pcplantdb

["John Schinnerer" <john@eco-living.net>]

Aloha,

> So I began writing the application for the Lindbergh Foundation today,
> and I have a few questions/requests:

Good timing, I have a burst of high bandwidth and then little to none the next
couple weeks (starting Thursday 20th May)...

> 1.  Can all of you interested in being included in the project (meaning
> you are committing to dedicate time, and would be eligible for a small
> stipend - depending on how much funding we get) please respond and
> confirm your participation?

I'm in - primary duties are senior test curmudgeon (that would be great on a
biz card ;-) and to whatever extent possible product design team member.  I
think I'm more useful in the conceptual design realm than in the nitty-gritty
coding realm.

> Along with that, please send me your resume/
> CV.

What's on my site is as current as anything else (but still all not up to
date) and much easier for me to "send" you at this point.

Design Services resume/CV:

http://www.eco-living.net/designserv/designresume.html

All-purpose technology resume:

http://www.eco-living.net/techserv/techresume.html

Software QA/test-specific resume:

http://www.eco-living.net/techserv/qatestresume.html

I've also got an outdoor recreation teaching/leadership resume on request.

> (I have bios from everyone else).

Hmm, what does mine say?  I have no recollection of what I sent you...

> 2.  The application requests a list of relevant publications for all
> professional personnel.  I will include the websites you have worked on
> (PFAF and Eden) - is there anything else?  If so, please send.

My design services resume has publications info, not fully up to date as I
have done several more articles for Permaculture Activist and one at least for
Communities journal.
My technology services home page has links to a couple other sites I've built
or am building, and of course my own site.

> 3.  Please tell me the amount of time you plan on spending on the project
> (hours/week).

Well, that's not clear to me as yet - seems like it will be needs-based and I
think we need to sort out our needs a bit more!
I agree with Chad that it makes sense to work intensively when we can to get
something basic built and then slow down and refine, so hours/week seems
pretty variable.
Having said all that, I suspect you need something cut and dried to put on
their application forms or whatever so I'll say I could put in up to two days'
equivalent hours per week.
I could theoretically work more, but in the near future my "home office" power
source will be limited to my car battery - that's an "infrastructure limit" or
something like that... ;-)

> 4.  They request that we, "Provide a summary describing the research that
> is already in place,

IMO that would include the whole body of plant (and critter) knowledge already
embedded in Permaculture and any sources on which we might draw for extending
plant knowledge useful to permaculture researchers and practitioners.

> most recent advances made in your area of work,

IMO that would mean in the area of creating a permaculture-centric plant DB,
which I'm assuming nobody else is exactly working on.

> how your proposed work will contribute. Originality and innovation are
> important factors in the review process.

I think we've been through a bunch of conversations on how it'll contribute, 
no?

> Also provide a listing of literature cited."

No big ideas on that...for me it all comes back to meeting the known need for
permaculture-centric plant information.  Designer's manual (for one example -
there are others) cites all kinds of examples of how one could/should/ought
use plants in relation with each other and other elements; everyone wants to
know where to get the specific information to implement those examples.  We
aim to provide a way to provide that.

"Gaia's Garden" has the best "plain English" writing on plants and guilds and
why they matter that I've seen thus far, so perhaps that could be a source to
cite, if I'm understanding what they want at all correctly.

Also might be able to refer to Kourik's "Designing your Edible Landscape
Naturally"...?

> At least on the viability of
> relationship-oriented landscape design?

I'd rather not use "landscape design" as a descriptive term, if only because
then they'll think this is about landscape design.  And it is, but not in the
way most of the public I've ever met thinks of it.  For example ornamental
horticulturalists do relationship-oriented landscape design, but what they do
(at least the vast majority of them) is not permaculture.  Likewise designers
of traditional Japanese gardens, and so on.
If originality and innovation are important factors, let's make it clear we're
original and innovative beyond the realms of landscape design as it is
commonly known...

>
> 5.  They request, "A limited amount of material in support of your
> project (articles, letters from collaborators/collaborating institutions,
> photographs, etc.) may be included as part of your application. Eight (8)
> copies are required for our review process. These materials cannot be
> returned."  Anything I should include here?  Perhaps a letter from
> Ibiblio, or a collection of posts to PC listservs requesting
> relationship-type information - to show that this kind of resource is
> needed?  What do you think?

Sounds like good ideas - maybe a post to permaculture and related listservs
about the project, asking if it would be useful and what people would want -
that might generate some responses that could be used as feedback.

I bet Toby Hemenway (for one example, as the author of a highly relevant book
by a non-trivial publisher with non-trivial sales) would be a "collaborator"
or at least a provider of something in writing in support of the project.
Who else can we ask to do something similar?

Hope that covers your basic needs from me - if not please let me know ASAP!
Thanks for dealing with this grant stuff!!
You may think some of our techno-thread posts are mostly gibberish
greek...that's how I feel about grant application processes.  Ugh.  My head
hurts just thinking about it.

thanks,
John S.


John Schinnerer - MA, Whole Systems Design
------------------------------------------
- Eco-Living -
Design & Technology Services
People - Place - Learning - Integration
john@eco-living.net
http://eco-living.net