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==From today's featured article==
==From today's featured article==
[[File:M1A1 Abrams Tank in Camp Fallujah.JPEG|thumb|M1 Abrams tank]]
[[File:Lifeguard August 2010-3.jpg|thumb|right|Lifeguard at the Praia Grande ('Large Beach'). Porto Covo, west coast of Portugal]]
The '''[[M1 Abrams tank]]''' is an American tank. It is large, heavily armored, and has a good cannon and firing systems. It is highly mobile, using a turbine engine more commonly found in helicoptors. This engine makes it incredibly fast, and quiet, but has the disadvantage of being relatively thirsty for fuel and therefore requiring more logistical support.
A '''[[lifeguard]]''' is a trained rescuer who watches a body of water while swimmers play. Lifeguards are found on beaches, lakes, rivers, by pools, and in water parks. The Red Cross offers lifeguard training.
The fictional television series, ''Baywatch'', was about lifeguards in southern California. It starred David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson.
==Did you know ...==
==Did you know ...==
* ... that the [[English language]] is the official language of the United Kingdom of Britain, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland?
* ... that The [[New Zork Times]] is a newspaper in the computer game, Zork?
* ... that a [[situation comedy|situational comedy]] or sitcom is a type of television program that puts characters in a recurring setting and tries to get the audience to laugh?
* ... that a [[Jedi]] is a fictional character class from the Star Wars series?
* ... that [[Zombietime]] is a website run by a photojournalist who visits political rallies around the San Francisco Bay area?
* ... that [[Can I borrow a feeling]] is Milhouse's dad's album, which was released on cassette tape?
==About Encyc==
==About Encyc==
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==Deep thoughts by Enki==
==Deep thoughts by Enki==
===Criticism===
"I believe that all is illusion and vanity outside the treasure of truths slowly accumulated, and which will never again be lost. I believe that the sum of these truths, always increasing, will at last confer on man incalculable power and peace, if not happiness. Yes, I believe in the final triumph of life." - Emile Zola
Most critics are useless, horrible, worthless human beings. OK maybe that's too harsh. There are those like Roger Ebert who genuinely add value to the things that they are criticizing. And I am not just saying that because I agreed with him most of the time.
He knew that [[the Big Lebowski]] was a four star movie. Nailed it. Same with Saving Private Ryan.
On the other hand, he hated [[Spice World]] and [[The Waterboy]], neither of which were really that bad. He was kind of right about [[Pink Flamingos]].
I've tried criticism but I think it's much more fun to create. Too many critics just go around and around in the same circles, repeating the same patterns that they are comfortable with. It's not too different than a creator that gets stuck in a rut, like a guitarist who does YouTube demos playing the same blues riffs over and over. But good that they created YouTube videos in the first place, right?
===Churchill===
What a complete master of the English language. He captures the moment in a word painting every time, cutting out all the distractions and nailing the point home. For example, [[Churchill's Radio Broadcast, June 22, 1941]]. "dandified Prussian officers"... "cataract of horrors"... "threshold of their native land"...
<blockquote>
The past, with its crimes, its follies and its tragedies, flashes away. I see the Russian soldiers standing on the threshold of their native land, guarding the fields which their fathers have tilled from time immemorial. I see them guarding their homes; their mothers and wives pray, ah yes, for there are times when all pray for the safety of their loved ones, for the return of the breadwinner, of the champion, of their protectors.
I see the 10,000 villages of Russia, where the means of existence was wrung so hardly from the soil, but where there are still primordial human joys, where maidens laugh and children play I see advancing upon all this, in hideous onslaught, the Nazi war machine, with its clanking, heel-clicking, dandified Prussian officers, its crafty expert agents, fresh from the cowing and tying down of a dozen countries. I see also the dull, drilled, docile brutish masses of the Hun soldiery, plodding on like a swarm of crawling locusts. I see the German bombers and fighters in the sky, still smarting from many a British whipping, so delighted to find what they believe is an easier and a safer prey. And behind all this glare, behind all this storm, I see that small group of villainous men who planned, organized and launched this cataract of horrors upon mankind.
</blockquote>
===Aristotle===
Overrated. Take this quote, for example. "We make war so that we may live in peace."
===Lists===
We love lists.
