3 ms·
Math, and Science in general, is slow. Arxiv, mathexchange, ncatlab, have each changed how scientists collaborate, as have so many other projects. Wikipedia its
by eointierney 7y ago
Math, and Science in general, is slow. Arxiv, mathexchange, ncatlab, have each changed how scientists collaborate, as have so many other projects. Wikipedia itself is way way better than a "facebook" for Science. Science is best practised in person
To elaborate, and mis-quote a general, He wins who gets there fastest with the mostest.
Imagine if China had developed digital computers first and had to map their writing to n-ary. It would not be extensions of ASCII upon which we still rely. Imagine instead an algebra of notation based on composition of analogies. Which is why English is not entirely unusual as a Lingua Franca.
English is easy to learn, incorporates a smorgasbord of techniques from other languages, has a rich literature (there has to be more than one good reason to learn a language) and so has ample comparatives. It uses an alphabet, has a lot of law, and is subject to no central authority.
English is a committee of language camels trekking through our desert of ignorance. Kinda like C++
Flame on!
- type0 7y agoConnecting empirical studies to epistemological formulations is not easy, getting unconnected scientist to exchange ideas is not easy. I think that collaborative potential of the internet for the science as a whole is yet to be realized, I sure hope it won't end up like "Elsevierbook" or some shit like that.
- ImaCake 7y agoBiology has "ResearchGate" which, ironically, is a bit like facebook and is somewhat proprietary. It is, however, incredibly useful for solving common lab problems like "I stuck all my histo slides together, how do I dissolve the mounting media?". Bioinformatics has BioStars, stack exchange, and bioarvix.
- macando 7y agoThe fastest developing branch of AI NLP could help with translation, classification and reorganization of knowledge. Fast internet links, HQ videos, VR and simulation software could accelerate the adoption of new concepts and provide possibilities for remote collaboration. Getting up to speed on a new project would be much more interesting and inviting than sifting through a see of bland PDFs and grainy 2D images.