What are the chances of a comedian making an unexpected incursion into my niche wheelhouse? It was a Melbourne International Comedy Festival show at Trades Hall and revolution must have been in the air, because when the performer on stage started to complain about receiving unsolicited donation emails from Wikipedia, I had to speak up.

Who would ever donate money to an online encyclopaedia, she asked? My family members tensed up, knowing they couldn’t stop the train-wreck about to ensue.

It’s a website, but Wikipedia is also a wonder of our age. Credit: Phil Carrick

I would, I shouted out. How much? the comedian asked. Fifty dollars every time they contact me, I replied. How often is that? she asked. Maybe once a quarter, I said. Two hundred dollars a year to Wikipedia? Why on earth? Because, I replied, it’s the best thing that has happened to humanity since penicillin.

Well, that last line is what I should have said. But by then I could feel the eyes of the audience on me and I started to mumble. On the way out of the show, I sensed that people were staring at me, wanting to catch a glimpse of the unrepentant dork whose awkward voice they’d heard during the exchange.

Putting aside my humiliation, let me ask the........

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