Encyclopedia of Life
When I was a kid, somebody got me an awesome subscription. You began with a set of cards (approx. 4-inch square) with dividers, and a cool red plastic tray to store them in upright — each card represented a different animal, with a great picture on the front and info on the back. Every month, if I remember correctly, you got another small set of cards to add to your collection. This was, for the type of kid I was (and am), obsession-producing.
I daren’t poke around eBay or other auction sites for fear of actually finding, and therefore being compulsed to buy, the full set.
The next best thing might be a website. Actually, a much better thing would be an online Encyclopedia of Life. And while there’s no relationship that I know of between EOL and those old-school cards, there sure is one in my brain.
And this isn’t the old non-interactive days, no sir.
Comprehensive, collaborative, ever-growing, and personalized, the Encyclopedia of Life is an ecosystem of websites that makes all key information about life on Earth accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. Our goal is to create a constantly evolving encyclopedia that lives on the Internet, with contributions from scientists and amateurs alike. To transform the science of biology, and inspire a new generation of scientists, by aggregating all known data about every living species. And ultimately, to increase our collective understanding of life on Earth, and safeguard the richest possible spectrum of biodiversity.
Now, do you think I’ll be able to resist looking up information for or even contributing on Southern Californian specimens while I’m running around the great outdoors?
Yeah, me neither. ;)