On a side note, Andre Geim supposedly designed the first graphene production process like this: his students used scotch-tape to pull thin layers of graphite from a piece of paper with pencil drawings on it.
What would a semantic CMS look like? I'm still trying to picture such a system. I find it really difficult to provide a blueprint at this moment.
It's more then simply providing meta data about web pages. It's about giving meaning to the elements that make up those pages: treat webpages as collections of smaller information blocks. These building blocks themselves, the way they are used, their relations to other building blocks can then be interpreted by algorithmes and thus provide more intelligent responses to the requests made by users. For a small site, this approach might seem to be overkill. But since it uses semantic language, the site's content can be aggregated and become part of information that spans across domains. That being part of something biger can yield more value for each of the members.
For this to work well, a semantic CMS should minimize the extra effort to comply with the semantic rules. And preferably, be able to leverage that semantic value for even a small site: smart search, smart summurizations, smart categorization based on topologies that already exist within communities, etc.
I don't know Hal Porter, but i agree with with him on the future of the Semantic Web. To me it's a next step in the Personal Computer revolution:
1 : with the pc, people can create powerfull content (illustrated by the success of Word Perfect), 2 : with the internet people can exchange those creations, 3 : with the Semantic Web, people can integrate those creations,
Integration is a very difficult process (for humans and non-human entities). But i'm sure it'll happen, simply because the value that of that process can be predicted.
The current state of internet and software is still very much in the above 'step 2'. This status quo is heavily influenced by big players: they are 'the reigning champions' and for them it isn't necessarily a smart move to take the next step. MS Office and many website CMSystems are still very proprietary and have good reasons to be like that. Google exists because the internet is so 'unsemantic'.
To take the third step in the PC revolution; the practical application of the principles behind the semantic web, we need CMsystems that make a clear distinction between creating content and publishing it. For creation, authors use software that depend on RDF schema, OWL, etc, . For publication, webmaster then apply the tools suitable for the publication channel: web browsers, minibrowsers, Google Earth, browsers for handicapped people, etc.
The semantic web at this moment is hampered because there aren't tools for webmasters to create content without knowing how to apply semantics easily. Smarter CMS software could take care of that. And with that smarter software it'll be easier for people to recognize and apply what makes the semantic web so interesting: - the search for info process becomes much more aligned with the way people think about something, how they approach a problem. - involving algorithmes that aren't limited to just one domain of data.
The semantic web is about letting machines get better grip on human data, so it can respond better to what people want.
Don't expect the general internet public to embrace the semantic web. Like it's foolish to expect the general citizins to be in favour of trade agreements that lower trading barriers. The internals of such agreements and how to benefit in the long run are very difficult to understand. But, let the avarage citizin visit an electric appliance store and they'll buy the best, cheapest, mp3 player. And that player is the result of the openess and integration that comes from all those trade agreements.
The sitting up position is for high attention activities: i find that it is not only my body that is more alert by tensing my muscles, but also my mind becomes sharper. That is fine for a short time.
This position is also very handy for homo 'desky'ens: it's hard to lean back and still be able to use the tools on the desk without them falling off.
But that high alertness that comes from the upright position can take it's toll when held on for too long. This causes stress.
Many bosses want to make sure that their people are paying attention so..., put them in the upright position. A classic approach indeed: we start in school sitting at our small desks, and many people around the globe still sit like that in front of machines they operate (be it a pc, industrial machine lines, etc)
Since a few months i am the lucky owner of a laptop again. I was suffering from some back pains, so i moved to my couch, using rather stiff cushioning to get it all right and i find that this postion is great: no more back pains and i'm much more relaxed after a long day of working. But i still use my desktop pc when doing graphical work that requires motoric precision.
A strange way indeed, but one that is very effective in bringing over the message.
The BBC reported that polonium is a very exotic material. To produce this material requires very special resources: the BBC reported that only a few facilities exist to make it. So, obviously, this fact leads to a small group of suspects.
To get this polonium into the UK , administer it as poison , and get away with it, requires a very professional organization.
So we're then left with a possible suspect who is suspected BECAUSE we cannot proof it. And for that same lack of evidence, we never can be sure as well. Common sense says everything, yet the rationale always keeps it unresolved. But everyone understands what the message of the crime was.
