SciVal Strata, a new project from Elsevier, is a web-based modeling tool that allows users to play scientists in teams in much the same way football fans do with players. Call it Madden NSF.
Dr. Lisa Colledge, project manager for Strata, identified the problem that gave rise to its creation: "At the end of the day everything comes back to resources."
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Whether you're putting together a team for a research project, applying for a grant, evaluating grant applications or looking to prove your own worth to a project or institution, a modeling tool that can quantify that worth dynamically and justify the expenses involved could be valuable.
The tool is a dynamic, customizable modeler that allows a user to add and subtract scientists and specialists to a team and anticipate the change that would make in the team's efficiency. A set of tabs allow changes to benchmarks, personnel and influence over time (on science in general, not just a specific project). The interface is very recognizable, with drag-and-drop scientists (is this the first time that phrase has ever been written?), which outputs into various charts and graphs.
In much the same way that a football player in a fantasy league or video game would be represented by his stats, so is the scientist or specialist in question. According to Dr. Colledge, the scientists are represented by a range of data, from SciVerse Scopus, an abstract and indexing database, articles from all kind of publications and references in those publications, as well as output and citation data which can be customized, and is dynamic and current.
What are the chances of those of us at home playing along? (Who wouldn't want a chance to see how Niels Bohr and Stephen Hawking would effect the development of the steam engine? Or whether Marie Curie or Richard Feynman would be more effective in helping Danny Dunn with his homework machine?)
Slight.
The tool is sold to universities and other research institutions and users will need to belong to one. If such a tool is even roughly analogous with academic journals, the cost would prove prohibitive for the Average BA-holding Joe. Maybe an academic game company could license the engine and data and give us the Max Planck-Laura Maria Caterina Bassi smackdown for which we have so long waited.
Showing posts with label sport. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sport. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Nigerië se sokker nou loop deur die charlatans - Obakpolor Listen Read phoneticallyDictionary - View detailed dictionary
Die Aminu Maigari-geleide Raad van die Nigerië Football Association, NFA het sy ergste vernietigend assessering omdat sy omstrede verkiesing verlede Augustus uit een van sy eie en voormalige voorsitter, afgetrede Groep Kaptein John Obakpolor op die naweek.
Nigeriërs het nie verborge hul minagting vir die NFA wat het voortgegaan om te verf van een aktiwiteit na die ander met die nuutste is die mislukte uitnodigende toernooi in die Verenigde State tagged Obama Cup waarvoor die NFA is wat beweer dat hy daar deurgebring het oor die N60 miljoen voor te berei vir.
Praat oor 'n Brila FM radio program gemonitor in Lagos op die naweek, Groep Captain Obakpolor in reaksie op' n vraag idees oor om voor te stel hoe die NFA kon dinge gedoen tereg te kom, het gesê dat hy nie sou bied 'n idee, omdat sy idees sal besoedel word deur die stel van administrateurs bemanning die Football Association op die oomblik.
Hy was heftige in sy antwoord wanneer die vraag is aan hom gestel, soos hy beskryf die oes van die bestuurder as "charlatans" wat dalk nie enige sin maak uit 'n voorstel wat hy kan bied om dinge reg te kry.
"Ons sokker is nou loop deur die charlatans en ek wil nie my gedagtes besoedel word sodat ek nie kan hulle bied enige advies," 'n ontnugterde Obakpolor retorted.
Ook praat oor dieselfde program, voormalige Green Eagles vleuel en sokker kritikus, Adokie Amiesimaka het gesê dit is absurd vir die regering om toepaslike geld te 'n organisasie wat nie deur die wet erken.
Wys daarop dat die erkende sokker beheerliggaam in Nigerië Nigerië bly die Football Association, NFA, die voormalige Rivers State Prokureur-generaal en die Kommissaris vir Justisie, het gesê dit was verkeerd om geld te goedgekeur word en gegee word aan 'n onwettige liggaam deur die naam Nigerië Sokker Federasie.
Intussen het die voorsitter van die NFA Appèlle Komitee vir die ontsteld verkiesing in die Nasionale en Women's League Boards, John Ola Mafo, beskryf die proses van die verkiesing wat in die Maigari gebring onder leiding van Raad, soos foutiewe en reggemaak moet word in die toekoms.
Wys daarop dat die verwarring rondom die verkiesing van die Nasionale Liga en Women's League Boards vermy kon gewees het indien die verkiesings in die NFA Raad plaasgevind het, nadat beide, het hy gesê die paneel het die besluit dit het die anomalie in die verkiesings te korrek te neem.
