CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Meaning Drift Poetry Impact Knowledge Management
AI Cannot Think No Biological Drives Cannot Map Human Experience
SDS Computer Aided Thinking
Knowledge Different from Information
Semiotics Knowledge = Communication + Meaning + Inference (Causation)
Cognitive Science
Human Memory, Brain, Organic
Knowledge Different from Information
Documents Have Information Knowledge is Connections Cause Effect in H
Knowledge Different from Books Documents Information
Architecture Human Thought Information and Knowledge

1813 -
1813 -    ..
1814 - Summary/Objective
1815 -
181501 - Follow up ref SDS 24 0000, ref SDS 23 0000.
181502 -
181503 - Received ref DRT 1 0001 from Paul Fernhout with a subject...
181504 -
181505 -
181506 -                 Poetry and Knowledge Management
181507 -
181508 -
181509 - ...which develops a number of important ideas in Communication
181510 - Metrics, semiotics and KM, per POIMS. ref OF 1 0001
181512 -  ..
181513 - Continues analysis of challenges designing KM from the record on
181514 - 001025. ref SDS 23 IK5F
181516 -  ..
181517 - Paul initially quotes an earlier letter he wrote that says in part...
181518 -
181519 -     ... I find links appealing in the sense of building up
181520 -     knowledgebases. ref DRT 1 0001
181522 -  ..
181523 - This aligns with Doug's OHS launch plan that seems to focus on linking
181524 - as the core function of the OHS effort, reviewed on 001025.
181525 - ref SDS 23 BDU6
181527 -  ..
181528 - Paul further says linking is a good way to communicate....
181529 -
181530 -     ...just because I want a system to use links internally to
181531 -     represent my changing knowledge base does not mean it is the best
181532 -     way to communicate. Let me present a challenge that makes the
181533 -     point: how do you hyperlink a poem for public display? Yes,
181534 -     creating links may be easy for you to do for yourself and your own
181535 -     interpretation, but how do you do it for others? ref DRT 1 0001
181536 -
181538 -  ..
181539 - Paul goes on to comment in his letter today that the differences and
181540 - similarities of Poetry and Knowledge Management is key to seeing the
181541 - effective limits of hyperlinking and maybe working through that into
181542 - ideas for better KM tools. ref DRT 1 806M
181543 -
181545 -  ..
181546 - Welch Provides Foundation for Knowledge Management
181547 -
181548 - Paul has reviewed Welch work on Knowledge Management, especially the
181549 - comments related to trying to define what KM means and who will use it
181550 - or pay for it or change their daily practices to get its benefits (if
181551 - any). Or, in other words, the OHS purpose and vision. ref DRT 1 317H
181552 -
181553 -     It helps to get a citation here about what was reviewed in order
181554 -     to understand the context, as noted by Gil Regev in his letter on
181555 -     001019. ref SDS 22 TF5H
181556 -
181557 -        [On 001121 Paul says SDS is inspirational. ref SDS 26 H23M
181559 -      ..
181560 -     On 000920 a letter to the DKR team discussed finding a customer
181561 -     for KM. ref SDS 14 2V5F
181563 -      ..
181564 -     On 001004 another letter addressed the same issue. ref SDS 17 0A3H
181566 -  ..
181567 - Paul has been thinking about the distinction between referencing text
181568 - and referencing concepts, ref DRT 1 467N, which was covered in
181569 - correspondence with Jack Park on 001025. ref SDS 23 6150
181571 -  ..
181572 - He feels poetry represents the Knowledge Management problem in a very
181573 - bright light. Poems are often intentionally ambiguous, with
181574 - interpretation expected oftentimes to depend on the reader. To an
181575 - extent, poetry describes all communications, even though the intent
181576 - may be to convey more precise meaning. ref DRT 1 N68J
181577 -
181578 -     Communication is all over the map, because it depends on emotional
181579 -     state, which varies according to circumstances constantly in flux.
181580 -     Sometimes communication is intended to be precise, at other times
181581 -     less so; it is sometimes purposely vague and/or misleading.  Often
181582 -     it is intended to be imprecise, but is precise, and sometimes it
181583 -     is intended to be vague and misleading, but is actually clear and
181584 -     illuminating.
181585 -
181587 -  ..
181588 - Linking Aids Understanding under Connectionist Theory in Cog Science
181589 -
181590 - Paul says linking is an attempt by the author to force (or make
181591 - convenient the movement of) the reader to a certain metaphorical
181592 - understanding of the linked item.  Yet, the reader may prefer other
181593 - links (either metaphorically or to other resources) depending on the
181594 - reader's needs or intents or interests. Or the reader may interpret a
181595 - reference, phrase, or link in a way other than as the author intended.
181596 - ref DRT 1 JU9G
181597 -
181598 -     Links in SDS are not created for readers, but for the writer,
181599 -     under the practice of thinking through writing, see POIMS.
181600 -     ref OF 1 3742
181602 -      ..
