Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2014-05-21/Traffic report
It's a relief to see Google Doodles having an impact again; their wide coverage means that they inspire curiosity on many subjects which, for reasons of nationality, ethnicity or gender, might not be known in the English-speaking world. It's a shame then, that Wikipedia so often fails to keep up; articles on Google Doodles are almost invariably C-class, and seldom do justice to their subjects. Still, interest in Google Doodles has been waning in recent months—Audrey Hepburn last week was the first to top the list since December—so any rise in popularity is worth celebrating.
For the full top 25 list, see WP:TOP25. See this section for an explanation for any exclusions.
For the week of May 11 to 17, the 10 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the report of the 5,000 most viewed pages, were:
Rank Article Class Views Image Notes 1 Dorothy Hodgkin 1,818,292 The Nobel Prizewinning pioneer of protein crystallography got a Google Doodle on her would-have-been 104th birthday on 12 May. 2 Conchita Wurst 1,579,871 It wouldn't be Eurovision without some unsettling political subtexts, and while Russia's not-quite-invasion of Ukraine may have had less impact than expected (they both gave each other points, albeit not a lot) the same cannot be said for its antediluvian restrictions on the LGBT community, (Eurovision is known as the "gay Superbowl", after all) reaction to which almost certainly played a part in this gender-bending Austrian singer's triumph over bookies' favourite, Sweden's Sanna Nielsen. 3 Brown v. Board of Education 1,314,710 This week marked the 60th anniversary of this landmark US Supreme Court decision, that effectively ended the Jim Crow apartheid that had characterised the American South and parts of the West since the Civil War. While it should be noted that America marked the anniversary under a black President, most news articles covering it have noted how far the US still has to go. 4 Maria Gaetana Agnesi 1,140,470 This 18th century prodigy, who spoke seven languages by the time she was 11, discovered the algebraic curve somewhat insensitively known as the "Witch of Agnesi"; a not-particularly clever pun on the Italian words versiera (sheet, the name of the curve) and avversiera, (female devil). Yes, can't have our women dabbling in all that diabolical math, now can we? Only in the modern era has the curve gained scientific applications, appearing in such phenomena as x-rays and power dissipation in resonant circuits, leading to long-overdue recognition and a Google Doodle for her 296th birthday on 16 May. 5 Godzilla (2014 film) 833,060 It seems that Hollywood's trust in Gareth Edwards, director of the microbudget scifi flick Monsters, was well placed, as his take on the Godzilla mythos has emulated its hero, stomping the box office to dust with $93 million in three days. Critics seem to like the movie too; it's RT rating is currently 73%. Personally, I had issues with it, but then, what do I know? 6 Amazon.com 685,552 This article suddenly reappeared in the top 25 after a long absence, but at least it has a reason: Amazon Fire TV; a digital streaming device to watch online content on an HDTV. How it distinguishes itself from the three or four other such devices currently on the market is a matter of some dispute. 7 Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site 638,076 Otherwise known as Monroe Elementary School in Topeka, Kansas, this was one of the segregated schools that triggered the dispute that led to the Supreme Court resolution that ultimately ended segregation in public schools. 8 Mother's Day 623,525 The second Sunday in May (that's May 11 to all you ingrates who forgot) is far and away the most popular time of year to celebrate Mother's Day, and, even as the day fell, panicked college students in all participating countries rushed to their computers to learn they'd blown it. 9 Narendra Modi 604,300 Thanks to an effective ad campaign and a sound economic record as Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat, Modi led his Hindu nationalist BJP to victory with a stomping 282 (52%) seats. A Hindu nationalist and a member of the RSS, Modi is considered a controversial politician and debate still surrounds the extent of his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots during his tenure as Chief Minister. The Indian National Congress, the party that has mostly led India since its independence, came in second with 44 seats, its worst showing in any election in India's history. 10 Indian general election, 2014 544,994 You'd think, given the push that Indians often give articles on this list, that their election, which concluded on 12 May, would be higher up.
Discuss this story
The profile of Modi in the signpost seems a bit grotesque. Linking him to the assasination of *Gandhi? Seems a stretch. Guilt by association? Looks like systemic bias at its worst. Rather embarassing really. According to the RSS article " a former RSS member, assassinated Mahatma Gandhi", and I can't help but wonder how old Modi was at the time? Candleabracadabra (talk) 02:25, 24 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
FYI, I've rewritten it. The original version was way too biased. Even for me :) --regentspark (comment) 13:26, 24 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Eurovision
Since when has the Eurovision Song Contest been known as the "Gay Superbowl"? I've never heard it called this (unsurprisingly, since "Superbowl" means nothing to 99% of the population of Europe), and I can't find a single source ever calling it this other than a couple of bloggers. Mogism (talk) 18:38, 24 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
For the 150 thousandth time, this ISN'T AN ARTICLE. The rules don't apply. Serendipodous 21:46, 25 May 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Witch of Agnesi
A far more interesting name than for example Cayley's sextic - the witch of Agnesi is always the first curve I check in any dictionary or list of curves. Maybe someone should mis-translate a few more curve names? All the best: Rich Farmbrough, 20:54, 25 May 2014 (UTC).
Not an article, but