Books Read in 2011

January
Time Out For Happiness, Frank B. Gilbreth
Among Stone Giants: The Life of Katherine Routledge and Her Remarkable Expedition to Easter Island, Jo Anne Van Tillburg
Rocket science, Jay Lake
Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert
Cetaganda, Lois McMaster Bujold
The Sea of Trolls, Nancy Farmer

February
Land of the Silver Apples, Nancy Farmer
The Islands of the Blessed, Nancy Farmer
I Can Jump Puddles, Alan Marshall
Brothers in Arms, Lois McMaster Bujold
Balance of Trade, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
DragonSinger, Anne McCaffrey
Wildside, Steven Gould
The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon
Jumping Off the Planet,Steven Gerrold
Library Mashups, ed. Nicole England

March
Bouncing Off the Moon, Steven Gerrold
Leaping to the Stars, Steven Gerrold
A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold
Komarr, Lois McMaster Bujold
Young Miles, Lois McMaster Bujold
Growing Up Weightless, John M. Ford
Barbary, Vonda N. McIntyre

April
Brothers in Arms, Lois McMaster Bujold
Memory, Lois McMaster Bujold
Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan (Percy and the Olympians 1)
One of Our Thursdays is Missing, Jasper Fforde
Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson

May
Notes from a Big Country, Bill Bryson
The Lost Continent, Bill Bryson
In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
Old Man's War, John Scalzi
The Third Lynx, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 2)
The King's Speech, Mark Logue

June
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson
Uncle Tungsten, Oliver Sacks
Cobra Alliance, Timothy Zahn (Cobra War 1)
Cobra Guardian, Timothy Zahn (Cobra War 2)
The Design of Future Things, Donald Norman
In Fire Forged, ed. David Weber (Worlds of Honor 5)
StarSong and Other Stories, Timothy Zahn
Angry Young Spaceman, Jim Munroe
The Alchemy of Air, Thomas Hager
The Sea of Monsters, Rick Riordan (Percy and the Olympians 2)
The Thieves of Ostia, Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries 1)

July
The Secrets of Vesuvius, Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries 2)
The Pirates of Pompeii, Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries 3)
Musicophilia, Oliver Sacks
Mission of Honor, David Weber (Honor Harrington 11)
Le sort du Titan, Rick Riordan (Percy and the Olympians 3)
The Battle of the Labyrinth, Rick Riordan (Percy and the Olympians 4)
The Last Olympian, Rick Riordan (Percy and the Olympians 5)
Oath of Fealty, Elizabeth Moon
Trimalchio's Feast and other mini-mysteries, Caroline Lawrence
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter 7)
Les assassins de Rome, Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries 4)
The Dolphins of Laurentum, Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries 5)
The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries 6)
Everyone in Silico, Jim Munroe
The Third Lynx, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail)
Odd Girl Out, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail)

August
Lost in Moscow, Kirsten Koza
The Lost Hero, Rick Riordan (The Heroes of Olympus 1)
More Than Honor, David Weber
Worlds of Honor, David Weber
Les ennemis de jupiter, Caroline Lawrence (Roman Mysteries 7)
The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles 2)
Dragonback 1-6, Timothy Zahn
Service of the Sword, David Weber

September
Kings of the North, Elizabeth Moon
Legacy, James H. Schmitz
Slan hunter, A.E. van Vogt and Kevin J. Anderson
Liaden Unibus I, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J. K. Rowling
Liaden Unibus II, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
A Beautiful Friendship, David Weber

October
At Home, Bill Bryson
The Son of Neptune, Rick Riordan
Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson
Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
Heart of War, Lucian K. Truscott
The Lost Continent, Bill Bryson

November
Scorpia Rising, Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider 9)
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Amy Chua
This Can't be Happening at MacDonald Hall, Gordon Korman
Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Dear Parents, and the Language of Love, Myron Uhlberg
Beware the Fish!, Gordon Korman
Commodork: Sordid Tales from a BBS Junkie, Rob O'Hara
Go Jump in the Pool!, Gordon Korman
The Zucchini Warriors, Gordon Korman
In the Land of Invented Languages, Arika Okrent
Adventure of the Lady on the embankment, Lois McMaster Bujold
MacDonald Hall Goes Hollywood, Gordon Korman
The War with Mr. Wizzle, Gordon Korman
Something Fishy at McDonald Hall, Gordon Korman
How Firm a Foundation, David Weber
Among the Hidden, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Imposters, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Barons, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Betrayed, Margaret Peterson Haddix

