Many Facets to Planning a Website

I found this image which I think explains many of the kinds of things that Website builders need to think through. For some in the industry this is like.. Duh! but for others this kind of layout really helps us see the complexity and the parts we need to be thinking through to implement the website.

Many of the different kinds of things that website planners have to think through.

Cars

Who would have thunk I that I would do a post on cars? Mostly, I avoid car discussions. I have avoided these kinds of discussions since high-school, when all my friends raved about NASCAR and North American muscle cars, I have regularly reminded them that the best cars in the world prove their excellence in a race by negotiating turns in multiple directions, as well as negotiating changes in track elevation. By-the-way, RACECAR is a palindrome.

This posture has landed me quite a bit of criticism over the years. Aside from this, my practical side has suggested that a good car is one that allows one to get from ‘point A’ to ‘point B’.

My first car was a Renault, followed by a 1983 Honda Prelude, which in turn was followed by 1996 Honda Accord LX. I currently drive a 2005 Kia Spectra, which my wife bought before we were married.

Renault

1982 Renault - Mine was all light blue with a grey interior.

Honda Prelude

1982 Honda Prelude - Mine was this exact color scheme.

1996 Honda Accord LX

2005 Kia Spectra

Driving from 2007 through 2011

But recently Becky and I have been looking at cars, not to buy one, just to look at them… and so I have been looking at some cars with more of an artistic eye rather than a functional or economical (esp. fuel efficiency) eye.

Several cars have caught my eye. I have long been a fan of the Porsche 911 and Porsche Boxter. But here are some other cars that look rather appealing. Most of these cars I have never even ridden in. Concerning color, I really like yellow. However, Bi-tonal color schemes like is common with the Toyota FJ and the Mini Cooper are also really cool. Of course Blue and white, Blue and golden (yellow), or Black and White all go nicely together.

Porsche Boxter

Porsche Boxster

Mini Cooper

The Union Jack looks really cool on either the roof or the hood of this car. But being that my family color is blue, I thought that perhaps a Scottish flag might fit better.

Scottish Flag

Dodge Challenger

I always find the Dodge Challenger an agressive and smart looking car.

Toyota FJ

Mazda Protege P5

Subaru Baja

The Subaru Baja is also a nice car.

Impossible English Grammar

While I was in Mexico, I was walking to the store with a friend, who is also a fellow linguistics student. He was telling me a story. In the course of that story a naturally occurring sentence flowed “out of his mouth”. After he said that sentence I let him finish his thought and I asked him if the sentence was gramatical.

Here is the sentence:

Yesterday, I saw the latin version of one of my friend’s husbands in Sorinana.Sorinana chain of stores in Mexico.

My contention was that the “s” on “husbands” was ungrammatical.

Of course, if the sentence is read:

Yesterday, I saw the latin version of one of my friend’s husband in Sorinana.

The sentence sounds awkward. Perhaps it is not a well formed sentence. But is it ungrammatical? What is the violation which makes the sentence sound awkward? Is it the constrained unit [one of my friend’s] which is embedded in another gramatical unit, which is apparently unconstrained [the latin version of…]?

We tried to move the gramatical units around and did not find a satisfying solution.

Yesterday, I saw the latin version of the husband of one of my friends in Soriana.

Yesterday, I saw the latin version of one of my friend’s husband in Soriana.

Yesterday, I saw a man who looked like my friend’s husband in Soriana.

Yesterday, I saw a man who could have passed as the latin version of one of my friend’s husband in Soriana.

Yesterday, I saw a man who could have passed as the latin version of the husband of one of my friends in Soriana.

Yesterday, in Soriana, I saw a latino version of my friend’s husband.

Yesterday, I saw a the latin version of the husband of one of my friends in Soriana.

Yesterday, I saw in Soriana the latin version of the husband of one of my friends.

All this variation in options of for information ordering has led me to ask three questions of English:

  1. How is Time, Manner and place naturally ordered in English?
  2. What is the prominent element of information in each option and why?
  3. What are the Elements?

Review of Garmin eTrex Venture HC for Language Documentation

In a recent (2010-2011) Language Documentation Project we decided to also collect GIS data (GPS Coordinates), about our consultants (place of origin and place of current dwelling), about our recording locations and for Geo-tagging Photos. We used a Garmin eTrex Venture HC to collect the data and then we compared this data with GIS information from Google maps and the National GIS information service. This write up and evaluation of the Garmin eTrex Venture HC is based on this experience.
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Open Change

I was recently looking at licenses for databases and discovered the ODbL license. This license was pioneered by the OpenStreetMap Project. I was reading their introduction to why the change was needed. This introduction outlined what the change was, what the change would allow them to do, who agreed, who disagreed, what the cost of the change would be, among other things. I thought it was a very open, engaging and confidence building way to move a group of volunteers through change. It allows for more kinds (also different kinds) of product use. It is well worth the look at not only if you are interested in the open licensing of data in databases and why CC-BY-SA and CC0 licenses do not work for data [also as PDF], but also how they are answering the questions of the community as they are moving the community through change.