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1...Who has the competence to handle this complexity that Paul cites
2...Where is the law of conservation being applied to grow the
3...Need clarification of "machine intelligence."
4...Need example to clarify the concept of "machine intelligence," that
5...Paul should set out implications from BI's mission statements that
6...What actions does Paul propose the DKR team take in
7...What evidence shows these questions are being handled
CONTACTS
SUBJECTS
Bootstrap Endless Change Not Effective
World Problems DKR Solutions
Moore's Law Shows Technology Becoming More Complex through Bootstrappin
Bootstrapping Compunds Out of Control Technology Problem
Values Competence Compete Priority in Binary Force of Existence, Rod
0807 -
0807 - ..
0808 - Summary/Objective
0809 -
080901 - Follow up ref SDS 76 0000, ref SDS 75 0000.
080902 -
080903 - Paul Fernhout argues bootstrapping "machine intelligence" threatens
080904 - complexity that is more harmful than running out of oil. ref SDS 0
080905 - T66K He says business and government are "machine intelligences" that
080906 - give people limited opportunity to aid the poor. ref SDS 0 02RR He
080907 - proposes values are more important than intelligence, ref SDS 0 0764,
080908 - and should guide work on KM. ref SDS 0 1900, ref SDS 0 GN5H He says
080909 - that dire human needs, like hunger, ref SDS 0 01YQ, can be met using
080910 - existing technology. ref SDS 0 I74O Values are a complex subject that
080911 - require competence to organize a useful record, which is aided by SDS
080912 - technology. ref SDS 0 UM8M Paul worries that technology requires
080913 - paradigm shifts that are culturally shocking. ref SDS 0 L48I He says
080914 - commercial work crowds out financial support for Open Source
080915 - development; Paul does not cite successful KM projects. ref SDS 0 T65G
080916 - He notes lessons of gardening indicate that Doug's Bootstrap Institute
080917 - will succeed, so that people can do good for humanity, despite adverse
080918 - pressures of "machine intelligence," ref SDS 0 JU4F Sent a letter
080919 - asking Paul to set out the 2 or 3 things he wants the DKR project to
080920 - do differently. ref SDS 0 U14J Paul wants the DKR project to avoid
080921 - enabling big corporations to use KM for bad things. ref SDS 0 0N6N He
080922 - wants the project to affirm values for meeting human needs, which does
080923 - not require KM. ref SDS 0 KZ4K Gary Johnson responds that this focus
080924 - would prevent meeting Doug's objective to enhance human competence for
080925 - solving complexity. ref SDS 0 6A9N Since Paul feels complexity is a
080926 - growing problem, and since values are endemic to human life, Paul's
080927 - argument today appears to be a tautology.
080928 -
080929 - [On 001220 submitted letter to Paul, ref SDS 79 0001, who responded
080930 - to Gary Johnson's analysis today, ref SDS 79 R28H, reviewed
080931 - throughout below.
080933 - ..
080934 - [On 001220 Eric Armstrong discusses Paul's concerns during
080935 - reception at SRI for Doug Engelbart winning National Medal of
080936 - Technology. ref SDS 80 BV4E
080938 - ..
080939 - [On 001220 John Werneken rejects Paul's concern and calls for
080940 - further advance in technology. ref SDS 79 K88M
080942 - ..
080943 - [On 001221 Paul responds to John, and Gary comments further.
080944 - ref SDS 81 0001
080946 - ..
080947 - [On 001221 Eric submits comments on discussion at SRI about the
080948 - dialog on values and competence. ref SDS 81 HE6I
080950 - ..
080951 - [On 010114 John Maloney defines KM as socialization, and work
080952 - product as talking about KM. ref SDS 84 EK3I
080953 -
080955 - ..
0810 -
0811 -
0812 - Progress
081301 - ..
081302 - DKR Team Should Focus on Values, Not Expanding Technology Race
081303 -
081304 - Follow up ref SDS 76 9I6K.
081305 -
081306 - Received ref DRT 1 0001 from Paul Fernhout discussing values in the
081307 - context of world problems, following up his letter, ref DRP 11 0001,
081308 - received 001123, on ways to address global problems, e.g., food
081309 - shortage. ref SDS 76 0001
081310 -
081311 - [....below is a response. ref SDS 0 U14J
081313 - ..
081314 - Previously, Paul has submitted important analysis on values....
081315 -
081316 - On 000127 Paul discussed impact of international markets and
081317 - competition on global bio-diversity, ref SDS 28 1055, limitations
081318 - of free markets to adjustment in time to avoid disruption of
081319 - delicate environmental balance. ref SDS 28 J88N
081321 - ..
081322 - On 000128 Clark Quinn concurred that values should be a focus of
081323 - the DKR, ref SDS 29 2205, and discussed core values of helping the
081324 - less fortunate, ref SDS 29 2556,, which he believed have less
081325 - prominence because religion is emphasized relatively less in
081326 - community life. ref SDS 29 4028
081328 - ..
081329 - On 000604 Paul reviews similar issues again, ref SDS 42 1075, and
081330 - separation of church and state. ref SDS 42 9G8O
081332 - ..
081333 - On 001123 Paul reviewed problems of expanding complexity under
081334 - Moore's law, ref SDS 76 9I6K, he expressed concern about world
081335 - hunger. proliferation of weapons of mass-destruction, destruction
081336 - of biodiversity, misguided social policies, etc.). ref SDS 76 R45J
081337 -
081338 -
081339 -
081340 -
0814 -
SUBJECTS
Philosophy, Epistomology
Complexity of Organic Structure and Chronology Overwhelming
Values Embody Religion e.g., Thou Shalt Not Steal, Care for the Poor
Religious Zeal Attaches to Important Causes, Like Helping the Poor, S
Fractionalized Subjects
Values Competence Binary Force of Existence
Subject Index WBS Methodology
Microcosm Drilling into Details Supported Organic Subject Structure
Ludite Complexity Compounded by Technology Can Never Solve Problem IT
Religious Appeal Technology Compounds Complexity Need Focus on Values
Linking Aids Context Positions Information in Patterns of Chronologie
2913 -
291401 - ..
291402 - Bootstrapping Endemic to Civilization, Competence Solves Human Needs
291403 - Religion, Morality, Government Historical Province of Values
291404 - Values Complex Subject Structure for Organizing Useful Record
291405 -
291406 - Paul presents a "religious" appeal warning that technology causes
291407 - complexity that threatens existence, ref SDS 0 T66K, while calling for
291408 - the DKR team to ensure project deliverables are guided by values, and
291409 - recommends alleviating world hunger. ref SDS 0 KZ4K "Values" are
291410 - central to religion, morality, philosophy; and, arise indirectly in
291411 - every human endeavor, e.g., government, law, engineering, medicine,
291412 - mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, eating, etc.
