Scentipedia
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia.
- Not to be confused with Centipedia, the Myriopod encyclopedia written by and for centipedes.
"Scentipedia. Because olfaction should be free"
~ Scentipedia slogan
"Another stupid project from the Wikipedia Foundation"
"Seriously, what's Conservapedia?"
"I smell a rat"
Scentipedia, "the free olfactory database that anyone can sniff", is the newest project of the Wikimedia Foundation announced by Jimbo Wales in June 2007 and launched in early July. The project has been in development since earlier in the year, when Wales, ever the dreamer, came up with the idea. It has been hailed by the media as "The best thing since pong".
[edit] Development
Jimmy Wales was the projects brain child (though Larry Sanger claims he came up with the idea years before), giving birth to the idea. "We have an encyclopedia right? Then we have the Commons for images and sounds, but what about the other senses? Then I thought to myself "What if we had a database for smells?". He then took it to the board, who suggested he talk to the software's developers. "The developers got a whiff of it and loved the idea" said Wales, so they started putting it together. The technology was not initially available, but new breakthroughs from NASA and Smellcorp have lead to smell recording, smell encyrption and smell output devices that will soon be on the market. The foundation initially purchased several Olfaction Recording Device (ORC) prototypes, followed by the development of a new olfactory files system (OFS). Using the new encryption technology they uploaded several trial odors, mainly organic acids and esters.
"We had some problems developing the software, and the smell output devices are not on the market at this stage, but we worked through the problems, and eureeka! We did it!" said Wales on the night of the site's launch. The site already has over 10,000 odors and growth continues.
[edit] Criticism
Conservapedia founder and opponent of Wikipedia John Shafly has been derisive of the project from early on.
"Fucking stupid liberals, it just won't work!" he stated in April when Wales announced the development of the project. Even after the site's launch Shadwick remains skeptical of its value, saying "The whole thing stinks" in a recent interview, "and it's a fragrant (sic) abuse of the wiki software."
Copyrighted fragrances such as perfumes are also not available until 70 years after the patent holders death. This is due to American copyright law (where the project's servers are based), which allows people to copyright basically anything.
[edit] Success
Mr. Shifley's criticism aside, the project has been a wide success - science teachers have praised the project. "It's great for my chemistry class - they can smell the esters, the benezenes... stay away from the amines though!" said chemistry teacher and long time contributor to Wikipedia Max Walters. "I've always wanted to know what an elephant sex pheromone smells like, and now I know!" said one biologist. Alternative medicine advocates have also praised the project, which will provide free aromatherapy to people around the world (which is the next best thing to treatments that actually work).
But Wales points out that the project is more than just for the developed nations. "Wikipedia and its projects have always had a wider goal. We aim to provide resources and education for the whole world. We've launched a program to distribute laptops and smell-output devices throughout schools in Africa. Scentipedia will be smelt throughout the world."
"Poor people will be able to smell baked cookies and pastries. We can't bring them food, but it's the next best thing," exclaimed Wales. Indeed, one of the project's first trials with experimental equipment has been a success. "I smelt a chocolate cake!" said a child from an orphanage in Kenya. "I'm so hungry..."
Smell you there!
