The importance of good identifiers

Erik Hetzner

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Jan 16, 2012, 2:39:53 PM1/16/12

to digital-curation, DPG-L

Hi all,

The conclusion to this article is tongue-in-cheek, but it still
emphasizes the importance of short, permanent, possibly opaque
identifiers.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/hendrikhertzberg/2012/01/king-day-i-quote-unquote.html

best, Erik

Erik Hetzner

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Jan 19, 2012, 7:44:35 PM1/19/12

to digital-curation, DPG-L

At Mon, 16 Jan 2012 11:39:53 -0800,

Hi all,

It has come to my attention that I should have drawn your attention to
the relevant passage in the above mentioned aarticle:

Context is all. No quick pull quote, however accurate, can do
justice to this particular work of the preacher’s art. Maybe a Park
Service engraver should just chisel the sermon’s Web address into
the granite of the statue—

HTTP://MLK-KPP01.STANFORD.EDU/INDEX.PHP/ENCYCLOPEDIA/DOCUMENTSENTRY/DOC_THE_DRUM_MAJOR_INSTINCT/

—and let visitors (and their iPhones and BlackBerries) take it from
there.

The point was, that is not a very attractive URL. When we are carving
URLs into marble, I hope we have shorter identifiers than that one;
ones that are stable, short, and maybe opaque.

best, Erik