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WEBVTT captioned by sachac

NOTE Introduction

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.999
Good morning. I'm Blaine Mooers. I'm an associate

00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.399
professor of biochemistry and physiology at the

00:00:12.400 --> 00:00:15.079
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences in Oklahoma City.

00:00:15.080 --> 00:00:21.639
I'm going to be talking about the utilization of Org mode to

00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:26.799
write a specific kind of log file for thinking about writing

00:00:26.800 --> 00:00:31.599
projects, in particular research articles. I have stored a

00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:35.919
template for this file on GitHub. You can find it at Mooers

00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:40.759
Lab. If you go to the landing page and scroll down to

00:00:40.760 --> 00:00:47.279
Emacs-related, you'll find a link to it.

00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:50.679
I am a structural biologist. I utilize X-ray

00:00:50.680 --> 00:00:53.359
crystallography to determine the structures of proteins

00:00:53.360 --> 00:00:58.919
and nucleic acids that are important in human health. Our

00:00:58.920 --> 00:01:01.879
workflow is shown across the top. We start out with a

00:01:01.880 --> 00:01:04.959
purified material that we crystallize as shown by that

00:01:04.960 --> 00:01:09.599
elongated rod-shaped crystal on the left. We will mount

00:01:09.600 --> 00:01:14.959
that in a cold stream and collect diffraction data with

00:01:14.960 --> 00:01:20.399
X-rays in the instrument to the right. That instrument will

00:01:20.400 --> 00:01:23.559
generate an image like the one to the right where you see a

00:01:23.560 --> 00:01:26.319
bunch of spots. That's a diffraction pattern from the

00:01:26.320 --> 00:01:29.799
crystal. After rotating the crystal for one degree, we'll

00:01:29.800 --> 00:01:33.079
rotate the crystal 180 degrees to get a full data set that

00:01:33.080 --> 00:01:37.359
we'll process with a computer. This will lead to the

00:01:37.360 --> 00:01:43.719
chicken-wire map of electron density shown further to the

00:01:43.720 --> 00:01:49.999
right. Then on the far right, we have compared

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electrostructures of two drug molecules from two

00:01:54.800 --> 00:01:59.399
different structures, overlapped after superimposing

00:01:59.400 --> 00:02:02.919
a wild type protein and a mutant protein. We're trying to

00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:05.959
analyze how the mutant was preventing one of the drugs from

00:02:05.960 --> 00:02:12.199
binding. These kind of analyses we can develop that are

00:02:12.200 --> 00:02:16.519
drugs. In this case, the drugs are being used to treat lung

00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:20.079
cancer.

NOTE Starting a new writing project

00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:24.919
When I start a new writing project, I will assign it a number.

00:02:24.920 --> 00:02:29.639
In this case, I'm developing a review article about the

00:02:29.640 --> 00:02:32.479
detection of crystals in images collected with

00:02:32.480 --> 00:02:33.861
microscopes like the image in the upper left.

00:02:33.862 --> 00:02:42.639
The article is about the utilization of AI to help with that

00:02:42.640 --> 00:02:49.039
detection of crystals. I start the name of the folder with

00:02:49.040 --> 00:02:55.079
this index number, and I store the manuscript folders in the

00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:59.159
top level of my home directory to ease navigation.

00:02:59.160 --> 00:03:03.839
Whenever I pop open a terminal window, I just enter 0573, hit

00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:07.279
TAB to autocomplete the name of the folder, and I'll be right

00:03:07.280 --> 00:03:11.599
in the appropriate folder. I also use that index number to

00:03:11.600 --> 00:03:14.879
label the names of the files. I start every project with

00:03:14.880 --> 00:03:19.519
three files: a manuscript, the log file that I'll be talking

00:03:19.520 --> 00:03:22.759
about today, and an annotated bibliography, which is kind

00:03:22.760 --> 00:03:25.999
of like one on steroids. Annotated bibliography for the

00:03:26.000 --> 00:03:30.759
21st century, not the 20th century annotated bibliography

00:03:30.760 --> 00:03:37.239
you worked on as an undergraduate.

