Thinking about Zotero

Become a Zotero Person?

Putting together a bibliography at the end-phase of writing a paper was always a hassle, so I was delighted to start using EndNote years ago. I was even happier with Zotero, because it is free and works on multiple operating systems--anywhere that Firefox can run, Zotero can be installed as a plug-in to Firefox.

For those who don't like using Firefox, the good news is that the Zotero developers are hashing out a stand-alone program that can work with Firefox, Chrome, or Safari. At this point Zotero standalone is in "alpha" phase, meaning that it is still being tested for bugs. I have found that it works fine, but use at your own peril.

The other thing that I like is that Zotero provides some free disk space so that you can back up your bibliographic database to "the cloud." I recently reformatted my hard drive. When I reinstalled the OS, the apps, and the Zotero plugin, I could just sync my local database with the one stored at my online Zotero account.

Zotero and EndNote exemplify one of the useful traits of databases: each reference is a record with multiple fields including the author's last and first names; year of publication; title; publisher; ISBN; and comments. Output from these DBs can be formatted in many different ways corresponding with different bibliographic styles: Chicago, MLA, American Psychological Association, etc.

You can also add comments to each record, which will help you in the future. You are likely to refer to favorite publications repeatedly over time, so it is worth investing in a personal database of key references.

Sleutherama - Online access to journals

The Bibliotheque Nationale de France by Dominque Perrault was one of the crowning architectural jewels of Francois Miterrand’s socialist government during the 1980’s and90’s. One of the most celebrated libraries in the world, it does not carry out a wireless network.

Since you are registered in the Berkeley system for the summer, you get online access toelectronic versions of major research journals--even from your own computer at home!

To make this work, you need to set up Proxy Server access in your web browser. Once you have done this, any time you encounter a login gateway, you have to enter your CalNet username and password (these are different from your Student ID number, and different from your login to the computer lab accounts within Wurster).Then, you go to the UCB Library homepage and you will find link to finding and accessing electronic journals, such as "E-journal titles A-Z”.

A street view of a monument to german literary giants in Berlin, Germany

Now let me step back for a moment. This is the way to actually get the articles, but how do you search an issue in peer-reviewed journals (i.e. "critiques of Climate Action Plans--California")?
First, there is Google Scholar, which focuses on peer-reviewed publications.Second, there are various electronic library catalogs, such as Berkeley's OskiCat.

Happy sleuthing!

[In]City software thoughts

You have heard the official recommendation for software for this program, so this post is about free and open-source alternatives to the commercial software.

1. Quantum GIS (QGIS). Like ARC GIS, QGIS creates and edits shapefiles as its standard format, so it is highly interoperable with ESRI's ARC GIS. QGIS is not only free, but it also runs natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The core program is small, lightweight, and intuitive, but it also plugs into GRASS, which is a collection of 300+ tools that were written as a GIS program for the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1908s.

2. The GIMP (Graphic Image Manipulation Program). This edits "raster" images such as JPEG, TIFF, GIF, and PNG. It has the same core tools as Photoshop.

3. LibreOffice. This is a full office suite including a word processor (like Word), spreadsheet (like Excel), presentation (like PowerPoint), drawing program, and database program (like FileMaker or Access).

Question #1: Can you really get work done with the free software? Yes, I wrote my dissertation, edited and included several hundred images, and built a GIS model of Kabul with these programs. I used the Ubuntu Linux operating system, which I do not recommend (yet), because it takes a bit of work to get used to the problem-solving culture of Linux.

Question #2: What are the trade-offs? If you plan to work in an office that uses commercial GIS software, you should only use the ESRI software. Why? because QGIS and ARC GIS may have the same tools, but they are in different menu-locations on each program. The amount of time spent learning a different interface can be expensive. On the other hand, if you already understand GIS, but you only use it occasionally, or you want to experiment with it but you aren't sure if you really want to commit to it, QGIS is always there. And once you learn the core concepts (georeferencing, linking spatial entities to database records, geoprocessing), both programs do the same underlying thing. The same trade-offs apply to the GIMP and Libre Office. The LibreOffice interface looks like the Microsoft Office interface pre-2003, so it is actually easier for me to use LibreOffice Writer than a recent version of MS Word.

One other consideration: while you are participating in the [In]City program, you can come to me for support questions. So if you have ever wanted to dip your toe into the open-source pool, just ask Pietro.

Buying, renting bikes during the [In]City program

Bike racks get cold too... in downtown Berkeley

One of the participants asked me where to get a bike for purchase or lease in the local area. If you have more info than me, please add it in comments!

1. Mike's Bikes, University at Oxford St (across from the West Gate of the campus)

2. Missing Link Bicycle Cooperative, Shattuck just north of University.

3. Tip Top Bike Shop, Telegraph at 48th. This is in the Temescal neighborhood of North Oakland, which is considered the new cool hipster hotspot.

4. Manifesto Bicycles, 40th at Webster, Oakland. Tres cool.

5. Berkeley BART bike station. This storefront space is actually sponsored by BART, but they also give good advice. Haven't been, myself. Comments?

You should also consult the East Bay Bicycle Coalition website. You may also try Craigslist, the only problem is that the seller's location may only be accessible by car.