thePickyWiki - The Best Wiki Entries

Dick Bong

2009-04-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
Richard Ira "Dick" Bong (September 24, 1920 – August 6, 1945) is the United States' highest-scoring air ace, having shot down at least 40 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He was a fighter pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces (USAAF) and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Why'd We Pick?
He is America's best ace and the inspiration of the famous "Bong Recreation Area" in Wisconsin.

Wingman

2009-04-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
Wingman is a term in the seduction community that a man may take when he goes to a club or bar with an accompanying male. A wingman is expected to support his friend in approaching women.The men often pick a desired woman, who is referred to as the "target". The man intending to seduce the target is often called the "pilot". The wingman is expected to back up the pilot, which typically entails talking to the target's less attractive friend(s) and making comments that will make the pilot seem more attractive.

Why'd We Pick?
Every guy needs a good wingman to be successful in the "game". At this wiki entry you can find out how the term came about, and what things make a good wingman.

Robert Williams (robot fatality)

2009-03-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
Robert Williams (c. 1954 – January 25, 1979), a worker at a Ford Motor Company factory in Michigan, was one of the first individuals killed by a robot.^[1]^[2]

Why'd We Pick?
Although a Japanese factory worker is often cited as the first death by robot, an unfortunate robot mishap killed Robert Williams 2 years earlier.

Early World Maps

2009-03-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
Early world maps cover depictions of the world from Classical times to the Age of Discovery and the emergence of modern Geography (6th century BC to 16th century).

Why'd We Pick?
It's always interesting to see what our ancestors thought the world looked like. This article includes many fantastic and historic maps.

List of inventors killed by their own inventions

2009-03-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
This is a list of inventors whose deaths were in some manner caused by or related to a product, process, procedure, or other innovation that they invented or designed.

Why'd We Pick?
This list could be a lot longer, but it includes most of the most influential "martyr" inventors of all time.

Mike the Headless Chicken

2009-03-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
Mike the Headless Chicken (April 1945 – March 1947) was a Wyandotte rooster that lived for 18 months after its head had been cut off. Thought by many to be a hoax, the bird was taken by its owner to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City to establish its authenticity.^[1]^[2]

Why'd We Pick?
Incredibly, this chicken went on a 13 month tour around the US...without his head.

Cat Piano

2009-03-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
A cat piano or Katzenklavier (German) is a hypothetical musical instrument designed by Athanasius Kircher. It consists of a line of cats fixed in place with their tails stretched out underneath a keyboard. Nails would be placed under the keys, causing the cats to cry out in pain when a key was pressed. The cats would be arranged according to the natural tone of their voices.

Why'd We Pick?
Although its very cruel, we can't help but wonder if it would actually work.

Celestia

2009-03-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
Celestia is a 3-D astronomy program created by Chris Laurel. The program is based on the Hipparcos Catalogue (HIP) and allows users to travel through an extensive universe, modeled after reality at any speed, in any direction and at any time in history.

Why'd We Pick?
Cause you can visit distant planets rendered in 3-D like Gilese 581c or travel in time to see how the future Earth will look like.

2012 Doomsday Prediction

2009-03-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Quick Description
The 2012 Doomsday Prediction is a cultural phenomenon consisting of present-day speculation that cataclysmic and even apocalyptic events will occur in the year 2012. This idea has been disseminated by numerous books, internet sites and documentaries airing on the History Channel since 2006.

Why'd We Pick?
It seem that there's always an "end-of-world" prophecy floating around. What makes the 2012 date so intriguing is that it was predicted by one of the greatest time keepers the world has ever seen.

World's Funniest Joke

2009-03-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
The world's funniest joke is a term used by Richard Wiseman of the University of Hertfordshire in 2002 to summarize one of the results of his research. For his experiment, named LaughLab, he created a website where people could rate and submit jokes.^[1] Purposes of the research included discovering the joke that had the widest appeal and understanding among different cultures, demographics and countries.

Why'd We Pick?
It's interesting to see which joke would best appeal to the world. The top joke IS funny, but I think I'd vote for the top joke in the UK.

List of Internet Phenomena

2009-03-05T12:33:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
This is a list of phenomena^[1] specific to the Internet, such as popular themes and catchphrases, viral videos, amateur celebrities and more. Such fads and sensations grow rapidly on the Internet because its instant communication facilitates word of mouth. The search and rating features of sites like YouTube and Google then amplify this interest.

Why'd We Pick?
Check out this list to see if you missed any of the "important" internet phenomena.

1968 Olympics Black Power Salute

2009-03-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
The 1968 Olympics Black Power salute was a noted black civil rights protest and one of the most overtly political statements^[1] in the 110 year history of the modern Olympic Games.

Why'd We Pick?
Looking back on it now, it seems very patriotic and courageous but this political statement caused such a controversy that it lead to a numerous amount of death threats toward the two men.

