December 28, 2011

If Wikipedia were a set of old-style encyclopedia books... how many books would there be?

Depends on how thick the books are.

15 comments:

edutcher said...

Also depends on how fact-checked it was.

Scott M said...

ot sure if anyone is willing to go that far but a student in UK has actually converted 0.01% of the Wikipedia encyclopedia into a printed book.

1%'er. Gotta be.

Rialby said...

Depends on if you include the cruelly neutral.

Lyssa said...

student in UK has actually converted 0.01% of the Wikipedia encyclopedia into a printed book. (In case you didn't read the link, the book was pictured at knee-height to the person.)

Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that this was somehow considered "art" and that the taxpayers are the ones who paid for all of that paper and binding?

Peter said...

Printing Wikipedia seems like the old "marching Chinese" riddle in that if new pages are be added faster than the printer can print, the print job will never complete.

Chuck66 said...

I like Wikipedia as I can look up the population of any town in America. And often it will include a chart of population by decade. Let's see Encyclopedia Britannica do that.

Jose_K said...

Well if you believe them, it wont be for along time. They dont have money to support it.
BTW: they must read they own articles on publicity, i wont spare a dime for the people pictured there. Who will give anything to someone who has written 2000 articles. If he is rich enough to dont need to work.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Althouse links to Wikipedia Lobby..

Questions Raised. Scrutiny Grows. Hearings Hinted.

Details at 11 ;)

rcommal said...

That volume flunks my "can I read it in bed?" test.

Scott M said...

That volume flunks my "can I read it in bed?" test.

It wouldn't if you were bedding down on the ISS. On the other hand, given the price per pound to get it up there...

Sofa King said...

I like Wikipedia as I can look up the population of any town in America. And often it will include a chart of population by decade. Let's see Encyclopedia Britannica do that.

Then you'll LOVE Wolfram Alpha.

Chip Ahoy said...

If that book is printed on one side only then that man should be shot


with a tautly pulled rubber band.

After he's shot for his shoes.

traditionalguy said...

At last a Constitutional issue.

Wiki will make the Judge who Throws the Book at Them on sentencing reversible for cruel and unusual punishment.

Sigivald said...

Which brings up my disgust with Wikipedia's "encylopedic content" rule - as if they're constrained by space limitations, and thus have a reason to not include more content!

Eventually they might outgrow the inferiority complex that mandates such rules. Hopefully.

Anonymous said...

The funniest element of that photo is the dude's hipster pants and tennies. I see guys walking around in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with those comical pants.