00:03:37.240 --> 00:03:40.279
I have developed templates not only for Org Mode, but also

00:03:40.280 --> 00:03:45.359
for other markup languages, like R Markdown and LaTeX. I

00:03:45.360 --> 00:03:49.399
actually developed this

00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:54.839
log file template over a dozen years ago in LaTeX. I also

00:03:54.840 --> 00:03:58.159
have developed it for Typst. Typst is independent of LaTeX.

00:03:58.160 --> 00:04:04.079
It's inspired by LaTeX, but it's written in Rust, and

00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:05.479
it's extremely fast.

NOTE The writing log

00:04:05.480 --> 00:04:11.799
My writing process involves having the writing log at the

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center of the process. That's where I began the writing

00:04:14.480 --> 00:04:19.679
project. On the right, I have the manuscript and all its

00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:25.839
components highlighted in yellow. On the right,

00:04:25.840 --> 00:04:29.839
hopefully I said on the right, I have the manuscript with all

00:04:29.840 --> 00:04:33.199
its components highlighted in yellow. On the left, I have

00:04:33.200 --> 00:04:36.959
the annotated bibliography.

NOTE Starting the research paper

00:04:36.960 --> 00:04:42.199
When I start a research paper, I will do this after I have

00:04:42.200 --> 00:04:49.639
built up a strong idea from various sources, and then I'll

00:04:49.640 --> 00:04:54.919
sit down and go through a series of steps outlined in the

00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:59.839
writing log to develop that central hypothesis into

00:04:59.840 --> 00:05:03.839
several paragraphs that are used in the introduction of the

00:05:03.840 --> 00:05:08.159
manuscript. The rest of the manuscript is built around that

00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:11.599
central hypothesis, so the results section will include

00:05:11.600 --> 00:05:15.799
experiments that address the central hypothesis, and it

00:05:15.800 --> 00:05:19.479
will exclude experiments that have nothing to do with it.

00:05:19.480 --> 00:05:22.719
Likewise, the discussion points address the central

00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:25.309
hypothesis.

NOTE Outline

00:05:25.310 --> 00:05:27.919
When I'm done developing that introduction

00:05:27.920 --> 00:05:33.439
in, say, three or four hours, I'll have an outline in hand. At

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least for the results and discussion section, the outline

00:05:38.200 --> 00:05:44.199
will be detailed down to at least a sub-heading level.

00:05:44.200 --> 00:05:47.239
I'll move those components over to the manuscript on the

00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:53.079
right. As work is done to address that central

00:05:53.080 --> 00:05:58.119
hypothesis, the manuscript will be updated. Also as

00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:01.359
exploration of the literature continues, new ideas will

00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:11.439
flow in to the manuscript through the log file.

NOTE Another kind of writing log - accountability

00:06:11.440 --> 00:06:13.519
You've probably heard of another kind of writing log, which

00:06:13.520 --> 00:06:16.719
is more of an accountability tool, a tool you use to hold

00:06:16.720 --> 00:06:20.599
yourself accountable in terms of your commitment to work on

00:06:20.600 --> 00:06:24.716
your writing projects.

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So, this idea of carrying out this

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documentation is supported by research done by

00:06:32.717 --> 00:06:35.838
Robert Boice. He found that those academics

00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:39.100
who record their writing

00:06:39.101 --> 00:06:42.002
are four times more productive than those that do not.

00:06:42.003 --> 00:06:44.119
Those that actually share their writing with

00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:47.719
colleagues are nine times more productive. This is sort of a

00:06:47.720 --> 00:06:55.479
case in point. This is a snapshot of a Google sheet of such a

00:06:55.480 --> 00:07:03.279
writing log that I was sharing as part of a Google workbook.