Antikythera Mechanism

2009-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
The Antikythera mechanism (IPA: [ˌæntɪkɪˈθɪərə], an-ti-ki-theer-uh), is an ancient mechanical calculator (also described as the first known mechanical computer^[1]^[2]) designed to calculate astronomical positions.

Why'd We Pick?
Built around 150 BC, machinery with the same complexity weren't seen for another 1000 years.

List of commercial games released as freeware

2009-03-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
Commercial games released as freeware are games that, in their original license, were not considered freeware, but were re-released at a later date with a freeware license, sometimes as publicity for a forthcoming sequel or compilation release.

Why'd We Pick?
Who doesn't like getting things for free? Especially things that used to cost a lot of money to buy.

Irony Mark

2009-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
The irony mark or irony point (؟) (French: point d’ironie; also called a snark or zing) is a proposed punctuation mark that was suggested to be used to indicate that a sentence should be understood at a second level. It is illustrated by a small, elevated, backward-facing question mark. The irony mark has never been used widely. It appears occasionally in obscure artistic or literary publications.

Why'd We Pick?
Because it's time for new a punctuation mark...especially one that can be pretty useful sometimes.

Fiev-second rule

2009-03-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
The five-second rule is a popular polite fiction regarding the eating of food that has fallen to the floor or ground. The origins of the rule are unknown. The substance of the rule is that if food falls on the ground, it may be safely eaten as long as it is picked up within 5 seconds.

Why'd We Pick?
This timeless classic has been uttered by mainly, but hardly ever understood by any. Is there any scientific value to it?

List of persons considered father or mother of a field

2009-03-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
The following is a list of significant men and women known, following the now largely-discredited great man theory, for being the father, mother, or considered the founders in a field, listed by category. In some fields the title of being the "father" is debatable.

Why'd We Pick?
This is a list of possibly the most influential scientists and people ever to step on the face of the Earth.

Baba Yaga

2009-03-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
Baba Yaga (Russian: Ба́ба-Яга́, Macedonian and Serbian: Баба Рога, Bulgarian: Баба Яга, Polish: Baba Jaga, Czech: Ježibaba (also: Baba Jaga), Slovak: Baba Jaga, Croatian: Baba Roga, Slovene: Jaga Baba) is, in Slavic folklore, a witch-like character who flies around on a giant mortar, kidnaps (and presumably eats) small children, and lives in a house on chicken feet.

Why'd We Pick?
This single women is responsible for 99% of all child eatings in the world.

Streisand Effect

2009-03-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
The Streisand effect is a phenomenon on the Internet where an attempt to censor or remove a piece of information backfires, causing the information to be widely publicized. Examples of such attempts include censoring a photograph, a number, a file, or a website (for example via a cease-and-desist letter).

Why'd We Pick?
Next time an inappropriate photo of you ends up on the internet, the best thing to do is just ignore it...and hope no one sees it.

List of Paraphilias

2009-03-02T12:01:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
This article is a list of paraphilias, defined as powerful and persistent sexual interest other than in copulatory or precopulatory behavior with phenotypically normal, consenting adult human partners.

Why'd We Pick?
Some people like to dress up as a baby in diapers, some just really really like noses. Then there is the rest of us that can laugh at how weird some people can be.

Fata Morgana (Mirage)

2009-03-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
A fata morgana, Italian translation of Morgan le Fay, the fairy shapeshifting half-sister of King Arthur, is a mirage, an optical phenomenon which results from a temperature inversion.

Why'd We Pick?
It's not your run-of-the-mill desert mirage, but actually a "Superior Mirage" that's been mystifying people for centuries.

Google's Hoaxes

2009-03-02T10:40:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
Google has a tradition of perpetrating April Fools' Day hoaxes.

Why'd We Pick?
Every April 1st Google tries their best to trick us all in the spirit of April Fools Day. Besides some of the better known tricks;Gmail paper and Virgle, this article has a lot of hidden Google "easter eggs" listed.

List of Subcultures

2009-02-27T15:00:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
This is a list of subcultures.

Why'd We Pick?
The real question is...which one are you?

Frank Buckles

2009-02-27T13:55:00.000-08:00

Quick Description
Frank Woodruff Buckles (born February 1, 1901) is, at age 108, the last identified living American veteran of World War I.^[1] He currently lives in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Why'd We Pick?
Any person that can live through more than 100 years and two world wars deserves a little praise.

I am Rich

2009-02-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

Quick Description

I Am Rich is an application for the Apple iPhone OS, distributed using the App Store. When launched, the screen only contains a glowing red gem, and a button that when pressed, displays the following mantra in large text:^[1]

I am rich
I deserv [sic] it
I am good,
healthy &
successful

Why'd We Pick?
What's really amazing is that eight people actually bought this useless $1,000 iPhone app before it was removed from the app store.