Let’s build a massive crosswalk connecting map data with just Wikidata, DuckDB, some Ruby, and a hard-won bash one-liner. This article argues that the primary practical value of Wikidata lies in its function as a massive, centralized “crosswalk file” that effectively links countless identifiers and data points across the semantic web.

Over the past month, I’ve immersed myself in a personal project that was meant to be a game, an experiment, and maybe a bit of a protest: WordGuardian.

A site for playing with absurd, real, and invented definitions. But also a window into the semantic richness of Wikidata and a cold reality check about building an indie website in 2025.