Wikimedia Highlights, February 2016

Here are highlights from across the Wikimedia movement, as reported on this blog in February 2016: Recording romanticism and filling Wikimedia Commons with 19th century music; What’s TPP? The problematic partnership; #BlackLifeMatters edit-a-thon bolsters Wikipedia’s coverage of black history.

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It "revolutionized the way German-speaking people inform themselves about the world": Fifteen years of the German Wikipedia

It's been so revolutionary that it has even become the de facto replacement for the Brockhaus—the German equivalent of the Encyclopædia Britannica.

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New Wikipedia app for iOS puts the joy of exploration in your hand

Our new Wikipedia app for iOS features major design and usability improvements, including the new Explore feed.

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Wikipedia’s coverage of essential vaccines is expanding

The Medical Translation Task Force has boosted its productivity by 17% and increased the amount of health care content by using the content translation tool. Rather than handing out a Microsoft Word document full of Wikimedia markup for translation, translators are being coached on how to use the content translation tool. As a new process, this….

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The new alchemy: turning online harassment into Wikipedia articles on women scientists

By day, Emily Temple-Wood is a biology student. By night, she writes Wikipedia articles on women scientists—one for every harassing email she receives.

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Pick and choose and Pikachu: 20 years after Pokémon launched, its impact on Wikipedia remains

Years ago, the English Wikipedia was being overrun by a deluge of articles on Pokémon characters and creatures.

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Appeal filed in Wikimedia v. NSA

Today, our attorneys at the ACLU filed the opening brief in our appeal of Wikimedia v. NSA, which challenges the National Security Agency’s “Upstream” mass surveillance practices. Our complaint was dismissed last fall on the grounds of standing, and the newly filed brief details the many reasons why we have the right to bring these claims. We expect the government’s response in March, and will continue to keep the community updated.

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Wikimedia Foundation removes The Diary of Anne Frank due to copyright law requirements

Today, in an unfortunate example of the overreach of the United States' current copyright law, the Wikimedia Foundation removed the Dutch-language text of The Diary of Anne Frank from Wikisource.

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Millions read Bowie biography following sudden death

On January 10, just two days after the release of his twenty-sixth studio album, enigmatic British artist David Bowie died following an eighteen-month battle with liver cancer. His death kicked off a string of deaths among aging male entertainers, including Alan Rickman, Glenn Frey, René Angélil, and Abe Vigoda—all but the last within six years of age from one another. All….

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Wikipedia celebrates 15 years of free knowledge

This Friday marks the 15th anniversary of Wikipedia, the world’s free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. This week, we celebrate not just Wikipedia, but the birth of an idea: that anyone can contribute to the world’s knowledge. Globally, readers and editors are coming together to celebrate, with nearly 150 events across six continents. From editing marathons in Bangladesh….

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