December
Among the Brave, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Enemy, Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Free, Margaret Peterson Haddix
A Rising Thunder, David Weber
At All Costs, David Weber
Conflict of Honors, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan
Time Warp Trio Series, Jon Scieszka
Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America, Jeff Ryan
Ready Player One, Ernest Cline
The Throne of Fire, Rick Riordan
Island in the Sea of Time, S.M. Stirling
Against the Tide of Years, S.M. Stirling

CAIS/ACSI 2011

This year CAIS was in Fredericton with Congress 2011. I like having CAIS as part of the Congress, even though I haven't actually been to any other association's sessions in a few years.

Congress was jointly sponsored by the University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University, both in the same area. I stayed at the St. Thomas residences, which were actually off campus, but there was a walking path to campus.

I presented a poster in CAIS' inaugural poster session on the subject of tagging and controlled vocabularies. Here's a link to the poster abstract: http://www.cais-acsi.ca/proceedings/2011/24_Kipp.pdf

Here are some photos from Congress: a view of campus, the NB Provincial Archives and the Harriet Irving Library where most of the CAIS sessions were held. The photo doesn't really do justice to the campus which is quite hilly.

Books Read in 2010

January
Torch of Freedom, Eric Flint and David Weber
Hunting Party, Elizabeth Moon
Sporting Chance, Elizabeth Moon
Winning Colours, Elizabeth Moon
By Schism Rent Asunder, David Weber
By Heresies Distressed, David Weber
Midshipman Bolitho, Alexander Kent
Wildside, Stephen Gould
Young Miles, Lois McMaster Bujold
Borders of Infinity, Lois McMaster Bujold
Star Hatchling, Margaret Bechard
The Sea of Trolls, Nancy Farmer
The Land of the Silver Apples, Nancy Farmer

February
The Islands of the Blessed, Nancy Farmer
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
Partners in Necessity, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Plan B, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
The Better Part of Valor, Tanya Huff
The Heart of Valor, Tanya Huff
The Rolling Stones, Robert A. Heinlein
Starclimber, Kenneth Oppel (Airborn 3)

March
Airborn, Kenneth Oppel (Airborn 1)
Night Train to Rigel, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 1)
The Third Lynx, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 2)
Skybreaker, Kenneth Oppel (Airborn 2)
Dragon and Thief, Timothy Zahn (Dragonback 1)
Odd Girl Out, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 3)
The Domino Pattern, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 4)
Dragon and Soldier, Timothy Zahn (Dragonback 2)
From Anna, Jean Little
The Sea of Trolls, Nancy Farmer
Between Planets, Robert A. Heinlein
Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson

April
Listen for the Singing, Jean Little
Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson
The Outback Stars, Sandra McDonald
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America, Bill Bryson
Valor's Choice, Tanya Huff
By Heresies Distressed, David Weber
Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron, Jasper Fforde
Young Miles, Lois McMaster Bujold
Manta's Gift, Timothy Zahn
Crocodile Tears, Anthony Horowitz (Alex Rider 8)
Zoe's Tale, John Scalzi
Cetaganda, Lois McMaster Bujold
Dragon and Slave, Timothy Zahn (Dragonback 3)
Oath of Fealty, Elizabeth Moon

May
Wildside, Steven Gould
Dragon and Herdsman, Timothy Zahn (Dragonback 4)
Jumper, Steven Gould
Mike at Wyrkyn, P.G. Wodehouse
Balance of Trade, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse
Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Elizabeth Moon
A Thousand Words for Stranger, Julie E. Czerneda
The Galactic Gourmet, James White
Dragon and Judge, Timothy Zahn (Dragonback 5)
Dragon and Liberator, Timothy Zahn (Dragonback 6)

June
In Fury Born, David Weber
Growing Up Weightless, John M. Ford
The Heart of War, Lucian K. Truscott
Search, John Battelle
Night Train to Rigel, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 1)
The Third Lynx, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 2)
Odd Girl Out, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 3)
DreamPark, Larry Niven and Steven Barnes

July
The Domino Pattern, Timothy Zahn (Quadrail 4)
Slow Train to Arcturus, Dave Freer and Eric Flint
The Galactic Gourmet, James White (Sector General)
Hellspark, Janet Kagan
The Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde
Fledgling, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

