Norm's musings. Make of them what you will.

This weblog is part experimental playground, part soap box, and part pleasant diversion for me. Here you’ll find opinions, technical and otherwise, photographs, and whatever interests me when I sit down to write. If you'd like to follow along, you can subscribe to one or more of several feeds.

Mexico, 31 Aug 2010 (modified 01 Sep 2010)

In Mexico, Photography, PubSigns, and Travel

Cancun and a day trip to the Riviera Maya brings me to country number 16.… 

Reconsidering specialization, part the first, 30 Aug 2010

In Balisage2010, DITA, and DocBook

It's been a few years since I first considered DITA specialization. I wonder if I missed the point? I think that might depend on the assumptions that I brought to the table.… 

Balisage 2010, 27 Jul 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In Balisage and Balisage2010

Balisage 2010 is only days away. (How did that happen?)… 

XML Calabash V0.9.23, 27 Jul 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In Calabash, Java, Programming, XML, and XProc

Announcing XML Calabash V0.9.23.… 

DocBook V5.1 Beta 2, 27 Jul 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In DocBook

Announcing DocBook V5.1b2, the second beta release of (what will become) DocBook V5.1. Version 5.1 includes significant new features for topic-based authoring as well as a number of bug fixes.… 

ePUB, second attempt, 10 Jun 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In OASIS, W3C, and XML

Playing with ePUB. Validated ePUB this time.… 

ePUB tools, 09 Jun 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In W3C, XML, and XProc

Want to convert your favorite specification to ePUB? Here are the tools that I've been using. [Update: 10 June 2010] Much revised.… 

ePUB specifications, 07 Jun 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In OASIS, W3C, and XML

Playing with ePUB. In this episode, ePUB versions of W3C specifications. [Update 10 June 2010] Regenerated with stricter compliance to the ePUB rules; added a few more. Plus pretty covers!… 

Balisage 2010 Contest, 19 May 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In Balisage, Balisage2010, and MarkLogic

Fame and fortune await you. And the opportunity to attack an interesting and significant problem.… 

30 Years Ago: Mount St. Helens, 19 May 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In SelfReference

Remembering another ash cloud.… 

A Namespace for CALS Tables?, 12 May 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In XML

CALS table markup is shared across many XML schemas. Does it make sense to create a namespace for this common vocabulary?… 

XProc is a W3C Recommendation!, 11 May 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In W3C, XML, and XProc

I'm delighted to say that we're finally finished. We've been finished for a while, really, but today's announcement of the Director's decision to advance XProc: An XML Pipeline Language to Recommendation status dots the final “i” and crosses the final “t”.… 

Abecedary, 16 Apr 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In Photography and SelfReference

In which items from my childhood are recovered and replicated in the digital age.… 

Accessing Flickr with XProc, 13 Apr 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In XProc

I have a hammer.… 

XML Pipelines: A Guide to XProc, 12 Apr 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In XProc and XProcBook

I guess it's official, I'm writing another book.… 

“Default” XML Processing, 09 Apr 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In XML and XProc

A look at the intersection of the XML model PI, the XML stylesheet PI, and XProc.… 

Demo Jam at MLUC10!, 08 Apr 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In MLUC10 and MarkLogic

Bring out yer demos! We're going to jam! This is your chance to show off in front of the largest annual gathering of XML and XQuery experts in the world at the Mark Logic User Conference.… 

Mark Logic Engineering, 06 Apr 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In MarkLogic and SelfReference

I had a lot of fun last week hanging out with my new colleagues in engineering. Not that you should care. The part you should care about is: we're hiring.… 

Creating a DocBook V5.0 DTD, 18 Mar 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In DocBook, W3CXMLSchema, XML, and XProc

Taking another stab at the long-standing problem of producing DTD (and XSD) versions of the DocBook V5.0 family of schemas.… 

XProc Proposed Recommendation!, 10 Mar 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In W3C, XML, and XProc

I'm pleased to report that XProc: An XML Pipeline Language is now a W3C Proposed Recommendation.… 

Wiki editing with XProc, 07 Mar 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In Calabash, TheWeb, and XProc

An example, for better or worse, of automating website interaction with XProc.… 

Where am I?, 06 Mar 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In SelfReference

Or, perhaps more to the point, where was I? And where will I be?… 

What your drive knows, and what it doesn't, 01 Mar 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In Laptop, OSX, and SelfReference

I recently had occasion to swap hard drives between two essentially identical laptops. A surprising number of apps knew the difference.… 

Demo Jam at XML Prague!, 23 Feb 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In MarkLogic, XML, and XMLPrague2010

Demo Jam was a huge success at Balisage last year, so we're going to give it a go at XML Prague too!… 

XML FTW!, 25 Jan 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In Software and XML

On the serendipitous joy of finding XML.… 

GSD!, 25 Jan 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In OSX and Software

Our engineering department has a project management philosophy they describe as GSD. I aspire to GSD.… 

XML Prague 2010, 24 Jan 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In DocBook, XMLPrague2010, and XProc

See you at XML Prague! And a chance to plug some really excellent training.… 

NYMUG: Cloud deployment options, 24 Jan 2010 (modified 30 Aug 2010)

In MarkLogic

Denise Miura, Sr. Director of Product Management will be speaking about Mark Logic's new offering for the Cloud at our upcoming User Group in New York this Wednesday.… 

XProc: Back to Last Call, 28 Dec 2009

In W3C and XProc

Early in January, a new XProc draft will appear. It will be a Last Call Working Draft, a step backwards in the process, or maybe just a half-step. The reason is important though: versioning.… 

David Alfred Walsh, 26 Dec 2009 (modified 31 Dec 2009)

In People

9 June 1923 — 26 November 2009.…