Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 23:21:48 -0700 From: "Ted Mittelstaedt" <tedm@toybox.placo.com> To: "Gary Kline" <kline@thought.org> Cc: stevefranks@ieee.org, FreeBSD Mailing List <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: RE: anyone been crazy enough to mirror wikipedia? Message-ID: <BMEDLGAENEKCJFGODFOCKEMKCFAA.tedm@toybox.placo.com> In-Reply-To: <20080704094226.GA1817@thought.org>
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> -----Original Message----- > From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Gary Kline > Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 2:42 AM > To: Ted Mittelstaedt > Cc: stevefranks@ieee.org; FreeBSD Mailing List > Subject: Re: anyone been crazy enough to mirror wikipedia? > > > On Fri, Jul 04, 2008 at 01:50:20AM -0700, Ted Mittelstaedt wrote: > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > > > [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions@freebsd.org]On Behalf Of Steve Franks > > > Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 1:49 PM > > > To: FreeBSD Mailing List > > > Subject: OT: anyone been crazy enough to mirror wikipedia? > > > > > > > > > So call me a sociopath, but times are a bit scary. I'd like to do the > > > 2000's equivalent of the 1960's bomb shelter, and have my very own > > > snapshot in case of major local/regional internet disruption, etc. > > > > > > > This is not a silly idea. For many many years people would spend > > hundreds of dollars on a complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica > > or World Book encyclopedia to have it sit on their shelf gathering > > dust (until their kids used it for school, etc.) > > > > The fact that your even asking the question and wanting to do > > it is to your credit. > > > > I really feel the big value of doing something like this is to > > be able to go back to it, years later, and compare the old > > entries on a topic with the current entries on a topic to > > see how they have changed. > > > > I also think that solving the technical problems and learning > > how to create a wikipedia mirror would be a great learning > > experience for anyone. > > > > But, as for the practical value, I would encourage you to read > > Asimov's Foundation series to really understand that any attempt > > to catagorize and store the world's accumulated knowledge in a > > storage medium in a single location is ultimately an exercise in > > futility. Asimov > > made the valid point that book knowledge of facts must work hand > > in hand with experience to be useful, and experience isn't documentable. > > Terminus itself, the entire planet and everyone on it, was the > > encyclopedia - the actual encyclopedia that the encyclopediests > > were working on, was nothing more than a sham. > > > > > Thanks for thi, Ted. > > While this is going even further off-topi, I would like to see a ' > (non-scholarly) wiki for just about every topic you can > think of. By > wiki, i mean, in wiki format. over time it could have citations and > beome a research tool. On the BSD kernel prio scheduler, for one > example. This mighht grow into a wiki-web for unix nerds; > or art history > buffs, etv. > > I've got one questioon that I have been meaning to ask for > years, but > haven't due to the yelps.... II've asked some off-the-wall here on > -questions simply because this is the most intelligent > group|list of people > I've found. Is there a more appropriate place to ask > miscelllaneous > questions? [I know about some and will hold my tongue!] Check out Usenet. > Be nice to ask, > e.g, why homes are not required to have R-50 in the wall; > R-90 attics. Very simple. Building codes are regulated by the local jurisdictions, cities, counties, and such, with input from the state government. The only thing the Federal government can do is ban things - for example the Feds can ban use of asbestos - but they cannot set building codes. Because the local jurisdictions are -frequently- not staffed by competent people, lots of them just punt and follow the national electric code, or whatever industry standard that the construction industry has come up with. Insulation isn't required because the construction industry doesen't want the building codes to require anything over and above that which is needed to keep the building from falling down, so they don't put it in their national industry standards, thus the local jurisdictions don't require it either. (although they certainly could if they wanted) If you have ever had a new house built to spec (ie: you bought a lot in a subdivision with a designated builder, for example) you will have a meeting with the builder and discover that for an extra fee he can deviate from the spec plan and add a great many amenities - like extra insulation, additional electrical outlets, heavier duty wiring, extra gas lines, etc. etc. - that if added after the fact would be enormously expensive and disruptive, requiring tearing into the walls and suchlike. Some people do, some don't. Ted
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