This is a sign of how the web has changed research. Today I was reading a paper that used a technique that goes by the name of “linear model of coregionalization”. No, I didn’t know what it was either. The paper didn’t explain it very well, but gave a reference … to a book.
Yes, one of those things (youngsters may wish to follow this link to know what I’m writing about). Not much use, when I’m sat at my computer is is, thought I. How am I meant to follow that reference up?
Fortunately, what technology taketh away, technology giveth. After I had vented my frustration, I used google to search (my elder readers may wish to follow this link to know what I’m writing about) for “linear model of coregionalization”. After a couple of false starts, I found a paper that described it well enough for my needs. So it turned out well in the end.
I guess in the olden days I would have written a book about this, or perhaps a Letter to the Editor.
Ow gosh, I’m an adult… What to do?
That depends. Are you a young adult or an old
fartadult?There is nothing linear in reality
Clearly there’s still a place for books, particularly the classics like this, my favourite bedtime reading. (For some meta-randomness, click on ‘Look Inside’ for a random selection… Oh, and read the customer reviews too!)
I rather feel that book citations should always be accompanied by page numbers. But you missed a couple of crucial formats from your list of publication modes. And you’re surely old enough to remember them…
Ah, thanks for that link, Tom. It will come in very useful for writing my future blog posts too.
Less of that cheek, young Michael.
Coincidentally, I just received a used copy of Cox & Miller’s (1977) ‘The Theory of Stochastic Processes’ today. It doesn’t cite Tom’s bedtime stories book, but it was ordered from teh intertoobz.
There is nothing linear in reality
Neither a youngster nor an elder, according to your theory… Doomed to be adult.