The Gutenberg Singularity
April 15, 2003 2:35 PM Subscribe
Proof of Life After Copyright : An overexcited e-mail from the Gutenbergers:
April 10, 2002 was the day Project Gutenberg reached 5,000 eBooks. By Moore's Law, October 10, 2003 could be the day for number 10,000. We are just over half way — 7,661 as I write this — 2,339 to go! That will take over 300 eBooks per month; we need you to help us push our average up from 268 per month to get to 10,000 by December, 31st.God help us if the entire universe fails to obey Moore's Law: the IPO of the singularity could be delayed. So pitch in.
I thought we could apply Godwin's Law, y'know, if you make enough public domain e-books, sooner or later you'll get to Mein Kampf...
posted by wendell at 2:58 PM on April 15, 2003
posted by wendell at 2:58 PM on April 15, 2003
That was weird. I just wrote about the Singularity on my blog...
posted by black8 at 3:07 PM on April 15, 2003
posted by black8 at 3:07 PM on April 15, 2003
Oh man, I thought for a minute that all the Police Academys had been released into the public domain, then I was like, oh, wait, no.
Damn.
posted by xmutex at 4:40 PM on April 15, 2003
Damn.
posted by xmutex at 4:40 PM on April 15, 2003
Given that copyright keeps being extended, it seems like they're going to have to start digging pretty deep to find new stuff to transcribe.
Is there actually an audience for some of this stuff?
posted by smackfu at 4:43 PM on April 15, 2003
Is there actually an audience for some of this stuff?
posted by smackfu at 4:43 PM on April 15, 2003
Is there actually an audience for some of this stuff?
[bangs forehead on table]
posted by Hildago at 6:01 PM on April 15, 2003
[bangs forehead on table]
posted by Hildago at 6:01 PM on April 15, 2003
Thank you for that insightful response.
Let me try again... If a file is never downloaded, is it worth scanning in and proofreading?
posted by smackfu at 8:21 PM on April 15, 2003
Let me try again... If a file is never downloaded, is it worth scanning in and proofreading?
posted by smackfu at 8:21 PM on April 15, 2003
[bangs table against forehead]
Of course. Any sort of archiving effort is almost by definition a marvelous, farsighted, noble endeavor. Only a few days after 170,000 pieces of ancient art were looted from a museum, the necessity of preserving art in a more difficult to destroy format should be self-evident.
posted by Hildago at 8:35 PM on April 15, 2003
Of course. Any sort of archiving effort is almost by definition a marvelous, farsighted, noble endeavor. Only a few days after 170,000 pieces of ancient art were looted from a museum, the necessity of preserving art in a more difficult to destroy format should be self-evident.
posted by Hildago at 8:35 PM on April 15, 2003
What does Moore's Law have to do with Project Gutenberg?
I thought Moore's Law was that every month the booing gets twice as loud.
posted by LeLiLo at 12:30 AM on April 16, 2003
I thought Moore's Law was that every month the booing gets twice as loud.
posted by LeLiLo at 12:30 AM on April 16, 2003
Heh heh.
posted by hairyeyeball at 9:45 AM on April 16, 2003
posted by hairyeyeball at 9:45 AM on April 16, 2003
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posted by shadow45 at 2:40 PM on April 15, 2003