291414 - ..
291415 - Paul's analysis aligns with NWO... that explains expanding complexity
291416 - caused by faster information flows to a constant mental biology,
291417 - ref OF 2 4925, posits a huge need for increasing the ability to
291418 - convert the liability of complexity from expanding information, into
291419 - the cornocopia of knowlege that makes information useful for lifting
291420 - civilization. This is a competency solution addressed by new tools
291421 - and skills. ref OF 2 3386 Thus, Paul's evidence of expanding
291422 - complexity shows there will be an expanding market for KM, as he noted
291423 - in his letter on 001025. ref SDS 58 02TX
291424 - ..
291425 - "Values" are what we need and want to sustain and enjoy life.
291426 - Another word for values is "objectives," which describe things seek
291427 - and strive to accomplish. Since human life is a highly complex
291428 - organizm that occurs in a complex world environment, it should not be
291429 - suprising that "values" are organic, existing along a highly complex
291430 - continuum that has amphous structure which changes according to
291431 - evolving external conditions, and degrees of internal satisfaction,
291432 - which varies from none to complete, and between individuals according
291433 - to chemical make up. ref SDS 0 G24H Subjects classify this structure
291434 - into organization that facilitates making conscious choices of action.
291436 - ..
291437 - It is, therefore, very difficult to organize an effective record based
291438 - on "values," because most values are driven by internal implicit
291439 - forces, not explicit conditions, as explained in POIMS. ref OF 1 0582
291440 - For example, if we set constructing a building as an objective to
291441 - pursue, then identifying the structure of the building to organize the
291442 - work is complex, but fairly straight forward, because all of the
291443 - elements are external. We can see related pieces, structure and
291444 - organization. If we select delivering food to the poor in a far away
291445 - land, we can organize that objective based on experience delivering
291446 - food to ourselves. However, attempting to organize "values" that
291447 - guide selection of whether to construct a building, deliver food, or
291448 - do both, is more difficult, because most of the structure occurs in
291449 - the subconscious mind, out of sight. It is not easily amenable to the
291450 - same subject identification process that is formulated for a building
291451 - or delivering food.
291453 - ..
291454 - Thus, the charge to think about "values" (see below, ref SDS 0 KZ4K)
291455 - is harder than it seems, indeed presents a Knowledge Management
291456 - dilemma; unless, this step is simply skipped, and the value of
291457 - delivering food is adopted without consideration of competing values.
291459 - ..
291460 - In the physical world of reality, people can only do one thing at a
291461 - time, and so must constantly choose priority on what values, i.e.,
291462 - subjects/objectives, to pursue in taking action. Choosing entails
291463 - thinking, which requires time for analysis to understand the context
291464 - of complexity, which Paul notes today is an increasing problem.
291465 - ref SDS 0 T66K Thus, identifying and organizing subjects requires
291466 - competence to balance the allocation of time between thinking about
291467 - what to do, and taking action to accomplish values, as noted in POIMS.
291468 - ref OF 1 2049 Since time is the primary limit of life, drilling into
291469 - the microcosm to choose a value in time to take action is a constant
291470 - struggle of competence. One meaning of religion, "re ligre," to bind,
291471 - or link, back, illustrates the importance early practitioners placed
291472 - on ensuring accuracy of understanding, because it is not easy to link
291473 - values with fast moving daily actions, as Paul calls out today. see
291474 - NWO. ref OF 2 4723
291476 - ..
291477 - On 970116 fractionalized subjects, referring to the complexity of
291478 - organic structure in existence, were cited as overwhelming people and
291479 - technology, during a meeting at Intel. ref SDS 12 1732 On 000221 Jack
291480 - Park explained "ontology," related to subject identification, is a
291481 - "Pandora's box" of complexity. ref SDS 30 7455
291483 - ..
291484 - Who has the competence to handle this complexity that Paul cites
291485 - today?
291487 - ..
291488 - Since competence is needed to determine values in time to take
291489 - effective action, technology that increases competence to make good
291490 - choices is highly valuable, as seen from the value placed on education
291491 - that teaches alphabet technology, to enhance competence in crafting
291492 - and preserving important lessons; and from the value placed on
291493 - religion that enhances competence in maintaining alignment of lessons
291494 - that guide daily conduct. Intelligence is commonly viewed as an
291495 - indicator of competence. A theory of intelligence that enhances
291496 - competence beyond traditional use of the alphabet and religion, should
291497 - be valuable to people and organizations in coping with an increasingly
291498 - complex world that Paul cites today.
291500 - ..
291501 - Intelligence is therefore a core value of humanity; the more we have
291502 - of it, the better we do at identifying and accomplishing other values.
291503 -
291504 - On 001114 Doug Engelbart is working on increasing competence.
291505 - ref SDS 66 SU3L Paul seems to be arguing that Doug's bootstrap
291506 - efforts to increase competence are self-defeating, because this
291507 - increases technology that causes more complexity. ref SDS 0 T66K
291509 - ..
291510 - On 000623 Jack Park planned an engine to organize the record
291511 - according to a concensus epistomology. ref SDS 45 2915 How is
291512 - concensus achieved for values? How does the machine handle
291513 - information during the pendancy of debate toward establishing
291514 - concensus on values. What happens if concensus is not reached?
291516 - ..
291517 - On 001025 Paul seemed to indicate this task is too complex for
291518 - technology, ref SDS 58 LR6N; yet, he worries today that "machine
291519 - intelligence" and nanotechnology create complexity that overwhelms
291520 - the ability of people to cope effectively. ref SDS 0 9I6K
291521 -
291522 - [On 001220 Jack demonstrated progress on devising an ontology
291523 - system to automatically organize the record. ref SDS 80 BV4E
291525 - ..
291526 - Communication Metrics provides a process and tools for summarizing
291527 - complexity, using the SDS program. Summary provides perspective on
291528 - achieving objectives, commonly called the "Big Picture." SDS,
291529 - connects summary to relevant details, so that perspective, does not
291530 - cause people to overlook critical factors that impact objectives,
291531 - also, called "values," that people hold dear. Striking the balance
291532 - between summary for perspective, and metrics to align details for
291533 - accuracy, is the challenge of context management described as
291534 - "adding intelligence to management" by converting information into
291535 - knowledge.
291537 - ..
