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.

Google Earth app for iPhone

It's no secret I've loved my iPhone from the second I got it, and then again from the second after I got a new one. When Apple rolled out the Software Developers Kit for the "gifted" to write stand alone programs for the phone I was sure it would make the phone more enjoyable. I had no idea how much it would improve the experience.

When the 2.0 Apple software update was launched earlier this year and applications came online at iTunes it truly did transform my phone, and the way I use it. While the initial fun factor for my "2G" iPhone lasted much longer than expected, I had grown used to having what I still consider to be the best phone out there. I was ready for an upgrade!

The ability to download new applications, many of which are free from the iTunes store has turned my phone in to an entertainment hub. Games, news, web browsing, entertainment utilities are all fun and easy...oh yea and its a phone too!

Last night while perusing the top 50 free apps I came across and downloaded the Google Earth application. I use Google Earth on an almost daily basis, so the opportunity to have it, or something resembling it on my iPhone excited me. After a full day of using it, I can say that it far exceeded my expectations. Even on the Edge network it loads fast enough to be practical and this is no scaled down version, its the whole world-in your hand. Google has proven it is a master of writing programs for Apple's OS X. Within the app you can tilt the phone to change your vantage point, view terrain and quickly access Panoramio pictures. It immerses you in your surroundings arguably more than the real thing. While I'm on the subject of Google Earth, next time you are using it (not on your iPhone) type ctrl+alt+a...and enjoy!

Speaking of Google, it wasn't long after I bought my phone that I started hearing a lot about the upcoming Google phone and not long after that when the first Android compatible prototypes were being reviewed. From what I've seen and read about the G1 phone, I wasn't blown away, which is what I've come to expect for anything that Google touches. However, just like the app store has transformed the iPhone, Google's open source model will certainly transform the way we use our...well, we used to call them phones.

Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention the other free app I stumbled upon which has been extremely useful. The app is called Wikiamo and it is a utility that makes Wikipedia pages easy to read on the iPhone. As a daily user of Wikipedia, this is also something to be excited about.