Sean McGrath

Here we go again...

2009-11-11T06:39:00.000-08:00

go. Hmmmm. Given that it is from Google this will get lots of interest obviously. Will it kill all other programming languages at Google? How long will it be before someone writes a compiler/translator that turns Python into Go, Go into Python, Javascript into Go, Go into Javascript?

Have I seen this movie before?

No PDFs?

2009-10-30T04:45:00.000-07:00

No PDFs! is not the answer. The answer is to make data available in a variety of formats and explain the relationship between them. In such a world, PDF becomes one format amongst many. That is good.

The problem with a lot of the "just give us XML!" exhortations is that it is easy to over-simply the issues that arise with legal and regulartory materials.

In an XML L&R world, PDF has its place. So too does Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, TIFF, custom-schema XML, industry-standard-schema XML, JSON, RDFa etc.

The whole point of using XML "upstream" is to allow a multiplicity of transforms downstream. However, care needs to be taken when the documents are critical - like legislation...It is critical that the normative copy is made explicit. The ideal normative copy is one that can partake in author/edit cycles. However, the normative copy is (typically) the result of a printing process because paper is signed by empowered officers with an ink pen. On the way to paper, there are umpteen points of intervention in the typical paper printing workflow. Camera-ready or direct-to-plate workflows in print shops involve page imposition and all sorts of pre-flight work that can - and often do - render the upstream content suspect with respect to the final printed pages.

Legislative artifacts - especially bills - need very close attention to line/page numbers because of the time honored way in which legislative amendment cycles work. Most knee-jerk "structured" XML approaches fall flat on their faces as a result. With legislation, line/page numbers are not throw-away artifacts. They are as important as the words themselves...

None of the problems are insurmountable but they involve a lot of care and thought. Throwing out PDF isn't the solution. Simply plugging in a structured XML editor with a custom/industry schema won't work either. The solution involves combining structured XML technology with wordprocessor technology and DTP technology. The key is recognizing that a multiplicity of formats/techniques are required in order to serve the needs of the complete legislative workflow; and to be absolutely clear - every step of the way - what the normative copy of the digital text is.

DSLs, Ruby, Lisp...

2009-09-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

I have posted an article on ITWorld called Ruby, DSLs and the free lunch that was not so free.

Yup, Python sure is slow

2009-09-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

This web server clinches the argument. A mere 8 *thousand* requests a second. Pah. Humbug.

:-)

SGML and justifiable complexity

2009-09-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Rick Jelliffe is writing some interesting stuff these days on parsing : SGML, XML, HTML etc. Rick talks about GROVES and that triggered a flashback. Boy, those were the days! DSSSL, HyTime...I remember GROVES being extruded into Graphical Representation of Property values. Rick says GROVEs—Groupings Of Valid Elements. Tomayto. Tomato. Its very instructive to watch the recent RDF goings-on in the light of the GROVE stuff of old.

Anyway, Rick makes the important point that you cannot linearize SGML parsing because it has feedback. Amen to that. SGML has more feedback loops than a room full of amps and microphones - as anyone who has tried to write a true SGML parser will tell you.

For me, the big question is this: is that complexity justified? Given that SGML is, after all, an invented language, its degree of parsing computational complexity is in human hands. With invented languages, we make parsing problems that we then have to solve. Does the cost outweigh the benefit?

In the case of SGML, I believe the answer is no. Charles Goldfarb has a brilliant mind but it is the mind of a lawyer moreso than a computer scientist in my opinion.

Now I work with legal texts a lot in my day job. I have read Peter Suber's Paradox of Self Amendment and I'm pretty familiar with the difficulties of creating homomorphisms between concepts from logic and concepts from jurisprudence.

The Paradox of Self Amendment

I am as fond of hermeneutic circles as the next language nerd person but I think we need to create Strange Loops with caution in computer science. We need to bring an awareness of the issues they create downstream from the intellectual delights involved in their creation.

Now insofar as markup languages are attempting to be expressive in a human language sense, we get pulled towards parsing complexity. Insofar as we are designing them for machine readabilty, we get pulled towards simple models in the Chomsky-esque taxonomies of language types.

It is the age old debate in disguise. Are markup languages a branch of linguistics or a branch of mathematics?

