I'd like to make a quick proclamation here, so we can quit talking
about this. The donation text should say whatever Alex thinks it
should say. I'll defer to his judgment.
I paid for our latest hardware upgrades. I gave half the money ($500)
for Brion's new laptop. I've put $2500 in to start the bank account
for the Wikimedia Foundation. I'm temporarily tapped-out, but my own
wikipedia addiction is manifested in a compulsion to spend money on
it, so have no fear for the future. ;-)
I've pledged that all the donations that we receive in the short run
will be applied to buying the big-bad-Opteron server that we believe
will really boost our capacity.
It is my belief that the *next* thing that I/we should do,
financially, is to pick and choose and work my way through all 50
states getting us setup so that we can legally solicit donations
everywhere. And possibly in other countries as well, although my
legal obligations there are much less compelling. Getting myself in
trouble for violating Japanese charitable solicitation law is probably
not something I should worry too much about in the short run.
Now, *ahem*, if it were legal for me to do so, I'd ask you all to dig
deep to help with these foundational issues that will multiply our
effectiveness substantially in the long run. But, uh, I can't do that
unless you happen to live in Florida. :-) So, if you're in Florida, I
implore you to donate money. If you live elsewhere, please just read
our list of needs as an academic exercise and do as you will...
I wonder if there is a service out there that could assist, for a
reasonable fee, in actually complying with these absurd regulations.
If I could just spend $2500 and wave my hand to make it happen, that'd
be great.
--Jimbo