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DrJen
Site was submitted to
http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Recreation/Science_and_Nature/
http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Recreation/Science_and_Nature/
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DrJen
Thank you for your speedy reply. I was so nervous putting in my first public message on a board in years that I neglected the port ":8080" part. I was set to correct myself, but you had already responded.
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DrJen
First, I thank you for clearing things up. Before I just let the deal on the original content stand...
There is a lot of original content on the site. There are two physicists writing explanations and "science tidbits" - both with doctorates.
The top page leads to three completely original papers on polarization with an explicit Jones matrix calculation. If these explanations or papers appear elsewhere, they have been stolen from this site.
I will not pursue this. However, I expect the other physicist writing for the site will.
However, you have been a jewel with your prompt and polite replies. Thank you.
There is a lot of original content on the site. There are two physicists writing explanations and "science tidbits" - both with doctorates.
The top page leads to three completely original papers on polarization with an explicit Jones matrix calculation. If these explanations or papers appear elsewhere, they have been stolen from this site.
I will not pursue this. However, I expect the other physicist writing for the site will.
However, you have been a jewel with your prompt and polite replies. Thank you.
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mrcohe
Sorry to break into the middle of things, but I am confused. (I am the other physicist that DrJen was referring to in her reply.)
Can you explain what you mean by unique content? The site is an online store. I don't think you are referring to the products, because that content shows up a number of other places in sites listed in the ODP. The product descriptions do come at least in part from the manufacturers and distributors, as I would expect.
Are you referring to the tutorials and explanantions? Unlike DrJen, I do use some public domain applets for enhancement. But I do write the explanations myself, just as I do for my university classes and my technical publications. Of course, not everything I say or do is completely original - who is? We build off a base of thousands of years of previous intellectual work.
Can you explain what you mean by unique content? The site is an online store. I don't think you are referring to the products, because that content shows up a number of other places in sites listed in the ODP. The product descriptions do come at least in part from the manufacturers and distributors, as I would expect.
Are you referring to the tutorials and explanantions? Unlike DrJen, I do use some public domain applets for enhancement. But I do write the explanations myself, just as I do for my university classes and my technical publications. Of course, not everything I say or do is completely original - who is? We build off a base of thousands of years of previous intellectual work.
While I did look at some of the informational content, and did indeed find it elsewhere on the web, that isn't the main issue. Since the site was suggested for inclusion in a shopping category, the main focus of its evaluation was the products.
As you point out yourself, the products are already available on other listed sites. For this reason, we do not feel a need to list yet another site offering them.
As you point out yourself, the products are already available on other listed sites. For this reason, we do not feel a need to list yet another site offering them.
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mrcohe
Then, how do you decide where to cut off? Your statement can be said of virtually every site on the web, whether shopping or not. Every retail site only contains content (items) from some manufacturer. How can any retail site be included, their content is not original. What makes one worthwhile (or valuable) and another not?
I could also argue that the content of the ODP is not original, as I think you would agree. What can make it worthwhile is how you put it together. That is the aim of our site, to package the products and their associated information in a different way that we do not see duplicated elsewhere. It carries our experiences as teachers and researchers into the methodology.
Information exists in abundance on the web. Finding it, and all that you want to know, is another matter. That is our long range goal - to explain (to the level each individual wants) each item that we sell.
As a personal side note, I concur that the ideas in my explanations and tutorials can be found elsewhere. However, I prefer the way I do it or I would not bother to write - anymore than I would have done the three years of work to write the modern physics text my classes use.
I could also argue that the content of the ODP is not original, as I think you would agree. What can make it worthwhile is how you put it together. That is the aim of our site, to package the products and their associated information in a different way that we do not see duplicated elsewhere. It carries our experiences as teachers and researchers into the methodology.
Information exists in abundance on the web. Finding it, and all that you want to know, is another matter. That is our long range goal - to explain (to the level each individual wants) each item that we sell.
As a personal side note, I concur that the ideas in my explanations and tutorials can be found elsewhere. However, I prefer the way I do it or I would not bother to write - anymore than I would have done the three years of work to write the modern physics text my classes use.