Where would we be without Wikipedia? Well, our cast iron knowledge of Brazil's lower league football would take a hefty dent, but otherwise we'd be in a happier place - a place where pub debates over matters of entertainment can rage without fear of correction or 'fact' muddying the waters.
Take the topic of 'most influential film of the last century': some might put forward Jaws, the film that birthed the concept of summer blockbuster. Another might posit Gone with the wind, an older title that's surely been watched by, and thus influenced, more people. Arguments clash, fun is had.
Well this process has been disrupted by the Arg! Team. They've created an algorithm that has randomly trawled the links of Wikipedia, clicking away on one every second and compiling an effective 'Page Rank' for the site's endless bin of knowledge. The following graph indicates how many links and mentions a film receives on the whole of Wikipedia, producing a measure of their 'influence':
So to shorten your next "influential film" discussion (we have them at least once a week), according to Wikipedia the answer is Citizen Kane. Done.
Head over to the Arg! Team Blog for more info on their clever graph and the links to all the films.
(Via: Gizmodo)
(Images: Rex)