Sy posisie regverdig voormalige Green Eagles se kaptein, Hoof Segun Odegbami wat reeds op uitstaan getrek met die sokker owerhede oor die verkiesing proses, wat hy gesê het moet begin van die vlak van plaaslike regering deur middel van die lande tot die nasionale vlak te kry outentieke belanghebbendes sokker uit te voer sake in die land.
Nigeriërs het nie verborge hul minagting vir die NFA wat het voortgegaan om te verf van een aktiwiteit na die ander met die nuutste is die mislukte uitnodigende toernooi in die Verenigde State tagged Obama Cup waarvoor die NFA is wat beweer dat hy daar deurgebring het oor die N60 miljoen voor te berei vir.
Praat oor 'n Brila FM radio program gemonitor in Lagos op die naweek, Groep Captain Obakpolor in reaksie op' n vraag idees oor om voor te stel hoe die NFA kon dinge gedoen tereg te kom, het gesê dat hy nie sou bied 'n idee, omdat sy idees sal besoedel word deur die stel van administrateurs bemanning die Football Association op die oomblik.
Hy was heftige in sy antwoord wanneer die vraag is aan hom gestel, soos hy beskryf die oes van die bestuurder as "charlatans" wat dalk nie enige sin maak uit 'n voorstel wat hy kan bied om dinge reg te kry.
"Ons sokker is nou loop deur die charlatans en ek wil nie my gedagtes besoedel word sodat ek nie kan hulle bied enige advies," 'n ontnugterde Obakpolor retorted.
Ook praat oor dieselfde program, voormalige Green Eagles vleuel en sokker kritikus, Adokie Amiesimaka het gesê dit is absurd vir die regering om toepaslike geld te 'n organisasie wat nie deur die wet erken.
Wys daarop dat die erkende sokker beheerliggaam in Nigerië Nigerië bly die Football Association, NFA, die voormalige Rivers State Prokureur-generaal en die Kommissaris vir Justisie, het gesê dit was verkeerd om geld te goedgekeur word en gegee word aan 'n onwettige liggaam deur die naam Nigerië Sokker Federasie.
Intussen het die voorsitter van die NFA Appèlle Komitee vir die ontsteld verkiesing in die Nasionale en Women's League Boards, John Ola Mafo, beskryf die proses van die verkiesing wat in die Maigari gebring onder leiding van Raad, soos foutiewe en reggemaak moet word in die toekoms.
Wys daarop dat die verwarring rondom die verkiesing van die Nasionale Liga en Women's League Boards vermy kon gewees het indien die verkiesings in die NFA Raad plaasgevind het, nadat beide, het hy gesê die paneel het die besluit dit het die anomalie in die verkiesings te korrek te neem.
Sy posisie regverdig voormalige Green Eagles se kaptein, Hoof Segun Odegbami wat reeds op uitstaan getrek met die sokker owerhede oor die verkiesing proses, wat hy gesê het moet begin van die vlak van plaaslike regering deur middel van die lande tot die nasionale vlak te kry outentieke belanghebbendes sokker uit te voer sake in die land.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Commentary: At least college football crime list is topical
STATETMANT AND STRATEGIC
I’m not a big fan of list stories, but they seem to be very popular lately. I suppose that’s because they distill complicated, often arcane subjects into simplistic narratives easy to digest.
For instance, Sports Illustrated and CBS News recently completed a story in which the Pittsburgh and Penn State football programs were listed, respectively, as having the most and tied-for-fourth most-active police records among SI's 2010 preseason top 25 college football programs.
So, of course, this can be easily interpreted by readers to mean Penn State is tied for fourth in thugs who shouldn’t be in school and Pitt is at the top.
Is that an accurate appraisal? Hey, does it matter? It’s a list. How can a list be wrong? It has a nice, neat margin and numerals with bullets on the left.
I’m going to be honest with you. I was asked to write about this SI.com story. It’s not a subject that raises my hackles. When I saw it initially, I pretty much shrugged. I did read it. I found some of it interesting. Most of it was not surprising. But it’s topical.
So here’s what I think about it. In fact, I’m making my own little list. Mine doesn’t have any particular importance attached to the numerals, though. Just the way my mind works. I believe in the complexity of analog thought. Not all subjects can be digitized.
1. Lots of Ivy Leaguer editors at Sports Illustrated. It’s always been that way. The editor I reported to when I was a stringer for the magazine in the 1990s and early 2000s was from Dartmouth. A lot of the staff is that way. They love to be outraged and especially enjoy the narrative thread that "These types of kids shouldn’t be attending our colleges!" Good for them, I guess.
