<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>(apologies for multiple postings)</div><div><br></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">Petrographers and Mineralogists,</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: transparent;">I plan in the near future to create an online database of mineral optical properties, searchable through a custom web interface. At the outset, the data will all be from published references, but the database will be editable by the community of petrographers, so that it can improve over time. Because the core system will be designed in the coming academic year (2008-2009), I am calling now for comments on the database design and search interface. By offering comments now, prior to the initiation of work, you can help this facility be more useful for your professional work, research, and teaching.</span></font></div><div><br></div><div>A great deal more information, including a timeline, database fields, and a mock-up of the interface, is available here: </div><div><a href="http://almandine.geol.wwu.edu/~dave/petsearch/">http://almandine.geol.wwu.edu/~dave/petsearch/</a></div><div><br></div><div>I hope you are willing to take a moment to examine this and consider whether the design is optimal for your use. Furthermore, I hope you will offer comments as to whether and how such a facility would be useful for you (such comments might be used in funding requests).</div><div><div>Thanks,</div></div><div>Dave</div><div><div apple-content-edited="true"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#820200" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; color: rgb(130, 2, 0); "><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">============================</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">Dave Hirsch</font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">Associate Professor</font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">Department of Geology</font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">Western Washington University</font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">persistent email: <a href="mailto:dhirsch@mac.com">dhirsch@mac.com</a></font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino"><a href="http://www.davehirsch.com">http://www.davehirsch.com</a></font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">voice: (360) 650-2166</font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">aim: <a href="mailto:dhirsch@mac.com">dhirsch@mac.com</a></font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font size="3" color="#1f0278" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Optima; color: rgb(31, 2, 120); font-family: Optima; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Palatino">vCard: <a href="http://almandine.geol.wwu.edu/~dave/personal/DaveHirsch.vcf">http://almandine.geol.wwu.edu/~dave/personal/DaveHirsch.vcf</a></font></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Helvetica" size="3" color="#820200" style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; color: rgb(130, 2, 0); ">============================</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#820200"><br></font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008000"></font></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"> </div><br></div></body></html>