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I was sharing it with three other colleagues. I had the

00:07:06.960 --> 00:07:14.319
possibility of them taking a peek at my Google sheet, and that

00:07:14.320 --> 00:07:17.457
possibility I found to be highly motivating.

NOTE Reducing switching costs

00:07:17.458 --> 00:07:22.599
As you can see, on July 24th, 2023, I worked on five different writing

00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:25.959
projects. This would not have been possible if it had not

00:07:25.960 --> 00:07:29.399
been for having five separate writing logs where I could

00:07:29.400 --> 00:07:32.759
figure out where I had started and where I would report the

00:07:32.760 --> 00:07:36.959
day's progress before maybe taking a break and then

00:07:36.960 --> 00:07:41.199
switching to another writing project. The writing log

00:07:41.200 --> 00:07:46.479
helps reduce switching costs between projects.

NOTE Motivation

00:07:46.480 --> 00:07:57.959
My motivation for developing this project-specific log

00:07:57.960 --> 00:08:02.959
that I'm presenting here is to support clearer thinking

00:08:02.960 --> 00:08:06.879
about the science that I'm trying to do, hopefully leading

00:08:06.880 --> 00:08:10.399
to better science, as well as accelerating the completion

00:08:10.400 --> 00:08:13.439
of the writing project. The secondary purpose is to enable

00:08:13.440 --> 00:08:17.719
working on multiple writing projects in parallel. This is

00:08:17.720 --> 00:08:21.799
important to be able to harness your subconscious. If you

00:08:21.800 --> 00:08:25.919
work on project A for a few hours in the morning, say early

00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:28.210
morning, then late morning you work on project B.

00:08:28.211 --> 00:08:33.860
While you're working on project B,

00:08:33.861 --> 00:08:39.141
your subconscious is busy working away on project A.

00:08:39.142 --> 00:08:43.479
As a result, perhaps the following morning,

00:08:43.480 --> 00:08:46.279
when you wake up or while you're taking a shower or

00:08:46.280 --> 00:08:51.999
commuting, new ideas will emerge for projects A and B as a

00:08:52.000 --> 00:08:55.239
result of these background jobs that you have launched. If

00:08:55.240 --> 00:08:58.799
you don't work on project A, then you're not going to get the

00:08:58.800 --> 00:09:04.319
benefit the following morning. The side effects of using

00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:07.439
this writing log are that it reduces the fear of forgetting

00:09:07.440 --> 00:09:10.199
and also reduces the fear of losing momentum. These are two

00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:14.999
barriers to attempting to carry out work on multiple

00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.239
writing projects in a given day. This problem of dealing

00:09:19.240 --> 00:09:22.719
with multiple writing projects is one that is not discussed

00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:26.039
in books about writing. It's apparently a very difficult

00:09:26.040 --> 00:09:29.759
problem. I think my writing log is a successful solution to

00:09:29.760 --> 00:09:31.519
that problem.

NOTE Overview of the writing log

00:09:31.520 --> 00:09:39.919
This is an overview of the writing log in Org mode. It has

00:09:39.920 --> 00:09:42.959
various components. I don't have time to go through all of

00:09:42.960 --> 00:09:48.679
them in detail, but you can see its structure. We get this

00:09:48.680 --> 00:09:54.319
summary view when you open up the file. You have this in the

00:09:54.320 --> 00:10:04.119
header for a startup command overview. Then I just click

00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:08.079
on the heading and hit TAB to see the contents below. So

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normally, I'm just going to go straight to the daily log.

00:10:11.440 --> 00:10:17.294
In this case, it starts on line 944.

NOTE LaTeX preamble in opened drawer

00:10:17.295 --> 00:10:19.255
I don't have to scroll all the way down to it,

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because thanks to the support

00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:27.319
for folding of these sections in Org mode, if I open up the

00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:31.319
drawer labeled :PREAMBLE:, you can see that I have imported a

00:10:31.320 --> 00:10:38.879
number of LaTeX packages to enhance the format of the PDF

00:10:38.880 --> 00:10:42.667
file that is upon export.

