Save the [Jimmy] Wales!

As 2011 comes to an end, I have reflected on many of the blogs, rants, opinions, and post-comments I have thrown out to the Internet this past year. There is, as expected, a common theme and it really does come down to "Save the [Jimmy] Wales!"

For those who don't recognize the name, Jimmy Wales is one of the co-founders of Wikipedia (arguably "The" founder of Wikipedia). It is not that Jimmy is in any kind of trouble, not at all. In fact Wikipedia has grown to become one of the go-to sources of information on the planet. It is wildly popular, usually accurate, and most importantly ... free.

Yes there have been issues with conflicts, inaccuracies, security.. big deal, I can say the same about NASA. Wikipedia is a volunteer driven project funded by a Not For Profit organization that has a goal of bringing free information to the masses. - Awesome.

THAT is what my message has been about and will continue to be about. Be Awesome. Feed the masses. Share the wealth. Wikipedia has done just that and they saved me from dropping $900 on paper encyclopedias that were out-dated before they were printed. If you feel like donating to the cause (as I have done) then you can do so HERE.

However, this is not just an appeal to help fund Wikipedia, it is about ALL open source, freeware, feed-the-masses projects. Jimmy was just an example, and his last name made for a cool title :) There are tons of open source projects in Software, hardware, social engineering, political restructuring, etc, etc you just need to find them and fund them. The Internet is a pure democracy that allows us to vote with clicks and opens and likes and hits... and cash. If you use an open source service on the Internet or have a free program you downloaded from the Internet and you really like it, then please consider sending a donation to support the author. That makes good programs better and feeds the awesomeness engine.

I wrote my first piece of free-ware in 1981 and have been a strong proponent of the concept ever since. I also write commercial software and have no conflict whatsoever selling a thousand-dollar piece of code in the morning, then releasing a different piece of share-ware to the Internet in the evening. This is the new economy, the new political engine, the new audience that will drive the socio-economic reality of the coming year. Embrace it.


Be Awesome - Change the world.