17 Aug 2000 - 30 Sep 2015
Q: Why would you want to give away all this neat information for free?
A: Take your pick:
- I'm just being selfless and generous. I want to give something to the world, and information gathering is what I'm good at, so that's what I'm giving back.
- I'm pontificating and propagandizing in front of a global audience. Whoever controls the study of history, controls the future, therefore I can manipulate how you view the recent past by being selective with my facts.
- I'm fishing for a job offer or a charitable grant.
- I would be studying history, scribbling notes and sketching maps anyway -- just for fun -- so either I can stuff them into a shoe box and forget about them or I can show them to people. I choose to show them to people.
- How can I know whether I really understand a subject until I open my understanding to public criticism?
- Who would pay for this?