2. Sarcasm aside, I am glad someone has the time and the resources to examine exactly how many potentially harmful kids simply aren’t being screened before they’re recruited by major football programs. Violent crimes in high school should be red-flagged on a case-by-case basis. The story does delineate how that can be easily achieved.
3. I also applaud the examples of some kids from horrible backgrounds who have been given a chance in college football because coaches genuinely believed in their sincere desire to become better people. SI writers Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian make a point of acknowledging that this does happen and should happen.
4. College football is a violent, angry sport that attracts violent, angry kids. Not all, but some. These types of 18-year-olds have been attending America’s colleges for half a century or more since athletic grants began being distributed. This story will not change that unless the money machine that supports the sport demands that it change. Those are the TV networks who pay to telecast the games, including CBS. Somehow, I don’t see that happening.
4. If you have a problem with some of these types of kids being given free rides to college, maybe you should really have a problem with college football. Or about football in general, a sport whose long-lasting physical and emotional effects are just beginning to be understood by neurosurgeons. If you haven’t, do a search on "Dave Duerson" and read up.
5. Concerning the rankings: How can SI’s story be translated as apples to apples when police departments in different areas are so different? If anyone wants to make a case that the State College police and the district attorney prosecute athletes with the same zest as any other campus law enforcement, I’d be glad to listen.
6. How do we know how many first-degree felonies were committed in these crimes compared to simple assaults and petty thefts and other stuff that college kids often do? Were sexual assaults, armed robberies and felonious assaults given the same weight as shoplifting and smoking weed? It appears so. An arrest is an arrest. Another reason statistical stories often stink when they are distilled to lists.
7. The fallacy that Penn State was somehow this pristine land of only true and earnest and virtuous student-athletes who never got in beer brawls or stole things has always been just that. It was an image Joe Paterno carefully crafted through his East Coast newspaper believers who came in once or twice a year and were charmed by the master. Further, 20 and 30 and 40 years ago, Paterno had police reporting to him. Incidents were hushed up. Now it’s the opposite. I suspect it was never a Boy Scout troop to begin with.
So that’s my list. It doesn’t count anything. It doesn’t rank anything. It’s just one man’s opinions. And they’re all over the map, aren’t they?
It’ll never sell.
I’m not a big fan of list stories, but they seem to be very popular lately. I suppose that’s because they distill complicated, often arcane subjects into simplistic narratives easy to digest.
For instance, Sports Illustrated and CBS News recently completed a story in which the Pittsburgh and Penn State football programs were listed, respectively, as having the most and tied-for-fourth most-active police records among SI's 2010 preseason top 25 college football programs.
So, of course, this can be easily interpreted by readers to mean Penn State is tied for fourth in thugs who shouldn’t be in school and Pitt is at the top.
Is that an accurate appraisal? Hey, does it matter? It’s a list. How can a list be wrong? It has a nice, neat margin and numerals with bullets on the left.
I’m going to be honest with you. I was asked to write about this SI.com story. It’s not a subject that raises my hackles. When I saw it initially, I pretty much shrugged. I did read it. I found some of it interesting. Most of it was not surprising. But it’s topical.
So here’s what I think about it. In fact, I’m making my own little list. Mine doesn’t have any particular importance attached to the numerals, though. Just the way my mind works. I believe in the complexity of analog thought. Not all subjects can be digitized.
1. Lots of Ivy Leaguer editors at Sports Illustrated. It’s always been that way. The editor I reported to when I was a stringer for the magazine in the 1990s and early 2000s was from Dartmouth. A lot of the staff is that way. They love to be outraged and especially enjoy the narrative thread that "These types of kids shouldn’t be attending our colleges!" Good for them, I guess.
2. Sarcasm aside, I am glad someone has the time and the resources to examine exactly how many potentially harmful kids simply aren’t being screened before they’re recruited by major football programs. Violent crimes in high school should be red-flagged on a case-by-case basis. The story does delineate how that can be easily achieved.
3. I also applaud the examples of some kids from horrible backgrounds who have been given a chance in college football because coaches genuinely believed in their sincere desire to become better people. SI writers Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian make a point of acknowledging that this does happen and should happen.
4. College football is a violent, angry sport that attracts violent, angry kids. Not all, but some. These types of 18-year-olds have been attending America’s colleges for half a century or more since athletic grants began being distributed. This story will not change that unless the money machine that supports the sport demands that it change. Those are the TV networks who pay to telecast the games, including CBS. Somehow, I don’t see that happening.
