Gains & Losses

We used to be almost embarrassed by our digital riches, which included numerous computing devices and digital displays acquired in part out of hobbyist enthusiasm as much as from professional need. However, we were burglarized recently (Sep 2011), which besides being traumatic brought an opportunity to rethink and reassess our digital priorities and habits. In a weird life-imitating-Beatles, the robbers came in through the bathroom window, and apparently needed little more than a "silver spoon" to do it despite the locks being engaged, neighbors out and about, and the sun shining bright.

Road Work

iPad with ZaggMate keyboard stand

Right: Though a keyboard expands the iPad’s usability, it still can’t keep up with a laptop.

The annual planning committee meeting for the Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL) was held March 4-6. About 30 people attended, representing institutions from the U.S. and Canada. It seemed like an opportune time to conduct a little iPad experiment. Could I get my work done using only an iPad? Just to be sure I wouldn’t cheat, I left the laptop at home which also saved me packing space and luggage weight.

Harvard's RNS (Profiles) Software

With some trepidation, I took on the task of installing Harvard's "Profiles" software (at http://profiles.catalyst.harvard.edu/). The uncertainty was based in part on the installation requirements which were totally Microsoft based: Server 2008, SQL Server, IIS along with Visual Studio. We don't typically run Windows servers, and I didn't have a spare machine available. Even with a VM, there were license issues. So rather than invest in the equipment and/or licensing required for a local installation, I created an AMI (Amazon Machine Imagine) on EC2.