Semantics and Syntax">Semantics and Syntax
Published October 4, 2010 | 
">Bruce WhealtonIn earlier postings I have written about the Semantic Web. It is interesting to me that in my recent work in the area of web technologies that there would be such an overlap with my interest in writing and communications. The semantic web technologies are changing the web in very exciting ways. In simple terms this is making the web smarter.
When people communicate and when computers communicate there is a syntax to that communication. Until recently, the semantics of the communication was not made known in a way that computers could understand. Applications on the web have given the impression that they understood what you meant, the semantics, by allowing you to ask questions and seem to get answers in the way of websites or a search engine might respond to your search with this statement, “Did you mean…?” However, in terms of the web, for the most part, none of these websites had any meaning embedded into them, at least nothing that would help a computer program to understand what was on the web page. They just have information to allow a browser to know how to display the content for human viewers to understand.
This leads to the topic of syntax. Syntax is about structure, the structure of sentences and phrases in English. Written communication in English is structured with grammar, spelling and punctuation. Similarly, when we speak much of that structure also exists in the way we speak. Punctuation is articulated, sometimes, with pauses, for example.
A definition if syntax from the website reference.dictionary.com is as follows: “Computers. the grammatical rules and structural patterns governing the ordered use of appropriate words and symbols for issuing commands, writing code, etc., in a particular software application or programming language. “1 So, in terms of the web, we have web pages that are presented in the browser using different languages or markup code. There is also a structure to the way the browser requests the web page from the web server. There are rules that define how this communication must be structured. This is the syntax of the communication.
Semantics is about the meaning of what is being communicated. Before the semantic web started changing things, there was virtually nothing on a web page or in the code underlying a web page to tell a computer anything about the meaning of what was on the web page. The computer, by way of the browser, knew how to display the content but had no understanding, as it were, of the semantics, the meaning of what was being communicated.
The semantic web is not about teaching computers to speak and understand English or any language, per se. Languages are a bit more complex than what would be required by the semantic web. However, this is about including coding the web page with information about the meaning of what is contained on the web page. This semantic code will not be displayed to the viewer but it will be read by computers. Some semantic web applications will involve what is called “natural language processing” but there will be limits and requirements to what can be said or asked.
By including semantic web technology in web pages and in web applications, search engines will better help us find what we are seeking. There are already some semantic search engines out there, such as what you will find at hakia.com In addition, just one other example of how this can help us is with the ability to combine and reuse information from various sources. Information can be pulled in from a number of different sources and used in an entirely new way.
More on this topic will be coming. I find this very exciting.
Live Writer by Microsoft">Live Writer by Microsoft
Published October 4, 2010 | ">Bruce Whealton
I just downloaded this tool from Microsoft’s website. It is called Live Writer. I can add various blogs to the application and publish from my desktop. This is a pretty useful tool.
I started adding some of the different plug-ins that Microsoft has for the tool. This feature allowed me to post a map from Bing on my blog. I added a push-pin that showed my home/business location. I can zoom to different levels from street level to a wider view that shows more of the surrounding cities and even more.
There are a large number of useful plug-ins that extend the functionality of the software. These let you include a number of different things in your blog, from video to website images, to content from the various photo sharing sites.
I’ll have to share more when I learn more about the features.
Build your network and connect using FOAF">Build your network and connect using FOAF
Published October 2, 2010 | ">Bruce WhealtonFOAF is a way to connect with others, network, and to be discovered by others. This can help as a means to post a resume and links to a resume, your contact information, business websites, friends’ websites, blogs, chat ids, email addresses (which can be encrypted to protect against spam) and more.
FOAF is defined as meaning in one sense, Friend of a Friend. More specifically it is a vocabulary for describing people and the relationships between people. The vocabulary allows for specifying websites, online accounts, all the people you know… the various ways that define our network. These days of computer networks can make the word network sound complex but in a way it is just as simple and intutitive as we might think of the word. We have a support network, a friends network, a work network, family network, etc. The vocabulary lets you also describe websites, documents and other resources. You can list your publications and link them to this file. You can have one biographical file and link to that in that one file.
Why this matters
So, why does this matter to you? Computers help us in many ways. The web is made up of computers talking to each other, using software that is layered on other software, such as it is on your computer. This technology that is associated with FOAF is related to the semantic web. This technology helps computers help us to better accomplish our goals. One example is in searching for information. There are other vocabularies that supplement FOAF or otherwise address other information. However, one of the things that we search for is information about people and who best to tell us about the people around us than our friends and the friends of others? The FOAF vocabulary lets you specify the people you know. It’s very simple, Bruce Whealton knows Bruce Smith (imaginary name here).
About FOAF files.
These files can be in an xml based format, which means it is meant to be read by computers (aka machines, aka software). I put mine in a few places that I hope search engines will find. One of the benefits of this is that in the foaf file you can list, among other things, who you know with a link to their foaf.rdf file or other pages that are associated with that person, e.g. their blog, or a website that they are a part of or contributor to, or co-owner of. In addition, the foaf file will have other data about you, your work, your schools, websites, activities… blogs, publications, etc… whatever one wants to share.
How do you create a foaf.rdf file: go here: http://www.ldodds.com/foaf/foaf-a-matic
There is a form that you can fill in and it will generate a foaf.rdf file. You select all, copy and paste that into a text editor then upload to a server in a place where it can be referenced. You could put in links within your websites, in the header, to link to the foaf.rdf file like this:
I hope this helps, let me know if you have other questions.
My file is here: http://brucewhealton.us/foaf.rdf
and http://futurewavedesigns.com/foaf/brucewhealton/foaf.rdf
Bruce
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