We hope that the hard disk or at least its files can be resurrected, so
that we can restore all information. However, if that would turn out not to
be possible, we should already make sure that we can reconstruct all files.
You may be able to help us, if you have copied recent versions of PCP files
(nodes, papers, images, books) to your hard disk for personal use. We
especially need the texts and images of Val Turchin's "Phenomenon of
Science" book. Please let me know by email (you can attach the file
directly to the email message).
Even if you haven't copied anything consciously, the "disk cache" of your
browser is likely to contain copies of all web documents you recently
consulted. The way to restore these files from your cache is the following:
1) don't consult the present PCP-web, because this will replace the
existing caches with new ones (which are likely to be in fact older);
2) in the "preferences" or "options" of your browser, look for the "cache"
setting (with Netscape, this is under "Network prefs", with Internet
Explorer under "Advanced"), and set it to "never" refresh;
3) disconnect your Internet connection (so that the browser is forced to
use its cache rather than check the web);
4) open one of the PCP nodes you recently consulted, preferably starting
with the "Recent Changes", http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/RECENT.html which lists
all recent alterations or the "User annotations"
http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/USANNOT.html (either type in the URL, or, in
Internet Explorer, "Go" to a date before last Friday, when you consulted
that file);
5) if the "modified" date of the node is later than June 1, 1997, there is
a chance that the file is lost; in that case you just "Save" the file as
source (HTML, not text) to your hard disk.
6) after you have saved all files you could find in this way, and restored
your Internet connection, you can either directly send all of them to us,
or check for each file on the present PCP web whether that file is indeed
missing or replaced by an older version; if it is, you should send it to us.
I would have preferred not bothering you with this until after it is
certain that the hard disk cannot be restored, but the longer we wait, the
more likely it is that the files would disappear from your disk cache, so I
have to ask it ASAP.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Francis Heylighen
_______________________________________________________________________
Zlatka Naydenova
de Bavaylei 44, B-1800 Vilvoorde, Belgium
Phone:+32-2-2515813; Email: fheyligh@vub.ac.be