NOTE Informative header

00:10:42.668 --> 00:10:44.319
I have commands that are listed

00:10:44.320 --> 00:10:48.999
below at the bottom for providing a fancy header. This

00:10:49.000 --> 00:10:54.519
header has the current date as well as a running title and the

00:10:54.520 --> 00:10:58.199
current page number and total number of pages. You can see

00:10:58.200 --> 00:11:04.199
in the center the header at the start of page 2. You can see the

00:11:04.200 --> 00:11:09.399
bottom of page 1 where the page number is at the bottom of the

00:11:09.400 --> 00:11:17.719
page. These headers are very useful if you happen to print

00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:22.879
out several log files and their corresponding manuscripts

00:11:22.880 --> 00:11:25.359
and take them with you to work on them while traveling.

00:11:25.360 --> 00:11:29.439
Invariably, the pages will get intermingled, and you'll have

00:11:29.440 --> 00:11:33.679
to sort them out when you return home. These headers ease

00:11:33.680 --> 00:11:39.799
that problem. You can see that the table of contents that begin

00:11:39.800 --> 00:11:44.759
the writing log is hyperlinked to various sections. In

00:11:44.760 --> 00:11:48.519
addition to the table of contents, the log file, of course,

00:11:48.520 --> 00:11:51.559
will support various graphical objects like images,

00:11:51.560 --> 00:11:56.039
tables, equations, code listings. I also have added

00:11:56.040 --> 00:12:00.279
LaTeX support for an index, a list of acronyms, glossary,

00:12:00.280 --> 00:12:04.999
mathematical notation, and literature cited. It takes no

00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:10.039
effort to add these in, so why not have them available? These

00:12:10.040 --> 00:12:12.919
features are also available in the annotated bibliography

00:12:12.920 --> 00:12:16.359
template, which helps support making that annotated

00:12:16.360 --> 00:12:21.399
bibliography far more relevant and interesting.

NOTE Four workflows

00:12:21.400 --> 00:12:28.079
This shows a list of four workflows that I'm going to

00:12:28.080 --> 00:12:32.599
discuss, since I don't have time to go through each

00:12:32.600 --> 00:12:36.279
of the items. Obviously, project initiation

00:12:36.280 --> 00:12:39.719
occurs on day one. If I have a three- or four-hour block of time,

00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:45.759
that's sufficient to finish project initiation. Then

00:12:45.760 --> 00:12:49.359
the daily workflow is obviously what occurs every day to

00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:54.239
move the project forward. The periodic assessments are

00:12:54.240 --> 00:12:57.079
done on a monthly or weekly basis, generally on the weekly

00:12:57.080 --> 00:13:02.559
basis as the submission deadline approaches. Then

00:13:02.560 --> 00:13:05.639
after you have received the galley proofs and sent them

00:13:05.640 --> 00:13:09.839
back, there are a few chores that need to be done in terms of

00:13:09.840 --> 00:13:13.959
project closeout. This is an example of a protocol

00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:18.519
that could be followed to do that, and an example of the kinds

00:13:18.520 --> 00:13:21.799
of more or less appendix material that could be included in

00:13:21.800 --> 00:13:28.079
the writing log to help get these things done.

NOTE Project initiation workflow

00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:31.679
This shows a project initiation section of the workflow.

