Wikipedia to Go Dark: 12 Other Wikis that Will Remain Open
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia written by its users, will go dark all day Wednesday to protest two U.S. bills meant to stop illegal sharing of movies and music, but Internet users who want to search for collective articles on everything from sustainable development to science fiction, there are still ways. Wikipedia

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia written by its users, will go dark all day Wednesday to protest two U.S. bills meant to stop illegal sharing of movies and music, but for Internet users who want to search for collective articles on everything from sustainable development to science fiction, there are still ways.

Welcome to the wiki universe.

Wikipedia was launched on January 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger and now boasts nearly 4 million articles culled by thousands of editors. If put in a physical form, the free encyclopedia would contain 1,623 volumes, a space of eight library stacks.

Wikipedia, along with thousands of other Web sites, will black out Wednesday to protest Stop Online Piracy Act and the companion Senate bill, the Protect IP Act. Supporters say the rules would thwart illegal file sharing; opponents say the measures would amount to censorship.

However, even if you can't log into Wikipedia Wednesday, you will still be able to get your wiki fix as dozens of sites have popped up in the 11 years the free encyclopedia started.

Below is a list of wikis, culled from Wikipedia:

1. Ballotpedia: An interactive almanac of state politics.

2. Conservapedia: Information and articles are written from a conservative Christian viewpoint aimed at correcting the alleged liberal bias of Wikipedia.

3. Geo-wiki: The Geo-Wiki Project is to help improve the quality of global land cover maps.

4. Javapedia: An online encyclopedia for developing Java.

5. Judgepedia: An interactive encyclopedia of courts and judges.

6. LyricWiki: A listing of album lyrics.

7. Medepedia: Requires real names; guided by medical expert input while allowing edits from the general public.

8. Pornopedia: Multilingual encyclopedia about pornography and sexuality.

9. Scholarpedia: Written exclusively by professionals focusing on their field of expertise; subject to peer review.

10. ShopWiki: A shopping wiki and product comparison search engine featuring buying guides and shopping resources.

11. Uncyclopedia: A satirical encyclopedia dedicated to parody.

12. Wookieepedia: Encyclopedia on all things Star Wars.