MODEST meeting 2009-09-30

Introductions
Several of those present introduced themselves and gave a brief description of their current research interests.


 * Piet Hut (Pema Pera), Astrophysics at IAS, Princeton. Interested in evolution of star clusters: stellar dynamics, also the connection with stellar evolution and hydrodynamics.


 * Desdemona Enfield, advanced scripter in SL. http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Desdemona_Enfield


 * Adam Johnson (So Kuu), Genkii. Interested in collaborative learning and 3d visualization spaces.


 * Jun Makino (Makino Magic), National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. Stellar Dynamics, known for his GRAPE special-purpose N-body computers.


 * Jeff Ames (Chillken Proto), Genkii. Interested in applying virtual worlds technology to education and data visualization.


 * Steve McMillan (Lagrange Euler), Physics Dept., Drexel. Interested in dynamics and evolution of dense stellar systems, and in combining modular treatments of their physics.


 * Stephen Justham (Lignum Gaines), Kavli Institute for Astronomy &amp; Astrophysics in Beijing. Background in stellar evolution, especially compact binaries and supernovae, but interested in most things.

Upcoming Meetings in Holland
The AMUSE workshop is October 5-7 in Leiden, led by Simon Portgeis Zwart. Piet won't be able to attend; Steve is sending an emmisary (Alf). Stephen won't be there. Steve says he believes they will talk about converting MUSE to use MPI in stead of swig for general communications, based on a prototype that he wrote.

There is also a Stellar Merger workshop going on right now, mentioned by Stephen. This was the first time many present had heard of this; there was some consternation that it wasn't advertised as a MODEST workshop or mentioned on the MODEST mailing list. http://www.lorentzcenter.nl/lc/web/2009/350/program.php3?wsid=350

An OpenSim Island for MODEST
Steve has said he may have server space, but Rob (not present at the meeting) hasn't been clear in what's really needed. He doesn't have a dedicated server, wants to know what it could share with.

There was also discussion of a content creator, and perhaps of moving some StellaNova content over. It's not clear if we want to set up the OpenSim island for meetings-- as SL serves that purpose right now-- or just as a place to play with OpenSim custom visualizations.

Meeting Transcript
Pema Pera: Rob/Prospero could not come today

Pema Pera: so he asked me to take over this time

Pema Pera: and he suggested that we all introduce ourselves

Pema Pera: in a few sentences

Pema Pera: why don't we all type a short paragraph, in whatever order, with our RL name (if we feel like) and the kind of research we do or are interested in

Pema Pera: I am Piet Hut in RL, astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and mostly interested in the evolution of star clusters, especially stellar dynamics, but also the connection with stellar evolution and hydrodynamics: in short; MODEST

Desdemona Enfield: Desdemona is an advanced scripter in SL... has worked with artists to create dynamic interactive exhibits on a region wide scale. More info: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/User:Desdemona_Enfield

So Kuu: I am Adam Johnson, based out of Tokyo. Working at Genkii. Interested in collaborative learning and viz spaces (in 3d)

Makino Magic: I'm Jun Makino, working at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. My field is stellar dynamics, and maybe better known for my work on GRAPE, special-purpose computers for N-body simulations.

Chillken Proto: I'm Jeff Ames, at Genkii in Tokyo. We worked on the early versions of a physics engine for n-body simulations in OpenSim, though I'm not an n-body simulation expert. In general I'm interested in applying virtual worlds technology to education and data visualization.

Lagrange Euler: I'm Lagrange Euler, Steve McMillan in RL. I work in the Physics Department at Drexel University, in Philadelphia. I'm interested in the dynamics and evolution of dense stellar systems (star clusters and galactic nuclei), and in combining modular treatments of their physics.

Lignum Gaines: Apologies for being late. I'm Stephen Justham, at the Kavli Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics in Beijing. My background is in stellar evolution, especially compact binary stars & supernovae, but I'm interested in most things.

Pema Pera: Thank you all!

Pema Pera: Well, here we are. Does anyone have a question or comment or piece of news?

Pema Pera: Next week there will be a major MODEST meeting in Holland, in Leiden

Pema Pera: Who of those present here will go there?