181603 -     Linking supports human mental architecture that makes connections
181604 -     to understand cause and effect in relation to context, i.e., who,
181605 -     what, when, where, why, and how.  Since life is complex, the mind
181606 -     can summarize a lot of analysis and history in a phrase or
181607 -     sentence, then link it to relevant details.  Linking summary to
181608 -     detail, permits grasping the gist of complex issues, i.e., the big
181609 -     picture, and yet still have quickly at hand the relevant details
181610 -     when needed, discussed in correspondence with Henry van Eykan on
181611 -     000927. ref SDS 15 PO4F
181613 -      ..
181614 -     This aspect of human mental architecture leverages limited mental
181615 -     strength and time.
181616 -
181618 -  ..
181619 - Paul gives a lucid explanation for the complexity of meaning and the
181620 - importance of context to understanding, ref DRT 1 HZ4K,
181621 -
181622 -     Landauer discusses the thorny issue of the meaning of "meaning,"
181623 -     in his paper on the knowledge acquisition, reviewed on 960321.
181624 -     ref SDS 2 2882
181625 -
181627 -  ..
181628 - Context Positions Information in Knowledge Space
181629 -
181630 - Augment's numbers are locations of paragraphs, like Rod Welch's
181631 - communication metrics numbers indicate lines on his web site pages.
181632 - (Both are somewhat more than that because they are hierarchical, so
181633 - fragments indicate larger textual units, and in Rod's case the date is
181634 - also encoded.) I would say though that what is being pointed to in a
181635 - "knowledge" sense is not so much a word or sentence or line or
181636 - paragraph, as much as a pointer into an ongoing presentation of
181637 - metaphors in a certain larger context.  To understand the intended
181638 - meaning of the word "tree" at a location on a web site, one must
181639 - understand the context around it. (Infinite regress up to
181640 - understanding the universe can be avoided by at some point us thinking
181641 - we understand the context of the conversation as a conventional one we
181642 - are used to working with.), ref DRT 1 IS3M
181643 -
181644 -     This perspective on Communication Metrics reflects analysis by
181645 -     Professor Joe Ransdell on 000721. ref SDS 12 E2FY
181647 -      ..
181648 -     Knowledge Space for context in relation to dimensional space is
181649 -     explained on 960620. ref SDS 3 3516
181650 -
181652 -  ..
181653 - Paul says... while it may be easy to think about pointing to textual
181654 - artifacts (messages, documents) it is hard to point to specific
181655 - "meanings".  At best we can say, I think that section of text is
181656 - intended to mean "X" where "X" is another set of signs.  So, to
181657 - reiterate, even when we point to the words, we are not pointing to the
181658 - meanings.  The sign is not the signified.  The words are not the
181659 - wisdom. This is common knowledge in sociology, communications studies,
181660 - and a bunch of other fields -- I'm just hammering on this point in
181661 - this context of designing knowledge management tools. ref DRT 1 V45I
181662 -
181663 -     Good analysis, should lead to computer aided thinking that
181664 -     leverages human thought.
181666 -      ..
181667 -     Using "signs" begins to address semiotics, per review on 000713,
181668 -     ref SDS 11 4078, and earlier review of Peirce's work on 000515.
181669 -     ref SDS 9 0784
181670 -
181671 -       [...in another record today, Paul explains error recovery that
181672 -       Eric Armstrong is addressing in the OHS may relate to similar
181673 -       difficulties getting code to automatically organize the record,
181674 -       Paul singles out email as an example. ref SDS 25 BH5H
181675 -
181677 -  ..
181678 - Paul relates the complexity of human thought, explained in POIMS,
181679 - ref OF 1 0561, that has hampered progress in AI, ref DRT 1 956O, which
181680 - reflects work by Jeromy Campbell reviewed on 900303. ref SDS 1 4284
181682 -  ..
181683 - You can't easily point to a bit of knowledge in a document, any more
181684 - than you can point to one dot in a painting by Georges Seurat (a
181685 - painter who created Pointilism) and say that is a picture by itself.
181686 - ref DRT 1 0I8L
181687 -
181688 -   http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/seurat/
181690 -    ..
181691 -   http://www.epcomm.com/center/point/point.htm
181692 -
181693 -     So, let's enhance alphabet technology to augment human
181694 -     intelligence?
181695 -
181696 -     Suppose we can connect stuff in documents in a way that helps the
181697 -     connections in the mind.  That might work.
181699 -  ..
181700 - Paul suggests... distinguish between creating memory aids and document
181701 - management systems, and creating artificial intelligences.  Obviously,
181702 - to the extent people are using memory aids, they are "augmenting"
181703 - themselves into being a sort of artificial intelligence.  This is not
181704 - an argument against AI; it is just to distinguish "AI" from "Knowledge
181705 - Management". ref DRT 1 LI9L
181706 -
181707 -     Very good, per Campbell on 900303. ref SDS 1 1088
181708 -
181710 -  ..
