A lot of people use the well-known wiki software to create collaborative websites where users share, edit, and organize information. The most famous of which is the Wikipedia, consulted by millions of people for information concerning subjects from politics to sports to history to ad infinitum. But there are a lot of other wiki’s out there in the wilds of the Internet, some of which cover very unusual subjects. Here are ten for your enjoyment and bemusement:
Galaxiki – A science fiction & fantasy galaxy
Do you possess the desire to name new stars and planets? Want to impress your next date by giving her a solar system? Now you can with Galaxiki, a wiki for a fictitious galaxy. With a browsable map on the frontpage, you can zoom in and explore different areas of the galaxy. The Galaxiki community, over 2000 members strong, discuss and even write stories about their finds. There’s also a very entertaining blog covering a wide range of topics in science fiction and fact.
Memory Alpha – Star Trek canonical wiki
This wiki’s purpose is to be a comprehensive repository of knowledge about everything Star Trek. So if you’re a Trekkie or a Trekkor or a Klingon or whatever, and you need to know what year James T. Kirk entered Starfleet Academy, this is the wiki for you. In fact there’s over 27,000 articles to browse! That’s a lot of information on a completely fictitious subject.
WikiFur – a Furry wiki
“The free encyclopedia written by and for the Furry community.” Ah yes, Furries… those people who enjoy wearing cartoony animal costumes while rolling around with each other on hotel convention floors. One function of this wiki seems to be for Furries to register their name, so if you’re wearing a duck suit while reading this article, you may want to stop by the WikiFur. This wiki also covers Furry conventions, comics, and, well, pretty well anything and everything Furry. This author would like to state that researching online articles can sometimes be a deeply frightening experience.
The Sandwich Wiki – A wiki about… well, sandwiches. What did you expect?
Delicious sandwich database. Got a hankering to learn all about Reuben sandwiches at 3:42 in the morning? Then this wiki is for YOU, sandwich lover! The admins of this wiki are some seriously obsessed people in the field of foods stuck between slices of bread.
Wookiepedia – a Star Wars wiki
Speaking of frightening obsessions, here’s a wiki for Star Wars fans. There’s over 50,000 articles in the Wookiepedia! If you need to know anything considered canonical about the Star Wars series, this is the place to begin (and probably end) your research. And if you want to contribute, sign up to be a member and you can edit articles. But I imagine you’d have to cite sources for any information you edited in the Wookiepedia; you probably couldn’t change the entry for Luke Skywalker to read, “He loves pancakes.” and get away with it.
WikiTruth – a wiki devoted to criticizing Wikipedia
You know you’re having an effect on the Internet when an entire wiki is created to criticize you. The operators of WikiTruth seem to really have it in for the founder of Wikipedia. There’s also a lot of rumor, conjecture, and outright accusations on this site, which always make for an entertaining read. If you’re hateful and bitter towards Wikipedia for whatever reason, WikiTruth will be your new home on the ‘Net.
Fan History Wiki – a wiki “dedicated to preserving, documenting, and writing fandom history”
This wiki states it is a “fan run project dedicated to preserving, documenting and writing fandom history.” Fandom can be loosely described as the fans who love a particular book, television show, movie series, author, or artist. We’re talkin’ about people so obsessive they will write stories (“fanfic”) about their show. There’s a fandom base for almost every popular movie, show, and book out there and this website probably covers them all. There’s also sections on sports, music, and videogames, too.
Uncyclopedia – a wiki of misinformation
Billing itself as “the content-free encyclopedia”, Uncyclopedia’s main purpose is to have hilarious articles containing wildly inaccurate “information”. To illustrate this point, I clicked on the “random” link in Uncyclopedia and it took me to the entry about the walrus, said entry beginning with: “This article is about a confused walrus who thinks he is you and you are him and he is him and they are all together.” And things devolve from there. Read at your own risk, and even dare to contribute if you think you’re funny.
Naked Wiki – a resource on clothes-optional and clothes-free activities
Need to find information, resources, and lively discussion about nudism in a non-sexual context? The Naked Wiki is for you. There’s only 83 articles in this wiki so far, and a lot of regional information needs to be added, but hey, where else are you going to find an online encyclopedia about nudism?
Alternative History – a wiki of alternative history
Here’s an interesting idea: a wiki about the big “what ifs?” in history. This site has almost 4,000 pages relating to alternative timelines, and it’s an ongoing project if you’d like to join. They’re only looking for past alternative histories, not future, by the way. So if you have a good idea of what would have happened if Abraham Lincon didn’t get assassinated, or the Roman Empire never fell, or hamsters swarmed all over Winston Churchill during his famous radio address, head on over to this wiki.
You’ll find other unusual websites through the above wiki’s, by the way. And if you have a particular favorite unusual wiki not mentioned in this article, feel free to post the link in the comments section below!
Internet Slacker 