HI Pier--
A wiki is not meant to be a substitute for hands-on training, or even a
good text. But it can work well in a "continuing education" type of
role--point people to relevant publications and a place to post the tips
and tricks that make stuff work but somehow never get in the paper. It
can also be a sort of an Isogeochem list serve FAQ site. Perhaps a
"virtual center". Yes, it will need members of the community to adopt
sections of it to keep things in order--but that's still a little ways
off yet. We'll have to see how it goes and how Art, Anthony, et al.
mold it.
take care
gerry
Pier de Groot wrote:
> Dear Jason,
>
> Sorry to say that I am quite sceptical about statistics. Probably with
> same type of tests one can prove that the one is worse than the other
> – depends just on which, and which number of entries is chosen (you
> quote a relatively small number of 42; out of thousands of entries?!?).
> To my opinion you better go to learn things in an experienced
> laboratory before setting up one yourself. Learning this from an
> encyclopedia is not the right way as I see it... That is for me like
> learning to fly from a book.
>
> Best,
> Pier.
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From: *"Jason B. West" <[log in to unmask]>
> *Reply-To: *Stable Isotope Geochemistry <[log in to unmask]>
> *Date: *Tue, 26 Sep 2006 10:25:05 -0600
> *To: *<[log in to unmask]>
> *Subject: *Re: [ISOGEOCHEM] Isotope wiki
>
> Wiki-isogeochemers might be interested in the Nature piece that
> compared the Encyclopaedia Britannica to Wikipedia. See:
> http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/full/438900a.html
>
> A quote from the original article:
>
> "The exercise revealed numerous errors in both encyclopaedias, but
> among 42 entries tested, the difference in accuracy was not
> particularly great: the average science entry in Wikipedia contained
> around four inaccuracies; Britannica, about three."
>
> The response from Encyclopaedia Britannica and Nature's response to
> the response can also be found on Nature's website. The take-home I
> think is that mature Wiki's can be incredibly useful resources, but of
> course should be viewed as sources with accuracy that can be compared
> to Encyclopedias. I wouldn't start a lab based only on what I could
> find in the Encyclopedia, but if I knew nothing about a topic I might
> start there.
>
> Best,
> Jason
>
> Pier de Groot wrote:
>
>
> Hi Arthur and others,
>
> I very much appreciate your initiative to start this up. However,
> having
> said so, I have one major worry, that is who will control the
> wiki? It is
> well known that the most popular wiki, the Wikopedia, contains
> quite some
> mistakes, wrong descriptions, etc. If not 'garded' and 'checked',
> this might
> raise some serious problems for your wiki.
> Besides, the argument that those who earn their money as consultant or
> independent technician, or manufacturers (they have support
> services and
> probably are not too eager to put on much info) will not volunteer to
> co-operate with such a wiki. But that does not mean it cannot be
> set up, of
> course.
>
> My opinion is to have it started and see where it is leading to.
> But info
> must be considered with care and not just taken for granted.
> My support you have...
>
> Best,
> Pier.
> ****************************************************************
> Delta Isotopes Consultancy
>
> Dr. Pier A. de Groot
> Pastoor Moorkensstraat 16
> 2400 Mol - Achterbos
> Belgium
> Tel. +32 (0)14 326 205
> e-mail: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]
>
> Associate editor for stable isotopes of eEarth on-line magazine
> http://www.electronic-earth.net
>
> Visit my WEB-site about my ³Handbook of Stable Isotope Analytical
> Techniques², with a link to the Elsevier web site on the handbook
> (marked:
> ŒOrder Now¹):
> http://users.pandora.be/handbook/index.html
> last update: August 15, 2005
> Volume I is now available. Volume II is expected to be available
> second half
> of 2006.
>
> ****************************************************************
> Why we are searching for extraterrestrial intelligence
> While we lack it so much on Earth?
>
> ****************************************************************
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> From: Arthur T Kasson <[log in to unmask]>
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Stable Isotope Geochemistry
> <[log in to unmask]> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2006 11:14:23 -0400
> To: <[log in to unmask]> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: [ISOGEOCHEM] Isotope wiki
>
> Attention Isogeochemers:
>
> With the help of a few people, we have started what we hope
> will become an
> informative isotope wiki including links for troubleshooting
> front ends,
> performing maintenance on various types of IRMS, problem
> solving tips,
> etc.
>
> In order to make this work we need your help. This is a
> pretty big
> venture and requires help from all avenues of the isotope
> community
> including established research labs, IRMS manufacturers, labs
> that already
> have established troubleshooting protocols for specific front
> ends and/or
> IRMS, front end and consumable vendors, etc.
>
> My hope is that if everyone does a little bit then we could
> have a very
> viable resource for these types of issues. Of course this
> will be a
> resource that goes hand in hand with the Isogeochem listserve
> and web
> site.
>
> You can view the wiki at the following url:
>
> http://isogeochem.wikispaces.com/
>
> Please realize that the wiki is in it's early stages and we
> were mainly
> just testing out these pages by adding pictures, text and so
> forth.
>
> I am going to try sending a mass invitation out to the list
> that will
> allow you to signup and begin any editing. Feel free to edit
> existing
> categories or create new categories. Since the wiki is only
> accessed by
> members that have been invited, it is possible for anyone on
> that list to
> do the editing. The next step is to figure out a way to
> police our own
> site to verify the accuracy of the edits (ex. information
> related to a
> particular piece of equipment could be verified by the company
> that makes
> it). This issue is up for discussion.
>
> Let me know if you have any questions.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Art Kasson
>
> --
> Art Kasson
> Cornell Isotope Laboratory
> Dept Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
> E440 Corson Hall
> Tower Road
> Ithaca NY 14853 USA
> Phone: 607.254.1382
> Fax: 607.255.8088
> COIL website
> http://www.cobsil.com
> Isogeochem website
> http://www.isogeochem.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> ________________________________
>
> Jason B. West
> Research Assistant Professor
> Department of Biology
> University of Utah
>
> Ph: 801.587.3404
> Fax: 801.581.4665
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
> http://isoscapes.org
> ________________________________
>
|