049: WikiPirates

Aaaaand we're back.

Many, many thanks to you all for your patience. I'll try to get another song out the door before I hie off to Dragon*Con next week, and then we should get this album finished pretty quickly. Dang. Another album. This has been a fantastic year.

Today's ditty was inspired by yesterday's Wikipedia foofrah. Some guy, as far as I can tell the Wiki equivalent of a trainspotter, decided I didn't merit a Wikipedia page and opened the floor for discussion regarding deletion of the page about me. Honestly, while it's nice having it, I don't need it... but that's not why one of my fans created it in the first place. And the whole spectacle of watching this one guy, determined for no particular reason I can discern except his offended sensibilities, justifying this noise in spite of a growing list of citations of my nominal importance (by a great bunch of folks, thanks one and all) was something to behold.

Indeed, something to sing about.

---

Listen
Download this song (128 Kbps)
Buy this song for 99¢ (192 Kbps) through PayPal
Make a donation
Subscribe to iTom
Hear more songs

---

WikiPirates
Words and Music © 2007 by Tom Smith
Released under a Creative Commons Noncommercial ShareAlike License


Some lust for gold and silver, and some for gems and jewels
But some want greater treasures, and they use their software tools
For some of us quest for knowledge, and we wants it undefiled,
But now and then you get a troll who thinks he's Oscar Wilde.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, who sail the server seas.
They flaunt their fake credentials and their advanced degrees.
They control the information with bullying moderation,
'Cause arrogance and online swagger trump your expertise.

No matter what your sources, no matter whom you cite,
He doesn't want to hear it, 'cause he knows for sure he's right
There is no compromising, no bargain or accord,
He's never heard of you, or doesn't like you, or he's bored.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, they love to wield their clout
All day they'll argue details that no one cares about
They don't see as overreachin' their demands for page deletion
Web pages are in short supply, and what if we run out?

Yo ho, yo ho, no one ever thought,
Yo ho, yo ho, in this web we'd be caught,
The Wiki's meant to document the stuff the mainstream missed,
Instead we've got a pompous sot who's building up his wrist.

So if ye've got a subject that really interests you,
Beware the Wikipirates, they've got nothing else to do.
Someday we'll have a knowledge base with all you want and need,
Till then we'll take cold comfort that they're likely not to breed.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, who whine at our attacks.
They're only trying to help us, never mind the rules and facts.
They're just honest, not unpleasant, it's not their fault that we're peasants,
If we'd only see their brilliance, everybody could relax.

Beware the Wiki Pirates, that basement-dwellin' band.
They regulate and obfuscate what they don't understand.
The grief they give ya will reduce ya to trivia and minutiae,
And prayin' that you really do get banned,
Only "public noteriety" will get you in their library,
Be grateful they're all lost at sea... they'd try to delete the land.