For the first time in living history, an internet site has staged a strike: Wikipedia is down for a day to protest against sweeping anti-piracy laws being mooted in the US - so students and lazy journalists everywhere are in for a rough ride.
For some people, you'd think the predicted apocalypse of 2012 had come a few months early, such is the dismay at the lack of immediate information. One astute Twitter user, @herpderpedia has even collected together all the tweets from users who seem outraged or confused over Wiki being down. Our favourites include:
From the touchingly naive:
@NewYorkPuck What's going on? Is Wikipedia gone? I'm confused
To the bitterly resentful:
@DontH8Jasmin8 WHY IS WIKIPEDIA BLACKED OUT WTF IM TRYNA DO MY HOMEWORK B*TCHES WHAT THE F*** OMFG THE WORLD IS ENDING HELP
...and the jaw-droppingly insightful:
So, for the sake of these poor people who can't survive without their open-source fact file, what other sources of quick information are available in the midst of a Wiki blackout? Aside from the obvious sensible solution of going to your local library and tracking down an up-to-day encyclopedia, there are always the following tried-and-tested cheats...
- Ask a geeky friend. We've all got one: someone who collects facts and enjoys regurgitating them at the slightest provocation. Now, finally, their smart-Alec habit can come in useful!
- Ask Twitter. If anything's worth saying, you can say it in 140 characters, right? Maybe not so helpful if you're looking to fill out a word essay, however.
- Call your Granddad. He may have read about it in one of those old-fashioned things called "books".
- Go on Yahoo! answers. For a laugh. It'll at least make you appreciate Wiki that much more when it comes back...
- Just f***ing google it. Or if that's too complicated, check out this page.
- Make it up. Today is a great opportunity to re-discover your imagination.
