However I want to write in praise of this great site and how I am starting to use it in a new way.. recently I have started regular use of the french version http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accueil
What has surprised me is the quality of the writing. Despite the limitations of my french, unlike many other french language websites, I can read french wikipedia and understand/learn interesting new ideas in a foreign language!!
Why? In brief because of the style of writing is always clear, concise and without any slang or colloquialisms.. absolute great for me.
For example, following a recent radio program about the 1960s model Nico, I was able to learn more about Nico, The Velvet Underground and David Warhol all in French :)
The diversity and range of articles is phenomial, not just the mainstream and popular but more obscure articles e.g. one of my old math professors Marcus Du Sautoy:
Marcus du Sautoy, né en 1965, est professeur de mathématiques à l'université d'Oxford.
Il est également l'animateur d'une émission de la BBC Four et publie des articles dans le Times, le Guardian et le Daily Telegraph.
Il est amateur de musique, en particulier de piano et de trombone, qu'il lie aux mathématiques. Il a en effet publié en 2003 La Symphonie des nombres premiers (The Music of the primes) qui détaille l'histoire des mathématiques dans le domaine des nombres premiers, principalement l'hypothèse de Riemann.
