links wot caught my eye #6

• Transcribing handwritten documents. A very useful compilation of projects using digitised handwritten documents, including some fine examples of how transcription has been done and of technology you can use if you're doing the same. (Google Docs, you probably need to sign in)
• A/B testing (Read Write Web). We're thinking about following the Powerhouse Museum's lead and trying some A/B testing when we launch our new websites. I'd been considering using an ad server to try some of this (and because it could do other things in terms of serving up content dynamically) but really these look like a better place to start.
• Outta the box geo shiz with OSGeo4W. I've looked before at GRASS, got as far as downloading it and then chickened out. Well I just realised that the people responsible for it also run a project to package GRASS and a bunch of other GIS-related software into an easy, Windows-friendly installation package/interface. It makes it a doddle to find an install a wide variety of such tools to let you do everything from tile making to map service creation to web map serving.
  That said, GRASS is still not easy to jump into for the geo-noob, and if you don't have anyone to hold your hand then one of the challenges of map-related software is to work out exacxtly what jobs you need to accomplish to get where you want to go, and then to find out which software will do that job for you. I can't really help you there but reading aroung the OSGeo site will.