Notes on Quotes

Daily quotes + interviews from the Notes on Quotes series. Website:

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

I am so excited to announce that my first nonfiction book, THE POWER OF PRINT, will be published by St. Martin's Press. It's about how we think differently with paper versus screens, and why that difference matters more than ever.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

How can we expect 13-year-olds to focus on their assignments when a glut of entertaining video content is just a tab away?

Digital tools have their place, particularly for student research, but sometimes a paper worksheet or handwritten response are better tools for learning.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Does anyone else bristle at this framing? The WSJ says blue books are “torturing” students with hand cramps.

Listen, students have been outsourcing everything to AI and cheating their way through college. Blue books should be celebrated as a return to authentic human learning.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Today I learned that Albert Wenger, head of the VC firm that originally backed Twitter, has this sticker on the back of his phone

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Case study in the power of print: TikTok creator @jackbenedwards reaches millions with his videos, but always dreamed of seeing his work in physical form. He's now a books columnist for @EsquireUK and made a video about the thrill of tracking down a copy of the magazine.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Key points from Cornell Tech:

56% of Grokipedia entries carry the Wikipedia CC license, suggesting wholesale ingestion

Grokipedia’s top 100 sources include fewer news outlets and more UGC (LinkedIn scraping)

Grokipedia has fewer citations and is less likely to link sources

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Felt this was important to write for @Slate to capture the experience of Wikipedia editors who were there as the armed man took the stage at last weekend's Wikipedia conference.

Pharos and Fuzheado showed courage + quick thinking by taking down the gunman and averting tragedy.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

“Wikipedia’s Volunteers Avert Tragedy by Taking Down Gunman at Conference”

At Civic Hall in New York’s Union Square, a man with a gun walked onto the stage at a Wikipedia gathering.

Volunteer Wikipedia editors and event organizers jumped the gunman and saved the day.

Heroes.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

“I’m a lycanthropic spell checker.” That’s how Wikipedia editor WereSpielChequers explains his username.

In my latest newsletter, we talked about easily confused words, dead links, and the election process for the Wikimedia Foundation’s board of trustees.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

The biggest Wikipedia news this week? Amazon sold out of “The Editors.” Don’t worry, it’ll be back in stock soon. In the meantime, you can grab a copy other places.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

One year ago today, my debut suspense novel THE EDITORS hit the shelves. Launch week was a whirlwind—interviews, events, celebrating with many of you. 🧵 1/3

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Me, on German public radio: I never thought the U.S. government would go after Wikipedia. In the eight years that I’ve reported on Wikipedia as a journalist, these sorts of examples came from authoritarian countries like China, Russia, and Saudi Arabia.

[Inkshares @Inkshares]

Stephen Harrison (@harrisonstephen) is bringing his knowledge (and new book, 'The Editors') to the McNally Jackson Festival (@mcnallyjackson) May 9th. You’re gonna want to be there if you're in the area! (@depthsofwiki)

https://t.co/I7lSF2iLYN

#publishing #mustreadbooks

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Wikipedia editors are debating what to call the 2025 market plunge. A single word—"crash" or "decline"—can potentially shape both market sentiment and public memory.

My latest for @Slate

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

A Swedish library journal just called THE EDITORS a “Wikipedia-thriller," and published a review of how the novel dramatizes the platform’s edit wars, geopolitical pressures, and community of (anti)heroes.

Tack så mycket, Digiteket!

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Guster's surprise set at the Kennedy Center this weekend with the cast of Finn came just a bit too late for my @333books proposal, but I'm thrilled to see the band receiving all this press. After 30 years, they’ve earned it.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Just heard that NBC News journalist @stevenromo has a copy of THE EDITORS on his desk at 30 Rock! As a fellow Texan & news nerd, I think he’ll appreciate this book about the human side of internet information conflicts.

Freeze frame in comments if you didn’t spot it at first.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

U.S. government employees aren’t paid to edit Wikipedia.

Some may edit as volunteers in their free time, but that’s different.

I cover how Wikipedia actually works—the heroes, the adversaries, and the risks—in my book THE EDITORS.

[Stephen Harrison @harrisonstephen]

Interview with @arstechnica --

"Ars: So you felt it was better, more interesting, to explore Wikipedia editing this way, rather than, say, a non-fiction book about interesting editors?

Me: Absolutely. It's like War & Peace on the Internet encyclopedia [laughs].”

[Ars Technica @arstechnica]

The Editors weaves Wikipedia’s volunteers into a global suspense tale https://t.co/pjBkjAROSI