August
The Med Series, Murray Leinster
On Basilisk Station, David Weber
Final Diagnosis, James White
Angry Young Spaceman, Jim Munroe
Changer of Worlds, David Weber
For the Win, Cory Doctorow
Lost in a Good Book, Jasper Fforde
The Well of Lost Plots, Jasper Fforde
Something Rotten, Jasper Fforde
First Among Sequels, Jasper Fforde
Major, Rick Shelley

September
Lieutenant Colonel, Rick Shelley
Colonel, Rick Shelley
The Heart of Valor, Tanya Huff
Cheaper by the Dozen, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Belles on Their Toes, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
The Truth of Valor, Tanya Huff
Space Cops 2: Kill Station, Diane Duane and Peter Morwood
The Better Part of Valor, Tanya Huff
Valor's Choice, Tanya Huff
Return to Camerein, Rick Shelley

October
Neither Here Nor There, Bill Bryson
A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson
Notes from a Small Island, Bill Bryson
In a Sunburned Country, Bill Bryson
In the Land of Invented Languages: Adventures in Linguistic Creativity, Madness and Genius, Arika Okrent
A Mighty Fortress, David Weber
The Language Construction Kit, Mark Rosenfelder
The Radioactive Boy Scout, Ken Silverstein

November
A Wizard of Mars, Diane Duane
Citizen of the Galaxy, Robert A. Heinlein
Double Star, Robert A. Heinlein
The Rolling Stones, Robert A. Heinlein
Red Planet, Robert A. Heinlein
Airborn, Kenneth Oppel
Cryoburn, Lois McMaster Bujold

December
Belles on their Toes, Frank B. Gilbreth, Jr., and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
Skybreaker, Kenneth Oppel
Starclimber, Kenneth Oppel
Naming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science, Carol Kaesuk Yoon
The Galactic Gourmet, James White (Sector General)
Final Diagnosis, James White (Sector General)

CAIS and ASIST 2010

This year I attended two conferences: CAIS/ACSI (Canadian Association for Information Science) Conference and ASIST (American Society for Information Science and Technology) Annual General Meeting.

CAIS was in Montreal this year, at Concordia. I had been to conferences at McGill and Montreal before, but had never been to Concordia. I also never realised Concordia was so close to McGill.

At CAIS, I presented a short paper:

Kipp, Margaret E.I. 2010. Patterns and Inconsistencies in Collaborative Tagging Systems: An Examination of Tagging Practices Over a Four Year Period. Proceedings of the 38th Canadian Association for Information Science, Montreal, QC, June 5-7, 2010. http://cais-acsi.ca/proceedings/2010/CAIS042_Kipp_final.pdf

Here are a few pictures from Montreal (cathedral, rental bike system).





ASIST was in Pittsburgh this year. I had never been to Pittsburgh before, except when transferring between flights, so the city was new to me. The hotel was right near the river.

The conference had a different structure this year which I both liked and disliked. I ended up liking the poster session because more people attended it (last year I was in the poster session on the last day which many people were forced to miss in order to make their flights) but did not like the organisation of the conference. Having the workshops midweek meant I was unable to attend since I am teaching face-to-face classes this term.

I presented 3 posters at ASIST including two posters co-authored with doctoral students.

Here is a list of the posters:

Kipp, Margaret E.I. and Joo, Soohyung. 2010. Application of Structural Equation Modelling in Exploring Tag Patterns: A Pilot Study. Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. [Best Poster Award ASIST 2010]

Lu, Kun and Kipp, Margaret E.I. 2010. Can Collaborative Tagging Improve Retrieval Effectiveness? -- An Experimental Study. Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Kipp, Margaret E.I. 2010. Convergence and divergence in tagging systems: An examination of tagging practices over a four year period. Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. http://eprints.rclis.org/19244/

The first poster in the list won the ASIST 2010 Best Poster Award.

