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Norm Friesen just sent an email to the ICAAP Standards list, pointing out the newly revamped CanCore Metadata Guidelines, including a searchable utility (which looks quite useful, but barfed all over some of my queries…)

I just took a quick look at their interpretation of the Technical element, and it still seems to have some issues…

For instance, it still doesn’t address multiplicity. Is it best to have 3 technical elements, one for each format of a resource (a GIF, a JPG, a TIF, each with their own sizes and locations – this is my personal preference), or mashing them all into one technical element (with multiple formats, locations, etc… which one points to which?).

There is even a technical element in their samples that has several formats in one technical, with no location at all… If it’s available in .zip, .gif, and .html, and it has a size, shouldn’t it also exist at some location?

On my to-do list is writing up a draft of a recommendation on how to handle the technical element, from the perspective of a “repository” implementer. I might make time to do that this week, now that the installer is back on track.

I moved offices almost 2 weeks ago. A whopping 10 feet west of where I was before. I then took a week off, and fully expected my phone line to be moved (among other things) when I got back.

Long story short, it wasn’t. I just borrowed a phone to plug into my old pod and found a whole whack of voicemail messages waiting for me. The phone on my desk sits dumbly, having no idea that it’s supposed to be working for me.

If you’ve been trying to call me over the last week or so, I’m not trying to ignore you. It’s stupid Telecom Services, who neglected to move my phone when asked the first couple of times. @$@#$!

It’s coming along nicely… I now have an installer that copies over the WebObjects application and supporting resources, creates the FrontBase database and populates it, and almost creates the MySQL metadata repository database… I have the MySQL stuff working as shell scripts, but it doesn’t want to play nicely when embedded in the installer.

After I wrestle the MySQL script into submission, I get to turn my gaze onto the WebObjects application configuration – ideally it should set up the app, start it, and have it automatically restart if the box is kicked over.

UPDATE: I just got the MySQL population part working… Silly mistake. I wasn’t including the complete path to the mysql command. It’s entered on my in my .cshrc file so it worked fine there, but barfed in installer (which ran in another shell without my .cshrc to guide it). Note to self: CHECK THE LOG FOR THE INSTALLER BEFORE RUNNING OFF ON WILD GOOSE CHASES!

Problem: How to describe commonly used terms for use in keywords and other bits of metadata so that we can all share a vocabulary?

Solution #1: CanCore

Solution #2: IMS Vocabulary Definition Exchange. A new project (I hadn’t heard of it until today, thanks to the CETIS article) that is aimed at defining a way of describing vocabularies to do just this… Poodle is a Dog is an Animal is Carbon Based…

Hierarchical bits of related, structured vocabulary data. This could be quite useful. The ALOHA team had to roll their own solution to this a while back. Maybe the next version will be standards based?

These are some extremely trippy optical illusions (found via BoingBoing).

Some would make freaky desktop pics…

Oh, and I guess they could be construed as learning objects, sorta, kinda…

Brian Lamb (channelling Tom Coates and Clay Shirkey) talks about Mass Amateurisation with respect to weblogs.

Isn’t that sort of what software like CAREO is supposed to do for the learning object realm? That’s my perception of the reason for CAREO even existing – let The People create and publish their stuff as learning objects, and let The People find/use/share/discuss them via the software…

Anyway, that’s my take on it. YMMV.

I’m working on an installer for the CAREO application, its supporting framework and other bits of data and documents. I’m using the Apple PackageMaker, which does all of the fancy installers for the iApps etc…

It’s looking like it will be brain-dead easy to install (and upgrade) a CAREO installation, once I figure out how to write the scripts to automate database population. Very cool.

At least on MacOSX, it will be REALLY easy to set up an instance of CAREO. I should be able to reproduce much of this using plain-old shell scripts for lesser platforms.

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