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From: markv@gauss.Princeton.EDU (Mark VandeWettering)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: Announcing Sci-Vi Newsletter
Message-ID: <11980@phoenix.Princeton.EDU>
Date: 6 Dec 89 15:33:47 GMT
References: <11938@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <1989Dec5.140743.13739@hellgate.utah.edu>
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Reply-To: markv@gauss.Princeton.EDU (Mark VandeWettering)
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In article <1989Dec5.140743.13739@hellgate.utah.edu> thomson@cs.utah.edu (Rich Thomson) writes:

>I fail to see why you are creating a new newsletter when this topic is
>already covered in the comp-vis mailing list.  If you wish to assimilate
>all of comp-vis' subscribers, you are welcome to it, but two mailing lists
>covering the same topic is not productive.  We just talked about this in
>comp.graphics a few weeks ago.  Someone (perhaps yourself) suggested
>starting a sci-vis mailing list and I pointed out that a mailing list
>covering this topic already exists (comp-vis), although it attempts to
>cover the general area of computer visualization as opposed to scientific
>visualization only (i.e. animation of algorithms is appropriate for
>comp-vis, but probably not for sci-vis).

Indeed, and I suppose that I should justify the creation of sci-vis news.

1.	Most of the initial people who had expressed an interest had never
	heard of the comp-vis mailing list.  I never had, and sometimes I 
	think I live for news and email.  For whatever reason, the existance
	of such a mailing list seems to be a fact which is not well known.
	I intend to post copies of the mailing list to newsgroups which
	have an interest (the moderator of comp.parallel has already expressed
	an interest, which is fine with me, since I love to talk about
	parallelism) mainly to boost membership. 

2.	I have certain specific goals:
		o	creation of a sci-vi bibliography
		o	ftp archive of software that may be redistributed
		o	tell people of upcoming conferences that may be
			interesting
		o	foster discussion of sci-vi topics including hopefully
			meaningful discussions of programming techniques 
		o	allow researchers who need scientific visualziation
			tools to meet other people who might have similar
			interests.

	I have requested that new members jot down a quick bibliography of 
	their interests and work, and many have complied.  Hopefully this
	will allow people with similar interests to get together and discuss
	items of interest.  Hopefully, they will even detail their discussions
	back to the newsgroup.  Look for these bibliographies in an upcoming
	(preChristmas) version of the newsletter.

3.	If indeed this newsgroup is doomed by lack of participation, I hope
	to have proved several things.
		1.	it was not from lack of advertising.
		2.	it isn't from lack of interest.
	I think that 2 has already been proved, I have nearly 100 people on this
	list, and it was announced only several days ago.  The only way
	that this newsletter could die is if people refuse to participate.
	If I do all of the work, then this newsletter is dead.