Contributing to the Spoken Wikipedia WikiProject

Today in my search for web-based knowledge I discovered a new WikiProject which allows users to upload Ogg Vorbis (.ogg) audio files of wikipedia articles. It seemed like a nice little nerd project to begin on a relaxing day off from work.

I first needed to find a program that would allow me to record, edit and export audio files in the .ogg file format which is the only format wikipedia supports. I went with the free program Audacity. The program is fairly intuitive. I've never really used any audio editing software but was able to at least get by without reading the directions which, in general is the way I like to do things :)

Given my current obsession with Namibia I went ahead and tackled the country's main wikipedia page.

I dove right in, recording sections individually and compiling them using Audacity. After about two hours of recording I had a complete file. As I went back to the wikiproject page I realized that there were a couple spoken wikipedia conventions I hadn't abided by. I later discovered that, being a new wikiproject, these conventions really are just guidelines and it even states if they would prevent you from using a file its probably best to just upload it anyway.

I thought that I should include the recommended introduction and concluding statement. Going back and adding in parts to the Audacity project was difficult. I ended up having to make minor additions to each of the 20 or so separate tracks which ultimately made up the .ogg file.

Once that had been taken care of and the file was ready to go I discovered that in order to upload files to wikipedia you have to be an "established user". In order to be autoconfirmed as an established user you need to have an account active for more than four days and have made ten or more contributions or edits. I have made a few but not ten, so before I could upload my file I had to find a few more things to edit in the wikiworld. Once I reached the threshold I was able to upload the file.

At 27 minutes 10 seconds the audio file is quite long but if you're interested in hearing all or parts of it just go to the Namibia wikipedia article and click on the audio icon in the upper right corner.

Countdown to Namibia

After my trip to London and Tanzania I knew I had caught the international travel bug - BAD. Every day at work I stare across my desk at the 50 x 70 National Geographic world map and think about the possibilities. An infatuation with flight price checking on kayak.com also seems to work its way into my daily activities.

There are few places in the world I don't want to visit. Places in Africa, however, always seem to rise to the top.

When I was 17 or 18 and still lived at home I stumbled upon (of course this was before stumble upon) the Christmas Island Marathon. The annual event held on the Australian Island just south of Indonesia. It made perfect sense, train for a marathon, travel to a tiny remote island in the Indian Ocean and have stories for a lifetime.

It's always seemed like a good idea.

In the last ten years I've looked up information on the Christmas Island Marathon a handful of times but the timing or desire was never quite there.

After returning from Tanzania the idea began to intrigue me more and more. The last time I had looked up the Christmas Island Marathon I couldn't find anything past 2006 or 2007, I was concerned that the event was no longer being held.

A few weeks ago, when the idea once again crossed my mind, a google search revealed information about the 2009 Christmas Island Marathon. Thrilled that the event is still going on I got information about travel to the island. I was getting very excited about the idea.

I don't know what the google search was but later that day I came across something that just clicked with me. I knew, right from the time I read about it that it was for me: the 2010 Namibia Marathon.

I registered, secured my spot, and paid my registration fee of 150 GBP. I have a shit load of work ahead of me but am incredibly excited about the challenge. The wait for my Tanzania trip was horribly long and drawn out. This time I get to work each and every day towards the trip.

And so, I have begun my training for the 2010 Namibia marathon and I couldn't be happier.