181711 - Anyway, I am trying to get at the issue that our understanding of a
181712 - knowledge management system has to rise above the notion that the
181713 - "knowledge" or "wisdom" being managed is in the computer system. It is
181714 - in the intelligences (typically based around people) of which the
181715 - knowledge management system may form a part (an aid for memory,
181716 - communication, and calculation). ref DRT 1 SK4I
181718 -  ..
181719 - Knowledge Management tools must soar above the mundanity (but
181720 - necessity) of managing chunks of texts, images, sounds and so on. This
181721 - is in line some with Doug's point about how the user (or user
181722 - community) must co-evolve with the tool and information in it. In
181723 - effect, the knowledge is distributed throughout the entire system. But
181724 - the system itself must still reflect the special needs of doing KM
181725 - which may require interfaces and processes different from more
181726 - conventional tools. What these interfaces and architectures should be
181727 - is a subject of debate -- obviously Augment or Memex or Xanadu set the
181728 - stage as archetypes. ref DRT 1 GN5F
181729 -
181730 -     Seems like we are veering off point here.  Focus on architecture
181731 -     of human thought, i.e., cognitive science, especially
181732 -     connectionist theory, semiotics, experience, memory, reasoning,
181733 -     etc., etc., etc.,...
181735 -  ..
181736 - Paul says knowledge is in the system including the people. When we
181737 - talk about knowledge management systems we are talking about systems
181738 - that help people or communities to manage their knowledge -- that help
181739 - people organize knowledge, communicate it, revise it, and so forth.
181740 - But that does not to mean we ever have to say the "knowledge" is in
181741 - the system, any more than we need to say that "knowledge" is in a
181742 - book. ref DRT 1 LO6G
181744 -  ..
181745 - A book may have words, and page numbers, and may inspire you, and tell
181746 - you things you didn't know -- but the knowledge in the book resides
181747 - more in the system of author and reader sharing certain metaphorical
181748 - backgrounds and thus being able to understand a certain communication
181749 - made in print. ref DRT 1 4P6O
181750 -
181751 -     We still need a definition of knowledge, but this is starting on
181752 -     the right foot.
181754 -      ..
181755 -     Knowledge distinct from books was discussed in a letter to Bill
181756 -     Beardon, ref DIP 1 O65N, on 000629. ref SDS 10 6934 and earlier on
181757 -     000208. ref SDS 5 LR5G
181759 -  ..
181760 - And one must admit, since the author and reader may never share
181761 - exactly the identical metaphorical background, the meaning of any
181762 - communication to the reader may not be what the author intended.
181763 - Perhaps one can call this meaning shift "concept drift?" Most
181764 - non-routine communications probably contain some element of "concept
181765 - drift", as I'm sure does this communication. ref DRT 1 IE3K
181766 -
181767 -     Meaning drift makes communication the biggest risk in enterprise,
181768 -     discussed in POIMS. ref OF 1 8316 and in NWO... ref OF 2 9449
181770 -  ..
181771 - But with enough communications, generally I would think the parties
181772 - begin to understand the other's metaphorical system, even if they may
181773 - decide not to share it in the sense of relate values or assignment of
181774 - "truth". Thus, they may come to better understand the intent of the
181775 - communications by the sender, even as they may still also interpret
181776 - the communication as poetry using their own metaphorical system.
181777 - ref DRT 1 9F4H
181778 -
181779 -     Combination of communication connected to relevant experience,
181780 -     i.e., context, along with specific calls for action and taking
181781 -     action over time builds shared meaning.
181783 -      ..
181784 -     When we write a letter saying I understand this and that, and
181785 -     intend to take such and such action, and further understand that
181786 -     you will take such and such action, this call to action in
181787 -     relation to why and wherefore, identifies different meaning
181788 -     quickly, so that effort can be made to build shared meaning.
181789 -
181791 -  ..
181792 - The bottom line: We'll never be able to point to the "Knowledge" in a
181793 - "Knowledge Management" system. But, that doesn't mean pointers into
181794 - text aren't useful, or that one can't construct tools to help manage
181795 - knowledge as it is communicated by text, images, sounds, and so on. Or
181796 - in other words, think of an Augment-ish library as communications
181797 - system (as opposed to an AI). Which brings us back to email as a good
181798 - vehicle... ref DRT 1 GF5O
181799 -
181800 -     Email is fine to deliver the mail.
181802 -      ..
181803 -     Maybe some kind of webmail can help create an effective Knowledge
181804 -     Space??
181806 -      ..
181807 -     Paul still has not defined "knowledge" to move beyond information
181808 -     management.  POIMS presents a theory of knowledge that draws on
181809 -     cognitive science, management science, and physicial science,
181810 -     i.e., correlating knowledge, intelligence, and experience, echoing
181811 -     Einstein, Peirce, Campbell. ref OF 1 0367
181812 -
181813 -
181814 -
181815 -
181816 -
181817 -
181818 -
181819 -
181820 -
1819 -