Month: November 2003

From XSD to RDFS

i got the mindmanager x5 schemas:

meanwhile, the RDF schema for FOAF. now, to find ways to map between XSD and RDFS here are normalization rules as a start.

XSD Component RDFS Resource Properties
Element declaration R->type definition N->element name
complex type definition rdfs:Class (root) rdfs:SubClassOf ->type definition
complex type definition N->complex type name or ->type definition + “_class”
attribute declaration rdfs:Class R->type definition N->attribute name
Attribute group definition model group definition rdfs:Property Class: N->group name + “_class” Property: N->group name R->group (class)
wildcard rdfs:Class + rdfs:Property (definition) N->attribute wildcard + “_value” R->rdfs:Literal
simple type definition rdfs:Property (any)
rdfs:Literal
rdfs:Class (list)

why is this useful? how would you like to edit RDF data (FOAF’?) in mindmanager?

Beauty

There is a beauty of a peculiar kind in women, in which their countenance presents a transparency of skin, a light and lovely roseate hue, which is unlike the mere complexion of health and vital vigor – a more refined bloom, breathed, as it were, by the soul within – and in which the features, the light of the eye, the position of the mouth, appear soft, yielding, and relaxed. This almost unearthly beauty is perceived in women in those days which immediately succeed child-birth; when freedom from the burden of pregnancy and the pains of travail is added to the joy of soul that welcomes the gift of a beloved infant. A similar tone of beauty is seen also in women during the magical somnambulic sleep, connecting them with a world of superterrestrial beauty. A great artist (Schoreel) has moreover given this tone to the dying Mary, whose spirit is already rising to the regions of the blessed, but once more, as it were, lights up her dying countenance for a farewell kiss.

friedrich hegel in the philosophy of history, only to go on:

Such a beauty we also find in its loveliest form in the Indian World; a beauty of enervation in which all that is rough, rigid, and contradictory is dissolved, and we have only the soul in a state of emotion – a soul, however, in which the death of free self-reliant Spirit is perceptible.

promising. i got the book for $2. it is a lovely print from 1956 on acid-free paper. i wish all books were made to those specifications.

Transcendental Love Machine

TLM were always consistent in their forward-thinking musical endeavors, this often led them to be critically heralded along side Underworld, Leftfield, Orbital et al, although sadly without the huge marketing budgets that put these mega acts on the billboards of the world via major marketing spend.

Inside my soul is burning for you is just playing on my headphones. Great stuff.

lean production

Paul Erdos, the most prolific mathematician of all time, defied the conventional wisdom that mathematics was just a young man’s game. For the last 25 years of his life, Erdos raced against the specter of old age to prove as many mathematical theorems as possible. “The first sign of senility, is when a man forgets his theorems. The second sign is when he forgets to zip up. The third sign is when he forgets to zip down.” Erdos never experienced the first sign. He managed to think about more problems than any other mathematician in history and could recite the details of all 1475 of the papers he had written or co-authored. Fortified by espresso and amphetamines, Erdos did mathematics 19 hours a day, 7 days a week. “A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.” When friends urged him to slow down, he always had the same response: “There’ll be plenty of time to rest in the grave.”

i’m currently reading the man who loved only numbers. i dig erdos way of living out of a suitcase, something i aspire to as well. it takes lean production to entirely new levels.

Bad scifi lessons

dave liloia alerted me to the sci fi movie nights at the harvard center for astrophysics.

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics will screen a classic science fiction film on the first Thursday of each month. The series will explore the idea that “everything we learned about science, we learned from the movies.” Except for Camp-o-Rama, doors open at 18:45 and programs begin at 19:10 with a Flash Gordon serial. Movie begins at 19:30.

the next installment on 12/6 features robot monster along with the well-known plan 9 from outer space:

Ro-Man, the most evil creature in the Universe, comes to Earth to kill everyone with his powerful death ray. Perhaps even outdoing Plan 9 From Outer Space as the Biggest Turkey Ever Made, Robot Monster is beyond belief…and that’s why it is so much fun to watch…but no more than once! Labeled a “Poverty Row Quickie” by film critics, this low budget 1950’s B film stars actors and directors who never should have come within a km of a movie camera. Featuring imbecilic dialog and moronic costumes, this classic sub-schlock masterpiece rivals anything put out by Ed Wood! Starring: Who cares?

goofing off meets always on

Since people are connected 24/7, and are expected to be doing work at 22:00, they see no good reason why they can’t play a quick game at 15:00. In fact, many argue, by letting employees work on their own time, they can be even more productive. This view contrasts greatly with the top-down management style that is still in place in many companies.

this is totally me. granted i find these fuzzy lines between work and play sometimes hard to adjust to, but they also give me a level of leeway i did not have before.

Cafe scientifique

i was at the cafe scientifique last night. a beautiful concept.

Cafe Scientifique is an informal discussion forum giving like-minded people the opportunity to gather in bars and cafes all over the world to discuss the great topics in science. It is based on the Cafe Philosophique movement which was started in France in 1992 by the philosopher Marc Sautet who wanted a place in which ordinary people could discuss topics in philosophy.

yesterday, the topic was spam, with short talks by simson garfinkel of oreilly fame, and the painter-programmer paul graham who popularized bayesian filtering. a most enjoyable experience.

No future in the heartland

On PEI sex is commonplace for girls as young as 12. It is not just oral sex but going the whole way in the school washroom on the floor. If you think I exaggerate have a real heart to heart with a teacher. Amazing to me for whom young girls were sacrosanct, boys of 18 think nothing of having sex with a 12 year old. The “Ho” look is now essential to fit in. If you don’t wear a thong, you are a loser. 30% of boys are on Ritalin. Think about this before you pass onto the next point. 30% of our boys have to take drugs so that they can cope at school and at home. Most of the really dreadful violence such as at Columbine does not occur in inner city schools but in middle class or even upper middle class settings. It’s the kids who have all the things who are most desperate. PEI sent a choir to France recently. One of the sights that struck the parents who accompanied the kids was not the Eiffel Tower but the fact that not one – not one – of the French kids was fat and ~50% the PEI kids were fat. Bullying is endemic and no longer linked only to boys. There have been girls who have killed girls and girl hazing is as bad as anything in the Paratroopers.

PEI is prince edward island, and the post is by rob paterson. i wonder which candidate has anything relevant to say about this? (yes i know it is in canada, but the us is the same, if not worse)