During the aughts, there was a vague notion among techno-optimists that crowdsourcing knowledge was the answer to just about every problem. Using the wisdom of crowds, the thought went, people would have unprecedented access to expertise. “With enough eyes, all bugs are shallow,” said the open-source software community. The success of Wikipedia meant that mass collaboration, open systems of production, and talented amateurs would win the day, this line of thinking went. Books such as The Wisdom of Crowds, Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, and Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations pushed the idea that the future was the group.

It was in this environment, in 2005, that Yahoo! started Yahoo! Answers. In theory, it should have been the biggest, most important site on the internet. In practice, Yahoo! Answers will be shut down on May 4th.

So I thought I would preserve, for future generations, the intellectual inquiry that went on there.

Adolescent development

Yahoo Answers post: 15 year old pooping on the floor? Ok as nasty as this maybe it’s true so a friend of mine has a sister who likes to poop on her bedroom floor becuase she saids her bathroom is nasty and does not want to sit on the toliet seat because shes afraid of geting germs or something. I told her she could also get germs from pooing on the floor but she told me she always cleans after shes done. Is this really bad at whats shes doing? Could she get diseases from doing that?

Ant killing

Cake

Screenshot of Yahoo! Answers inquiry “How do I unbake a cake?” Human inquiry in action.

Computer help

Yahoo Answers post: HOW DO I TURN OFF CAPS LOCK? I ACCIDENTALLY TURNED IT ON YESTERDAY AND I DON’T KNOW HOW TO TURN IT BACK OFF. ALL OF MY FRIENDS ARE MAD BECAUSE THEY THINK I AM SHOUTING AT THEM OVER THE INTERNET. THIS PROBLEM IS LITERALLY RUINING MY LIFE AND TEARING MY FAMILY APART. I JUST WANT TO BE WHOLE AGAIN. PLEASE HELP!! BORN TO YELL

Human reproduction

Yahoo Answers post: How is babby formed? How is babby formed? How girl get pregant? Insta-meme.

*Note: This is a repost. The original is featured in this video.

Mermaids

Yahoo Answers post: Is there a spell to become a mermaid that actually works? I would like to know if there is a spell available to become a mermaid, one that works. I am asking people that believe in mermaids. Don’t say things like “mermaids don’t exist” because I take it very seriously and i find it offensive. PLEASE HELP ME FIND A SPELL!!! BTW. I am also a witch I am also a witch.

Music

Yahoo Answers post: VERY POPULAR Techno Song?? HELP!!! They play it in clubs!!? I ALWAYS hear this song on the radio or when I’m up in the club but I can’t find what its called...its all beats one part of the song is like this k like it will get real low then slowly start picking back up and it will go faster as it does its like dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun err dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dundundundundundundundundundun er er er er er er ER ER ER ER ER ER der der der der derrr What is “Sandstorm,” Alex?

Nutrition

Yahoo Answers post: just ate 52 pizza rolls, will i die in my sleep? there are 152 calories in 2 rolls, will i die? oh and i had 2 liters of coke with it. Honestly, a shocking number of pizza rolls…

One Direction

Yahoo Answers post: Metal Bands like One Direction? Can you please suggest some bands like them but..... there sounding deathmetal/black metal and its too hardcore and brOOtal!! I love there older music how they had screaming mixed with clean vocals, but there new album is just too much for me to handle!!! Dammit it’s just so brOOtal!!!! BrOOtal

Pets

Yahoo Answers: how do i take care of my pet potato? i just got a pet potato but i dont know how to take care of it.

Ships

Yahoo Answers post: Why does my daughter “ship” things? What does shipping mean? My daughter has been acting strange the past few months. She’s always on this website called Tumbler and talks to strangers online. When I ask what she talks about, she says “shipping” and “oteepees”. Sometimes she says strange things like “my feels” or “my cries”. She talks about things called gerita, yousyouk, spamano and a few other weird words. Parenting, explained.

Space travel

Yahoo Answers post: do you think humans will ever walk on the sun? i was just daydreamin and thinking today and i thouth about how crazy it was that a person has walked on the moon and mars. i was just wondering if u think a person will ever walk on the sun to? like i kno its realy hot but i am thinking if they went in the winter time when the sun is only like 30 degrees i bet they could do it. Wait, when did humans land on Mars?

Spider anatomy

Yahoo Answers post: Does spider have pusspuss? Inquiring minds want to know.

Taylor Swift

Yahoo Answers post: Am I turning into Taylor Swift? I’ve noticed that over the summer my hair has gotten lighter. I also find myself singing along to country songs and have developed an attraction to the Jonas Brothers. Am I turning into Taylor Swift? (note: I’m a 30-year-old Indian man) No, it’s Becky.

Vampires

Yahoo Answers post: Do Vampires (like edward) Poop? Do they cause they only eat blood Well, do they?

(More here.)

Vaseline

Yahoo Answers post: Ever since I was born I have been facinated by slugs. It turned into a fetish of mine. They are so sexy..Lately slugs turn me on. So I decided, why not be sexy like them? I want to become a slug. So should I use vaseline of bengay and cover myself with it and crawl around the floor saying “slug,slug,slug,slug” ?? I still need to get over the horrible fear of having salt poured on my back and dying a horrible death. SO BENGAY OR VASELINE? Great use of the meme format.