291538 - This process enhances competence based on a culture of knowledge;
291539 - but, in the near term, KM takes more time than traditional IT
291540 - practice that relies on mental faculties of immediate memory which
291541 - reacts to information. When information flows continually, as it
291542 - does today, there is only time to react, as in answering a phone
291543 - call, responding to email. There is less time to be proactive and
291544 - comprehensive so that precipitious actions do not cause more harm
291545 - than good. ref DIP 5 006P Solving problems endemic to the limits
291546 - of IT requires a culture of knowledge that transitions from IT to
291547 - KM, so that people are empowered with the competence (skills and
291548 - tools) to convert information into knowledge faster and accurately,
291549 - proposed in the letter to the DKR team on 000920. ref SDS 51 2V5F
291551 - ..
291552 - Paul presents no evidence that such transition is occurring, nor
291553 - does he seem to support making an effort.
291554 -
291555 -
291556 -
291557 -
291558 -
2916 -
SUBJECTS
Knowledge Culture Transition from Information Culture
Knowledge Different from Information
Bootstrapping Compunds Out of Control Technology Problem
Machine Intelligence Nanotechnology Threatens Overwhelming Complexity S f-replicatio
Malthusian Complexity Compounded by Technology Can Never Solve Problem is Creating
Ludite Complexity Compounded by Technology Can Never Solve Problem IT i Creating
Kurzweil Complexity Compounded by Technology Can Never Solve Problem IT s Creating
ABC Improvement Model
Complexity Expanding Due Information Overload Bumbling Caused by Meanin Drift
Social Problems More Important than Improving Technology
Define Knowledge for Functional Purpose of KM, SDS
Accuracy Requires Continual Renewal Connections Cause Effect Avoid Dece ion Complexi
Complexity Organizing Subjects Difficult Requires Competence
4915 -
491601 - ..
491602 - Machine Intelligence Makes Bootstrapping a Problem Not a Benefit
491603 - Complexity Bigger Problem than Limited Energy
491604 - Computers are Getting Smarter and Can Become Self-Replicating
491605 -
491606 - Paul presents a Malthusian analysis arguing that bootstrapping machine
491607 - intelligence (nanotechnology) causes expanding complexity that is
491608 - probably unstoppable over the next few decades, ref DRT 1 SR6J
491610 - ..
491611 - Paul notes that expanding complexity from bootstrapping is a greater
491612 - problem than running out of oil, which he cited on 001123, ref SDS 76
491613 - R45J, because change in the next 100 years will equal 20,000 years of
491614 - linear progress at today's pace. ref DRT 1 646L
491616 - ..
491617 - Paul's concern may align with John Maloney's recommendation on 001122
491618 - to avoid mechanized knowledge. ref SDS 75 UO6G
491620 - ..
491621 - In a second letter today, Paul confirms this view, see below,
491622 - ref SDS 0 6Q5N, compliments Paul's letter on 001123 noting that under
491623 - Moore's Law computer capabilities compound complexity. ref SDS 76 9I6K
491624 - It seems related to the issue discussed with Doug Engelbart on 000327.
491625 - ref SDS 34 8484
491626 -
491627 - [On 001220 John Werneken questions Paul's projections.
491628 - ref SDS 79 K88M
491630 - ..
491631 - [On 001221 Paul seems to moderate concern by noting compound
491632 - growth eventually converts to an S curve, as inherent limits
491633 - are reached. ref SDS 81 X36J
491635 - ..
491636 - [On 001221 Paul re-states this concern. ref SDS 81 IM5F
491638 - ..
491639 - [On 010122 BrowseUp technology uses priority and filters to
491640 - manage complexity caused by a lot of links. ref SDS 85 IN9O
491642 - ..
491643 - Paul cites extensively from an article in the January/February 2001
491644 - issue of Technology, by Kurzweil.....
491645 -
491646 - http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/jan01/dertouzoskurzweil.html
491647 -
491648 - ...in which Kurzweil says in part.....
491649 -
491650 - Michael writes that "just because chips...are getting faster
491651 - doesn't mean they'll get smarter, let alone lead to
491652 - self-replication." First of all, machines are already "getting
491653 - smarter." As just one of many contemporary examples, I've
491654 - recently held conversations with a person who speaks only German
491655 - by translating my English speech in real time into
491656 - human-sounding German speech (by combining speech recognition,
491657 - language translation and speech synthesis) and similarly
491658 - converting their spoken German replies into English speech.
491659 - Although not perfect, this capability was not feasible at all
491660 - just a few years ago. The intelligence of our technology does
491661 - not need to be at human levels to be dangerous. Second, the
491662 - implication that self-replication is harder than intelligence is
491663 - not accurate. Software viruses, although not very intelligent,
491664 - are self-replicating as well as being potentially destructive.
491665 - Bioengineered biological viruses are not far behind. As for
491666 - nanotechnology-based self-replication, that's further out, but
491667 - the consensus in that community is this will be feasible in the
491668 - 2020s, if not sooner.
491669 -
491671 - ..
491672 - Translating language is faster mathematics, not "intelligence"
491673 - within in the meaning of KM, Com Metrics, as defined in POIMS.
491674 - ref OF 1 0561
491675 -
491676 - Same for viruses.
491678 - ..
491679 - This is not evidence technology enhances competence to convert
491680 - informtion into useful knowledge.
491681 -
491683 - ..
491684 - Paul quotes the same article on Kurzweil.....
491685 -
491686 - Poplular views expect technology to expand along a linear path,
491687 - and that people will adapt to the faster pace. ref DRT 1 NN4J
491689 - ..
491690 - History of technology, per Moore's Law, cited by Paul on 001123,
491691 - ref SDS 76 9I6K, shows that technological change is at least
491692 - exponential, not linear, based on trends in computation,
491693 - communication, brain scanning, miniaturization and multiple
491694 - aspects of biotechnology. ref DRT 1 LP6L
491696 - ..
491697 - Kurzweil advances a...
491699 - ..
491700 - "Law of accelerating returns" based on a rich model of diverse
491701 - processes, in addition to Moore's Law, to argue that technology
491702 - advances exponentially, not linearly. ref DRT 1 VT3J
491704 - ..
491705 - Paradigm shifts are currently doubling (approximately) every
491706 - decade. So the technological progress in the 21st century will
491707 - be equivalent to what would require (in the linear view) on the
491708 - order of 20,000 years. ref DRT 1 ZV5J
491709 -
491710 -
491711 -
4918 -
SUBJECTS
Future Shock by Tofflers Explain Culture Shock from Change Faster tha
Technology Dilemma Progress Brings Desired Forseen Unforseen Conseque
Paradigms Shifts That Occur Faster than People Can Absorb Them Cause
Information Overload Renders People Unable to Function
5606 -
560701 - ..
560702 - Culture Shock from Accelerated Progress of Civilization
560703 -
560704 - Paul explains the "threat" caused by advancing technology is culture
560705 - shock.
