New Scavenger

To learn more about the Flea Market, it's a good idea to talk to some of the folk behind it. In this issue we interview SashaQ.

Bluebottle: Would you like to tell me anything about any the articles that you have been involved in rescuing?

1. How to make Nearly Bourbon Biscuits
2. Speedy Bacon and Mushroom Pasta
3. The Guy Paul Morin Case - a Canadian Wrongful Conviction
4. Rickenbacker - the Guitar Manufacturer
5. Plato - Eminent Greek Philosopher and Writer

SashaQ: I had been looking in the Flea Market for a while, as I had previously put my name down to rescue the Vegetables Entry, but I used that as inspiration for my own Entries on specific vegetables first¹, and somebody else took on the rescue while I was otherwise engaged.

I then noticed a recipe Entry in Peer Review, and thought that was a nifty idea. I checked the Flea Market and found two recipes that were very nearly ready for Editing, so I polished them up.

Having done two rescues, I then decided to aim for the Scavenger Badge, so I rummaged round a bit more and found The Guy Paul Morin Case and the Rickenbacker Entry which captured my interest.

I like badges so I had been thinking of doing a University Project for a while as well, but didn't have any inspiration. I found the Plato Entry in the Flea Market and I could see it needed a lot of work, but I also saw that there was already an Entry on one of Plato's books (The Republic). That gave me the idea to create a Project to introduce more of Plato's books in detail alongside the Rescued general overview of Plato himself.

Bluebottle: Would you only rescue articles about subjects you know well?

SashaQ: No - I didn't really know anything about the first four Rescues I did. I didn't know much about Philosophy, but I was familiar with some of Plato's work already.

Bluebottle: Have you approached a Flea Market Rescue any differently to how you write an article from scratch? Is it easier or more difficult?

SashaQ: It is quite a similar process, as it still needs initial research and then writing up, but it is a bit more challenging to work with the existing text, especially when trying to trace where statements came from without the option to ask the author.

Bluebottle: When you write a Flea Market rescue, how do you decide what to keep and what to edit, and how much of a right do you feel that you have in making decisions about the article?

SashaQ: I first read the Peer Review thread and then go through and try to trace where statements came from. I try to keep as much of the original text as I can, so that the other author's work is still there, but if there are major decisions to be made about facts in the Entry, I have to make them - I leave a message on the author's personal space to give them opportunity to comment if they can, but I can't do more than that.

Bluebottle: Would you recommend doing Flea Market rescues to other researchers?

SashaQ: Definitely! It is very satisfying to work on something that didn't quite make it through Peer Review first time and see it Edited at last. It introduced me to topics I wouldn't have thought of researching myself, too, so it is a very interesting and educational process.

Bluebottle: How do you think you would feel about being on the other side, about someone else making changes to an entry you had written, if someone tried to rescue an entry you had abandoned?

SashaQ: If I had abandoned an Entry, then that would be fine, but I think it is definitely important for rescuers to ask first - like with my version of the Vegetables Entry, it might not be abandoned, just slow in the making... The Vegetables Entry went successfully into the Guide, though, so that was excellent (it wasn't an easy Rescue).

Bluebottle: Is there one that stands out as the most fun to write?

SashaQ: The Speedy Pasta - it was my first Rescue, and I loved the enthusiasm that the late Gandalfstwin had for his dish, so I was very pleased to do just a little bit of work to his Entry and see it proceed into the Guide.

Bluebottle: On the other hand, was there one that proved to be the most difficult to complete, and if so, why?

SashaQ: Plato - I checked the statements and found that a couple of sentences had been directly copied from one of the source websites listed at the bottom of the Entry. I worried at one stage that the whole lot would have to be dumped as a Rescue, but I managed to salvage several paragraphs with a bit of careful rewriting in places. Overall, though, I really enjoyed taking the Flea Market Entry as inspiration and then using library books and the Gutenberg Project to study the subject in depth and write it up in a new (and hopefully enjoyable) way.

Bluebottle: Are you considering doing another Flea Market Rescue in the near future?

SashaQ: There are a couple of Entries with potential that I found during my rummages but haven't done anything about. For now, though, I'm just enjoying admiring my excellent new Scavenger Badge.

Bluebottle: Thanks for letting us know your thoughts on Flea Market rescues, and congratulations on your new badge!

Edited Flea Market Rescues

This month we are proud to announce that Flea Market Rescues have been Edited, bringing the total of Flea Market Rescues to 254!

• Bluebottle has rescued James Bond: The Ultimate Film Guide, based on toosmartforbond2's article James Bond: A Quick Film Guide.

• SashaQ has rescued Rickenbacker - the Guitar Manufacturer, based on Cosmicdude's article Rickenbacker: The Guitar Manufactor

• SashaQ has also rescued Plato - Eminent Greek Philosopher and Writer as part of the Plato project, inspired by Plato by Bearevan.

• Bluebottle has rescued The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, based on Keighley & Worth Valley Railway by Montyonthebonty.

New Entry to the Flea Market

This article has entered the Flea Market, ready to be rescued, since the last issue:

• The History of Home Video games by storm198. Why not Rescue It?

Recommended Flea Market Rescues

• General William Tecumseh Sherman - An Enigma by Florida Sailor has been rescued, based on GENERAL WILLIAM SHERMAN by TLG (The American Civil War History Group)
• Tiwanaku - Pre-Inca Metropolis by Tavaron da Quirm, based on Tiahuanaco by dihybrid
• The Development of the English County by Bluebottle, based on English Counties, The Real Counties by Ianorth

Flea Market Rescues Currently in Peer Review

These are the articles being rescued from the Flea Market that are currently in Peer Review. Why not help by reviewing the new version of the article? Aricles in Bold are new entries which have been submitted since the last issue of SuperMarket was published. In exciting news, two University projects in Peer Review have been inspired by the Flea Market!

Everyone who reads through and comments upon these articles helps to make it the best it can be.

And Remember...

, the Flea Market needs You!

Bluebottle

09.12.13 Front Page

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