Monthly Archives: November 2006

Graphics

Posted on November 30, 2006 by pm286

I have worked with computer graphics for many years – this has been catalysed by Noel’s discussion of the Algorithm puzzles Noel OBoyle Says: November 30th, 2006 at 1:59 pm eI would be *very* impressed if you could figure out … Continue reading →

Posted in programming for scientists | 2 Comments

Open Access in Physics and Chemistry, or, A Tale of Two Disciplines

Posted on November 30, 2006 by pm286

My most important reading is Peter Suber’s Open Access News an incredible wealth of high-quality reading. Here’s one from today … Heather Morrison, Open Access in Physics and Chemistry, or, A Tale of Two Disciplines, a presentation at the McGill … Continue reading →

Posted in chemistry, open issues | 3 Comments

RELAX wins

Posted on November 29, 2006 by pm286

There’s been a buzz today about the changing scene in XML. On the XML-DEV list Michael Champion wrote: I see that Elliotte Harold has declared the schema wars over, and Tim Bray, Don Park, and others have piled on. That … Continue reading →

Posted in "virtual communities", XML | 2 Comments

Algorithm puzzles

Posted on November 28, 2006 by pm286

I love algorithms. I’m not good at them, but I think they’re a wonderful expression of human creativity. An algorithm is a formal procedure which – in simple terms – works out the answer to a problem. A good algorithm … Continue reading →

Posted in programming for scientists, puzzles | 8 Comments

Comments on Open Data

Posted on November 28, 2006 by pm286

It’s great to see the positive response to ideas in Open Data. One from Rich Apodaca (Blue Obelisk) and one from Bill. the really nice thing is that there is a feeling of communal development of ideas. No single person … Continue reading →

Posted in open issues | 7 Comments

Librarians speak out on Chemistry Publishing

Posted on November 28, 2006 by pm286

In a recent perspective in Chemical and Engineering news (the “magazine” of the American Chemical Society) speak their mind on the challenge faced by (and from) chemical publishers. The article is accessible but is copyrighted by the American Chemical Society … Continue reading →

Posted in chemistry, open issues | Leave a comment

Open Science

Posted on November 27, 2006 by pm286

Bill Hooker has written a most impressive post on Open Science – I give some flavour of it but you should really read it for yourself. Combined with his Part 1 (on Open Access) this is a resource full of … Continue reading →

Posted in open issues | 1 Comment

5 Years of Open Babel

Posted on November 26, 2006 by pm286

I’ve mentioned Geoff Hutchison and Open Babel here before in the context of the Blue Obelisk awards. Open Babel is an Open Source “universal adapter” (see below). So it’s nice to report his announcement of 5 Years of Open Babel … Continue reading →

Posted in "virtual communities", general | 9 Comments

Density and mystery

Posted on November 25, 2006 by pm286

Carsten Niehaus (of the Blue Obelisk) has posed a puzzle – it must be catching. It’s about finding the ordering of density of three liquids with only two weightings. I don’t know whether there is an answer… I suecpt the … Continue reading →

Posted in chemistry, puzzles | Leave a comment

Digital Curation 2006 in Glasgow – II

Posted on November 23, 2006 by pm286

I’ve just got back from the meeting and will try to summarize some key points. It was an excellent meeting and I never got round to blogging it real-time, so some of this will be fragmented. A lot of deja … Continue reading →

Posted in data | 1 Comment