560707 - ..
560708 - Culture shock results from rapid change using the bootstrap process
560709 - that creates extreme conditions beyond forecasts by Alvin Toffler in
560710 - his book "Future Shock." ref DRT 1 KN7H Paul cites a reference....
560711 -
560712 - http://www.bergtraum.k12.ny.us/user/t6573/br3.htm
560713 -
560714 - ...which is undated and unidentified, and concludes...
560715 -
560716 - ...this was a great book because it showed a lot of stuff. It
560717 - showed me to watch out for the future. This book was very
560718 - interesting. This was one of the best books I have ever read.
560720 - ..
560721 - Paul's reference is part of an Internet location for Murry Bergtraum
560722 - high school, in New York, NY, indicating this reference may be a high
560723 - school book report. There is nothing at that location on Kersweil.
560724 -
560725 - Concern about culture shock was cited by Eric Armstrong in his
560726 - letter on 000505, explaining technology that connects information
560727 - into a web of useful knowledge would boggle the mind. ref SDS 39
560728 - 4524
560730 - ..
560731 - Earlier on 000125 analysis suggested that experience using SDS
560732 - technology makes a connected environment easier and more useful
560733 - to apply.
560735 - ..
560736 - Toffler was discussed at Intel on 950927 on meeting the challenge
560737 - of culture shock caused by new realities of a more complex world.
560738 - ref SDS 11 3095 New realities were identified in reviewing Andy
560739 - Grove's book, Only the Paranoid Survive, on 980307. ref SDS 15
560740 - 1209
560742 - ..
560743 - Future Shock by Alvin Toffler was reviewed on 950911. A major
560744 - threat Toffler identifies is information overload that prevents
560745 - people from functioning, according to the Tofflers. ref SDS 10
560746 - 4E3N
560748 - ..
560749 - Paul concludes "bootstrapping" is a technological given, and argues
560750 - that it defines the quality of the early 21st century, as exponential
560751 - curves begin to show their teeth. ref DRT 1 EY6H
560752 -
560753 -
560754 -
560755 -
560756 -
5608 -
SUBJECTS
Information Different from Knowledge
Malthusian Complexity Compounded by Technology Can Never Solve Proble
Technology One Part of Km, People Two Parts of KM
Technology Dilemma Unintended Consequences
Speed Unintended Consequences Accomodated by Enabling Technology, 001
Enabling Technology Accomodates Unintended Consequences of Technology
Speed Unintended Consequence Technology Dilemma Accomodated by Enabli
KM Enabling Technology Unintended Consequence IT
Loathe Change Valley of Death Leaders Overcome Fear, Ignorance, Denia
Luddites Resisted Textile Technology in Early 1800s of England
New Way of Thinking Working Doug's Mission Bootstrap Institute, 99122
7213 -
721401 - ..
721402 - Unintended Consequences Risk Less than Inevitable Disaster
721403 - KM Enabling Technology Converts IT Complexity into Knowledge
721404 -
721405 - Paul presents a Malthusian worry that bootstrapping technology
721406 - produces ever expanding complexity, which overwhelms human
721407 - competency, based on work by Kurzweil, ref SDS 0 NY5L, and
721408 - Toffler. ref SDS 0 L48I
721410 - ..
721411 - This proposition inverts Doug's objective for bootstrapping to
721412 - enhance competency for coping with complexity, reported on
721413 - 001114. ref SDS 66 SU3L "Bootstrapping" is essentially the
721414 - history of civilization that progresses through technology, see
721415 - the record on 991217. ref SDS 23 0320
721417 - ..
721418 - Since technology builds on past achievements, see ref SDS 0 Y67O,
721419 - Malthusian worry argues against the wheel, shoes, fire, spears,
721420 - canes, the alphabet, nuclear power, on the grounds that lifting
721421 - civilization, also, risks a range of outcomes from extinction,
721422 - e.g., biological, nuclear, to, threatening comfortable ways of
721423 - doing things; for example, showing up at a meeting, or dashing
721424 - off an email, rather than reviewing the record to augment human
721425 - competency, and adding "intelligence" to information, so it is
721426 - easier to be prepared for the next task, as posed in the letter,
721427 - ref DIP 5 006P, to the DKR team on 000920, ref SDS 51 GQ5J, and
721428 - more recently today, ref DIP 3 748K, in another record.
721429 - ref SDS 78 BV8R
721430 -
721431 - [On 010111 discussed with Doug Engelbart. ref SDS 83 B2WY
721433 - ..
721434 - Being prepared was originally developed on 950327, as a core
721435 - advantage of Communication Metrics. ref SDS 8 8822 Some
721436 - authorities posit...
721437 -
721438 -
721439 - The Technological Dilemma
721440 -
721441 -
721442 - http://www.regent.edu/acad/schcom/rojc/mdic/dilemma.html
721444 - ..
721445 - ...is part of an essay...
721446 -
721447 -
721448 - Media Determinism in Cyberspace
721449 -
721450 -
721451 - http://www.regent.edu/acad/schcom/rojc/mdic/md.html
721453 - ..
721454 - ...prepared by Samuel Ebersole in 1995, and published by Regents
721455 - University...
721456 -
721457 -
721458 - http://www.regent.edu/acad/
721459 -
721461 - ..
721462 - Ebersole cites the ancient dilemma of technology that brings
721463 - desired, foreseen and unforseen consequences of new technology.
721464 - The essay does not set out the equally true dilemma that taking
721465 - no action by relying on present technology presents the same set
721466 - of outcomes: desired, foreseen and unforseen consequences. We
721467 - can allow existing forces to dictate the future, or be proactive
721468 - and attempt to influence the course of events. We can in no case
721469 - escape the forces of cause and effect that are in play, or placed
721470 - into play by proactive human activity. Civilization either moves
721471 - forward, or it passes from the scene by denying the forces of
721472 - progress.
721473 -
721475 - ..
721476 - Luddites Resisted Advance of Technology
721477 -
721478 - The Ebersole essay cites the Luddites during the early 1800s who
721479 - resisted textile technology...
721480 -
721481 -
721482 - http://www.regent.edu/acad/schcom/rojc/mdic/luddites.html
721483 -
721484 -
721485 - ...on similar grounds that it did not uphold values of the day,
721486 - and so entailed a major paradigm shift.
721487 -
721488 - On 000419 Luddites was cited to caution against objections to
721489 - online books. ref SDS 35 0673
721491 - ..