00:13:31.680 --> 00:13:39.119
I go through a series of sections that include advice

00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:45.719
about what I need to do to complete each section. The

00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:50.759
rationale section asks me like, why are you doing this? Why

00:13:50.760 --> 00:13:54.319
should you do this? Why not somebody else? Those sort of

00:13:54.320 --> 00:14:01.287
fundamental questions. Then I have

00:14:01.288 --> 00:14:05.329
a drawer labeled guidance that I have,

00:14:05.330 --> 00:14:07.190
and that headline immediately above,

00:14:07.191 --> 00:14:11.839
I have this :noexport: keyword so that guidance is not

00:14:11.840 --> 00:14:17.039
written out upon export to the PDF unless you want it. If you

00:14:17.040 --> 00:14:20.439
want it, you have to remove the :noexport: tag. Then I have the

00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:25.199
response to these questions--in this case, a list of

00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:29.199
journals that I'm targeting for submission of this review

00:14:29.200 --> 00:14:32.959
article. I have a plan B journal picked out in case the

00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:43.399
editors decide to reject it. Having a plan B journal

00:14:43.400 --> 00:14:47.999
picked out is a decision you can make at the time of

00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:55.959
submission, so that you're prepared to move quickly if the

00:14:55.960 --> 00:14:56.959
article is rejected.

NOTE Daily workflow

00:14:56.960 --> 00:15:04.639
This shows the daily workflow section. Each entry has a

00:15:04.640 --> 00:15:09.439
date. I sometimes annotate the dated entries with a small

00:15:09.440 --> 00:15:14.479
phrase to highlight certain events. Within a given entry,

00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:17.319
I'll have a list of accomplishments. That's sort of the bare

00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:20.719
minimum of what I include. This just demonstrates how

00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:25.639
relatively brief these entries are. Just whatever

00:15:25.640 --> 00:15:30.599
distinct accomplishments were made are listed.

00:15:30.600 --> 00:15:37.239
Sometimes I'll include the goals for that day.

00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.599
I'll always include the correspondence related to the

00:15:40.600 --> 00:15:44.439
project. I'll copy and paste an email into a quote

00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:49.719
environment from LaTeX.

00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:54.319
I have a snippet template for auto-generating these

00:15:54.320 --> 00:15:59.919
entries. It will insert the date, for example, in the

00:15:59.920 --> 00:16:04.239
subheading. Then below that, I'll have the next action,

00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:06.919
following David Allen's Getting Things Done approach

00:16:06.920 --> 00:16:08.550
where you identify the next thing that needs to be done.

00:16:08.551 --> 00:16:14.759
That may have come from a to-do list that's indicated below that.

00:16:14.760 --> 00:16:19.039
Beyond that, there's sections for some writing

00:16:19.040 --> 00:16:23.919
accountability, and then a reminder to go about updating

00:16:23.920 --> 00:16:28.919
your Zettelkasten and Org-roam if you have come across any

00:16:28.920 --> 00:16:32.359
nuggets of knowledge you want to add to your Org-roam. Then

00:16:32.360 --> 00:16:38.999
below that, there's another section for the storage of

00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:42.919
additions to be made to the manuscript. Maybe they're not

00:16:42.920 --> 00:16:47.599
ready to go yet, so this provides a spot for them to be

00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.599
incubated, a sandbox, if you will, where you have room to

00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:53.239
develop them further before they're ready to be

00:16:53.240 --> 00:16:58.399
transferred over to the main manuscript. I also have a

00:16:58.400 --> 00:17:04.239
section there too for the incubation of new ideas for new

00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:05.750
projects.

NOTE Metadata and metacognition

00:17:05.751 --> 00:17:09.639
So this kind of metadata and metacognition about

00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:13.759
the project are often stored in commented out regions or in

00:17:13.760 --> 00:17:18.039
comments, like MS Word documents. These are often stripped

00:17:18.040 --> 00:17:21.839
out in the rush to submit the manuscript, and they're quite

00:17:21.840 --> 00:17:26.479
often lost. Yet they can be invaluable, not only for the

00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:30.239
preparation of future manuscripts, but they can be very

00:17:30.240 --> 00:17:38.279
invaluable for responding to critiques by reviewers. This

00:17:38.280 --> 00:17:42.839
writing log provides ample room for the safe storage of such

00:17:42.840 --> 00:17:48.884
information, such knowledge.

