AFRO-NETS> Supercourse Newsletter, October 24, 2002

[Ron LaPorte <super1+@pitt.edu>]

Supercourse Newsletter, October 24, 2002
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http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/

Dear Friends,

A Beacon for Science and Knowledge

Last week Mrs. Suzanne Mubarak and others inaugurated the Library of 
Alexandria, and identified this as a Beacon for Science and Knowl-
edge. In many ways this same concept is what we have established with 
the Supercourse. 

We Did It!!

Thanksgiving is one of the nicest holidays in the US. At the end of 
November we get together with our friends and family to give thanks. 
We eat turkey, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. It 
is a warm and wonderful holiday. We have just had an early Thanksgiv-
ing as we now have reached a most remarkable milestone, that of 1,000 
lectures. We feel warm and wonderful as with 9,000 of our family in 
prevention, we celebrate. It is time to give thanks to all of you, as 
your gifts will be a beacon of light for global prevention for now, 
and future generations. We in Pittsburgh are with you, our global 
family in spirit, and in hope.

We hurdled the 1,000 barrier as in just one week. We have received an 
astonishing 75 lectures, at over 10/day. Within 10 minutes after the 
last newsletter was sent out, a lecture came in and they just contin-
ued to flow into our center. All we can say, and the other faculty of 
the world can say, is thank you. The lectures will help the world, 
and you did it. It is a very good feeling. This is not to say we 
should stop sending lectures, as the more knowledge collected, the 
better it is for global prevention.

We plan to have the CDs burned in mid November, and then we will send 
over 1,000 lectures to you so you can receive them by the various 
holidays at the end of the year so that you can copy them to give to 
your children, mother, and friends!! 

It is a wonderful, glowing feeling of warm pumpkin pie. Shai Linn, 
suggested that this is also a symbol of peace with scientists working 
together across boundaries with common goals. There is a lot wrong in 
the world; our group is a ray of hope, for health, but also for peace 
and friendship. 

We would love to hear your thoughts about crossing the 1,000 lectures 
barrier, please send this to <ronlaporte@pitt.edu>. We will put these 
together and send these out in a newsletter.

If you did not receive a CD last year, or if you moved your postal 
address, please let us know. Send a message to <super2@pitt.edu> so 
we make sure we get this to you. If you do not want to receive a CD, 
please contact us as we have limited funds.

Library of Alexandria:

Eugene and I just got back from the opening of the Library of Alexan-
dria. It was a wonderful to see the opening. There were 30 heads of 
state, and of course the Supercourse. 

It was very exciting, as the Supercourse was discussed in at least 4 
different talks throughout the meetings. First Lady Mubarak's talk 
included a paragraph about the Supercourse. Our talk with a Russian 
(Eugene) and American (Ron) was well received. Ismail Serageldin, the 
new Director of the library is very much in favor of the Supercourse. 
He spoke a beautiful quote at the opening which reminded Eugene and 
me about all our friends of the Supercourse:

"Some look at the world as it is and ask Why - while we look at the 
world as it could be, and ask Why not."

This seems to typify the spirit of the Supercourse, doesn't it? Many 
asked why capture lectures 3 years ago, but our faculty asked why 
not, and it was done.

The Library of Alexandria Supercourse is designed to capture all the 
lectures of science, a modest goal!!! But the Supercourse has shown 
that the impossible is indeed possible. Why Not 

The initial idea is to sweep the net for all lectures coming from 
universities on scientific topics. We estimate that there are about 2 
million lectures already on the web that could be suitable. The sec-
ond aspect will be to build the global network of science. The third 
step will be establishing a Napster type model of lecture exchange, 
and the fourth to build access to those who are disabled. The final 
component will be to establish a peer review quality control system 
with high through put where quality control will be scientifically 
based and will evolve and improve over time. 

We would very much like your input, as this is an exciting but daunt-
ing task. If successful our group can change science. Why Not What a 
buzz.

He said that there was one only good, namely, knowledge; and one only 
evil, namely ignorance - Socrates

Nice.

It is a beautiful feeling seeing us reach 1,000 lectures. It was im-
possible, but we did it. We do have the best 1,000 lectures in pre-
vention. We also have the best possible 10,000 family members that 
anyone could want. We would like to send you a warm pumpkin pie, but 
perhaps a CD is better.

Ron, Faina, Eugene, the Pilgrims, Akira, Mita, Julia, Rania, Abed, 
Fred, Soni, Tom, Deb, your mother and Goblins and Ghosts
mailto:super1+@pitt.edu

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