721492 - Today, however, textile technology is an accepted way to meet
721493 - unmet needs of people who need clothing. Another way would be
721494 - for eveyone to share existing clothing, but there is resistance
721495 - to sharing, because it is hard to get sizes to match up, and
721496 - things wear out sooner or later; so, it has turned out since the
721497 - time of the Luddites to be faster and easier to produce what we
721498 - need using textile technology. Markets provide a fast and easy
721499 - way for people to determine the value they place on clothing
721500 - relative to doing other things with their valuable time.
721502 - ..
721503 - Speed is another example of how paradigm shifts are accomodated
721504 - into the culture. Today, people travel upwards of 100 miles per
721505 - hour, and some even thousands of miles per hour. If this speed
721506 - were achieved with prior technology, it would be overwhelming, as
721507 - Paul forecasts for "machine intelligence." ref SDS 0 9I6K But,
721508 - people developed enabling technologies, like paved roads,
721509 - enclosed vehicles with shock absorbers, and rubber tires, and
721510 - airplanes that make increased speed, which would have torn apart
721511 - a covered wagon, into an experience that is easily accomodated by
721512 - human limitations of psyche and fragile phyisque.
721514 - ..
721515 - Paul's evidence that computers are getting faster at performing
721516 - mathematics within finite domains, ref SDS 0 MV9Z, e.g., playing
721517 - chess, monitoring mechanical processes in an automobile, guiding
721518 - assembly in a manufacturing plant, does not show progress toward
721519 - "thinking" across domains, which aligns actions with values, per
721520 - above. ref SDS 0 ZR4O
721522 - ..
721523 - Thus, today, Paul provides evidence of a faster IT world, that
721524 - builds demand for commensurate improvement in enabling technology
721525 - that increases competency to make the connections of cause and
721526 - effect that converts information into useful knowledge. Like the
721527 - history of finding ways to accomodate increased physical speed,
721528 - ref SDS 0 OY4F, we need ways to augment intelligence for handling
721529 - faster information flows.
721531 - ..
721532 - On 001116 Paul, along with Jack Park, reported to the DKR team
721533 - that SDS is amazing and inspirational in accomplishing this
721534 - "intelligence" capability. ref SDS 69 0001 On 001121 ideas for
721535 - the DKR team to use this capability were submitted. ref SDS 73
721536 - XU8I
721538 - ..
721539 - On 950710 Landauer cites slowness of market forces to adopt
721540 - useful technology, ref SDS 9 0722, whereas, markets actually
721541 - compete to improve and gain market share through reduced pricing
721542 - of accepted technology. On 990527 Christensen explains cultural
721543 - forces inhibit adopting better methods, and so cause successful
721544 - companies to eventually fail, ref SDS 18 4896, under the rule
721545 - civilization either improves or falls back.
721547 - ..
721548 - Kurzweil does not cite a process for "intelligence" that converts
721549 - information into knowledge as one that is moving swiftly, or at
721550 - all.
721551 -
721552 - [...below, Paul does not cite successful KM projects
721553 - that are using funds needed for open source development.
721554 - ref SDS 0 T65G
721556 - ..
721557 - Kurzweil's failure to address Knowledge Management aligns with
721558 - Paul's report on 001130 that IBM, who spent $4B to get Lotus
721559 - Notes (LN), and then invested a lot of money to make LN support
721560 - Knowledge Mangement, has delayed release of its KM solution,
721561 - Raven. ref SDS 77 F26K On 000324 SRI reported other projects
721562 - have tried and failed to produce KM programs. ref SDS 33 4877
721564 - ..
721565 - IT makes creating information faster and easier that guides
721566 - moving people and materials faster and farther than in previous
721567 - times. Doug argues in the Bootstrap mission statement that these
721568 - traditional methods need to be replaced by methods that....
721569 -
721570 - Enable a whole new way of thinking about the way we work,
721571 - learn, and live together. ref SDS 24 3696
721573 - ..
721574 - A new way of thinking is a "paradigm shift."
721576 - ..
721577 - On 940609 Henry Kissinger warned that people are unwilling to go
721578 - beyond absorbing information because analysis that converts
721579 - information into knowledge is not fun. On 911123 people prefer
721580 - traditional "feel good" management methods that are faster and
721581 - easier, ref SDS 2 1331, than bothering to invest intellectual
721582 - capital, explained in POIMS. ref OF 1 1101 On 000920 letter to
721583 - DKR team explains people want bad management to succeed, rather
721584 - than make good management easier. ref SDS 51 T33H
721586 - ..
721587 - Where is the paradigm shift showing that Doug's concern is being
721588 - heeded?
721590 - ..
721591 - Where is the law of conservation being applied to grow the
721592 - knowledge required to accomodate faster information? see POIMS
721593 - ref OF 1 4662
721594 -
721595 - See also below. ref SDS 0 P55H
721596 -
721597 -
721598 -
721599 -
721600 -
7217 -
SUBJECTS
Values to Solve Need More Pressing than Improving Competence Bootstra
7303 -
730401 - ..
730402 - Survival Values More Important than Competency
730403 - Values to Maintain Human Survival Should be Part of Bootstrap Mission
730404 -
730405 - Paul concludes that the prospect of culture shock arising from
730406 - expanding complexity requires expanding bootstrapping to consider
730407 - values in addition to competency in accomplishing values. ref DRT 1
730408 - JY8I
730410 - ..
730411 - If that end is human survival in some style, then another question has
730412 - to be how to cope with all the other bootstrapping processes going on
730413 - (like development of nanotechnology and machine intelligence) which
730414 - may interact with that goal. ref DRT 1 YR8N
730415 -
730416 - This appears to be a solution in search of a problem.
730418 - ..
730419 - Value is the core activity of human life, starting with breathing.
730421 - ..
730422 - All of the time of any living organism, and certainly of humans,
730423 - including technology, is aimed at satisfying values, evident, for
730424 - example, from a McDonald's billboard that offers "extra value" and
730425 - from advertisements in the Sunday papers offering "bargains" by
730426 - acquiring values from visiting various establishments.
730428 - ..
730429 - Paul thinks humanity can survive the rise of the machine intelligences
730430 - that began in in the late 1800s when corporations were effectively
730431 - first granted equal status with humans in the U.S.A. But it will take
730432 - a major directed effort -- and if it is done by corporations (as in
730433 - groups of people), they may well be organized differently than the
730434 - conventional ones, possibly "chaoridcally". ref DRT 1 02UR
730435 -
730436 - http://www.chaordic.org/
730437 -
730438 -
730439 -
730440 -
730441 -
7305 -
SUBJECTS
Open Source Needs Resources for KM to Solve World Problems
Commercial KM Development Limits Funds Available for Open Source
7504 -
750501 - ..
