From larry.sanger at dufoundation.org  Tue Jul 11 15:31:56 2006
From: larry.sanger at dufoundation.org (Larry Sanger)
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2006 15:31:56 -0700
Subject: [Textop-avs-ann] Skypecast Friday; also, Guardian article
Message-ID: <003f01c6a539$d10f0820$7e02020a@D6WD1391>

All,

We didn't have a Skypecast last week--many people were away on vacation.
So let's have a Skypecast this week, same time, via this URL (note the
URL changes with each new Skypecast, and I should update the link on
textop.org whenever a new Skypecast is planned):

https://skypecasts.skype.com/skypecasts/skypecast/detailed.html?id_talk=
17837

The topic du jour will be: how to get started with the pilot project.
Want to start collating philosophy books?  Join me and learn how.  I
will answer questions and do a walk-through.  This will be helpful but
not required for participants.

By then, I will have finished a "how to collate a text" tutorial, which
I've started here:
http://www.textop.org/wiki/index.php?title=How_to_collate_a_text

Also, I understand that tomorrow an article in the (U.K.) Guardian about
my career will appear, and (I hope) prominently mention Textop.  It'll
be our first press coverage.  We might get some more interest and
opportunities out of it, but I can tell you from experience that the
*only* thing that gets a collaborative project like this off the ground
is, simply, a critical mass of motivated contributors--and then, hard
work.

--Larry 

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From larry.sanger at dufoundation.org  Wed Jul 26 01:29:46 2006
From: larry.sanger at dufoundation.org (Larry Sanger)
Date: Wed, 26 Jul 2006 01:29:46 -0700
Subject: [Textop-avs-ann] Kudos and a peek ahead
In-Reply-To: <200607200407.k6K47TcL007754@pc070372.sci.griffith.edu.au>
Message-ID: <000501c6b08d$a76d18e0$a0f5fea9@D7WRQ591>

All,

I just wanted to thank the following people particularly for their work on
Textop, and apologies in advance for those I have inadvertantly left out:

* Philippe Martin: theorizing and modeling, helping me focus on important
issues with regard to the outline, some actual work on the outline

* Howard Burrows: much stimulating, expert conversation and a forthcoming
alternate proposal I look forward to

* Brittney Brokenshire: uploaded quite a bit of my work to the wiki

* Mathias Brendel: conversation and planning re governance issues, some wiki
editing

* Kunal Sen: key participation in both Skypecasts so far; again, stimulating
and expert conversation

These are among the most active participants in the Textop project.  Thanks
very much to them.  Several others have been engaged in one way or another,
and after my call for volunteers last week, at least two more people have
said they'd be getting to work (or get talking to me) in the next few days.

Largely because of my reaction to Philippe Martin's perfectly justified
dissatisfaction with the state of the outline I've constructed

http://www.textop.org/wiki/index.php?title=The_Outline

I think the outline is starting to look better (although it still has a long
way to go).  In addition, almost all of my work on the Leviathan has been
uploaded to the wiki, thanks to drudgework done by Brittney and me.  I hope
to talk to one philosophy professor about some possible collation work
tomorrow, and personally I feel motivated to stick with it on a daily or
near daily basis as I have.

So, while we might not have Wikipedia levels of interest yet (Wikipedia
started quite small, you know), I feel we're on the right track.  What can
you expect to see in the next few months?

* A market test of an innovative DUF funding idea that, if successful, I
will apply to Textop.  I'll make sure you all are on the distribution list
for this.

* The outline will be spruced up and made more coherent.  Rules on chunking
will be articulated, and my previous work on *Leviathan* will be rendered
consistent with these rules.  With help from Hobbes experts I hope, we'll
finish the *Leviathan* collation and check over my previous work.

* Probably at the same time, I fully expect that one or two philosophers
will start collation work on one or two new texts; Locke's Essay at least

* Prototypes of other Textop subprojects will probably be created; an
analytical dictionary entry at least

* More tutorial videos will be created as needed; see
http://www.textop.org/wiki/index.php?title=Tutorial_videos

So I intend to stay on track, and I hope you'll join me as much as you can!

--Larry