Dr Wardell, Are Wikipedia entries still amendable by anyone? After ll, that is the contemporary meaning of “wiki.” I used to have a really good WaPo article from ten years ago or more that listed a number of amendments to entries that were obviously not true - I would send the article to colleagues who used wiki as a source. I’ll see if I can find it. We were warned in graduate school (early ‘00s) not to cite it, and to verify independently any information obtained from Wikipedia. When I had an argument with one guy (a very senior guy from the finance department) about using Wikipedia because one must double-check everything, he said it may not be precise but it is “directionally correct.” I asked him if our most recent financial statements were only directionally correct.
Veritas! Scott > On Jul 23, 2025, at 9:31 PM, David Wardell via Mifnet > <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> wrote: > > Hi Scott, > > > > Many thanks once again for your comments. > > > > My intent in sharing this clip wasn’t specifically to start a political > discussion. Alas, however, DOT Secretary is a political appointment—one > which has broad and profound implications for the industry. As Kathryn > reminded me yesterday, thus it has always been. I wish it were not so. I > also wish that were a way to discuss some of the issues that attend the > political decisions the department has made and continues to make. I’ve yet > to find one, however. > > > > We forget that all decisions come with a cost. It’s human nature to dismiss > the cost of decisions we like, but this does not make it so. > > > > I don’t, myself, place a great deal of trust in any newspaper at present. > This is, however, a logical error on my part (a variation on the ad hominem > argument) and one that I try to avoid. I do try to make distinctions as to > what I read. > > > > The NYP is ranked, by people who make an attempt at objectivity, as being > right of center (not extremely so) and neither at the top nor the bottom in > terms of reliability. We note, however, that newspapers generally don’t > always rank as highly reliable (See, for example > <https://adfontesmedia.com/> Ad Fontes Media). > > > > My purpose in sharing a ChatGPT analysis was to respond to the question in > the thread as to whether the statements in the piece could be verified. I’ve > cited ChatGPT rarely in these pages, but I am not a disciple. ChatGPT and > variations on the LLM concept are not going away, however. They will be with > us for years and their effects will be profound and largely not positive. > There are a few things ChatGPT can do reasonably well, one being summarizing > Internet searches. > > > > The report I shared did offer some insights but wasn’t conclusive and > wasn’t intended to be (I believe that I said so). The answer to the question > as to verified sources was “not much.” As Bob observes, ChatGPT references > questionable sources that it ranks highly (I pointed this out myself), but > it can’t make logical distinctions. This is a limitation of the technology > and must influence how we use it—or not. > > > > As ChatGPT is deeply flawed but not useless (we can draw distinctions), > Wikipedia is also flawed but not useless. As I’ve observed in these pages, > much Wikipedia content is good; some makes no sense at all. As with all > sources, we must use it carefully and be clear abut its limitations. The > Wikipedia problem, however, is that it has debased the > reference/encyclopedia field to such an extent that there is no reasonable > alternative. Even so, none of the pre-Wikipedia sources were perfect. One > significant problem researchers presently face is that they are suffocated > by the flow of information from The Internet without the tools or the time > to make informed distinctions, and the available curated information is not > in a great place. > > > > I’ll note in passing that we are all exposed to ChatGPT content more than > we realize. Folk share it without acknowledging the source. > > > > All the best, > > > > DW > > > > > David Wardell > > (757) 561-0582 > > <mailto:da...@wardell.org> da...@wardell.org > > > > <https://wardell.us/url/b5s86> > > <https://wardell.us/url/s9qvz> > > > > > > From: F. Scott Wilson via Mifnet <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> > Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2025 5:03 PM > To: mifnet@lists.mifnet.com > Cc: Bob Kneisley <bobkneisley...@gmail.com>; F. Scott Wilson > <fscottwil...@icloud.com> > Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 73276] Re: Exclusive | Pete Buttigieg's DOT spent $80 > billion on DEI grants, delayed air traffic control upgrades: records, > industry insiders - New York Post 20250722 > > > > Bob K, > > > > I withdraw my comment with apologies. I don’t want to invest the time, and > lack the patience, to try to rebut the claims. Others have commented on the > veracity (or not) of the claims, and the source. Notwithstanding its > aviation connection (I guess), I do wonder why Dr Wardell chose to start a > political string on the Mifnet, and with an article from the New York Post > to boot (a newspaper I used to read on trips home on Metro North for the > amusement and the puzzles). Now he’s trying to use an AI search function as > an arbiter, which I don’t think I am prepared to accept - like Wikipedia, it > may be "directionally correct” as a colleague used to say, but who knows? > > > > I’ll try hard to keep my knee-jerk reactions to myself in future. > > > > > > Scott > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Jul 23, 2025, at 9:52 AM, Bob Kneisley via Mifnet > <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com <mailto:mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> > wrote: > > > > I'm curious Scott, how do you know "This is hogwash"? Do you have a > counter-source to the New York Post article? Personally I don't know for > sure if Buttigieg "shelled out tens of billions on a DEI agenda", tho it > sounds at least plausible given his well-known political leanings. In any > case, some evidence supporting your "hogwash" claim would be a lot more > informative to the readers than a drive-by smear. > > > > Bob K > > > > > > <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai > gn=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> > > Virus-free. > <https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campai > gn=sig-email&utm_content=webmail> www.avast.com > > > > On Tue, Jul 22, 2025 at 3:52 PM F. Scott Wilson via Mifnet > <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com <mailto:mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> > wrote: > > Dr Wardell > > > > This is hogwash. > > > > Scott > > > > > > > > > > On Jul 22, 2025, at 3:24 PM, David Wardell via Mifnet > <mifnet@lists.mifnet.com <mailto:mifnet@lists.mifnet.com> > wrote: > > > > Sharing this lengthy New York Post piece <https://wardell.us/url/k5dgz> > without comment, other than that it’s worth reading. > > > > A short sample: > > > > “WASHINGTON — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg failed to > replace outdated air traffic control systems while in office — with his > agency instead shelling out tens of billions of dollars on a DEI agenda, > according to federal spending records and airline industry insiders. > > > > “In one meeting, Buttigieg — who is said to be eyeing a 2028 presidential > run — told industry executives that air traffic control upgrades would just > allow them to fly more planes, “and so why would that be in his interest?” > sources said.” > > > > There are contrary views shared in the article, which > <https://wardell.us/url/k5dgz> may be viewed here. > > > > > > > > > > David Wardell > > (757) 561-0582 > > da...@wardell.org <mailto:da...@wardell.org> > > > > <https://wardell.us/url/b5s86> <image001.png> > > <https://wardell.us/url/s9qvz> <image002.png> > > > > > > > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Revised: 20250507 > > You are receiving The Mifnet because you requested to join this list. > > The Mifnet is largely a labor of love, however the infrastructure isn't > exactly cost-free. 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