Organization Monkey

the NIH has released a policy on a data repository for human genetic data that they will establish (read the policy at Federal Register).  the policy is briefly discussed today in the chronicle of higher ed, and comments on the publishing policies for the data entered into the repository, security issues for those that have donated genetic materials, and data ownership issues.

i’m interested to know how the data are going to be organized when they are deposited.  what will the metadata schema look like, so that the elements entered will be able to operate between data sets?  will the repository be intended for this kind of data sharing or will it be more of a data dump?  the initial policy doesn’t address that specifically, so may be forthcoming in other documentation.  will stay tuned…

“a couple apples,” or “a couple of apples,” which is the correct one? after some sniffing around i find that both are acceptable.

a thread at linguist-list has a useful discussion on this very topic.

the free dictionary has this usage note:

Although the phrase a couple of has been well established in English since before the Renaissance, modern critics have sometimes maintained that a couple of is too inexact to be appropriate in formal writing. But the inexactitude of a couple of may serve a useful purpose, suggesting that the writer is indifferent to the precise number of items involved. Thus the sentence She lives only a couple of miles away implies not only that the distance is short but that its exact measure is unimportant. This usage should be considered unobjectionable on all levels of style.·The of in the phrase a couple of is often dropped in speech, but this omission is usually considered a mistake, especially in formal contexts. Three-fourths of the Usage Panel finds the sentence I read a couple books over vacation to be unacceptable; however, another 20% of the Panel finds the sentence to be acceptable in informal speech and writing.

to summarize, carry on with using whichever you were using.

my personality test result:

Genuine Creator

You are a Creator
Your imagination, confidence, willingness to explore, and appreciation of beauty make you a CREATOR.
You are independent, and you enjoy your self-sufficiency.
Defying convention, you are very innovative, and you have a vivid imagination.
The look of things is important to you, and you have a keen eye for aesthetic beauty in multiple arenas.
You have a strong interest in what is new and exciting—and that includes forging ahead with new ideas, not simply discovering what is already out there.
Your eagerness to seek new and varied experiences leads you into many different situations.
You’re not set on one way of doing things, and you are creative when it comes to finding novel solutions to complex problems.
You trust yourself to be innovative and resourceful.
Your confidence allows you to take your general awareness and channel it into creativity.
You’re not afraid to let your emotions guide you, and you’re generally considerate of others’ feelings as well.
You are Genuine
Your outgoing personality, your preference for order, and your cautious appreciation of others makes you GENUINE.
You aren’t afraid to occasionally be the center of attention. You are comfortable and confident in social situations.
As a charismatic kind of person, you tend to be energized by other people and enjoy their company.
When other people are upset, you are able to think about the situation rationally, without getting too caught up in their feelings.
At times you find it difficult to understand where other people are coming from, and wish they could just see things the way you do.
You are a strongly principled person who believes in right and wrong. This helps you make decisions easily when it comes to moral issues – you don’t have to waste time hedging on important values.
In your experience, people tend to get what they deserve. Because of this, you work hard and try to follow your principles in your day-to-day life, knowing that you will be rewarded for your efforts.

there are lots of gaps in information organization-related research, with topics just waiting to be tackled. how do i know? i read like crazy. here’s how i stay current with what is being published.

i subscribe to several blogs through my bloglines account:

• Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog gathers up publications on digital scholarship
• Open Access News points to and comments on publications in the realm of open access
• Informed Librarian Online is a table of contents service in the field of librarianship. I get their “picks of the month” in my RSS feed

i also put a recurring (every two weeks) appointment (30 min.) with myself in my calendar to check out what’s been published in the last two weeks, indexed at the Web of Knowledge’s Current Contents Connect. i choose the Social & Behavioral Sciences edition, and then choose the Library & Information Sciences discipline. if i have time left over i check out other disciplines. there’s often good, relevant stuff that informs me there too.

so now you know my secrets to staying current. how do you stay on top of the literature? would you suggest i add something to my list?

i tried google maps for the first time today, a switch from mapquest.  i plugged in my destination address and google maps tells me the trip should take “about 28 mins, up to 1 hour 20 mins in traffic.”  mapquest teases you by telling you that your 16 mile trip will take about 20 minutes.  mapquest doesn’t live in l.a.