Swayze movies
*Dirty Dancing
*Road House
*Point Break
*Ghost
We really love [[Point Break]]. While those poor saps creep along the highway in their steel coffins, we are here writing encyclopedia articles. That's Encyc, keeping the human spirit alive in the 21st century.
Not that [[Road House]] is anything to dismiss lightly. Road House closely approximates the early days of Encyc, when we ran a roadside bar and had to stand up against small town thuggery.
===Benevolent deity===
Enki is known for being on the side of humans. When the other gods figured that humans were worthless and it was time to start over, to wipe the slate clean, Enki undermined their plan and helped people.
So while other projects look at humans with indifference, mistrust, or malice, we try to go the other route. Encyc is going to give you the benefit of the doubt. Usually.
Today's movie quote: "You're angry because you got lied to?... Hey, they lie to everyone. They lie to the fish."
===Greetings===
Hello from your friendly ancient deity / Encyclopedia-runner Enki. So what are we doing here? Jotting down bits of knowledge and organizing them in some way. Of course we are nowhere near as thorough as Wikipedia, which inspired this whole project from the beginning. But why? I know that I have attempted to answer that question many times in the past. On a superficial level, yes there are trust issues with any one information source that can be solved by creating alternatives.
But why do we need to know this stuff at all? Maybe like Asimov's Encyclopedists we are trying to preserve the sum of human knowledge for future generations. But that was revealed to be a misdirection, so it probably is not that. If future generations ever degenerate to the point they really need us, it is probably too late anyway. You can't make up the deficit with a wiki. Maybe we're skeptical of the nature of knowledge itself?
And what's the point of giving humans the tools to continue if they're going to keep burning through natural resources, exterminating thousands of species a year, a problem highlighted in the documentary [[Pandorum]]..... but wait the Sun will eventually run out of fuel and destroy the Earth anyway so ok what's left?
Will Encyc serve as a lifeboat of human knowledge when Wikipedia is overrun by AI bots with very little human input? Encyc, written by humans, and that's why it reads this way. Ugh. Human settlers will show up on pristine new worlds armed with knowledge from the early 21st century, including what we write here. Looking for fresh water, knowledge, etc. [[User:Enki|Enki]] ([[User talk:Enki|talk]]) 12:37, 18 August 2023 (EDT)
==Dove thoughts by TheWingedWarrior==
"In the garden of challenges; let resilience be your blooming flower. For even in adversity, its petals unfurl – whispering tales of strength that withstand the harshest storms." – [[Dove Hepburn]] (1900–2024) (Her most influential quote of all time!)
[[Category:Encyc]]
[[Category:Encyc]]
Latest revision as of 16:27, 29 November 2024
Encyc is a free wikiencyclopedia similar to Britannica, World Book, and the other great wiki, Wikipedia. Welcome to our site.
From today's featured article
Lifeguard at the Praia Grande ('Large Beach'). Porto Covo, west coast of Portugal
A lifeguard is a trained rescuer who watches a body of water while swimmers play. Lifeguards are found on beaches, lakes, rivers, by pools, and in water parks. The Red Cross offers lifeguard training.
The fictional television series, Baywatch, was about lifeguards in southern California. It starred David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson.
Did you know ...
... that The New Zork Times is a newspaper in the computer game, Zork?
... that a Jedi is a fictional character class from the Star Wars series?
... that Can I borrow a feeling is Milhouse's dad's album, which was released on cassette tape?
Encyc was established in 2008. :) We would like to thank all of our users for their contributions and support. We couldn't have done it without you. (block of cheese). We have two mascots. The Encyc sloth is named Pancake. The Encyc dolphin is named Butterfly.
Everyone is welcome to read and participate here. Please be aware that like most other wikis we make no guarantee of validity. Read our disclaimer before using this website.
Deep thoughts by Enki
"I believe that all is illusion and vanity outside the treasure of truths slowly accumulated, and which will never again be lost. I believe that the sum of these truths, always increasing, will at last confer on man incalculable power and peace, if not happiness. Yes, I believe in the final triumph of life." - Emile Zola
Dove thoughts by TheWingedWarrior
"In the garden of challenges; let resilience be your blooming flower. For even in adversity, its petals unfurl – whispering tales of strength that withstand the harshest storms." – Dove Hepburn (1900–2024) (Her most influential quote of all time!)
