Alex Wright

The challenge

Develop a Web-based archive of the world's languages, as part of The Long Now Foundation's effort to encourage long-term thinking.

My role

Worked closely with a team of linguists and developers to frame the technical requirements for the database and associated interfaces. Developed wireframes, flow diagrams, and a taxonomy to accommodate a wide range of possible language classifications.

The bottom line

To date, the project has successfully cataloged over 100,000 pages of documents, as well as language recordings, for over 2,500 languages.

See also: My 2007 talk at the Long Now Foundation