The answer of course is "yes" and there-in lies the heart of the problem.

Never extrapolate...

2009-08-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Note to self: Never extrapolate anything from an experimental observation population of size two.

Software application architecture versus software application design

2009-08-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

A software variation on a theme by Antoine de Saint Exupéry:

"A software application architecture is finished when there is nothing left to take out. A software application design is finished when there is nothing left to add."

JSP (the real one) and XML

2009-08-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sadly, another year has passed and my 100% record of not attending the Balisage conference is intact.

This year looks to have been particularly interesting with Michael Kay speaking not only on pipelines but on the fascinating overlaps between markup processing and an all-but-forgotten software design methodology known as JSP (Jackson Structured Programming).

At SGML '96, I gave a talk on the relationship between the JSP methodology and SGML processing. At the time, we were using the ideas in JSP extensively in an C++-based SGML processing toolkit we called IDM. Its great to see JSP get some air again as there is a lot of stuff in Michael Jackson's thinking that really resonates today. Not only the ideas in JSP but also the ideas in JSD (Jackson Structured Design).

I had the great good fortune to work for Dave Croydon of Fiamass when I left college. He introduced me to JSP in the context of building real-time financial trading systems in 8086 assembler! I didn't know it then but what I learned from Dave hugely influenced the approach I would end up taking to everything from programming to system architecture at Propylon.

MyTouch - first impressions

2009-08-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Well, my problems with getting up and running with the MyTouch turned out to be a SIM card problem and has now been fixed. I'm into my second day with this thing now and so far so good. It is taking me some time to get used to the on-screen touch keyboard but I'm getting there.
The app store is so far a little disappointing as there are lots of "doesn't work on G2" comments. Some of the apps I've downloaded have flat-out not worked but a good few have worked fine. I'm still exploring. Biggest hardware disappointment so far: that weird cable you need to add to turn the usb connector into a headphones jack. What where they thinking?

When is a mobile phone not a phone?

2009-08-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

When is a mobile phone not a phone? When it is a smart phone apparently.

I got a T-Mobile MyTouch. My SIM needs to be provisioned for data services before I can use the internet stuff on it. Ok fine. I found out today that it might take 48 hours...Hmmmm, not great but ok, fine.

But here is the kicker, unless I am missing something I cannot make a phone call in the interim! My "phone" insists on being a computer first and a phone second it seems.

G2 Phone

2009-08-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Well, my Sidekick was lost/stolen in Washington D.C. and the T-Mobile G2 Phone is launching this week therefore the Gods clearly want me to have one. Right?

Humanity Test

2009-08-03T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Turing Test will soon be passed by a machine - or so some believe. I think we need to up the ante. How about something that simultaneously captures humanity and aesthetics in a way impervious to mere brute calculation attacks?

I want to see a machine be genuinely moved watching this particular rendering of Cold Play's Fix You.

Lisa Hannigan <-> Beth Gibbons

2009-07-31T18:25:00.001-07:00

So, I've been playing Lisa Hannigan's debut album a lot lately. I have been nagged by the feeling that she reminded me of someone and I couldn't put my finger on it. I've previously blogged the bits that remind me of Leonard Cohen and Norah Jones but the one I missed has finally
come to me: Beth Gibbons of Portishead. It feels like a mystery solved.

Faster Jython?

2009-07-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Yes, and faster jruby etc. etc. All thanks to invokedynamic in JDK7. Its been a long time since 2004 but kudos to Tim for getting that ball rolling.

Library of Congress

2009-07-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, without a doubt, the highlight of this trip to D.C. for me was the behind-the-scenes tour of the Library of Congress. The scale of the operation is just astounding. I got to stand next to some books that Gutenburg himself probably touched. I got to breath that unmistakable aroma that comes from really, really old books.

The Library of Congress does *volume* like no other entity I know and it was truly impressive. I stood in the stacks - the size of two football fields. 2.5 million books. I gazed at a 5 foot high card catalog which, essentially, disappeared over the horizon in both directions. Amazing. A Disneyland for a book nerd like me.

Books, cats...life is good

2009-07-26T15:15:00.001-07:00

I'm at the AALL conference in Washington DC and amongst all the predictable exhibits from publishers and technology types there is a lady selling T-shirts and nightshirts of a "bookish" nature.