Pema Pera: (I wish I could, but I have a time conflict, seminars to lead in Princeton)

Pema Pera: Steve, will you go?

Lagrange Euler: Sadly, I won't be there, but I am sending an emissary (Alf). I'll be traveling in the opposite direction, to the GPU conference in San Jose.

Pema Pera: I look forward to hearing what they are up to. Simon is setting up quite a big group there

Pema Pera: Steve, have you and Rob resolved how to set up a server for our own OpenSim island?

Lagrange Euler: Indeed. I think I know what they will talk about. It is quite a big leap. They plan, based on a prototype I wrote, to convert MUSE to use MPI instead of swig for general communications.

Lignum Gaines: I'm sad not to be there too -- it looks like I'm missing a good three weeks in Leiden, along with the two-week stellar merger workshop there right now.

Lagrange Euler: No, I haven't been in touch with Rob after our interaction a few days ago.

Lignum Gaines: How do you use MPI to replace swig?

Pema Pera: Stellar merger workshop? I didn't know about that. Is that also a MODEST meeting?

Lignum Gaines: No, but I think Evert is heavily involved in it.

Lagrange Euler: All the swig interfaces become master-slave loops. It is necessary for parallel modules, and *should* work for serial ones too.

Lignum Gaines: Interesting.... thanks!

Lagrange Euler: It isn't an official MODEST meeting.

Pema Pera: do you have a web site for the stellar merger workshop?

Lagrange Euler: It's at the Lorenz center.

Lignum Gaines: The programme is here: http://www.lorentzcenter.nl/lc/web/2009/350/program.php3?wsid=350

Pema Pera: It should have been labeled a MODEST workshop

Lagrange Euler: Oops Lorentz...

Pema Pera: and the announcements should have appeared on the MODEST email group. . ..

Lignum Gaines: There's also a facebook group, I think, though officially I can't see that from here....

Pema Pera: pity

Lagrange Euler: I guess these things are up to the organizers.

Pema Pera: of course; if they organizers prefer to have fewer attendants they can choose not to advertise

Pema Pera: but I think they just forgot :)

Lagrange Euler: I don't think they had any shortage of applicnts to come.

Pema Pera: it sure looks like an interesting meeting

Lignum Gaines: I think that one of the problems is that there is a hard upper limit on the number of the participants in the centre.

Lignum Gaines: :-(

Pema Pera: that's a pity

Pema Pera: I'm glad to see though that this topic is now mature enough to have a two-week conference!

Lagrange Euler: Do you know who the organizers were, actually?

Pema Pera: I think the first such meeting ever was in 2000, in AMNH in New York

Lignum Gaines: These are listed: E. Glebbeek (Ontario, Canada) R.G. Izzard (Bruxelles, Belgium) C.S. Jeffery (Armagh, Ireland) G. Nelemans (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) O. Pols (Utrecht, The Netherlands) E. van den Heuvel (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)

Pema Pera: there is no info about organizers on the page, it seems

Pema Pera: ah

Lignum Gaines: Hidden quite well....

Pema Pera: at least the organizers are MODEST

Pema Pera: if not the conference

Pema Pera: where are they listed?

Lignum Gaines: http://www.lorentzcenter.nl/lc/web/2009/350/info.php3?wsid=350

Pema Pera: yes, but where on that page?

Lignum Gaines: Different link to the previous one... under "scientific coordinators"

Pema Pera: ah, sorry, looked like the same link

Lagrange Euler: Thanks. Apart from Evert, not too many MODEST aficianados.

Pema Pera: well, SImon!

Lagrange Euler: Is he on the list?

Pema Pera: John Fregeau

Pema Pera: Natasha Ivanova

Pema Pera: oh, I was talking about speakers

Lagrange Euler: I meant among the organizers.

Lignum Gaines: And Rob Izzard came to the Split MUSE/AMUSE meeting.

Lagrange Euler: But he's been decoupled since.

Lignum Gaines: YEp.

