Wiki-love

I have an unhealthy fascination with Wikipedia. It's right up there with Harmon's on my list of things that I shouldn't like so much but can't help. Just thinking about Wikipedia (and Harmon's for that matter) makes me happy. Wikipedia is just so darned useful. If you need to know something, chances are Wiki (you can call it that if you love it like I do) will have an entry. It's the best. How else would Matt & I have answered the burning question of who makes Kyle Korver's basketball shoes? But the beauty of Wikipedia is that one search often leads to another and another and another. It's all just a click away. I can waste a lot of time educating myself. Which technically isn't wasteful because I am learning.

For instance, from that little shoe inquiry I now know that Pella, Iowa (Korver's hometown) is also the hometown of The Killers' guitarist and 4 other famous people including Wyatt Eyrp. Obviously this meant I had to research the fame coming out of Rexburg, which incidentally has nearly twice the population. What I discovered was shocking: there are a total of four "notable natives." Worse, I'm not convinced that two of them should count.

The lead singer of the Aquabats was born there. Is that legitimate? It seems like maybe you'd have to attend high school or something a little more significant to be considered native. I don't know, I'm probably being nitpicky. Maybe birth is enough, it certainly helps the numbers, and if it does, then we can possibly add a few more names.

The Yo-Gabba-Gabba producer? Is that really notable? He doesn't even have his own Wiki page.

That leaves the Disney Exec and Matt Lindstrom. That's two (possibly three depending on your definition of native) solid, well sort of solid, famous people to Pella's six. I have to say it's a little depressing; I really thought Rexburg would have been a little more competitive. I suppose I can't complain because I am certainly not notable which, I am aware, makes me a part of the problem. However, through my extensive research (at least 3 clicks) I have come to this conclusion: If your primary goal in life is to raise a child that would be considered notable and your choices are Rexburg and Pella, load up the truck and head for Iowa. The odds of greatness are much higher (1: 1639 vs 1: 8628-which is Kliss math so you may want to run the numbers again before you reserve the U-Haul.)

See what I mean about Wikipedia? It is magical. A few days ago Matt made the best Wiki discovery yet: David Francis (Cyclist). I know that guy. That little entry peaked my curiosity (not hard to do) because we don't know who wrote it. So I did a little more research on Wikipedia, using, of course, Wikipedia. Here's what I found out: David's article falls under the category of "wikiproject cycling." Which has -I quit counting at 50- lots of people contributing articles. So the author could be DocOctupus, radiokillplay, or lordandmaker. Or not. We may never know, but who cares? I know someone on Wikipedia! If only he was born in Rexburg.