Someone can sound/present themselves as completely knowledgeable and professional..... and still be wrong. Someone can be confident in their responses and still be wrong in their information. trolls thrive off of the entertainment of causing chaos and misinformation.
Agreed. Also, Wiki CAN be wrong. One example I know is that it says that the Roman Emperor Vespasian arranged for his son Domitian to marry his niece Julia Flavia. But I know for a fact it was Titus, her father who arranged it. (See Suetonius' chapters on Titus and Domitian.) Also, let's not discount the political tilt of Wiki that can color some articles and topics covered.
Well, sure. But if someone on Quora is a police officer, and the question is about (say) pistol maintenance or police procedures, then they should know, right? At least, they should know more than I do about those subjects. Of course I don't trust anything on Quora 100%. I take it, but I verify it with other sources. If the question is something non-controversial (like blacksmithing in the ancient Roman age), and the person answering is a blacksmith or an archaeologist who specializes in ancient Rome, then odds are they'd be correct. Right?
Yeah, Wikipedia gets kind of a bad rep for the whole "anyone can edit" bit, but it's generally reliable for the reason you give. If anything, it's at least a good place to start and expand from there.
Perhaps we should put this topic on hold until after the election, because if a certain guy wins all previous bets may be off. Just saying.
I like the library idea, or maybe just using wifi at the coffee shop or something. I mean: it's probably okay at home as long as you're not looking at websites with potentially illegal content (which I'm sure you wouldn't be doing this kind of research), but I remember reading about this one thriller writer - it was a woman, I think - and the police or feds raided her home after 9/11 because she was researching terrorism for a novel or something. It was like months later when it was reported, but my recollection is she hadn't gotten her computers and things back by then.
she must have been doing something sketchy to trigger that response, the best option there is not to do the sketchy thing, but if you're going to creeping around makes it worse if you are caught because you look guilty 'why your honor would an innocent author be going out of his way to avoid detection?'
Yeah, again. Library is your friend! They aren't going to have material that's 'no-no'. But also enough material for you to get an IDEA of the subject you are writing. And this is ALSO where I will say, there is NOTHING wrong with using your imagination. Like, you don't have to research everything. Especially things that MIGHT get you in trouble, like that author. Sometimes, it's okay to be 'wrong and imperfect' and not research everything. Hell, in some of my stories, I don't research a few of the topics I cover. Because they are sensitive. But also, using your imagination to step into the situation might be enough.
Yeah, she must have been. Military thrillers are a favorite subject of mine, and with the things I've researched, I'm kinda surprised I haven't had anything like that happen to me. Speaking of libraries, I was at my local one using their Wifi and one of the employees walked by me right as I had an image search of M4 carbine pictures on my screen and he gave me the weirdest look. Nothing came of it, though, and I've been back there numerous times unmolested since. They have, however, blocked various firearm-related websites, some of which don't even actually sell guns, like Vortex Optics and Leupold, both of which are exclusively optic manufacturers.
Honestly, I'd flag anyone using a library computer for anything. I'm sure there are many innocent applications, as @J.T. Woody would attest, but can't think of any innocent reasons why I would use one. I suppose I could be driving by one when my car exploded, destroying everything but me, and I had 10 minutes to meet an order deadline or something.
Library Wifi is almost always unsecured, after all. Easy for someone to eavesdrop, and, unfortunately, I can't afford a VPN right now. At the time, I really didn't have an option at the time since my phone hotspot was limited to 5 gb. I've since upgraded it to 60 gb and no longer have to go to the library unless I want to. And my housing situation precludes me getting home Internet service right now.
had a guy once bring his whole desktop in, hook it up at one of the tables (not even a study room) and chill there all day. Desktop and tower. complete with a mousepad.
He ... brought in his tower? Imaginative, but unwieldy. I've had a tower for decades; they're not known for being portable. I like the fact that he even brought his own mousepad. How ... considerate. Now I suddenly have this mental image of someone bringing in a picnic basket. He opens it up, and it's full of comestibles: gherkins, mustards, preserves, horseradish, pickled onions. He explains that he's a victim to his wife's preserves habit. And why did I get this mental image? The mousepad is tiny, so after putting all that stuff on a library table, this guy daintily brings out a sparkling-white napkin and ties it around his neck ... and turns back to his feast, just in time to see Yogi Berra swipe it all. (He's got your pic-a-nic basket! ... sorry). Putting all that aside (sorry), doesn't the library have time limits on how long someone can use their computers? *shrug* That's what my library does. Also, wouldn't any library frown on this "bring-your-own" approach? I'd imagine they would, but then, I'm not part of library management.
A guy did this at my previous library but brought more equipment and we asked him to leave... BECAUSE, he ended up some how hacking into the system we use to catalogue books and store patron records. We walked passed him and saw our system pulled up on his computer. Called IT, IT call security, security and IT gave him the boot
Wow. Given that the library's patrons are also citizens of that city ... so he had access to their names, addresses, phone numbers -- the lot ... that's not just a major security breach, it sounds criminal. So I hope IT and Security confiscated his computer and wiped your systems off it, too ... at the very least. (And maybe referred him to the police). Did they do all that? I hope so!
