| Tuesday, March 25, 2008 |
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Ward Cunningham Source |
Spotlight: Wiki-this, wiki-that; what is a wiki and when did the wiki-mania start? A wiki is a collaborative website that can be edited by anyone. Ward Cunningham, an Oregon native, developed the technology, naming it "wiki" after the word for "quick" in Hawaiian. Wiki was first released as WikiWikiWeb on this date in 1994. Fourteen years later, the internet community can do a lot with wikis, including sharing information in article form on Wikipedia and collaborating on Q&A with WikiAnswers.
Quote: "I think there's a compelling nature about talking. People like to talk. In creating wiki, I wanted to stroke that story-telling nature in all of us."
Question of the Day: What is a 'wiki'?A wiki is a web page that anybody can edit. Interactive web pages are nothing new. Bulletin boards and discussion forums have been common for a long time. They let you "edit" a web page in that you can post your own content. But a wiki goes beyond this. It lets you edit what other people have posted. This way, the content can evolve and improve over time.
Word of the day: equinox (ee-kwuh-noks, ek-wuh-noks)The twice yearly times when the lengths of day and night are equal. At equinox, the sun is directly over the Earth's equator. The vernal equinox occurs about March 22 and the autumnal equinox about September 21.
Usage: The vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring.
For those in the northern hemisphere, spring has sprung. Flowers are blooming, the world is green, and we can feel summer in the air. Take a whiff of this week's words having to do with spring and regrowth.
Today's History:
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| Coxey's Army |
- Robert the Bruce: became king of not-yet-independent Scotland; in 1328, after many battles, England's King Edward III finally recognized Scotland's independence and Bruce as its king (1306)
- Coxey's Army: first popular protest march on Washington left Massillon, Ohio, led by Jacob Coxey (1894)
- European Economic Community: was established with the Treaty of Rome (1957)
Today's Birthdays:
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| Jim Lovell (c.) and Apollo 13 crew |
- Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957): conductor; musician Bela Bartok was also born on this date (1881-1945)
- Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964): Southern writer of short stories
- Jim Lovell (80): astronaut, commander of Apollo 13
- Gloria Steinem (74): women's rights activist
- Elton John (61): singer/songwriter, "Candle in the Wind"; singer Aretha Franklin (66) was also born on this date
- Sarah Jessica Parker (43): Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City; other actors born on this date include Simone Signoret (1921-1985), Paul Michael Glaser (65), Mary Gross (55), Brenda Strong (48) and Marcia Cross (46)