And what about all those transformers i need for my household appliances like my printer, my cellphone charging, my DECT phone, etc, etc. Maybe introduce a second, low voltage, electrical net into my home?
Milk is good for you?
Dunno, but it sounds to me like some commercial message that has turned into some common folky sense thing: like that other urban truth: 'watching tv in the dark is bad for your eyes' (which isnt true)
Cows milk is for calves like mothers milk for babies. Both too rich for my adult blood.
On february 16th i sent google the following email to suggestions@google.com:
Hi,
This is a suggestion for the people who take care of indexing web sites.
Because Google is the first search engine of choice it has enough of influence to point noses into the same direction.
So, i propose a new element to be added to websites: a sitemap file. Similar to the favicon file, every site could have an (xml?) file containing information about the info and the info-topography on the site.
Google has already a 'similar pages' link added to search result. What about adding a link 'show context'. If clicked upon a page is shown that provides info on where the search result is located on the site: the context of the information.
The sitemap file could also be used by in Googles core indexing-process: providing extra context to evaluate the validity of the indexed page.
Some other related advantages: google could release a sitemap/browser plugin for users. For example: open a site and if the website contains the special sitemap file, a browserplugin is activated allowing the user to browse the website
using there prefered navigational tool. (instead of, or together with, any normal website menu's).
I hope to here from you
Kind regards,
mynamehere
The Netherlands
They even used the term 'sitemaps'.
I really hate people saying the word "brainwashed", I'd rather think everybody is brainwashed by his/her own surroundings.
I agree, the patriotisme of US citizens truely amazes me sometimes. Borders on being brainwashed to me.
Also, i'm relieved that people dare to post "CAO" on their BBS splashscreens. It seems the chinese authorities aren't THAT oppressive or.., these admins are realy brave.
The fact that the board admins are dismissed might seem not so bad. But does anybody know what other consequences they might suffer?
How about their carreers? Wil they have a record now that will limit what jobs they can get?
There are so many possible other repercussions that may follow (other then the most obvious).
I'm not saying that the bad stuff is happening there, but do we actually know? Can we somehow get in touch with them?
If the Dutch Minister actually DID vote as directed, then you might be correct. But right now, I see absolutely nothing stopping the adoption of Software Patents in Europe.
Yes you are right, the issue is far more complex then i thought. (The fact that the dutch press coverage made it appear 'a done deal' is no excuse for my too simplistic response.)
So to sort things out, i did look up the actual notes of the session in the dutch parlement. The notes make one thing clear: it's a very very complex dossier: lots of parties involved. What the vote (of the ducth parlement) comes down to is that if the software proposal is put on the european agenda, the dutch representative should vote against it (But she is not 100% obliged to do it). Voting against it, might clear the way for the European parlement to re-draw a new proposal.
The dutch parlement has strong suspicions that the proposal might be sneaked into an agenda and be voted on while strong opposition excists. The opposition (european parlement) though has no influence at this moment because of the current status. A blocking vote might bring the proposal back into the influence of the the european parlement.
The strange thing, though, is that the dutch minister, responsible for representing the vote in the european sphere, seems unwilling to block the vote. She says that we should trust the current chairing country (Luxembourg) in it's wisdom to do what's right and she also says that it is not the right time in the procedure to block the vote. The dutch parlement is not so sure about that. (Note: Luxembourg is responsible for managing the agenda and thus for putting up the proposal for voting.)
Despite the dutch vote, the dutch minister may still ignore the dutch parlementary vote.
The result of the decision by the dutch goverment is that the Central European Commission cannot continue with it's intention to put the proposal on the agenda for approval. Instead the European parlement has the initiative again: they can rethink the whole plan.
The major problem with the current proposal is that it allows for strong ownership/copyright of software-solutions, making it difficult for other parties to expand and further improve on current software, since lot of features may be protected.
While i generally support protection of idea's and developments, i consider the software world still a developing one. Strong protection of idea's might easily lead to a halt in new software developments, a concentration of innovative power in that hands of those who already have the power to begin with. Software isn't just good enough right now and the 'powers that are' haven't proven they can innovate the way that is beneficial to us users. And stricter laws won't change that as well.
