Wordsmith.org
Posted By: Flatlander Mandarin Chinese Speakers? - 07/29/04 02:07 PM
Is there a speaker of Mandarin Chinese in the house?

I have been participating in what is called an "Alternative Reality Game" for a week or so now (hence my lack of time on the Board). An ARG is essentially a game played out on various specially-created sites across the Web, and includes many word-based puzzles (cracking codes, finding embedded text, recompiling fragmented documents). The biggest one to date is called The Beast or AI, and was part of a marketing campaign for the Spielberg movie A.I.. This one (called ilovebees, from the website it started on) appears (at this point) to be a marketing campaign for the upcoming Microsoft video game Halo 2, and involves a young woman heading off to China, and she has left a snippet of what we are assuming to be Mandarin on her outgoing voicemail message. We are also assuming it means nothing more than "Good Bye, Good Luck." but we don't know for sure yet.

If you'd like to help, let me know and I can email you an mp3 of the recording (or the San Fran phone number it's been recorded from.

If you'd like to play along (we've only just begun, we think), check out the forums here http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/index.php?c=15 and the wiki for the game at http://bees.netninja.com/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

Posted By: Jackie Re: Mandarin Chinese Speakers? - 07/29/04 02:45 PM
Send a PM to Stales. Though I don't know that he checks his e-mail any oftener than he comes here. But he's been studying it.

P.S.--What's a "wiki"? I took a look at the link you posted; a lot of it made no sense to me; just too much for me to try and learn even the lingo, let alone how to play.

Posted By: Flatlander Re: Mandarin Chinese Speakers? - 07/29/04 03:20 PM
P.S.--What's a "wiki"? I took a look at the link you posted; a lot of it made no sense to me; just too much for me to try and learn even the lingo, let alone how to play.

A "wiki" is short for "wikipedia". I've not idea where the term comes from, but a wiki is basically an online encyclopedia that any reader can add to or edit. Of course, this means that incorrect stuff can be added, but it also means that the incorrect or out-of-date stuff can be quickly updated.

There is a bit of a learning curve to ARGs, but coincidentally, I had been doing some reading up on the history of The Beast a couple of weeks ago, and I was just thinking that I'd love to participate in a new version of it. My timing was perfect, which seems a bit suspicious, now that I think about it... (one side-effect of ARGs appears to be increasing your Paranoia Quotient dramatically!)

Posted By: Flatlander Re: Mandarin Chinese Speakers? - 07/29/04 04:06 PM
Well, nevermind. It's been translated by a native speaker to be really bad Mandarin for "I'm not coming back. Sorry."

But you're all still welcomed to join our Collective Detective in solving the case!

Posted By: AnnaStrophic Re: wiki - 07/29/04 04:56 PM
It comes from Hawaiian creole; wiki-wiki = quick! Also a nickname for a shuttle bus there. Mizz Wow will correct/ amplify, I hope.

Posted By: TEd Remington Hawaiian creole - 07/29/04 07:18 PM
Spicy crawdads stuffed with pineapple, perhaps??

Posted By: jheem Re: Mandarin Chinese Speakers? - 07/30/04 01:43 AM
A "wiki" is short for "wikipedia".

Actually, the Wikipedia project is a latecomer to the wonderful world of wikis. A wiki is a website that's editable by everybody organized by categories (wiki words). The first one is at c2.com and is about design patterns in programming. It was called wiki from the Hawai'ian wiki wiki for quick because of the rapidity of editing without having to download and upload files, etc.

See http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiWikiOrigin

Posted By: Coffeebean Re: Mandarin Chinese Speakers? - 07/30/04 02:14 AM
And wiki wiver would be "quick-chopped liver"?

Posted By: AnnaStrophic Re: quick-chopped liver - 07/30/04 12:33 PM
Thank you, Coffeebean. Where do I send the pound of Kona we agreed on?

Posted By: Jackie Re: Mandarin Chinese Speakers? - 08/06/04 11:55 PM
A wiki is a website that's editable by everybody Ohmigawd--and here I've been taking Wikipedia's word for everything I've looked up! Horrors! I thought it was a REAL encyclopedia, with just some computer lingo stuck on the front. Geez. Thanks, you-all.

Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: wikipediae - 08/07/04 12:12 AM
I think that (the)Wikipedia has a pretty good editorial board, Jackie. they don't let just anything get posted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About
Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: wikipediae - 08/07/04 12:18 AM
even better:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Replies_to_common_objections

Posted By: Jackie Re: wikipediae - 08/07/04 01:47 AM
Thanks, eta; but I'm still feeling a mixture of outrage and humiliation. I suppose I should have read the explanation, or something, before assuming. Sigh.
Yes, I can see where it would be pretty easy to eliminate the "crank" writings. However, this leaves all too open the possibility for just the kind of thing that drives me crazy: "information" that sounds correct but isn't. Just think how many people, reading that Vermont was the 15th. state to join the Union, would believe it. You know better and I know better, but hundreds of thousands wouldn't.
Kentucky was 15th.; Vermont was 14th.

Posted By: jheem Re: wikipediae - 08/07/04 01:08 PM
[Wikipedia] don't let just anything get posted.

Yeah, but that isn't what I said. They do let anybody edit entries. On those two pages whose URLs you posted, see the little edit buttons? Click on one and edit away. Try going to a subject you know a lot about and check how accurate it is. Wikipedia is rather good, all in all.

Also, print dictionaries and encyclopedias have editorial boards, and those editors have their opinions and pet peeves. Just like newspapers and school textbooks, etc.

Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: wikipediae - 08/07/04 08:45 PM
I was replying to Jackie, nuncle...
I realize that onyone can edit at Wikipedia, but there is a group that oversees much of the content, as well as the rest of the at-large contributors. the content will be quite accurate ipso-facto, eh?

rather good, all in all
tha's all I'm tryin' to say...

Posted By: jheem Re: wikipediae - 08/07/04 09:23 PM
I was replying to Jackie, nuncle.

OK. Sorry about that.

Posted By: Buffalo Shrdlu Re: wikipediae - 08/07/04 09:37 PM
don't mention it.

© Wordsmith.org