It’s the dreaded blackout – en.wikipedia.org is down for the next 24 hours. Students will be unable to write essays; journalists will be unable to write stories; the general public can’t use it as a “brain extension”.
The geekily insightful web comic xkcd has done a great job of covering Wikipedia’s influence on modern life:
http://xkcd.com/333/ – Getting Out of Hand
(Used under CC BY-NC 2.5)
Thankfully Google isn’t participating in the blackout, so a quick search for “site:xkcd.com Wikipedia” is not only possible, but fruitful. Here’s a collection of xkcd episodes about Wikipedia:
- http://xkcd.com/214/ – The Problem with Wikipedia
- http://xkcd.com/285/ – Wikipedian Protester
- http://xkcd.com/333/ – Getting Out of Hand (above)
- http://xkcd.com/446/ – In Popular Culture
- http://xkcd.com/545/ – Neutrality Schmeutrality
- http://xkcd.com/547/ – Simple
- http://xkcd.com/739/ – Malamanteau (itself a neologism)
- http://xkcd.com/843/ – Misconceptions
- http://xkcd.com/906/ – Advertising Discovery
- http://xkcd.com/911/ – Magic School Bus
- http://xkcd.com/978/ – Citogenesis
Have I missed any out?