Wikipedia sources

[KeeperoftheKeys]

Recently I decided to try to improve the articles on lighting in my native language on wikipedia.
So far I am mainly writing from my own experience, knowledge gained from sites/forums like this one and other wiki-languages.

However to make a truly good wiki-article (on wikipedia) it needs to be sourced well, so I was hoping to get some recommendations of books and websites that can serve as source material.

Thanks for any help.

PS: if anyone has pictures they took of (old) equipment that they would like to share with the world on wikipedia please upload them to wiki-commons. (I am really hoping someone has some pictures of the historical equipment, I have e-mailed both the strandarchive and neet-project to asked if they can share, standarchive however doesn't own the copyright to the pictures )

[edit]I am looking both for sources about current practice etc and sources about the history, like the excellent post made here by Anne a while back about HTP/LTP and tracking/non-tracking and how that relates back to different dimmer control systems[/edit]

 

[dvsDave]

what language would that be?

 

[derekleffew]

As to books, see the CB Collaborative Article: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/collaborative-articles/5981-theatre-books.html. As for sites, besides the Strand Archive, see also Kliegl Bros. Universal Electric Stage Lighting Company. If you tell us your native language/country, we might be able to be more specific. Danor has a stage lighting museum in Israel, with a website, but I can't find the link right now.

See this thread: http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/education/9989-wikipedia.html regarding some CB members' feelings about wikipedia.

 

[KeeperoftheKeys]

My mother tongue is Dutch, however my Hebrew and English are also perfect (at least when spoken).
Afaik the source material does not have to be the same language as the wiki, as long as it's considered 'trust-able'.

I visited their museum several years ago. It's very nice so if any of you pass through Israel I definetly recommend it.
Danor itself can be found at ãðàåø - òîåã äáéú and the museum at www.stage-lighting-museum.com

[edit]Is it just me or is the forum clock on the fritz?[/edit]

 

[TheDonkey]

My mother tongue is Dutch, however my Hebrew and English are also perfect (at least when spoken).
Afaik the source material does not have to be the same language as the wiki, as long as it's considered 'trust-able'.

I visited their museum several years ago. It's very nice so if any of you pass through Israel I definetly recommend it.
Danor itself can be found at ãðàåø - òîåã äáéú and the museum at www.stage-lighting-museum.com

[edit]Is it just me or is the forum clock on the fritz?[/edit]

"The time now is 5:19PM" (It's 5:33PM)

Seems the server switch didn't get the clock fixed after all, although, at least it's only 20 minutes off now, as opposed to 7 hours.

 

[KeeperoftheKeys]

If the server is running Linux/Unix just install a NTP client and have it update every X period. (This is probably also possible for windows just don't know...)

 

[gafftaper]

Derek referred to a previous discussion on Wikipedia. I just wanted to throw in my two cents on what I think the general feeling about working on Wikipedia is from the CB "regular crew".

First there was a real concern about control of content. If we were to spend a lot of time working on Wikipedia to create excellent content we have no control over some idiot coming along and changing everything we do. Here we have complete control of the content and the ability to lock down the wiki within minutes if someone started messing with it. If it became a problem I'm sure Dave could even restrict access to writing in the wiki to only the chosen ones.

Secondly, the CB wiki and forums are a much better model for teaching so why help them? Invest your time here where it will make an even better difference. We have a great community here with real working professionals and manufacturers reps working hard to educate and help each other and students. We have around 600 items in our Wiki currently and a couple hundred real pros available to help answer questions... usually within an hour or two. CB is the best resource for students on the net, why waste your time with Wikipedia when you can help the best get better?

 

[KeeperoftheKeys]

Though I understand your viewpoint I respectfully disagree, first of all, the wikipedia articles should not be seen as technical reference rather as encyclopedic references.
As a result you see that though there are lots of articles about dimming on the CBWiki they don't really deal with the history of dimming devices, this is not so interesting/relevant to a technical reference while on wikipedia the article goes far deeper into the history and far less into the technical.

I think that CBWiki is to wikipedia (or rather has the potential to be) for lighting/sound/technical theater what memory-alpha is to wikipedia for Star Trek, contributing to one does not have to exclude contributing to the other.

On a sidenote to truly get to a level of memory-alpha I think bundling effort with blue-room, lightnetwork, uklsc, and other sites would be a must.

[Edit]
Also on a place like wikipedia you will be able to find someone who knows about the underlying protocols of DMX/ACN/whatever while on CB most people are probably not many IEEE engineers...
Again different focuses breed different articles.
[/Edit]

 

[Footer]

[Edit]
Also on a place like wikipedia you will be able to find someone who knows about the underlying protocols of DMX/ACN/whatever while on CB most people are probably not many IEEE engineers...
Again different focuses breed different articles.
[/Edit]

http://www.esta.org/tsp/working_groups/CP/docs/CPmin07_2005w.pdf

You need to do your research. I actually take this as an insult. We have two people on this forum that developed DMX and are now working to get ACN carried out. STEVETERRY was the chairperson for the ESTA Control Protocols Working group for a number of years. If there is something about DMX that he does not know, it does not exist. Add to that, we also have JohnHuntington on here as well. He is the go to person in our industry when it comes to show control and control languages.

Ya, I think we got the physical part of things covered. We all might not know exactly what each frame does in an ACN network, but we have people that do, and a guarentee they are not posting on Wikipedia.

Also, why do we need to have the exact way DMX communicates at the physical level in the wiki? We could have it if we wanted to, but we don't. Why? Because if you want to find out that info you can get that info on USITT and ESTA's site. Add to that, when was the last time you were onstage and needed to know the BAUD rate of DMX? We have in our Wiki how DMX works, and how to use it, but we don't go into the exact details of what happens on the cable.

 

[KeeperoftheKeys]

I stand corrected as far as people on CB, I am sorry and most definitely did not intend to insult anyone.

Other than that I think I made my point and those who are against it theirs, I don't want this to change into a flamewar, some of the "regular crew" I noticed is on wikiProject Stagecraft and some isn't, to each his own.