Wikipedia deathwatch, NYT one-upsmanship
Wikipedia is a fantastic site for deathwatchers; updating almost instantly upon news of the recent deaths of Johnnie Cochran, Terri Schiavo, and the dearly lamented Karol Wojtyla. Johnnie Cochran’s death was chronicled within 30 minutes, over 15 minutes before wire services had the news. This surprised a CBS reporter enough to call to discover Wikipedia’s source. The answer? “Some IP in California.”