750502 - Funding Open Source Development Diffucult Due to Commercial Efforts
750503 -
750504 - Commercial development of KM makes it more difficult for open
750505 - source non-profit projects, like the Bootstrap OHS/DKR, aiming to
750506 - create KM for the betterment of humanity, to attract funding, and
750507 - attention that brings credibility and participation, ref DRT 1 K49J,
750508 - restating Paul's concern in his letter on 001123. ref SDS 76 O46O
750509 -
750510 - Paul does not cite any examples of successful KM projects. On
750511 - 001130 he reported that IBM's $4B plus effort to convert Lotus
750512 - Notes into KM failed. ref SDS 77 F26K
750514 - ..
750515 - On the other hand this diverted $4B from making SDS more widely
750516 - available, which has demonstrated the ability to support KM.
750518 - ..
750519 - These are mistakes of the market place that people accept in
750520 - order to gain the more bountiful harvest that markets generally
750521 - produce. If people have freedom of choice, they are free to
750522 - choose unwisely, and to hopefully, if they live long enough, to
750523 - do better the next time. This takes a long time for
750524 - technological advance to gain acceptance, as Landauer noted his
750525 - book, reviewed on 950710, ref SDS 9 0722, but is more efficient
750526 - than economies driven by command and control from the top.
750528 - ..
750529 - Moreover, the mere fact that one group is motivated to help
750530 - humanity and another group is motivated to give humanity what it
750531 - will buy, is no guanentee that the profit motivated group will
750532 - not wind up helping humanity in greater measuer, less time and
750533 - less cost than the group motivated to help humanity.
750534 -
750536 - ..
750537 - Paul means to be realistic, not fatalistic. He notes that in a
750538 - garden many types of plants can grow, and there are various unoccupied
750539 - niches and refugia one can try to survive in. Some organisms like Pine
750540 - trees bide their time waiting for a patch of light to open up so they
750541 - can grow. So too, hopefully Doug will find a funding niche for the
750542 - OHS/DKR effort, and hopefully the human spirit will find a way to
750543 - continue to blossom amidst these larger machine intelligences, just
750544 - like the small mammals who were our forebears survived at the feet of
750545 - the dinosaurs. And so too, hopefully people will individually be
750546 - willing to make sacrifices needed to build efforts for the good of
750547 - humanity. See "The Skills of Xanadu" by Theodore Sturgeon -- available
750548 - in his book "The Golden Helix" for inspiration. ref DRT 1 CV5N
750549 -
750550 - Need clarification of "machine intelligence."
750552 - ..
750553 - Can Paul cite an example at Intel, IBM, Microsoft, Harvard,
750554 - Westinghouse, GE, the CIA, anywhere on the planet, where a
750555 - "machine intelligence" is whirring away to help Andy, Lou and Bill
750556 - avoid continual bumbling?
750558 - ..
750559 - How does the "shading out" effect impact Bootstrap Institute any
750560 - more than the powers at be in 700 BC - 400 BC "crowded out" use of
750561 - alphabet technology. What about Gutenberg in 1455, who struggled
750562 - along with his DKR called a printing press, reported on 991010,
750563 - ref SDS 21 2548, or Volaire and Diderot in 1764 to apply
750564 - Thucydides ideas and Gutenberg's insights to expand the DKR of
750565 - their time, reviewed on 940510. ref SDS 7 6629
750567 - ..
750568 - Doesn't every new idea have to struggle for its place in the sun;
750569 - most fail due to circumstances. A few take root and rise, only to
750570 - block out other new ideas.
750571 -
750572 -
750573 -
750574 -
750575 -
7506 -
SUBJECTS
Children Especially Need Help Social Problems World Needs Not Solved
Children Need Help Especially, Paul Fernhout
Social Problems More Important than Improving Technology
8605 -
860601 - ..
860602 - Children Lack Nutritional Care Because They Do Not Vote
860603 -
860604 - Paul recalls the television broadcast "Meet the Press" this Sunday,
860605 - that retiring Senator Moynihan...
860606 -
860607 - http://www.senate.gov/~moynihan/
860608 -
860609 - ...pointed out the five year limit for Welfare in the U.S.A. will soon
860610 - kick in, and since the Welfare program for "Aid to Dependant Children"
860611 - was eliminated,
860613 - ..
860614 - http://www.clasp.org/pubs/claspupdate/CU_10-98-21.html
860615 -
860616 - ....many children in the U.S. may start to go without. As Senator
860617 - Moynihan points out, something has happened to our culture, when in
860618 - the depression of the 1930s we could feed every American child, and
860619 - now in the longest economic expansion we cut programs for dependant
860620 - children. ref DRT 1 FI5K
860622 - ..
860623 - Paul draws from the Senator's perspective that in the U.S., DOD
860624 - contractors, savings and loan bailouts, etc. "shade out" poor
860625 - children. As Moynihan put it of children, "they don't vote, and it
860626 - shows." ref DRT 1 02PS
860627 -
860628 - [On 001221 Paul re-states this position. ref SDS 81 0124
860630 - ..
860631 - Contractors build factories, trains, boats, computers needed to
860632 - maintain civilization. Savings and Loans invest retirement
860633 - benefits and make loans to finance the growth of civilization.
860634 - These seeming worthwhile ends garner attention for preserving
860635 - civilization that provides an environemnt for feeding children.
860637 - ..
860638 - Paul uses this example to show that in the US a "bootstrapping"
860639 - economy (in terms of compound economic growth) can leave some people
860640 - behind, and even take from them what they had. He notes that welfare
860641 - reform is a complex issue -- and argues that children should not fall
860642 - through the cracks of the welfare system. ref DRT 1 02PS
860643 -
860644 - [On 001220 Paul concurs with Gary Johnson's suggestion that it is
860645 - difficult to obtain concensus on values. ref SDS 79 WZ6H
860646 -
860648 - ..
860649 - Paul notes the desire to be neutral on the ends to which
860650 - "bootstrapping" is applied to attract broad support. He believes many
860651 - organizations (large corporations or other bureaucracies) in today's
860652 - world effectively are already machine intelligences (somewhat like ant
860653 - colonies) working towards their own exponential ends (in an economic
860654 - framework). Langdon Winner's "Autonomous Technology" brings up this
860655 - in part, since effectively people in a "role" in a corporation have
860656 - limited choices as to what they can do in that role (or they are
860657 - dismissed if they go beyond that role in other than subtle ways). So
860658 - in this sense, I see the machine intelligences already to an extent
860659 - "shading out" efforts like the Bootstrap Institute or the Humanities
860660 - library. ref DRT 1 02RR
860661 -
860662 - http://www.humanitylibraries.net/
860663 -
860665 - ..
860666 - Need example to clarify the concept of "machine intelligence," that
860667 - Paul has in mind.