Patenting is intended to reward those that invest in developing new idea's. I think there are still many many commonly shared idea's on how to improve software. For the moment, to develop those idea's, all that is needed is time, time to develop. So companies have a way of protecting their investment: they invest the time, and get a lead on their rivals that didnt invest the time in that particular advancement.
When the time comes when significant advancements in software are the result of intense high cost investments and true developement of new idea's and insights, then more strict protecting laws should be applied.
Slashdot Mirror
On a side note, Andre Geim supposedly designed the first graphene production process like this: his students used scotch-tape to pull thin layers of graphite from a piece of paper with pencil drawings on it.
What would a semantic CMS look like? I'm still trying to picture such a system. I find it really difficult to provide a blueprint at this moment.
It's more then simply providing meta data about web pages. It's about giving meaning to the elements that make up those pages: treat webpages as collections of smaller information blocks. These building blocks themselves, the way they are used, their relations to other building blocks can then be interpreted by algorithmes and thus provide more intelligent responses to the requests made by users.
For a small site, this approach might seem to be overkill. But since it uses semantic language, the site's content can be aggregated and become part of information that spans across domains. That being part of something biger can yield more value for each of the members.
For this to work well, a semantic CMS should minimize the extra effort to comply with the semantic rules. And preferably, be able to leverage that semantic value for even a small site: smart search, smart summurizations, smart categorization based on topologies that already exist within communities, etc.
I don't know Hal Porter, but i agree with with him on the future of the Semantic Web. To me it's a next step in the Personal Computer revolution:
1 : with the pc, people can create powerfull content (illustrated by the success of Word Perfect),
2 : with the internet people can exchange those creations,
3 : with the Semantic Web, people can integrate those creations,
Integration is a very difficult process (for humans and non-human entities). But i'm sure it'll happen, simply because the value that of that process can be predicted.
The current state of internet and software is still very much in the above 'step 2'. This status quo is heavily influenced by big players: they are 'the reigning champions' and for them it isn't necessarily a smart move to take the next step. MS Office and many website CMSystems are still very proprietary and have good reasons to be like that. Google exists because the internet is so 'unsemantic'.
To take the third step in the PC revolution; the practical application of the principles behind the semantic web, we need CMsystems that make a clear distinction between creating content and publishing it.
For creation, authors use software that depend on RDF schema, OWL, etc, .
For publication, webmaster then apply the tools suitable for the publication channel: web browsers, minibrowsers, Google Earth, browsers for handicapped people, etc.
The semantic web at this moment is hampered because there aren't tools for webmasters to create content without knowing how to apply semantics easily. Smarter CMS software could take care of that. And with that smarter software it'll be easier for people to recognize and apply what makes the semantic web so interesting:
- the search for info process becomes much more aligned with the way people think about something, how they approach a problem.
- involving algorithmes that aren't limited to just one domain of data.
The semantic web is about letting machines get better grip on human data, so it can respond better to what people want.
Don't expect the general internet public to embrace the semantic web. Like it's foolish to expect the general citizins to be in favour of trade agreements that lower trading barriers. The internals of such agreements and how to benefit in the long run are very difficult to understand.
But, let the avarage citizin visit an electric appliance store and they'll buy the best, cheapest, mp3 player. And that player is the result of the openess and integration that comes from all those trade agreements.
The sitting up position is for high attention activities: i find that it is not only my body that is more alert by tensing my muscles, but also my mind becomes sharper. That is fine for a short time. This position is also very handy for homo 'desky'ens: it's hard to lean back and still be able to use the tools on the desk without them falling off. But that high alertness that comes from the upright position can take it's toll when held on for too long. This causes stress. Many bosses want to make sure that their people are paying attention so..., put them in the upright position. A classic approach indeed: we start in school sitting at our small desks, and many people around the globe still sit like that in front of machines they operate (be it a pc, industrial machine lines, etc) Since a few months i am the lucky owner of a laptop again. I was suffering from some back pains, so i moved to my couch, using rather stiff cushioning to get it all right and i find that this postion is great: no more back pains and i'm much more relaxed after a long day of working. But i still use my desktop pc when doing graphical work that requires motoric precision.
A strange way indeed, but one that is very effective in bringing over the message.
The BBC reported that polonium is a very exotic material. To produce this material requires very special resources: the BBC reported that only a few facilities exist to make it. So, obviously, this fact leads to a small group of suspects.
