Listen to Wikipedia
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}}
{{Short description|Real-time visualization and sonification of Wikipedia activity}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Listen to Wikipedia
| screenshot = Listen to Wikipedia screenshot (2024-12-07).webp
| screenshot_alt = Screenshot of Listen to Wikipedia showing a new user bar, the visualisation in the form of circles, and textual information of recent changes in English Wikipedia
| developer = Stephen LaPorte, Mahmoud Hashemi
| website = {{Official website}}
| repo = {{url|http://listen.hatnote.com/#}}
| programming language = JavaScript and HTML
| license = 3-clause BSD license
}}
Listen to Wikipedia is a multimedia visualizer developed by Mahmoud Hashemi and Stephen LaPorte which translates recent Wikipedia edits into a display of visuals and sounds. The open source software application creates a real-time statistical graphic with sound from contributions to Wikipedia from around the world. To accomplish this, L2W uses the graphics library D3.js.{{cite web |title=Listen to Wikipedia |url=https://blog.hatnote.com/post/56856315107/listen-to-wikipedia |website=Hatnote |access-date=August 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130830181833/http://blog.hatnote.com/post/56856315107/listen-to-wikipedia |date=August 30, 2013 |archive-date=August 30, 2013 |language=en |url-status=live}}
The project won Silver in the Interactive Visualization category of the Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards in 2013.{{Cite web |title=Information is Beautiful Awards Entry for Listen to Wikipedia |url=https://www.informationisbeautifulawards.com/showcase/228-listen-to-wikipedia}} The concept of Listen to Wikipedia is based on BitListen, originally known as Listen to Bitcoin, by Maximillian Laumaister.{{Cite web |url = https://blog.wikimedia.org/2013/07/30/listen-to-wikipedia/ |title = Listen to Wikipedia – Wikimedia blog |date = July 30, 2013 |access-date = June 23, 2016 |archive-date = June 24, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160624054018/https://blog.wikimedia.org/2013/07/30/listen-to-wikipedia/ |url-status = live }}{{Cite web |url = http://listen.hatnote.com/ |title = Hatnote Listen to Wikipedia |last = Hashemi |first = Stephen LaPorte and Mahmoud |website = listen.hatnote.com |access-date = June 23, 2016 |archive-date = January 11, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170111024005/http://listen.hatnote.com/ |url-status = live }}
Presentation
= Audio =
Each edit produces a note in the pentatonic scale.{{cite news |title = Listen To The Orchestra Of Users Updating Wikipedia |url = http://www.fastcodesign.com/1673265/listen-to-the-orchestra-of-users-updating-wikipedia#1 |work = Fast Company |last = Wilson |first = Mark |date = August 23, 2013 |access-date = December 23, 2019 |archive-date = August 10, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160810061843/http://www.fastcodesign.com/1673265/listen-to-the-orchestra-of-users-updating-wikipedia#1 |url-status = live }} The bell-like sounds of a celesta correspond to edits with a net addition of content to Wikipedia, and the strums of a clavichord correspond to net subtractions of content. The pitch is inversely proportional to the size of the edit (lower pitched notes are produced by larger edits).{{Cite web |url = https://www.npr.org/2016/04/13/474120884/listen-to-wikipedia-engineers-translate-edits-into-sound |title = Listen To Wikipedia: Engineers Translate Edits Into Sound |work = NPR |access-date = June 15, 2016 |archive-date = June 11, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160611193351/http://www.npr.org/2016/04/13/474120884/listen-to-wikipedia-engineers-translate-edits-into-sound |url-status = live }} Newly registered Wikipedia users are welcomed by a string chord.{{cite web |title = Fall asleep to the sound of Wikipedia |url = https://www.theverge.com/2013/8/9/4607240/fall-asleep-to-the-sound-of-wikipedia |work = The Verge |last = Seifert |first = Dan |date = August 9, 2013 |access-date = December 23, 2019 |archive-date = December 24, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191224014329/https://www.theverge.com/2013/8/9/4607240/fall-asleep-to-the-sound-of-wikipedia |url-status = live }}
= Visuals =
Each edit creates a circle of one of three colors: white for registered users, green for unregistered users, and violet for Wikipedia bots. The size of a circle is proportional to the magnitude of change executed by the edit; larger circles are produced by larger edits. The name of the article edited is displayed in the center of the circle. Clicking on the text opens a Wikipedia page in a new tab in the user's browser, showing the revision. A blue bar at the top of the screen will appear whenever a new Wikipedia user is registered, listing their username. At the bottom left corner, there is a bar showing the number of edits per minute.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Spoken Wikipedia|date=2023-09-18|English narration of the Listen to Wikipedia article on Wikipedia.ogg}}
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|Internet|Music}}
- {{Official site}}
- Stephen LaPorte, Mahmoud Hashemi, Listen to Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation blog, July 30, 2013
{{Wikipedia}}
Category:Websites which use Wikipedia