There’s always something new in the Climate Web. Both because we’re constantly adding to it, and because we’re constantly adding to its capabilities. Over time, we end up re-organizing the Climate Web as we come up with better ideas!
Hot Off the Presses!!!
As we continue to adapt to the major changes TheBrain software has made to on-line access to Brains like the Climate Web, we’ve made a fundamental change.
- What you’ve accessed in the past as “The Climate Web” is now the “Premium Access Climate Web.” That’s where you are now.
- We’ve created a new “The Climate Web” that is, in effect, a “Lite” version of the Premium Access Climate Web.
Ongoing Premium Access Climate Web Development
- First of all, we’re always adding new sources and other materials. We tend to have a lot of materials waiting to be renamed at any given point, as you can see here: Added
- We’re always creating new Topical Headings (about 5,000 at last count) and (sub) Headings and re-categorizing their contents (child thoughts).
- We’re always creating new Index Entries (about 3,500 at last count) and populating them with relevant materials.
- We’re always creating or adding to the more than 750 Topical Dashboards already in the Climate Web.
- We’re always adding the most insightful materials to Audience and Topical Roadmaps you can use to more easily navigate the Climate Web.
- Check out the most recent changes and additions via the WHAT’S NEW? Jump thought linked to the left of the .2 Premium Access thought (also always available at the top left of your screen.
The bottom line is that the Climate Web is always evolving and always getting more sophisticated in its knowledge curation. At any time we can assemble relevant materials into topical briefings, webinars or E-courses, and provide private URL access to custom Dashboards.
Major Changes to the Climate Web
- 02/2023 We’ve switched primary access to the new Vulcan interface. If you’ve visited the Climate Web before, you’ll notice a very different look. TheBrain software used to build the Climate Web is Beta testing a new “Vulcan” on-line interface. It’s a HUGE improvement over the previous interface, and we’ve already made it the default when you access the Climate Web through www.theclimateweb.org (Note that other links into the Climate Web you may run into may still direct you to the original interface)
Here’s why we’ve made the Vulcan interface the default:
- Navigation is FAR faster
- Searching is FAR easier (right now only thought names are searched, as opposed to content in the Notes Field of thoughts). Given the way the Climate Web is structured, this shouldn’t be an issue for most users.
- Your browser’s Backspace Key now allows you to retrace multiple moves in exploring the Climate Web. You can now always click your way back to where you might want to return to.
- You can navigate the Climate Web without the visual “plex” at left that some users find disconcerting. It may even not be visible when you first enter the Climate Web. The Plex can be turned on and off via the “eye” icon at the top right of your screen.
- When navigating the Climate Web without the Plex, the thoughts that would previously have been visible in the Plex show up to the left of, or at the bottom of, the text in the Notes Field on your screen. You can click on them just as you would in the Plex. This makes a lot of new things possible in organizing Climate Web content.
- If you right click on a thought in the Blue Plex, you’ll have the option of opening a new copy of the Climate Web around that thought in a new Browser Tab or Window, letting you explore several parts of the Climate Web at the same time.
- You have more user control through the Settings icon right next to the “eye” icon. For example, you can set it so that whenever you open up a URL it will open in the same external browser Tab, meaning that you don’t have to close a dozen Tabs when you’re done exploring a series of news stories. As well as determining whether the Notes Field is Below or Beside the Plex.
Note that the “Pins” that used to always populate the top left of your screen are now accessed via the Pins dropdown at the top left of your screen. We now use the Pins dropdown to point users to a bunch of different important places in the Climate Web.
The bottom line is that we think that on-line access to the Climate Web will now satisfy the vast majority of potential users, and we’ll soon be changing our approach to Premium Access to the Climate Web, which currently involves downloading a read-only version of the Climate Web to your own computer.
Bear in mind that Vulcan still is in Beta, and so things might not always go exactly as planned. But right now it looks pretty stable. If there’s a problem with Vulcan you might find yourself back at the previous web client as the problem gets sorted out.
P.S. As soon as it becomes clear that Vulcan is close to becoming the default way to access on-line Brains, we’ll be creating new videos for our various Climate Web-Enabled courses that point you to content in the Climate Web.
- 01/2023 We’ve added a new way to get into the Climate Web with the goal of rapidly accessing “your” actionable knowledge. Check Out Jump Right to Where You Want to Go! BETA
- 12/2022 In addition to adding topical content and links to Index Entries, we’ve created Tables of Contents for important climate topics. Topical TOC’s pull together many or most of the Index Entries and Topical Headings for individual topics, allowing you to instantly jump to the right sub-topic and most relevant kind of information. Here’s an example [TOC:CarbonPricing]. You can also access a comprehensive Tables of Contents list.
- 12/2022 We’ve started adding an enormous amount of topical insight to hundreds of Climate Web Index Entries, in particular I:DeepDiveIndexEntries, providing users with a unique way to rapidly internalize the key points associated with a particular copy, as well as rapidly navigate to related points. It gives a whole new meaning to being able to explore climate change from a systems perspective. Here one of the first of many updated and expanded Index Entries I:SCCSocialCostofCarbon (Deep Dive)
- What’s new is the content on the right in the screenshot below, bulletizing a lot of what you might want to know about the Social Cost of Carbon, pointing you to some of the most useful resources you might want to explore first, and suggesting related topics you might be want to explore.
Here’s a short video illustrating this new feature, using the Social Cost of Carbon as an example.
We’ll eventually do this for all Deep Dive Index Entries, but we’ve just started the process so bear that in mind as you explore.
- 11/2022 We’ve released a FREE Climate Web User’s Guide course on Udemy. If you’re not familiar with navigating the Climate Web, it’s a great way to come up to speed! You can sign up for it, and any of our other Udemy courses, here.
- 11/2022 We’ve published a lengthy slide deck (and video) overviewing the background to and functioning of the Climate Web. It’s available here!
NOTE:
There are a number of ways that the Climatographers can help you explore and leverage the Climate Web. Check the GET OUR HELP thought.