In general, the most reliable sources are books, journals, magazines, and mainstream newspapers; published by university presses or known publishing houses.".

Because wikipedia itself should not be used as a source, here are some real sources backing up my claim:

http://www.wcax.com/Global/story.asp?S=6082086&nav=4QcS

Quote: ""I was taught in high school that it was not a citable source," he said, "and teachers steered students away from using it even casually.""


http://content.library.utoronto.ca/utsc/generalinformation/howtofindprimarysources/


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 08:02
Link
Alright, I've written to pepsico, instead of calling (because I doubt anyone in customer service would even know that question).

I'll let you know if and when I get a response


The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
tha_rami
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 24th Sep 2007 08:44
Link
Haha. Awesome . Like your attitude for actually doing it. Wonder if you'll get a response - really hope so. Is it a myth or fact... We'll know within a short while, hopefully.


A mod has been erased by your signature because it was larger than 600x120
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
bitJericho
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 9th Oct 2002
Location: United States
Posted: 27th Sep 2007 06:40
Link
I got an email today

Quote: "
Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at the Pepsi-Cola Company.

To answer your question, no person by the name of Mr. Russell Arundel was ever president or a director of PepsiCo.

I hope this helps to answer your question.
Vicki
Consumer Relations Supervisor
"



The greatest multiplayer text adventure ever...
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
tha_rami
18
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 25th Mar 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posted: 27th Sep 2007 09:39
Link
Haha, cool! Okay, I admit my fault and change it on wiki as well first thing tomorrow.

People, Jerico2day was right!
Not that anyone doubted that, ofcourse...


I laugh imagining the face of poor Vicki receiving such a weird question...


A mod has been erased by your signature because it was larger than 600x120
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Dazzag
22
Years of Service
User Offline
Joined: 26th Aug 2002
Location: Cyprus
Posted: 27th Sep 2007 10:13 Edited at: 27th Sep 2007 10:14
Link
Quote: "Think of an encyclopedia as directories of knowledge, not the end all be all of proof"
Ever seen that program on BBC (I think) that looks into words in the dictionary and tries to disprove the explanation? Pretty good stuff. And if they manage to succeed (and prove conclusively in front of a board) then the dictionary gets changed. One good example I remember was looking into the origins of the Ploughman's Lunch. The dictionary was a few years out. While they didn't have enough proof to definitely pin it to one specific earlier year, they did have enough to knock a fair few years of the dictionary.

Cheers

I am 99% probably lying in bed right now... so don't blame me for crappy typing
Current fave quote : "She was like a candle in the wind.... unreliable...."
Back to top
Profile PM Email Website
Back to top

Login to post a reply

Server time is: 2024-11-19 07:11:00
Your offset time is: 2024-11-19 07:11:00