If you love XML and markup languages, and think you have something to say, submit a paper. We will judge you but we will also welcome you. There are few better places than XML Prague to introduce an idea or make an argument.
You know you want to.
I’m in Bethesda, MD, just outside of Washington DC, and this year’s Balisage conference starts tomorrow. I’m excited and a bit nervous.
I’ve spent most of today preparing my talk, which is why I’m nervous. It always happens. While planning a paper, I tend to be convinced that it’s the greatest thing ever, or not very far off. While writing it, uneasiness creeps in and while I’m still convinced of the paper’s merits, I am no longer sure I should be the one writing it. I put it off, one day at a time, thinking that I have plenty of time to rediscover the enthusiasm that led me to the subject to begin with and decide I should clean up my computer instead. Or something equally pointless.
This goes on until the last possible moment, that is, a few days before the submission deadline, after which I force myself to write the first draft and submit it, usually minutes before midnight on the final day. A more charitable person might call this “process”, but “terror” is probably closer to the truth.
Completing the second draft, provided that the first is accepted, of course, tends to be similar. If my self-doubt runs sufficiently deep, I will have trouble opening the reviewers’ comments and much more trouble updating the paper itself. Again, a last-minute fix is required and is what usually happens.
Wash, rinse, repeat for the slides.
Which is why I’m writing this instead of finalising the slides.
Well, thanks for asking.
XML London was great. There was a lot of focus on XSLT 3.0, with Abel Braaksma discussing the intricacies of processing uninterrupted streams (I really need to get around to playing with streaming transformations soon), and a workshop on XSLT 3.0’s new packaging features with both him and Michael Kay, but also a number of interesting case studies. Special mention should go to Lech Rzedzicki for his brilliant talk on XML, blockchains and regulatory reporting in finance (no, I’m not going to tell you what blockchains are; you should read his paper), but also to John Sheridan and Jim Mangiafico for their presentation of the easier-to-use search language and tools for UK legislation. This latter talk holds a very special interest to me, as I recently wrote something similar if not quite as refined for my client, LexisNexis UK.
Also, my friend Andrew Sales presented a case study on what, on the surface, looked like a migration project but where all the cleverness was actually about making the editing and publishing chains as foolproof as possible. It’s a brilliant solution, one that any fan of meta-programming (code generating code) should appreciate.
And yes, Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 35mm was a treat, even though the sound was poorer than expected.
I’m in London one week out of four, and this week is one of them. Usually, my London visits are all about meeting colleagues face to face and working in an actual office rather than in my basement study, grabbing a pint with friends at The Harrow, and buying too many books at Foyle’s and Waterstone’s. This week, though, I’m adding two things to this already solid plan:
One: I will watch Close Encounters of the Third Kind at BFI Southbank. Close Encounters is my favourite film. I’ve watched it dozens of times in cinemas over the years and probably as many times on video, DVD and Blu-ray. I own almost every version of it in existence (if you have the 35mm or 70mm print and wish to part with them, let me know), but also a fair amount of associated paraphernalia, from books to graphic novels to soundtracks. It’s an amazing film. It’s pure magic.
Two: I will attend XML London. It’s my first time there and it’s nice to attend a conference just for fun (meaning that I have no involvement with it, speaking, reviewing or otherwise). Who knows, I might do a paper for them in the future, but this year, I’ll stay in the background and let others do the talking.
I’m excited.
My paper submission for this year’s Balisage was accepted. I’ll be talking about toys, among other things.
My XML Prague paper for 2016 was accepted. The subject is Virtual Document Management. It’s based on a Balisage paper of mine, but it’s also the result of what I do, right now. I think it’s kind of cool.
I also joined the XML Prague programme committee, which means that I get to read papers. I’m glad to help out and being a committee member sounds a bit posh.
Quite a few friends and colleagues of mine are attending and, sometimes, contributing. It’s going to be an exciting conference and I am really looking forward to it.
As 2015 draws to a close, I’m thinking of 2016 and specifically these highlights:
…to XML Prague 2016. Well, it’s more of an extended abstract, but my extended abstracts are like some people’s full papers.
Wish me luck.
Having tried to install the proprietary Nvidia drivers several times and always ending up with a black screen and various difficulties trying to return the X server and Unity to a functional state, I was somewhat surprised when I clicked on the nvidia-352 radio button in the Proprietary Drivers (or whatever it is called now) tab in the Repositories window in Synaptic Package Manager, and rebooted right into a functional Nvidia session.
I’ve been struggling with this ever since I upgraded to 15.10. Everything I’ve read amounted to basically the same fix: purge any leftover Nvidia drivers, reinstall and reconfigure X. There’s been no mention of this, anywhere. Can somebody please explain to me what happened?
Having spent time using my shiny new Dell in a professional setting, I am now discovering the downsides of the fabulous 4k screen when running Ubuntu.
Don’t get me wrong; I don’t regret buying the Dell. I just wish Linux would catch up more quickly.