We would recall the refusal of Britannica to partner with Microsoft on a multimedia CD-ROM version of the encyclopedia, owing to its “traditional way of selling. They regarded an IT initiative that would have reduced the cost of printing encyclopaedias as one that would ‘both cannibalize revenue and reduce the company’s strong profit margins’. We recollect how those series of event led to the birth of Encarta. The Encarta team decided to distinguish the product from the traditional encyclopedias currently on the market. How? It aimed to stress…
It is said that a frozen body will stay preserved over hundreds, even thousand of years.…
Denis Diderot, unlike Montesquieu and Voltaire, had no real revolutionary aspirations. He was only interested in collecting and spreading as much knowledge as possible for his huge piece, the Encyclopédie. The Encyclopédie, which eventually had thirty-five volumes, would go on to continue to spread Enlightenment knowledge to countries all around the world.…
Richard Wright’s story, “A Visit to the Library”, claims that his life as a Negro boy had no hopes of having a future fulfilled with success. Richard Wright emphasizes his inferiority with his newfound knowledge that explicates of why, where, and how Negroes stand in the South. His newfound knowledge shows that in order for him to be a successful black man, he would not find success in the South, where he is, but he would find it in the North. From reading “A Visit to the Library”, you can infer that the directed audience would be those who have realized their pre-destined fate of failure before their dream took a step.…
Given the context of this passage, we can see Encyclopédie emerged from the very combination of new collections of knowledge and the mindset of working toward human perfectibility and eliminating ignorance. Though education was still limited, it can be seen through the given excerpt that this was not an encyclopedia meant for nobility or even just scholars. The foreword of Encyclopédie targeted the human race as an audience. Encyclopédie became popular, 4250 copies were produced, a relatively large amount for the time. It managed to reach further than many other sources of knowledge.…
This pamphlet was instrumental in inciting the American masses to rise up against the British through its use of simple and clear language. By using layman language, Thomas Paine could communicate his message to the average American citizen. Even though he was not religious, Paine used biblical references in order to appeal to the masses who were religious and thought of the Bible as the ultimate authority. Doing so, he was able to push them towards striving for American independence as he used these references to give them an understanding of his political and economic arguments against British rule. In addition to this, Paine argued that it is "absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island (34)." This message, along…
Thesis Statement: Jimmy Wales, as one of the founders of Wikipedia, the world’s largest collaborative encyclopedia on the Web, has a great contribution to not only the network society, but also to the world.…
Throughout the history of mankind, humans have used their ability to communicate in many two different ways. During WW2, both types of communication took place. Germans would call the persecuted Jews awful names, while others would encourage them to get back on their feet and survive. These people survived because of the positive words communicated to them during rough times. In the novel The Book Thief, written by Markus Zusak, many of its characters use words for the betterment of their audience.…
Rector, Lucy Holman. (2008). Comparison of Wikipedia and other encyclopedias for accuracy, breadth, and depth in historical articles, Reference Services Review, Vol. 36 Iss: 1, pp.7 - 22. Retrieved December 19, 2010, from the World Wide Web:…
Wikipedia can be beneficial to the academic student as well as the general researching public. Wikipedia covers an immense variety of topics that is continually maintained and updated, relevant, and non-biased in its presentation of information. Wikipedia possess all the qualities a reliable source would have. Wikipedia’s premise is promoting involvement of the general public for inputting information and continually adding into a comprehensive knowledge base.…
Philip Lau, writer of the essay, “The Limitations of Wikipedia”, is successful in persuading his readers that the webpage Wikipedia should not be used for college level research. In his essay, Philip states that, “Wikipedia can be a beneficial starting point in gaining general information on a subject but users should be wary of incorrect information”. The essayist’s use of examples, facts and quotes are what makes his argument so convincing.…
Throughout the course of history, innovative people have been subject to rejection in the beginning of their careers, yet later become prominent figures. Pieter Bruegel was a Flemish artist who revolutionize the Northern Renaissance in the 1500’s. He led a life of complexity, especially during the times of religious and political fighting. He made much advancement during his age by painting peasants and landscapes; this was the first time in history in which this had been done. Bruegel’s quiet nature has been described by friends in their writings and is also evident in his artwork. Bruegel’s serene landscapes are a reflection of his character, yet more violent works suggest there is more beneath the surface. Bruegel was thought to be eccentric because he was different, but now he is regarded as one of the superstars of the Renaissance.…
Something that really stuck out to me while reading the first chapter of this book is that languages can slowly die. For example the language of taiap is slowly dying. When they were questioned on why the language was dying the only answer they could come up with is that the children refused to learn the language. It is fascinating to think that if children in America decided that english was not the language they wanted to speak would and could english slowly become extinct? Another thing I found interesting is that Marjorie Harness Goodwin pointed out that the values someone possesses come out in conversation. If someone spent enough time with a group of people that had different values, but they proceeded to have a continuous conversation…
Relationships are seemingly easy to develop, yet the world seems to never be at peace. The simple fact that there are egocentric and self-contained groups and people in this world is almost unbelievable. In a portion of “Why Literature?”, Mario Vargas Llosa writes about the specialization of knowledge. Throughout this text, he is consistent with the main idea that humans cannot truly coincide without literature.…
“In 1962, Charles Van Doren, who was later a senior editor of Britannica, said the ideal encyclopedia should be radical – it should stop being safe. However, if you know anything about the history of Britannica since 1962, it was anything but radical: still a very completely safe, stodgy type of encyclopedia. Wikipedia, on the other hand, begins with a very radical idea, and that is for all us to imagine a world in which every single person on the plant is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge.”…