860669 - ..
860670 - If people are constrained by the role in an organization, how does
860671 - that translate to useful "intelligence," in the sense that the
860672 - objective of enhancing competence is to empower folks with a
860673 - broader vision?
860674 -
860675 -
860676 -
860678 - ..
860679 - Bootstrapping IT Leads to Demand for Bootstrapping KM
860680 - Competence Solves Human Needs Bootstrapping to Create Civilization,
860681 -
860682 - Paul suggests people associated with the "Bootstrap Institute"....
860683 -
860684 - http://www.bootstrap.org/
860685 -
860686 - ....think deeply about Boostrap's mission statement, ref SDS 24 3744,
860687 - in terms more of understanding the bootstrapping process our
860688 - civilization are enmeshed in and directing it to specific defined
860689 - positive ends. Unfortunately, that may mean losing participation of
860690 - some who don't agree with the chosen ends. But one thing I hope we
860691 - all can agree on after reading the Technology Review article and
860692 - related materials -- "bootstrapping" is happening right now in many
860693 - ways, and the implications are both wondrous and threatening.
860694 - ref DRT 1 0DUR
860695 -
860696 - This re-states Paul's initial point. ref SDS 0 T66K
860698 - ..
860699 - In a second letter today, Paul confirms his view that Bootstrapping is
860700 - already occurring, and does not solve problems of basic human needs.
860701 - ref DRT 2 C19G Below, world hunger can be solved without
860702 - bootstrapping KM. ref SDS 0 I74O He says bootstrapping causes
860703 - exponential growth that compounds complexity. ref SDS 0 4E4G
860704 -
860705 - [On 001221 Paul re-states this concern. ref SDS 81 IM5F
860707 - ..
860708 - Civilization Advances by Bootstrapping
860709 -
860710 - Mission statement by definition should a positive end.
860711 -
860712 - Paul needs to explain "positive."
860713 -
860714 - On 000127 Paul seemed to indicate that free markets adjust
860715 - allocation of resources to meet human needs. ref SDS 28 4028
860717 - ..
860718 - Bootstrapping, as continual improvement, is the essence of
860719 - civilization, reported on 991217, ref SDS 23 0320, and thus is
860720 - occuring in Information Technology (IT), as it has occurred in
860721 - other fields, e.g., agriculture, manufacture, government,
860722 - transportation.
860724 - ..
860725 - Bootstrapping in these fields has created a world of opulence,
860726 - conjestion, regulation and frenzy, commonly called "information
860727 - overload" that has turned our strongest asset into the classical
860728 - Faustian bargain....
860729 -
860730 -
860731 - Communication is the biggest risk of enterprise
860732 -
860733 -
860734 - ...explained in the letter on the high cost of medical mistakes,
860735 - ref DIP 4 1680, issued on 990924. ref SDS 20 5576 On 931130
860736 - management expert, Peter Drucker, explains the complexity of
860737 - communication is overwhelming, ref SDS 4 3851, and POIMS explains
860738 - this reflects the realities of a complex world and architecture of
860739 - human thought. ref OF 1 0561
860740 -
860741 - [On 001221 DKR team strives to enhance competence using IT
860742 - rather than SDS. ref SDS 81 2304
860744 - ..
860745 - [...Gary Johnson and Eric Armstrong note complexity requires
860746 - solutions that are not intuitive nor obvious. ref SDS 81 L76K
860748 - ..
860749 - Bootstrapping is not occurring in the field of knowledge formation
860750 - because the "intelligence" process that forms knowledge, i.e., the
860751 - architecture of human thought, see POIMS, ref OF 1 0561, is
860752 - involuntary, and so beyond the reach of direct examination. As a
860753 - result, people feel comfortable foraging on information, and so as
860754 - the amount goes up there is less time to think: analyse, organize,
860755 - summarize and align new inforrmation to create accurate knowledge,
860756 - as reported on 960910. ref SDS 13 3479 On 000518 professor Mary
860757 - Keeler reported that accuracy is a key dimension of meaning that
860758 - imparts knowledge. ref SDS 41 O43M
860759 -
860760 - [On 001220 Paul seems to concur in a reply to a letter from
860761 - Gary Johnson. ref SDS 79 FL9G
860763 - ..
860764 - Bootstrap Institute's mission statement reported on 991222 calls
860765 - for activity that can eventually lead to Knowledge Management.
860766 - ref SDS 24 3744 Per above, Paul seems to invert BI objectives.
860767 - ref SDS 0 T66K
860769 - ..
860770 - Paul should set out implications from BI's mission statements that
860771 - appear ominous, and deserving of the alert he sounds today.
860772 -
860773 -
860774 -
8608 -
SUBJECTS
What Should DKR Team Do Differently to Solve World Problems Beyond De
Welch, Rod
Culture of Knowledge
8905 -
890601 - ..
890602 - What Should DKR Project Do Differently
890603 -
890604 - Submitted ref DIT 1 0001 responding to Paul's letter, reviewed above,
890605 - ref SDS 0 0208, asking Paul to list the two or three things he wants
890606 - Bootstrap and the DKR project to do that are not being done, or to do
890607 - differently. ref DIT 1 R66J
890608 -
890609 - [...below is Paul's response. ref SDS 0 0764
890611 - ..
890612 - [On 001221 Paul recommends changing "business as usual" to avoid
890613 - world-wide calamity; he does not propose any specific actions.
890614 - ref SDS 81 P86I
890616 - ..
890617 - Explain....
890618 -
890619 - 1. Culture of knowledge is needed to accommodate a new world order
890620 - of IT that overwhelms human span of attention, ref DIT 1 NE6N,
890621 - causing continual bumbling due to meaning drift (see, for
890622 - example, discussion on the high cost of medical mistakes, per
890623 - above, ref SDS 0 Y67O, explaining communication, which is
890624 - nominally the strongest asset of any community, is rapidly
890625 - becoming the biggest risk of enterprise.) It addresses Doug's
890626 - objective to improve competency for solving complex problems,
890627 - reported on 001114, ref SDS 66 SU3L, since communication, is by
890628 - far the most complex problem of the ages, per Drucker reviewed
890629 - on 931130, ref SDS 4 3851, who also notes new realities of IT
890630 - that bring increased risks. ref SDS 4 1855
890631 -
890632 - [On 001221 Gary Johnson explains "obvious" solutions to
890633 - complex problems are often incorrect. ref SDS 81 L76K
890634 -
890636 - ..