4. If you have a problem with some of these types of kids being given free rides to college, maybe you should really have a problem with college football. Or about football in general, a sport whose long-lasting physical and emotional effects are just beginning to be understood by neurosurgeons. If you haven’t, do a search on "Dave Duerson" and read up.
5. Concerning the rankings: How can SI’s story be translated as apples to apples when police departments in different areas are so different? If anyone wants to make a case that the State College police and the district attorney prosecute athletes with the same zest as any other campus law enforcement, I’d be glad to listen.
6. How do we know how many first-degree felonies were committed in these crimes compared to simple assaults and petty thefts and other stuff that college kids often do? Were sexual assaults, armed robberies and felonious assaults given the same weight as shoplifting and smoking weed? It appears so. An arrest is an arrest. Another reason statistical stories often stink when they are distilled to lists.
7. The fallacy that Penn State was somehow this pristine land of only true and earnest and virtuous student-athletes who never got in beer brawls or stole things has always been just that. It was an image Joe Paterno carefully crafted through his East Coast newspaper believers who came in once or twice a year and were charmed by the master. Further, 20 and 30 and 40 years ago, Paterno had police reporting to him. Incidents were hushed up. Now it’s the opposite. I suspect it was never a Boy Scout troop to begin with.
So that’s my list. It doesn’t count anything. It doesn’t rank anything. It’s just one man’s opinions. And they’re all over the map, aren’t they?
It’ll never sell.
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Wire
Othes sport
LAS VEGAS -- Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones was sentenced on Thursday to probation and 200 hours of community service under a plea deal for his role in a 2007 strip club melee in Las Vegas.
Clark County courts spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said Jones received a suspended sentence and was also ordered to receive anger management counselling. The sentence requires Jones to undergo random drug testing.
Jones told the Las Vegas Sun after the sentencing that he's glad to finally have the case behind him and has been praying for the victims of the shooting.
"This has been a long, long haul and has affected a lot of families," Jones told the newspaper. "It has affected me personally."
JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will require Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow and he will miss the entire 2011 season, the club confirmed Thursday morning.
General manager John Mozeliak made the announcement at about 10 a.m. St. Louis time after a discussion with the pitcher and the team physician. All parties had been waiting on the results of a second opinion requested Wednesday evening from Dr. Lewis Yocum in the Los Angeles area.
A former member of the Manitoba Moose who turned to coaching has been banished from the Central Hockey League for the rest of the season after throwing his clothes -- almost all of them -- onto the ice in protest.
Greg Pankiewicz, a native of Drayton Valley, Alta., now an assistant coach with the Colorado Eagles, received a 14-game suspension for tossing his tie, jacket, shirt and apparently his shoes onto the ice during a game last weekend.
While his team was leading the Mississippi River Kings, Pankiewicz objected to the tactics of a linesman during an on-ice melee.
He was also fined by the league, as was his team.
Pankiewicz played for the Moose from 1996 until 1998.
LAS VEGAS -- Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Adam (Pacman) Jones was sentenced on Thursday to probation and 200 hours of community service under a plea deal for his role in a 2007 strip club melee in Las Vegas.
Clark County courts spokeswoman Mary Ann Price said Jones received a suspended sentence and was also ordered to receive anger management counselling. The sentence requires Jones to undergo random drug testing.
Jones told the Las Vegas Sun after the sentencing that he's glad to finally have the case behind him and has been praying for the victims of the shooting.
"This has been a long, long haul and has affected a lot of families," Jones told the newspaper. "It has affected me personally."
JUPITER, Fla. -- St. Louis Cardinals ace Adam Wainwright will require Tommy John surgery to repair his elbow and he will miss the entire 2011 season, the club confirmed Thursday morning.
General manager John Mozeliak made the announcement at about 10 a.m. St. Louis time after a discussion with the pitcher and the team physician. All parties had been waiting on the results of a second opinion requested Wednesday evening from Dr. Lewis Yocum in the Los Angeles area.
A former member of the Manitoba Moose who turned to coaching has been banished from the Central Hockey League for the rest of the season after throwing his clothes -- almost all of them -- onto the ice in protest.
Greg Pankiewicz, a native of Drayton Valley, Alta., now an assistant coach with the Colorado Eagles, received a 14-game suspension for tossing his tie, jacket, shirt and apparently his shoes onto the ice during a game last weekend.
While his team was leading the Mississippi River Kings, Pankiewicz objected to the tactics of a linesman during an on-ice melee.
He was also fined by the league, as was his team.
Pankiewicz played for the Moose from 1996 until 1998.
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