Categories
Curated Absurdity Mildly Interesting Random Acts of WLBOTTness

Special:Random

We have had many, many inquires[1] as to how we select topics for our BLOTTs. One technique is to use the Special:Random feature of Wikipedia.

[1] Well, one person acted kinda curious, but they may have just wanted us to go away.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random

Methodology

  • Click the above link compulsively over and over and over and over.
  • Spend no more than 3 seconds per page.
  • If the topic looks BLOTT-worthy (see below), take a screen shot (or for really cool stuff, take a full page shoot using Awesome Screen Shot (Chrome).
  • Cogitate, filter, drink coffee, get the advice of the Elders of WLBOTT
  • Proceed with caution.

Selection Criteria

Would this Wiki page, in and of itself, make a good BLOTT, assuming available resources and a nice check from the National Endowment for the Arts?

If you would like to suggest a BLOTT, please contact
seriousInquiriesOnly@wlbott.com

Some Patterns Emerge

After visiting thousands of Special:Random sites, some patterns emerge:

  1. about half the articles are sports related, mostly obscure soccer, rugby, and cricket teams, team members, tournaments
  2. lots of obscure bands and musicians
  3. lots of trains and train lines
  4. lots of obscure and bloated political and religious figures, actresses and actors, civil servants, coaches….
    WLBOTT thinks that research funds should be provided relative to the relationship between narcissism and frequency of Wikipedia articles. We are not suggesting that we would produce results, but only that funding should be provided.
  5. lots of beetle and moth species

Pattern Examples

But to be fair, there are a lot of moths, beetles, and insects:

Special:Random: Bob Andy Pie

A conversation between Grandpa Witherspoon and his eight-year-old granddaughter Molly:

Molly: Grandpa, what’s a gelding?

Grandpa Witherspoon: Well, honey. It’s a horse with a lot of time on it’s hands.

By 1986 NBC Press kit, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32212983

More Special:Random


Here are some of the creative (and less vulgar) names from the article below:

  • Angelspit
  • Gravity Kills
  • In Strict Confidence
  • Kidneythieves
  • Nurse With Wound
  • Rammstein
  • Peace, Love and Pitbulls
  • Sheep on Drugs
  • Throbbing Gristle
  • Stabbing Westward
  • Vampire Rodents
  • Zeromancer