Here are a few pictures from Pittsburgh:

Books Read in 2009

January
Midshipman's Hope, David Feintuch
Challenger's Hope, David Feintuch
Prisoner's Hope, David Feintuch
The Man Who Knew Too Much: Alan Turing and the Invention of the Computer, David Leavitt
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card
Shadow of the Hegemon, Orson Scott Card
Shadow Puppets, Orson Scott Card
Hot Six, Janet Evanovich
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, Bill Bryson
The Interior Life, Katherine Blake
How Much for Just the Planet?, John M. Ford
Uhura's Song, Janet Kagan

February
The Rising, James Doohan and S. M. Stirling
The Privateer, James Doohan and S. M. Stirling
The Independent Command, James Doohan and S. M. Stirling
Seven Up, Janet Evanovich
Hard Eight, Janet Evanovich
A Just Determination, John G. Hemry
Burden of Proof, John G. Hemry
Rule of Evidence, John G. Hemry
Orvis, H. M. Hoover

March
To the Nines, Janet Evanovich
The Speed of Dark, Elizabeth Moon
The IDIC Epidemic, Jean Lorrah
Poincare's Prize: The Hundred-Year Quest to Solve One of Math's Greatest Puzzles, George G. Szpiro
Against All Enemies, John G. Hemry
Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes
Ten Big Ones, Janet Evanovich
Storm from the Shadows, David Weber
Everything is Miscellaneous, David Weinberger
Hellspark, Janet Kagan

April
The Rolling Stones, Robert A. Heinlein
Citizen of the Galaxy, Robert A. Heinlein
Beginning Operations, James White
Alien Emergencies, James White
Code Blue - Emergency, James White
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, J. K. Rowling

May
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
Mairelon the Magician, Patricia C. Wrede
The Magician's Ward, Patricia C. Wrede
Eleven on Top, Janet Evanovich
Twelve Sharp, Janet Evanovich
Hunting Party, Elizabeth Moon
Sporting Chance, Elizabeth Moon
Winning Colours, Elizabeth Moon
Jumper - Griffin's Story, Steven Gould

June
Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
Dolphins of Pern, Anne McCaffrey
Masterharper of Pern, Anne McCaffrey
All the Weyrs of Pern, Anne McCaffrey
Officer Cadet, Rick Shelley
Lieutenant, Rick Shelley
Side Show, Rick Shelley
Jump Pay, Rick Shelley
Once a Hero, Elizabeth Moon
Lean Mean Thirteen, Janet Evanovich
Old Man's War, John Scalzi
Overclocked, Cory Doctorow
Jumping off the Planet, David Gerrold
Bouncing off the Moon, David Gerrold
Leaping to the Stars, David Gerrold
I-Robot, Isaac Asimov
Blood Trail, Tanya Huff
Poincare's Prize: The Hundred-Year Quest to Solve One of Math's Greatest Puzzles, George G. Szpiro
The Ghost Brigades, John Scalzi
The Last Colony, John Scalzi

July
Mairelon the Magician, Patricia C. Wrede
Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
Escape Orbit, James White

August
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
Deception Point, Dan Brown
Fearless Fourteen, Janet Evanovich
To Engineer is Human, Henry Petroski
Land of the Silver Apples, Nancy Farmer

September
Wildside, Stephen Gould
General Practice, James White
Growing Up Weightless, John M. Ford

October
Young Miles, Lois McMaster Bujold
Cordelia's Honour, Lois McMaster Bujold
Borders of Infinity, Lois McMaster Bujold
Cetaganda, Lois McMaster Bujold
Brothers in Arms, Lois McMaster Bujold
The Islands of the Blessed, Nancy Farmer
The Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson

November
Memory, Lois McMaster Bujold
Bloodhound, Tamora Pierce
The Silent Stars Go By, James White
Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson
Land of the Silver Apples, Nancy Farmer
A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold

December
Diplomatic Immunity, Lois McMaster Bujold
Danny Dunn and the Fossil Cave, Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin
Danny Dunn Invisible Boy, Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin
A Coming of Age, Timothy Zahn
Cobra Alliance, Timothy Zahn
Off Armageddon Reef, David Weber

ASIST 2009

This year ASIST was in Vancouver. Vancouver is of course busy preparing for the 2010 Winter Olympics so many olympic things are spread around the city. I walked around and looked at the many new eagle statues and the olympic rings in the harbour.





I presented two posters at the conference. The first was at the SIG-CR workshop pre-conference session and the second was in the 3rd poster session of the main conference. Considering it was the last day of the conference in the afternoon there were a fair number of people who came to view the posters.

Exploring Measures of Inter-Tagger Consistency. SIG-CR Workshop Poster, Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. http://eprints.rclis.org/17218/

Searching with Tags: Do Tags Help Users Find Things? Annual Meeting of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. http://eprints.rclis.org/17348/

And of course the view on the flight out is good too...

Canoeing on the Ottawa River