Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!jhunix!bio_zwbb
From: bio_zwbb@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Dr. William B. Busa)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Wanted: Members for Scientific Visualization Mailing List
Message-ID: <3399@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Date: 26 Nov 89 18:08:50 GMT
References: <11726@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <1989Nov25.142552.1702@hellgate.utah.edu>
Reply-To: bio_zwbb@jhunix.UUCP (Dr. William B. Busa)
Organization: Dept. of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University
Lines: 36


	As one of the guilty (i.e., non-contributing) members of the
comp-visualization mailing list mentioned by Rich Thomson, I would like to
raise the question of just *why* comp-visualization is so demonstrably
unsuccessful. I think its obvious that its *not* because its subject
matter lacks currency or interest. This leaves only a few other
possibilities:

	* Its a mailing list, rather than a newsgroup. I haven't ;much
experience with mailing lists, but my guess is that they lack some of the
immediacy of newsgroups, and they *certainly* lack the self-promoting
feature of newsgroups with worldwide distribution.

	* Its subject matter is *too broad*. By striving to interest many,
it ends up interesting none. I, personally, am interested in video
microscopy and digital image analysis in biological research. I don't care
about computer graphics, artificial intelligence, or nine-tenths of the
fields mentioned in the comp-visualization descriptor, except as they
directly pertain to my field. Maybe that's why I don't routinely think of
posting questions and comments to comp-visualization. The proposal at hand
-- i.e., to create a group interested specifically in "scientific
visualization" -- which I, at least, take to mean digital image analysis
and enhancement of images created via techniques such as microscopy, 3D
NMR, X-ray crystallography, etc.-- would interest me directly, and I'm
sure I'd participate in such a group (especially if it was an unmoderated
newsgroup).

	So, I pose the question: are these the reasons why
comp-visualization doesn't work? I further ask -- is my interpretation of
"scientific visualization" correct (lousy choice of words there...how
about "appropriate?"). 
-- 
Dr. William Busa, Dept. of Biology, The Johns Hopkins University, Charles
& 34th Sts., Baltimore, MD 21218              (301) 338-8207

bio_zwbb@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu                 uunet!mimsy!jhunix!bio_zwbb