I don't remember Encarta but we had Sierra's Britannica and then later another (can't recall the name). I remember reading the articles particularly the ones on transistors and radio circuits as I was getting interested in electronics with fondness. There is something there in the limited scope that developed a persistence in me. If I was going to understand the transistor and build a toy radio, I had to understand THAT article and the few others I might find in a real encyclopedia around the house or maybe an article I got online. I wonder how my children might develop such persistence with information availability we now enjoy?