this post was submitted on 09 Mar 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 154 points 10 months ago (1 children)

What makes them think that the library of Alexandria did it any other way? Nerds have existed long before the internet…

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends 76 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Nerds were invented by Charles Nerd, when in 1948, separated from the Poindexters and the eggheads after disagreement.

[–] [email protected] 49 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

You can only call then Nerds if they're from the Nerdeaux region of France. Otherwise they're just sparkling smartasses

[–] [email protected] 19 points 10 months ago (2 children)

umm ackshually this is false, the concept of nerd originates from a viking ship that docked at Lübeck in 873, whereupon the crew got into an extended argument about the precise value of their cargo, leading to the Lübeck merchants exclaiming "Fücking Nörds!" and that quickly caught on and eventually the term started generally referring to anyone that was annoyingly pedantic but technically correct.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Can I cite this on Wikipedia?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

absolutely. I am a tyrant that you should trust, and you should let me run your life. I know what is best for you.

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[–] [email protected] 108 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

That's literally what the library of Alexandria was all about.

They told all of the nerds that the best nerd paper would get into their nerd building, and nerds traveled there from around the world and dedicated their lives to correcting and one-upping the other nerds.

I love the fallibility of humans and our consistency, it makes me much more comfortable to live in a world that seems comprehensible, because I know underneath all of it are like three dumb existential complacencies that any human part of the species can't deny.

[–] IsThisAnAI 88 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Just ignore the 150M a year they spend managing finances, contributors, tech, moderation, etc. Takes a lot to maintain an accurate library.

[–] [email protected] 70 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (13 children)

i dont think anyone is ignoring that. the meme is talking about how it was built, not how it's currently maintained. it definitely didn't start off spending that much. all that spending is a consequence of it's popularity, not the reason for it.

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 10 months ago (2 children)

150m a year doesn't seem that much, honestly. I know people think "oh, it's just a website" but it takes a lot of work and money in salaries and infrastructure hosting to keep a web application as popular as Wikipedia up and running.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I used to work for them. It was weird and wonderful and I miss it and I don't. Lots of mission driven folks working hard to keep things going getting very little respect. But a lot of respect. But sometimes none.

Iirc a lot of their budget is spent doing charity stuff. Encouraging contributions for tiny languages. Trying not to cave to Russia or the US or France. Trying to make it less of a boys club. Trying to get local organizations going.

I remember once they sent an email that said "if the French government asks you to delete this page please just delete it. It's not worth going to jail. Someone outside of France will revert the delete."

I wasn't qualified for the work. No one was. But it was honest work.

[–] lledrtx 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Thank you for your work, though!

Very curious about the page French govt wanted deleted.

[–] No_Ones_Slick_Like_Gaston 15 points 10 months ago (10 children)
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[–] RegalPotoo 20 points 10 months ago

150m a year for one of the most trafficked websites on the internet is a bargin

[–] [email protected] 70 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It's not the real Library at Alexandria until it burns down. Twice.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (2 children)
[–] chiliedogg 5 points 10 months ago

You know - the jocks in that film were assholes, but the nerds sexually assaulted people.

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[–] [email protected] 61 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Dammit he correctly used the apostrophe.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 10 months ago (2 children)

Why damn it? That's a good thing.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 10 months ago

Nerds needing to correct each other lol

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

They said it as an interjection, in this case to express astonishment.

[–] dohpaz42 7 points 10 months ago (3 children)

Here: it’s nerd’s, not nerds’.

You’re welcome.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago

But... it's plural, it already ends in s.

[–] drengbarazi 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)
[–] dohpaz42 6 points 10 months ago

They’re is no way your write about this.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 10 months ago (2 children)

"The best way to get a correct answer online is not to post a question. It is to post the wrong answer."

[–] [email protected] 17 points 10 months ago

I've done it at times. It works!

[–] lemmytry 5 points 10 months ago

Ackchyually it's Wikipedia.

[–] bruhduh 28 points 10 months ago
[–] [email protected] 25 points 10 months ago (2 children)

All human advancement was created by nerds. Spears were invented by weaklings too slow to kill with their bare hands. Fire was tamed by the people who were scared of the dark

[–] meliaesc 14 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I think fire was tamed because the food poisoning killed those without it. We are supposed to just sleep at night.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago

Assuming primitive people would make the connection between gross food and people dying.

https://ebookslib.org/sf/12898-eurema-s-dam.html

Fun little story that makes my point.

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[–] littlebluespark 7 points 10 months ago

And still, even with a do-over, somehow failed to call it "M'akshually". 🤷🏼‍♂️

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

it better not get burned down again

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