Re: creating online plant database

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflondon@mindspring.com>]

On Sun, 11 Nov 2001 06:47:55 -0800 (PST), Nick Routledge
<fellowservant@yahoo.com> wrote:

>
>> > If Permaculture is about relatings between
>> elements, then perhaps the
>> > core objects in a DB design would be the
>> relations, rather than the
>> > plants themselves (big conceptual leap, but seems
>> worth some thought;
>> > also a partial answer to my first question).
>> 
>
>Yum. I was waiting for this remark, coz I sense it
>points to the heart of the design question. I penned
>the briefest snippet for WIRED in '96, a swingeing
>precis of a white paper since lost to hard disk
>heaven, around the subject of dynamic nodes ("What's
>the most effective way to strengthen the web?
>Strengthen hyperlinking. Create dynamic nodes.") that
>posited the creation of a server-based protocol
>allowing for "intelligent intranode communication."

It seems to me that at lease some of the hyperlinking tools would need
to be common to the various websites participating,
i.e. database features, html tags, server side includes. Website A's
database with info on eleagnus would need to be acccessable to fields
in website B's database with info on nitrogen-fixing, drought
tolerance, fruit bearing, medicinal value. A web of participating PC
plant DB sites within the Web.


>The language a leetle clunky, I must admit, not least
>coz I wouldn't recognize a line of basic if I fell
>over it, but essentially the conceptual approach would
>involve laying a new layer of interconnectivity down
>over the web - another dimension, in a sense.


>Compleeecated, but the wrinkle would basically enable
>the guilding of cyberspace. It makes perfect sense, of
>course, that guilding permies at play in cyberspace
>would be the ones to revolutionize the medium. The
>Spirit of Gaia rising, 'n all that. 

A great concept and needs to happen. Time to get started.

How much non-proprietary data is there out there on or off the Web
that could be integrated into a grand online distributed database?
How much data is there that can be released into the public domain
that people are willing to forego deriving future profits from?

>Fun this, innit?
>
>Made it to Louisiana. Talk about southern grace.
>
>Yrs, in the dirt,
>
>n.
>www.foodnotlawns.com
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Find a job, post your resume.
>http://careers.yahoo.com
>


L.F.London ICQ#27930345 lflondon@mindspring.com
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech  london@ibiblio.org