I’m psyched to see that some, if not all, of the Whole Earth Catalog‘s archives have been published. Whole Earth inspired me throughout my adult life, and led me online via The WELL – I bought my first computer and modem because I found out Stewart Brand and the whole earthers were online. I wanted to hang out with ’em, and that did ultimately happen. I found myself writing for Whole Earth Review and helping edit The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog. When Whole Earth Magazine ran out of funds several years ago, I exchanged email with Danica Remy of the Point Foundation Board and contributed some thoughts about potential web strategy. She was talking then about placing more of the articles online. She and the rest of the board kept the faith and got it done. boingboing reported that all the publications are scanned and online, though the site says “the collection of that work provided on this site is not complete — and probably never will be — but it is a gift to readers who loved the CATALOG and those who are discovering it for the first time.” Okay by me – I still have most of the hardcopies. If you haven’t read Whole Earth before, suggest you take an afternoon to browse… you’ll be amazed how current it all seems. Note how much the reviews look like blog posts – not an accident.
