Re: article on URIs, is this material that can be used by the SWEO IG?

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John Cowan writes:

> Tim Berners-Lee scripsit:
>
>> When the word Representation is used, I prefer to use it strictly for
>> the relationship between an information resource such as a page about  
>> a person and the (metadata, bits) pair, and not for the relationship  
>> between the person described and the (metadata, bits) pair.
>
> Suit yourself, of course.
>
> But I prefer to suppose that the (metadata, bits) pair you get when
> fetching http://www.heritage.org/images/shakespeare.jpg is not merely a
> representation of that particular JPEG, but also of Shakespeare himself,
> as the publisher of that particular resource must surely have intended --
> they would scarcely have bothered to publish it if they meant it to be
> just some JPEG rather than a picture of Shakespeare.

Stop, you're both right [1].  The (metadata, bits) pair is a
representation of the resource.  The resource is a depiction (a kind
of representation) of Shakespeare.  To some extent, 'represents' is
transitive, so, by transitivity, the (metadata, bits) pair also
represents Shakespeare.

Some, but not all, things which are true of Shakespeare's image are
true of that particular JPEG.

Clearer examples would be, perhaps, a map of medieval Edinburgh:
 http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1_MAP/1_map_edinburgh_1582.htm#map
or a caricature of Richard Nixon:
 http://www.vizcarra.info/fotos/historicos/politicos/RichardNixonCaricature.jpg
or the MP3 for a particular recording of Beethoven's 6th:
 http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/radio3/symphony6_beethoven_radio3.mp3

ht

[1] http://snltranscripts.jt.org/75/75ishimmer.phtml
- -- 
 Henry S. Thompson, HCRC Language Technology Group, University of Edinburgh
                     Half-time member of W3C Team
    2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW, SCOTLAND -- (44) 131 650-4440
            Fax: (44) 131 650-4587, e-mail: ht@inf.ed.ac.uk
                   URL: http://www.ltg.ed.ac.uk/~ht/
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Received on Monday, 11 June 2007 15:52:09 UTC