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发表于 2010-3-27 20:18:34
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Equations and extra-sensory perception
方程式与心灵感应
Examples of citizen science abound -- Galaxy Zoo, Galaxy Zoo2, Folding @ Home and World Community Grid, to name a just a few. On the other side of the equation is science itself. One example of science itself changing from the inside out is mathoverflow.net -- a website where research mathematicians can ask each other math questions. David Brown, mathoverflow creator, said the site is an open approach to information.
业余科研的例子多得是:Galaxy Zoo、Galaxy Zoo2、Folding@Home、WCG 等等,这些都还只是其中的一小部分而已。业余科研(equation)的另一边是科学本身。有一个关于科学自身由内而外改变的例子 —— mathoverflow.net —— 一个研究数学的站点,大家能在那儿相互问答数学问题。戴维•布朗(David Brown)是网站的创建人,他认为网站是条通往知识的开放通道。
"The problem we were trying to solve with this website was: how can we access mathematical knowledge in an efficient way?"
“我们正在尝试用网站解决的问题是,如何让人们有效地获取(access)数学知识?”
As a PhD student in California, Brown tried using email lists and math forums. But he was disappointed, finding more arguments than answers. Mathoverflow was his solution to this problem, and the site was brought online earlier this year.
布朗是加里福利亚州的一名哲学博士研究生,他曾试用过电邮列表和数学论坛。结果他失望了,因为(网上的)争论多于答复。Mathoverflow 网站是他对这个问题的解决方案,该站也于今年早些时候正式上线了。
"It's not a discussion forum. People are supposed to post complete, self-contained answers. Then the best answers get voted to the top and the worst ones are voted to the bottom. And it turns out this solves a lot of the problems that other sites had."
“那里不是一个普通的论坛。人们要把完整独立的答案贴出来,然后投票决定排名顺序。它就这样解决了其它网站都有的很多问题。”
Anton Geraschenko, another moderator and math graduate student, explained that another reason the site works so well is that it is perfectly suited to asking and answering math questions.
安东•格拉斯琴科(Anton Geraschenko)是一名数学研究生,也是网站的另一位管理员。他解释说,网站能有效运作的另外一个原因是,它非常适合问答数学问题。
"A very successful strategy for doing mathematics is to take any problem you have and break it down into a series of smaller steps that you can complete," he said. "It's very common for researchers to chat with other people about those questions at the department tea, for instance."
他说:“一个非常成功的数学解题策略是,不管什么问题,都把它分解成一系列较小的步骤,以便你能完成(每一步)。比如,研究员在?茶水间(department tea)?与其他人交流问题时,通常都是这么干的。”
But Brown and Geraschenko know that not everyone is as interested in sharing as they are. Brown said there are still many researchers who prefer private research over public collaboration.
但是,布朗和格拉斯琴科都知道,并非所有人都像他俩一样愿意与人分享(数学知识)。布朗承认,仍有很多搞研究的人,宁愿自个儿私下解决,也不愿公开合作。
"We're definitely not going to have the entire math community using this, because there are a lot of mathematicians that don't like having such public information. They never volunteer any information unless they are absolutely sure it's correct. On the other hand, there are a lot of mathematicians who operate best by going to tea and asking others about the questions that they have. The people who gravitate towards doing that type of research gravitate towards mathoverflow."
“我们确实不打算让整个数学界都用这个网站,因为还有相当多的数学家并不喜欢知道这类公开信息。他们从不轻易说什么,除非他们绝对相信那是对的。另一方面,也有不少数学家通过交谈(tea)以及向同行提问自己的问题,充分利用了网站。那些对这类研究有兴趣的人,将会被吸引到 mathoverflow。”
What works in mathematics also works in parapsychology research. Dr. Rupert Sheldrake is based in London, U.K., and he conducts most of his experiments online. For his work in studying psychic phenomena, he uses the Internet to find participants -- who contribute to his research from their desktops.
数学方面怎么干,灵学研究也怎么干。鲁伯特•谢德瑞克(Rupert Sheldrake)博士住在英国伦敦,他的大部分实验都是在线管理(conduct)的。由于他的工作是研究物理现象,所以,他通过互联网寻找一些愿意参与他的研究工作的志愿者(只要坐在电脑桌前就行了)。
"I realized to get the maximum participation in telepathy tests -- the Internet provided a remarkable opportunity."
“我意识到,互联网提供了很好的机会,让我最大限度地找到合作者参与心灵感应实验,”
Sheldrake believes in the idea of sharing between scientists and citizens. In fact, he's not concerned about other people copying his research because it's online.
谢德瑞克认同(believe)科学家与大众分享知识的主意。实际上,他根本就不担心有人会剽窃(copy)他的研究,因为他的研究就放在网上。
"I suppose other researchers could copy my experiments and do rival versions of what I'm doing," he said. "Actually, in my case, I rather wish they would."
他说:“我希望其他研究者能够重复我的实验,成为我研究上的竞争对手。真的,我非常希望他们能这么做。”
Of course, not all science can be done on the web. To tackle that problem, another one of Sheldrake's ideas involves a major change in the way funding is distributed in areas of scientific research. He thinks citizen science should go beyond getting individuals to subscribe to new hobbies -- he believes scientific research ought to be directed, at least in part, by the public.
当然,并非所有科学研究都能搬到网上去做。为了解决这个问题,谢德瑞克有另外一个想法。这会涉及到一个重要改变,科研基金的分配将被重新洗牌。他认为大众科研项目应该超越(当前的模式)—— 仅仅是召集一帮人处理数据。谢德瑞克相信,科学研究应该由公众说了算,至少有一部分应该如此。
"You can't really do any chemistry with the public. Or quantum physics. There's only certain areas of science where you can engage people. I think areas like bird spotting, natural history -- these are certain areas where public participation really can play a major part. One per cent of science funding should go to fund research that ordinary people find interesting."
“你不能要求大众帮你做化学实验。量子物理也是。只有在某些科学领域里,你才可以召集大众帮你干些事情。我想,比如(观察)鸟的斑点、自然历史等 —— 只有这些区域,才适合公众参与。百分之一的科学基金应该用于大众感兴趣的研究领域。”
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