Wikipedia is a great place to start if you need a quick primer on a topic you know next to nothing about, like, say, the cornetist Bix Beiderdecke, or the feeding habits of cuttlefish. The online encyclopedia is amazingly comprehensive, which makes it a godsend for harried students eager to flesh out an already late paper—or for journalists on a deadline. Users are generally counseled to adopt a “trust but verify” attitude toward its contents. If anyone can edit Wikipedia, after all, how trustworthy can it be? This story is from Kinfolk Issue Forty-Four Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 47 Correction: The Starving Artist Bad times don’t always make for good art. Arts & Culture Issue 45 Correction: Spontaneous Generation A curious theory about the origins of life. Arts & Culture Issue 40 Correction On the scary shortcomings of “fearless” philosophies. Arts & Culture Issue 39 Correction Teenagers aren't lazy, they're exhausted. Arts & Culture Issue 38 Correction Don’t be fooled by spurious data. Arts & Culture Issue 37 Correction On the shaky science behind Stockholm syndrome.
Arts & Culture Issue 45 Correction: Spontaneous Generation A curious theory about the origins of life.