Pema Pera: Rob Izzard was in Split

Pema Pera: yes

Pema Pera: but MODEST hasn't been very active

Pema Pera: so in some way MODEST has decoupled

Pema Pera: anyway

Pema Pera: going back to the server question: I saw that Rob gave some specs, Steve, for an OpenSim server for MODEST

Pema Pera: would you like to host that or would you prefer us to ask Simon?

So Kuu: A semi related question, do you have a content creator to set up some content when the servers are up?

Pema Pera: we've discussed this now for three weeks, and it would be nice to make a decision and get started

Lagrange Euler: The reason I asked about the specs was that I don't have a machine I can dedicate, and I was wondering if I could run on an existing server.

Lagrange Euler: I'm not sure Rob's answer really clarified that.

So Kuu: I can maybe help, if you need more specifics..

Lagrange Euler: Also, I don't have anyone to manage the machine, or provide content.

Pema Pera: wouldn't it be better then to ask Simon, who has a large budget, and several programmers on his staff, who can run the whole setup?

Pema Pera: one way or another, I'd like to see us moving foreward

Lagrange Euler: I'd say so ;->

Desdemona Enfield: /Lagrance, what type of content do you wish to set up?

Pema Pera: Okay, decision made! I'll send an email to Simon

Lagrange Euler: Well, Des, presumably a server with no content is of limited use...

Desdemona Enfield: /Building, fields, forests, exhibits?

Lagrange Euler: Yes, that sort of thing.

Pema Pera: I think it is an open question what we want, Desdemona

Pema Pera: We could either go for a barebones island, just to do experiments with stellar dynamics

Lagrange Euler: Would there be any benefit to hosting on a machine with a GPU?

Pema Pera: or we could prettify it with buildings and a nice environment -- if someone has the time and interest to do so

So Kuu: Lagrange, not at the moment.. but maybe in the future

Lagrange Euler: I mean a GPGPU.

Lagrange Euler: OK. Just wondering.

So Kuu: Unless someone has some active interest in that area with OpenSim?

Pema Pera: As long as we keep all our meetings in SL, there may be no reason to prettify the OpenSim sim, but we could of course decide to have meetings in OpenSim as well

Lagrange Euler: That's true.

Pema Pera: Des, how much work would it be to set up a semi-pretty content, you think?

Desdemona Enfield: /You might be able to migrate the stellanova infrastruct (except scripts) to the opensim region using one of several back up and restore tools now available.

Desdemona Enfield: These tools have created issues with regard to IP theft, but they are really intended to allow migrations of builds to other regions.

Desdemona Enfield: Well, a little shaping of theland, some trees.. not much work there.

Desdemona Enfield: Just the bare essentiuals to keep from having a nuked island look.

Pema Pera: :)

Desdemona Enfield: A week, would korii be interested in that? I thnk she did a lot of buildinghere at stalla noiva?

Pema Pera: Yes, I think she did

Lagrange Euler: We should ask her.

Pema Pera: well, let's first get a sim up and running!

Lagrange Euler: (Yes, she did quite a lot of the landscaping.)

Desdemona Enfield: /yes, smiles..the exterior decorators can show up later.

Pema Pera: followed by the interior decorators :)

Lagrange Euler: You will recall we had a little friction there on stellanova...

Pema Pera: I thought that simulations of galaxies were the ultimate exterior decorator expressions

Pema Pera: Yes, Steve, well, we'll take it one step at a time.

Pema Pera: Is there anything else we should discuss? I've a lot of detailed questions for Rob, but since he couldn't be here, we'll have to wait for those till next week

Lagrange Euler: What do we want to do on the new sim?

Pema Pera: for starters, develop visualizations and actual simulations

Lagrange Euler: Bad time to ask such a question, considering that I have to leave in ~2 minutes...

Desdemona Enfield: : )

Pema Pera: shall we stop here then?

Pema Pera: to return in a week

Pema Pera: Thank you all for joining us!

Lagrange Euler: Yes. I'd like to be part of that discussion, but not today.

Pema Pera: or is there any last question or comment?

Lagrange Euler: Not from me. Gotta go. See you all next week.

Pema Pera: bye everybody!