4 posts tagged “wiki”

Have y’all heard of Uncyclopedia? It’s a Wiki, but far more entertaining. The idea, as far as I can tell, is to take an entry and turn it into humorous BS. Here’s the beginning of the entry for Life on Mars:

Life on Mars is a BBC television series, based on the life of David Bowie.

Premise
Life on Mars tells the story of a police officer, Pete Tyler (played by Graham Norton), who is hit by a car and dies, only to wake up to find himself on an alien planet, where society is based entirely on old 70's sitcoms.

And it goes on from there. Take a peek—it’s a good laugh, especially if you have grown up watching 1970s British TV series.

 
I am going to be doing some banners to promote Autocade soon. It’s still very much in beta with only a few dozen cars on it, but I have been thinking about the reasons I started it.

• There are a few, but not many, car sites out there with geographically unbiased information. I believe that German cars, for example, should be written with the point of view that the German market is the domestic one and others are export ones. Wikipedia is not one of them. It tends to take the American view on a lot of topics, but 80 per cent of the internet audience is not Stateside. Some of the better car wikis out there also have this bias, though they do not claim to be international—Wikipedia does.
• The Wikipedia layout is boring.
• I want basic information, not long stories, and I should be able to trace the global lineages of car models relatively simply. I’m fine with the long stuff appearing at specialist sites, but there should be one place where I can get the basics, including info on model changes and even a little opinion on the vehicle.
• I am more passionate about cars than many other things in life.

   When I began researching some of the Autocade entries, I was surprised to note how much incorrect information exists on Wikipedia about various models—and that I was absolutely right to have doubts about it. (I realized that I could go and edit Wikipedia myself, but why bother, if the actual editorial approach differs?) I also noticed how many references I have that take the brief format—Michael Sedgwick’s work, the first issues of Your Classic with buyers’ guides, and The Complete Car Guide five-week supplement in Autocar & Motor in 1988. This worked with readers like me then, and I can’t see why it wouldn’t work now in 2008.
   The way Wikipedia and some other sites is organized isn’t to my liking. For example, one of the Autocade entries is on the Holden Belmont. There is no such entry at Wikipedia: searching for the car name takes you to a forwarded page on the Holden Kingswood.
   But if I wanted information on the Holden Kingswood, I would type in Holden Kingswood. Specifically, I wanted information on the Belmont, to cross-check the information I had. There is a lineage there, and the way the engine options differed between series is interesting to car nuts.
   I took Sedgwick’s approach and recorded the Belmont separately of the Kingswood, just as he did in the same circumstances.
   And I have been using non-digital sources to confirm a lot of the info.
   Most of the work is still mine, but I’d welcome extra pairs of hands once the marketing gets under way, provided that senior editors take the approach that I have above.
   My work isn’t perfect and I am sure I have made my share of mistakes, but I hope I have made fewer, relative to the number of pages on Autocade, than many generous writers of Wikipedia have. Then again, there is less to go wrong at Autocade. It looks like too many cooks spoiling the broth at Wikipedia (i.e. you can’t bank on the Wales)—something we need to be careful with as Autocade goes out of beta later this year. 

A big entry for a big car went on Autocade last night, which American readers might be interested in. The URL is http://www.autocade.net/index.php/Chevrolet_Caprice_%281977%E2%80%9390%29.
   For each model, I’ve tried to get production estimates and manufacturing location(s). I am thinking, however, this article should be divided into 1977–9, 1980–5, then 1986–90, to mark the significant facelifts for the car, but it is hard to know where to draw the line due to annual model changes. Till I decide, it’s probably best as a single article.
   Additions and corrections are welcome!

Chevrolet Caprice. 1977–90 (prod. 2,900,000 approx.). 2- and 4-door sedan, 5-door wagon. F/R, 229, 231, 262 in³ (V6), 250 in³ (6 cyl.), 267, 305, 307, 350 in³ petrol (V8), 350 in³ diesel (V8). Full-size Chevrolets downsized for 1977, carrying on in much the same form till 1990. Motor Trend Car of the Year for ’77. New grille and taillights for Caprice Classic in 1978; another new grille for 1979. Engine choices for these early models began with 250 in³ inline six, and 305 and 350 in³ V8s. Turn of the decade saw a more formal style for Caprice, with more upright C-pillar, especially noticeable on two-door; 229 in³ V6 replaces inline six except in California, where Buick 231 in³ unit offered. Of the V8s, 267 in³ offered (also base engine for wagons in 1980). Oldsmobile diesel added for 1980 model year, initially for station wagons only, expanded to sedans in 1981. Largest gasoline engine (350 in³) no longer offered. The 1981 model year saw greater changes, with a new gearbox and an emission control system, which helped the 305 in³ V8 achieve 26 mpg highway (EPA). Most two-doors apart from regular Sport Coupé deleted for 1982 model year. The 267 in³ V8 option also disappeared for 1983, a year that saw no two-doors. Two-door reinstated with slightly different styling in 1984, a year which reversed the decline in sales for the full-size Caprice line. New 4312 cm³ V6 for 1985, replacing 229 and 231 in³ units. Refresh for 1986 with new grille and tail lights, and Caprice Classic Brougham trim added to top of range to cater for buyers who might not like the downsized Oldsmobile Delta 88 and Buick Electra; diesel deleted along with Impala nameplate (for the time being). LS option and Landau vinyl roof available for Brougham from 1987; wagons had a 5030 cm³ V8 option. Two-door finally deleted for 1988. Fuel injection for sedans in 1989, while V6 deleted. Production dwindled for 1990, the final year for this shape.

Manufacturing locations: Arlington, Texas, USA

Marque: Chevrolet | Model: Chevrolet Caprice | Predecessor: Chevrolet Caprice (1971–6) | Successor: Chevrolet Caprice (1991–6)

It’s still in beta stage but fellow car nuts might want to check it out: Zak, Timothy?

www.autocade.net

   The idea is to build on the work of the late automotive writer, Michael Sedgwick, and to have more professionalism than one might find at Wikipedia. We do need some input on Japanese and American models.