NOTE Periodic assessment workflow

00:17:48.885 --> 00:17:53.666
Then periodically, every several months or weeks,

00:17:53.667 --> 00:17:55.159
we'll carry out an assessment of

00:17:55.160 --> 00:18:02.119
the project. We go through a checklist for the completion of

00:18:02.120 --> 00:18:06.319
the manuscript. We also have a timeline with milestones

00:18:06.320 --> 00:18:07.439
identified.

00:18:07.440 --> 00:18:13.759
Of course, Org has these wonderful tables that are very

00:18:13.760 --> 00:18:18.879
dynamic. If you need a wider column to accommodate a new

00:18:18.880 --> 00:18:23.359
entry, it self-adjusts. These self-adjusting tables

00:18:23.360 --> 00:18:29.639
are one reason why I was attracted to Org mode, because coming

00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:33.039
from LaTex, where trying to make changes to

00:18:33.040 --> 00:18:36.999
tables is quite difficult. Below that, there's a

00:18:37.000 --> 00:18:39.639
section to make assessments. There are four questions that

00:18:39.640 --> 00:18:43.839
I address about the status of the project. One really good

00:18:43.840 --> 00:18:46.559
question is, why can't you submit this project today?

00:18:46.560 --> 00:18:49.350
What's holding it back?

00:18:49.351 --> 00:18:55.214
Other such existential questions

00:18:55.215 --> 00:18:56.959
are important to ask from time to time.

NOTE Project closeout workflow

00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:03.633
Then finally, the project closeout workflow.

00:19:03.634 --> 00:19:06.477
So this is in the form of a checklist.

00:19:06.478 --> 00:19:09.079
This checklist in the main template

00:19:09.080 --> 00:19:13.479
is already included, but you could include it from an

00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:19.959
external file. Of course, that checklist will be only in

00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:22.799
the PDF when it's included in this fashion. It won't be in the

00:19:22.800 --> 00:19:27.599
Org file, but you can view that checklist by clicking on its

00:19:27.600 --> 00:19:32.719
file path. It serves as a link that will open up in an Org

00:19:32.720 --> 00:19:40.119
buffer. The advantage of taking a modular approach to this

00:19:40.120 --> 00:19:42.999
sort of appendix material is that you can update your

00:19:43.000 --> 00:19:46.399
protocols and the updated protocols will be available to

00:19:46.400 --> 00:19:49.639
all log files across all projects.

NOTE Conclusions

00:19:49.640 --> 00:19:56.319
In conclusion, this project-specific log file helps

00:19:56.320 --> 00:20:02.759
narrow the focus on one project. It provides space to harbor

00:20:02.760 --> 00:20:08.679
the thinking about that project, and it helps support the

00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:13.999
project initiation and sustain its momentum and

00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:21.799
facilitate its completion. The side effects of using this

00:20:21.800 --> 00:20:27.399
log file for one project is that it dampens the fear of

00:20:27.400 --> 00:20:31.439
forgetting, the fear of losing momentum, which inhibits us

00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:34.519
working on more than one project in a given day.

NOTE Acknowledgements

00:20:34.520 --> 00:20:42.559
I would like to thank my friends at the Oklahoma Data Science

00:20:42.560 --> 00:20:47.799
Workshop. We hold this workshop every third Friday at noon

00:20:47.800 --> 00:20:53.759
central time by Zoom. It's open to participation by people

00:20:53.760 --> 00:20:56.879
from all around the world. Send me an email if you are

00:20:56.880 --> 00:21:01.519
interested in the applications of computing to scientific

00:21:01.520 --> 00:21:06.799
research. I participate occasionally in these Emacs

00:21:06.800 --> 00:21:11.359
meetups, and I have shared this writing blog with members of

00:21:11.360 --> 00:21:18.719
the UK Research Software Engineer group through the Emacs

00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:24.279
Research Slack channel. My efforts are supported by

00:21:24.280 --> 00:21:28.799
funding from these grants. I'll be happy to take any

00:21:28.800 --> 00:21:37.720
questions.