The digital encyclopedia that was, ladies and gentlemen. I remember thinking how obsolete that first CD set made my Funk & Wagnall’s encyclopedia — and yet, 15 years later, Encarta is going to a better place and I still have the Funk & Wagnall’s, which combined with Wikipedia encompasses the whole of human knowledge.

The well-meaning but perennially obsolete virtual encyclopedia will die the true death before the end of the year. Progress, thou comest at too high a price.