"A rags-to-rags story of world domination in information that could only have happened in the Internet age."

Nice piece in the Times on Wikipedia, comparing it to a virtual city:

"Wikipedia can no more be completed than can New York City, which O. Henry predicted would be “a great place if they ever finish it.” In fact, with its millions of visitors and hundreds of thousands of volunteers, its ever-expanding total of articles and languages spoken, Wikipedia may be the closest thing to a metropolis yet seen online."

There's some interesting parallels about things like trust in strangers, safety in numbers, and "professional skeptics," which Wikis and cities have in common.




There are few things that make me happier than a late-night dive into Wikipedia. I unintentionally learned a lot about milk pasteurization standards last night.