Down With Gravity

Prepare yourself. 24 hours without Wikipedia.

The entire English language Wikipedia site will black out on on Wed. January 18, 2012 in protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act.

As frequently as I use Wikipedia each day and as lost as I will feel without it, I am in total support of their protest. 

Wikimedia Executive Director, Sue Gardner explains the reasons for the black out: 

“My hope is that when Wikipedia shuts down on January 18, people will understand that we’re doing it for our readers. We support everyone’s right to freedom of thought and freedom of expression. We think everyone should have access to educational material on a wide range of subjects, even if they can’t pay for it. We believe in a free and open Internet where information can be shared without impediment. We believe that new proposed laws like SOPA –and PIPA, and other similar laws under discussion inside and outside the United States– don’t advance the interests of the general public. ”

The full statement can be read here.