Few weeks ago, during a daily routine research after software for the social science research process I stumbled upon Bamboo DiRT. I had to hold in for a while and was looking back in the mind’s eye on what happened the last weeks and months. All these deprivations, looking after research software for hours, the lovingly and pixel accurate design, for several days searching a solution for the bug in the table design of the opera browser, all this appeared to be so senseless for a short moment looking at Dirt Directory, a waste of time.
DiRT in Dirt Directory stands for Digital Research Tools and it is a project effort of several universities in the english speaking countries: http://www.projectbamboo.org. Their slogan is: Plant seeds. Grow ideas. On Bamboo DiRT you can find software for really any use case in the area the humanities. The website has a simple and nice design and everybody can register and participate in filling the database with new software.
Ergo sum, Bamboo DiRT grew to what SoSciSo somewhen wanted to be. Then went out of the beta stage in mid july 2012 and this date was not so convenient for us. But what can we do? In the beginning I was considering for a while to simply ignore their site and not to tell you. In this way, I wouldn’t be able anymore to look straight in the eyes of this guy here and further one can not stop the diffusion of information in the days of G$$gle, Faceb$$k and Co. anyway.
Nevertheless, I will continue and maybe even add some programs in their Bamboo DiRT database. Or, one could also infiltrate their project somehow… ;)