I don't care who you are...

this is just really cool: AU Faculty Working to Assemble Online Encyclopedia of Alabama

AUBURN -- In a few years, people all over the world will have a single source for everything they may ever want to know about Alabama. That source will be the online Encyclopedia of Alabama, which faculty at Auburn University are assembling.

Still in an early stage of development, the Encyclopedia of Alabama is a major undertaking for scholars in virtually all subjects that describe Alabama, its history, politics, culture, literature, natural environment and unique characteristics, says Jeff Jakeman, the encyclopedia's managing editor.

The online encyclopedia is scheduled for launch in 2007 or 2008, depending on financing and logistics, Jakeman said. A partnership of the Department of History in Auburn's College of Liberal Arts and the Alabama Humanities Foundation, the project will eventually involve dozens of scholars from public and private agencies, foundations and universities. [...]

Historians at Auburn and other universities are contributing material, but the encyclopedia is not limited to historical topics, Jakeman said. "We are looking at literature, popular culture, sports, entertainment and other areas that help define Alabama," he said. "This will be an authoritative reference work that will be very helpful to scholars, government, businesses and anyone who has an interest in the history and culture of Alabama."

The encyclopedia will be a source of information for everyone, not just school teachers, students and university professors, he added. Journalists, business leaders, tourism promoters and even vacation planners will have the information at their fingertips, Jakeman said. [...]

Nifty. But remember, until 2007 or so, your authoritative reference work on Alabama remains Possumblog!

Examples of information you can find on Possumblog and nowhere else*include:

--Alabama has more active volcanos than any other state east of the Mississippi.

--99.23% of all duct tape in the world is made in Alabama.

--Alabama is the only state that is a parliamentary monarchy. Its current monarch is Queen Jennifer, whose husband is Prince Wayne Ed, Viscount of Decatur.

--Mail is delivered to each home in Alabama by a pneumatic tube system like the ones at bank drive-throughs.

--The official state word of Alabama is "sonillaceous."

--Each child born in Alabama is given a gift of a live duck.

So, all of you keep tuning in, and you never know what you might learn!


*DISCLAIMER--Information on Possumblog is deemed to be accurate, although probably not in the sense that most people use the term. Possumblog takes no responsibility for any damages, lost wages, injury, embarrassment, incontinence, or other such things resulting in the use and/or abuse of the information found herein.
posted by Terry at 10:14:00 AM