Wikipedia has its fair share of games, but there’s a new one we’ve been playing in-house that we thought might be fun, and maybe a regular feature if you enjoy it.
It’s built around the “What Links Here” tool, which lists the entries that link to a specific entry. Because those links seem to be ranked by their relative importance (measured by inbound links, at least), they create a kind of silhouette of the topic at hand. For example:
- Amazing Grace
- Al Capone
- Banjo
- Clyde Tombaugh
- Concept album
- Detroit, Michigan
- Ivory-billed Woodpecker
That’s all from Sufjan Stevens’ page. Comically easy, but you get the point: “What Links Here” is a unique kind of buckshot outline.
The Rules
Take the first 7 “what links here” phrases, excluding dates (since 99.7% of the time, they provide no hint whatsoever) and “user” pages. First correct guess in the comments gets bragging rights (and prominent linkage). We’ll update the post with an “answer” SnipURL link after someone wins.
Update: Wiktory goes to “badam”, who didn’t put a link in his comment, but got it right with the very first response. “Twin Falls” was a little too easy, maybe. Next one’ll be harder, we promise!
Here’s our first one…
- Car (disambiguation)
- David Bowie
- Des Moines, Iowa
- Yale University
- Control flow
- Twin Falls, Idaho
- The Strokes
(Got it right but don’t want to give it away to anyone? Go to SnipURL, paste in the Wikipedia link to your answer, and post the URL they give you in the comments)
Hit the full post to vote on a name for this game or submit your own WLH stumpers.
Naming the Game
If this does catch on, what should it be called? We have three candidates, but you can post your own in the comments (or on the following poll).
- Wiki Stump: simple, descriptive, rhymes with a certain band’s upcoming release.
- Al Capone Banjo: Heh. Al Capone Banjo.
- Pediaphile: who doesn’t love Wikipedia, besides overworked teachers and Adam Curry?
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gotta be Built to Spill
http://snipurl.com/1eobp
Damn. Beat to it. And it could be the only I ever know.
http://snipurl.com/1eobp
found~
found~
you’re right…that is fun!
http://snipurl.com/1eobp
holy crap, you guys are fast. next time it’ll be Sweet William or Into Wishin’.
Try this one:
1. Area 51
2. Decade (Neil Young album)
3. Dayton, Ohio
4. David Bowie
5. Kurt Cobain
6. Men in black
7. Nirvana (band)
http://snipurl.com/1f5hm
The Pixies
The one that starts with Area 51 has to be Devo.
Ok, I guess it doesn’t HAVE to be Devo.
1. Atlas Shrugged
2. Buffalo (disambiguation)
3. Censorship
4. Cyberpunk
5. Disco
6. Devo
7. Erik Satie
Frank Zappa.
1. Accordion
2. Irish diaspora
3. Kate Bush
4. Mandolin
5. October 5
6. Portland, Oregon
7. Theremin
no dates RETARD
the decemberists
Don’t waste the good ideas here! Send ‘em to us — need some hard ones.
Should just call it “WikiThump”– this is a fun game :)
Stump the Wiki
Oh, yes tk. Well done. You aren’t gonna find a better suggestion than “WikiThump”. Definitely a winner. :)
i just noticed that SnipURL gives you the same link each time in response to a specific link, which is interesting.
I thought this was suitably odd…
- Henry Rollins
- John Peel
- Joy Division
- Orgasm
- Punk Rock
- Rock Music
- Ralph Nader
Buzzcocks.
Buzzcocks.