The one that really caught my eye said "Books, cats...life is good".

I can think of, oh, 30 people straight away who would either love one or have a significant other who would love one.

Versioning URLs

2009-07-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Jeni is wondering about versioning URLs. A fascinating area and one I spend a bunch of time working
on for Propylon.

Jeni, I tried to add a comment to your blog but the Captcha system proved that I was a bot to its own satisfaction so I'm replying here:-)

Two words:
Rigid Designators

A terribly useful concept for reasoning about URI versioning from Saul Kripke.

I have successfully applied Kripke's rigid designator concepts to some thorny document management problems - in particular legal citation. Sadly, making it work for the Web-at-large would involve centralizing some plumbing in a way that is anathema to the decentralized model of the Web.

:-)

Sean

Please re-enter your e-mail address..

2009-07-19T12:13:00.000-07:00

"Please re-enter your e-mail address...".

Gosh, I really, really hate that in a form. All I do is copy paste the previous one anyway. Not the worlds most effective cross-checking control.

Deutsch on homeopathy

2009-07-11T07:32:00.000-07:00

Deutsch on homeopathy : "As I understand it, the claim is that the less you use Homeopathy, the better it works. Sounds plausible to me.".

Ouch.

AALL Conference, end of July, Washington D.C.

2009-07-01T14:19:00.000-07:00

So, I've just finished my slides for the American Association of Law Librarians conference coming up in D.C. end of July.

This is the first AALL conference I have attended and I'm really looking forward to it. If you are around the D.C. area 25-28 July and interested in meeting up, let me know.

I'll be talking at AALL about the challenges involved in preserving law and other legislative artifacts. How XML doesn't necessarily help unless you approach it exactly right[1].

[1] In this case, "exactly right" is at odds with the standard XML orthodoxy. Hint: the wrong place to start is with a logical model of legal texts as "structured" artifacts.

Lisa Hannigan

2009-06-28T07:00:00.001-07:00

Ever since I came across Damien Rice I've been watching out for evidence of his backing vocalist Lisa Hannigan branching out on her own. She is waaay to good to be a second fiddle.

And now she has. I hope she plays more dates in the US soon.

If you have not come across her before thing of a mashup between Norah Jones, Leonard Cohen with a touch of Mary Margaret O'Hara.

Oh for two slices of ... something

2009-06-20T09:39:00.001-07:00

One of the perennial risks with Atkins-style diets is that there comes a point where you really, really want two slices of something to hold your bacon and cheese together in an ergonomic and non-messy way. The urge to grab that wonderful but seditious invention - bread - is very strong. Lettuce works but just doesn't feel right. Especially if you just lurve the smell of toast:-/

I am reminded of Woody Allen's hilarious short story about the Earl of Sandwich...

All joking aside, s/he who invents something that is very low carb (that rules out most of the so-called low-carb breads on the market), and can function like bread in a sandwich, has a bright financial future.

Suggestions?

Jython 2.5!

2009-06-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

Great! Jython hits 2.5. I'm looking forward to giving this a whirl and using it extensively in upcoming projects.

Balisage looks good (again)

2009-05-29T05:39:00.001-07:00

Again, the lineup for the Balisage conference looks good.

Some of the talks look intriguining. Markup as a nomic game sounds very interesting. Lots about pipelines...

I see that Michael Kay is going to talk about Jacskson Structured Programming and how it relates to XML and XML processing. Yay! Back in 1996 I gave a talk about JSP/JSD and SGML processing at SGML '96. I'm looking forward to reading Michael's paper. Jackson's inversion concept was a stroke of genius and his JSP/JSD work has very much influenced how I think about XML processing.

More techtorials?

2009-05-19T12:37:00.001-07:00

I'm soliciting feedback/suggestions on the techtorials I have been doing with ITWorld.

I know that the handwriting quality is a problem for some people. Its tough writing with a pen interface and my handwriting is bad to start with...I have some ideas to address that.

I'm wondering whether the format has legs, what topics would be of potential interest and so on.

If you have something to say on the topic please use Left Field Techtorials feedback site or comment on this blog, or e-mail me.