Up: Ftrain Reader Services

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Future Plans for Reader Services

By Paul Ford

Where I'd like to take Ftrain. Some options.

Multiple paths through a hierarchical content base.

The Reader Services tool will provide annotated context. “You're reading all the Humor pieces on Ftrain. The next unread humor piece in this path is $LINK.”

This could easily be: “you're reading the documents related to the BR9 Gyrometer. The next unread document is $LINK.”

Technologies: XML/XSLT pre-filtered; GDBM data store; PHP server-side. Paths are generated by adding metadata to the XML content base.

Context-Responsive Documents

A basic if-elseif-else display:

if the reader has seen a given document
display block of text A
else-if the reader has seen another given document
display block of text B
...
else
display block of text Z

Technologies: XML/XSLT pre-filtered; GDBM data store; PHP server-side.

“Token” based-browsing.

Similar to interactive fiction and based on the same principles as 2; this allows people to receive discrete tokens as they pass through a narrative and have them sorted into an inventory; it is impossible to access certain areas if you do not have a token. (i.e. you cannot get onto the train without your metrocard, etc.) Allows for a more explicit degree of simulation and role-playing in the narrative. (Useful for tutorials.)

Basic expert-system/database stuff

“Find all the pieces in which Scott Rahin and Paul Ford speak to one another.”

“Find all the comic essays on the site written after 1999.”

“Find me essays that more than 4 people linked to.”

“What is the most popular work on the site?”

“Find me all the stories set in West Chester, Pennsylvania.”

This is accomplished by adding a lot of metadata to content.

Technologies: XML/XSLT pre-filtered (RDF?); MySQL or RDF data store; PHP server-side.

Multi-form presentations

A version of a given piece can be presented as an MP3 reading, or an MP3 reading with Flash slideshow of images. Alternatively, a story can be viewed as a play. This is going to be so much work there probably can't be much of it, but the possibilities are interesting and figuring it out would be fun.

Technologies: XML/XSLT pre-filtered (RDF?); MySQL Data Store; MING library (for Flash), PHP server-side.

Cached Searching and Highlighting

A search should result in a list in the Reader Services of the the top 10 search results; this should persist until the reader (1) removes the search or (2) does another search. Search terms in documents should be highlighted ala Google cache.

Visualization.

Using technologies like CSound, GraphViz, VRML, GNUPlot, SVG or POV-Ray it would be possible to generate a variety of different views into content - sound, directed graphs, 3D Visualizations, audio representations mixed with spoken word, etc.