Wikipedia turns 15 today. It may be one of the most important inventions in the history of humanity. I know it because of my kid.
Last week on our way to school he asked yet another question for which I didn’t have an answer. It had something to do with quantum computing. My kid is painstakingly planning his mission to Mars, and after the rockets and the ship, he is now tackling the all-important matter of computer systems.
I only had a vague notion of what quantum computing is. So I did what every stumped parent equipped with a smartphone does these days. I looked it up on Wikipedia. Problem solved. Question answered. Dad rescued from haplessness.
This little victory in parenting reminded me of my own, much less tech-enabled childhood. One of the greatest moments in my life came when I turned 10 and got an encyclopedia for my birthday from my parents and grandparents. It was top notch: ten very heavy volumes, with tons of color illustrations, photos, formulas, definitions and even bibliographies.
That Encyclopedia was a total joy. I would spend hours going through it in alphabetical order. That was how I gained access to the most up-to-date, curated knowledge about the world.
Mais
Last week on our way to school he asked yet another question for which I didn’t have an answer. It had something to do with quantum computing. My kid is painstakingly planning his mission to Mars, and after the rockets and the ship, he is now tackling the all-important matter of computer systems.
I only had a vague notion of what quantum computing is. So I did what every stumped parent equipped with a smartphone does these days. I looked it up on Wikipedia. Problem solved. Question answered. Dad rescued from haplessness.
That Encyclopedia was a total joy. I would spend hours going through it in alphabetical order. That was how I gained access to the most up-to-date, curated knowledge about the world.
Mais
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