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When I started out as a polymer scientist back in 1996, one of the first projects I was involved in was mapping of biopolymers i.e. polymers of biological origin. There was a lot of information, but it was unfocused and scattered over a lot of books, articles and databases, and often the info would lack details. It could be something like 'there are several ways to synthesize this polymer' but no information on how or where you could find the synthesis. Databases would be especially annoying. Many would boast that they had info on tens of thousands of materials, but I rarely found anything useful. Often it would be several versions of the same thing like 5 different concentrations of an acid, and the info would then often be limited to a CAS-No. or a message that there was no info available. Often the databases are financed by adds, so you have to go thru several pages with adds in a hierarchal structure in order to get to the page where you can actually find some information. For some reason a lot of designers think it's a lot of fun to have the info spread out over several pages, so if the site actually contains any useful info you often have to click thru the pages to get all the information instead of just scrolling down.
Working with polymers also means that you work with a lot of related materials like plasticizers, monomers, solvents etc. Same picture as polymers. It was like a lot of puzzles. You could get bits and pieces of information from a lot of places, but there was no real focus on the big pictures and how the big pictures were related.
Being a practical person, I started working on a solution. I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do and how to do it. It had to be a Lotus Notes database, as this was the only database system which could handle the complexity of the information. The database was optimized for fast retrieval of info and getting to the point and thus Pil's Material Database was created (Pil is a shorthand name I've used since 1986, which eventually also became my nickname). It took some time to make the database useful, but after 3 years the database reached critical size where it became a powerful tool for R&D, helping me to find options, alternatives and solutions in my day-to-day work and saving me a lot of time and frustrations. Over the years the design has changed a little to accommodate for the amount of data in the database, but the basic design idea is still there, and it works really well.
Over the years I've given the idea behind the database a lot of thought. This is where the whole thing gets a little philosophical and perhaps also idealistic. The database has given me a competitive edge in product development over the years and will continue to do so, but there is also a lot of information that I'll never have any use for other than satisfying my curiosity. I'll keep gathering all sorts of data on material properties as a matter of personal interest (Yes, I'm a nerd, I know), so I might as well make it available to people who could find it useful.
So, what's in it for me?
Many hours of work obviously. Like my other site, WeirdSpace.dk, the site is a non-profit site, and like WeirdSpace the site only serves to make more information available. For years I've been a part of R&D that will in some form be used in products for saving lives or at least make life a little safer. I take great pride in my work being part of this. If the info I've gathered in any way can be used for helping people, the time invested in the site will be well worth the effort.
I considered making the database into a book and I've considered trying to start my own company based on the knowledge I've gathered. However, I don't believe that converting the database to a book is a good idea. It's a matter of strengths and weaknesses in the two media. Books based on the information, i.e. more text and pictures and limited, to one single topic, would be a good idea, and will presumably be done. Having my own company was once an idea I looked into, but it wasn't for me. I like the creative part of chemistry and engineering and absolutely hate the administrative part. Also I like having time to do other things, and having your own company will seriously reduce that time. I'd end up doing less of the things I like and more of the things i detest. Thanks, but no thanks.
One last thing which is more of a side effect or a fringe benefit: The Internet is a great invention, but it's limited to the things that people make available out there. Unfortunately a lot of what is out there is centered around things like sex, discussion groups, more sex, blogs, sex, news, and oh... did I mention sex? You'd think there would be more diversity in the World. I don't mind the sex part, but I do mind when I'm looking for something else like chemistry and the site that is supposed to contain the info turns out to be full of nudity shots and hidden text to lure in people who are searching for something else. If I was looking for nudity, that would be what I'd write in the search bar, not chemistry. This type of scam really annoys me. Putting actual information on the Internet along with search engines getting better at filtering out the sites that uses this type of tricks will reduce this type of incidents however. There are some limits to what one person can do the change the World in a peaceful way, but it can be done. WeirdSpace is already a part of creating diversity on the Internet, this site will add to that diversity, thus making the Internet a better place.
Anyway, thanks for visiting the site. Hope you found some useful information.
Michael PilgaardCopenhagen, Denmark, May 7, 2006
© Michael Pilgaard
Created: May 7, 2006
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