Library of Alexandria Library of Alexandria Health Supercourse:Health Supercourse:

Sharing PowerPoint FilesSharing PowerPoint Files

www.www.bibalexbibalex.org.org

www.pitt.edu/~super1www.pitt.edu/~super1

What was the Ancient Library of What was the Ancient Library of Alexandria? Alexandria?

**The most famous among all ancient and The most famous among all ancient and

medieval libraries medieval libraries

**Largest library in all antiquityLargest library in all antiquity**Largest research institution well known Largest research institution well known

by scholars from all over the by scholars from all over the Mediterranean. Mediterranean.

Even after its disappearance since 1600 Even after its disappearance since 1600 years ago, it continues to survive in the years ago, it continues to survive in the

memory of all scholars to this day. memory of all scholars to this day.

The ancient Library The ancient Library of Alexandria in 300 of Alexandria in 300 BC captured much of BC captured much of the world’s science by the world’s science by collecting over collecting over 700,000 papyrus 700,000 papyrus scrolls giving birth to scrolls giving birth to the first universitythe first university..

Ptolemy I Soter (c. 367/6-283/2 B.C.)

Library of Alexandria TodayLibrary of Alexandria Today ““So that is the setting for the new Library of Alexandria. So that is the setting for the new Library of Alexandria.

A library for up to eight million books, three museums, A library for up to eight million books, three museums, five research institutes, several exhibition galleries, a five research institutes, several exhibition galleries, a

planetarium and a conference center that can planetarium and a conference center that can accommodate some 3000 seats. The beautiful new accommodate some 3000 seats. The beautiful new

building, with its distinctive granite wall covered by the building, with its distinctive granite wall covered by the letters of all the world's alphabets, is today a letters of all the world's alphabets, is today a

recognizable landmark of the new Alexandria.”recognizable landmark of the new Alexandria.”

Ismail Serageldin, Librarian of AlexandriaIsmail Serageldin, Librarian of Alexandria

Supercourse modelSupercourse model

Teacher in Alexandria

Teacher in Tanzania

Teacher in Cairo

Teacher in Novosibirsk

Teacher in Pittsburgh

Teacher in Cairo

Target: everybody

Goal:Goal: To increase global health To increase global health equity by developing a cost-equity by developing a cost-effective means to provide access effective means to provide access to quality health, prevention and to quality health, prevention and science information world wide. science information world wide.

From Papyrus to PowerPoint: From Papyrus to PowerPoint: Steps of the great EvolutionSteps of the great Evolution

200 BC Papyrus 200 BC Papyrus

1500 AD Paper and Printed Books1500 AD Paper and Printed Books

1995 Electronic Books1995 Electronic Books

October 16, 2002 PowerPointOctober 16, 2002 PowerPoint

What is Supercourse today?What is Supercourse today?

• The largest library of PowerPoint The largest library of PowerPoint lectures on prevention lectures on prevention

• One of the largest networks of One of the largest networks of researchers, scientists and healthcare researchers, scientists and healthcare workers from all over the world workers from all over the world

• The best known e-prevention initiative The best known e-prevention initiative in the worldin the world

What are we capturing now and What are we capturing now and what do we want to capture in what do we want to capture in

the future?the future?

ScienceScience PreventionPrevention

Why are we concerned Why are we concerned about prevention?about prevention?

In th is c e n tu r y , l i f e e x p e c ta n c y h a s im p ro v e d in b o th d e v e lo p e d a n d d e v e lo p in g c o u n tr ie s to a n e x te n t th a t h a s n e v e r b e e n e x p e r ie n c e d in h u m a n h is to r y .

0

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15

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M edic al tr eatment

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T h e W o r ld B a n k 1 9 9 3

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ancy

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ent (

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9389 Faculty134 UN member

Countries

Global Participants

Former Head CDC

Father of the Internet

Nobel Prize winner

+

Our dream is the Our dream is the marriage between marriage between

the Library of the Library of Alexandria and the Alexandria and the Supercourse Project Supercourse Project

to spread the to spread the knowledge of science knowledge of science

worldwideworldwide

Supercourse and P2P systemsSupercourse and P2P systems

In Supercourse, we are developing a system where the users will be able to exchange PowerPoint files as with Napster

Central Server file exchange Model Central Server file exchange Model in the Library of Alexandriain the Library of Alexandria

Central Server in Alexandria containing

PPT lectures

Cairo

MeccaNew York

Moscow

System that allows scientists to borrow and to donate PPT lectures

Supercourse in Alexandria and Supercourse in Alexandria and the Ancient Library: What do the Ancient Library: What do

they have in common?they have in common?

Ancient Library-700,000 papyrus scrolls Ancient Library-700,000 papyrus scrolls (125,000 books)(125,000 books)

Library of Alexandria Supercourse-Library of Alexandria Supercourse-Potentially 5 million PowerPoint lectures Potentially 5 million PowerPoint lectures on Scienceon Science