To get this polonium into the UK , administer it as poison , and get away with it, requires a very professional organization.
So we're then left with a possible suspect who is suspected BECAUSE we cannot proof it. And for that same lack of evidence, we never can be sure as well. Common sense says everything, yet the rationale always keeps it unresolved. But everyone understands what the message of the crime was.
BTW when is the movie coming out?
And what about all those transformers i need for my household appliances like my printer, my cellphone charging, my DECT phone, etc, etc. Maybe introduce a second, low voltage, electrical net into my home?
Milk is good for you? Dunno, but it sounds to me like some commercial message that has turned into some common folky sense thing: like that other urban truth: 'watching tv in the dark is bad for your eyes' (which isnt true) Cows milk is for calves like mothers milk for babies. Both too rich for my adult blood.
On february 16th i sent google the following email to suggestions@google.com: Hi,
This is a suggestion for the people who take care of indexing web sites.
Because Google is the first search engine of choice it has enough of influence to point noses into the same direction.
So, i propose a new element to be added to websites: a sitemap file. Similar to the favicon file, every site could have an (xml?) file containing information about the info and the info-topography on the site.
Google has already a 'similar pages' link added to search result. What about adding a link 'show context'. If clicked upon a page is shown that provides info on where the search result is located on the site: the context of the information.
The sitemap file could also be used by in Googles core indexing-process: providing extra context to evaluate the validity of the indexed page.
Some other related advantages: google could release a sitemap/browser plugin for users. For example: open a site and if the website contains the special sitemap file, a browserplugin is activated allowing the user to browse the website using there prefered navigational tool. (instead of, or together with, any normal website menu's).
I hope to here from you
Kind regards,
mynamehere
The Netherlands
They even used the term 'sitemaps'.
I really hate people saying the word "brainwashed", I'd rather think everybody is brainwashed by his/her own surroundings. I agree, the patriotisme of US citizens truely amazes me sometimes. Borders on being brainwashed to me. Also, i'm relieved that people dare to post "CAO" on their BBS splashscreens. It seems the chinese authorities aren't THAT oppressive or.., these admins are realy brave.
The fact that the board admins are dismissed might seem not so bad. But does anybody know what other consequences they might suffer? How about their carreers? Wil they have a record now that will limit what jobs they can get? There are so many possible other repercussions that may follow (other then the most obvious). I'm not saying that the bad stuff is happening there, but do we actually know? Can we somehow get in touch with them?
The dutch parlement has strong suspicions that the proposal might be sneaked into an agenda and be voted on while strong opposition excists. The opposition (european parlement) though has no influence at this moment because of the current status. A blocking vote might bring the proposal back into the influence of the the european parlement.
The strange thing, though, is that the dutch minister, responsible for representing the vote in the european sphere, seems unwilling to block the vote. She says that we should trust the current chairing country (Luxembourg) in it's wisdom to do what's right and she also says that it is not the right time in the procedure to block the vote. The dutch parlement is not so sure about that. (Note: Luxembourg is responsible for managing the agenda and thus for putting up the proposal for voting.)
Despite the dutch vote, the dutch minister may still ignore the dutch parlementary vote.
The result of the decision by the dutch goverment is that the Central European Commission cannot continue with it's intention to put the proposal on the agenda for approval. Instead the European parlement has the initiative again: they can rethink the whole plan. The major problem with the current proposal is that it allows for strong ownership/copyright of software-solutions, making it difficult for other parties to expand and further improve on current software, since lot of features may be protected. While i generally support protection of idea's and developments, i consider the software world still a developing one. Strong protection of idea's might easily lead to a halt in new software developments, a concentration of innovative power in that hands of those who already have the power to begin with. Software isn't just good enough right now and the 'powers that are' haven't proven they can innovate the way that is beneficial to us users. And stricter laws won't change that as well. Patenting is intended to reward those that invest in developing new idea's. I think there are still many many commonly shared idea's on how to improve software. For the moment, to develop those idea's, all that is needed is time, time to develop. So companies have a way of protecting their investment: they invest the time, and get a lead on their rivals that didnt invest the time in that particular advancement. When the time comes when significant advancements in software are the result of intense high cost investments and true developement of new idea's and insights, then more strict protecting laws should be applied.