890637 - 2. Breakthrough solution enhances alphabet technology using a
890638 - continual "intelligence" process that turns information into
890639 - knowledge, ref DIT 1 9G8N, thus the goal to move up a notch on
890640 - the cognitive scale from IT to KM, as discussed with Doug on
890641 - 000327. ref SDS 34 9975
890642 -
890643 - [On 001221 Gary Johnson indicates this capability may be
890644 - needed to solve complex problems. ref SDS 81 L76K
890646 - ..
890647 - Paul suggests today that bootstrapping, while intending to
890648 - solve complexity, might, in some respects, be said to compound
890649 - the problem it seeks to solve. ref SDS 0 GN5H I think there is
890650 - another way to explain bootstrapping that avoids this conflict,
890651 - but you seem to be arguing against it. Can you clarify?
890652 -
890653 -
890654 -
8907 -
SUBJECTS
Intelligence, More to Living Values, Desires
Intelligence Applied to Accomplish Values, Desires, Paul Fernhout
Intelligence Capability Critical Choose Between Competing Values Iden
Knowledge Cause Effect from Information over Time, Guides Action
Trickery Deception Inherent in Nature Requires Reliability in Truth
9807 -
980801 - ..
980802 - Values Direct Application of Intelligence
980803 -
980804 - Received ref DRT 2 0001 from Paul responding to the letter earlier
980805 - this morning, ref DIT 1 0001, per above. ref SDS 0 U14J
980806 -
980807 - [On 001220 responded to Paul's 2nd letter. ref SDS 79 0001
980809 - ..
980810 - [On 001220 John Werneken responds to Paul's letter. ref SDS 79
980811 - K88M
980813 - ..
980814 - Paul says initially....
980815 -
980816 - First let me summarize: there is more to living than
980817 - "intelligence". ref DRT 2 FN6J
980818 -
980819 - Can there, however, be life as we know it, with the
980820 - opportunity to influence the character of existence by, for
980821 - example, helping others, being kind to animals and improving
980822 - the environment, without using "intelligence," and expanding
980823 - the power of that process to meet new realities of an
980824 - evolving universe?
980826 - ..
980827 - Intelligence doesn't call one to act, "desire" does that.
980828 - "Intelligence" doesn't define why one should do one thing rather
980829 - than another, unless one already has "values". One can make a
980830 - rational choice, but the desire and values that cause that choice
980831 - to be made and acted on are to a large extent outside of the
980832 - realm of "intelligence". As an outgrowth of "intelligence",
980833 - knowledge management will neither lead to choices or cause
980834 - actions in the absense of "values" or "desire".
980835 -
980836 - Gary Johnson replies to Paul contending that the pace of
980837 - technology exceeds the capacity of people to apply it
980838 - effectively. ref DRT 3 008M
980840 - ..
980841 - [On 001220 Paul seems to concur, in a reply to Gary Johnson,
980842 - that technology has outstripped the ability of people to use
980843 - it. ref SDS 79 FL9G
980845 - ..
980846 - We are talking about putting ever more powerful "intelligence" in
980847 - the hands of organizations that have already shown themselves
980848 - capable of building 50,000 nuclear warheads, letting close to a
980849 - billion people starve, and dumping PCBs in water bodies and
980850 - resisting attempts to clean them up. One must question the
980851 - desires and values of such organization, even if to an extent
980852 - some of those decisions may have also been due to faulty
980853 - reasoning or lack of knowledge (i.e. nukes=MAD,
980854 - starvation=racism, PCBs=ignorance). ref DRT 2 NA6L
980855 -
980857 - ..
980858 - Increasing Intelligence Aids Choice of Values
980859 -
980860 - Values and desires eminate from biology that requires
980861 - resources to sustain life. Actions to acquire resources
980862 - uphold the value of life. In an advanced organism, intellect
980863 - perceives that focused, indirect action through cooperation
980864 - that brings deferred rewards has a better chance of acquiring
980865 - needed resources, than does immediate, emotional action to
980866 - satisfy momentary urges, often called desires. If enabling
980867 - forces are aligned, this fundamental application of intellect
980868 - leads to community, farming, finance and education, as basic
980869 - investing processes to forge civilization, ref DIP 1 00VX,
980870 - set out in the letter on 001102. ref SDS 60 XA5F
980871 -
980872 - [On 001221 Gary Johnson seems to support this view.
980873 - ref SDS 81 L76K
980875 - ..
980876 - Gary Johnson commented on Paul's second letter today saying
980877 - as we develop tools and techniques for organizing knowledge
980878 - into accessible information and increase the possibility of
980879 - learning supported by better information tools, we begin to
980880 - break the stranglehold that governments have on education,
980881 - and the dependence on large organizations of all sorts.
980882 - ref DRT 3 006Q
980883 -
980884 - Gary's formulation of organizing knowledge into accessible
980885 - information seems to overlook that informtion is actually
980886 - organized into knowledge.
980888 - ..
980889 - [On 001220 Paul responded to Gary's letter. ref SDS 79
980890 - R28H
980892 - ..
980893 - Gary further maintains that when a small group of individuals
980894 - can perform the research required to bring about some of the
980895 - goals that Paul considers important, there is a chance of it
980896 - getting done. If the future relies on our ability to convert
980897 - bureaucracies or mass humanity to any better way of doing
980898 - things, we are indeed doomed. ref DRT 3 664J
980899 -
980900 - USSR is an example of the failed experiment Gary may have
980901 - in mind here.
980903 - ..
980904 - [On 001220 Paul seems to concur. ref SDS 79 N3D2
980906 - ..
980907 - Intelligence identifies the range of issues that impact
980908 - choice of action, cited by USACE in a report on 971007.
980909 - ref DRP 1 4680 George Millier in his seminal work on
980910 - cogintive science points out that people can typically hold
980911 - about 7 subjects or issues in their mind. When this limit is
980912 - exceeded, critical factors are overlooked with the result
980913 - that the choice of action often fails to reflect the values
980914 - of the people who make the choices, due to limited span of
980915 - attention in relation to complexity, reported on 990303.
980916 - ref SDS 17 6120
980917 -
980918 - [On 001221 Gary Johnson seems to support this view.
980919 - ref SDS 81 L76K
980921 - ..
980922 - Limited time reduces the time to think, which impacts the
980923 - ability to organize information in time to make correlations
980924 - and assess implications that identify actions to accomplish
980925 - values, as reported on 940609, per above. ref SDS 0 P55H
980927 - ..
980928 - If KM technology can enable people to think, remember and
980929 - communicate better, the chance that values can be implemented
980930 - is increased, per the letter to Paul, above. ref SDS 0 4E5M
980932 - ..
980933 - Accordingly, it is difficult to see how intelligence can be
980934 - easily dismissed from the process of giving priority to
980935 - competing values.
980936 -
980938 - ..
980939 - Freedom v. Slavery Correlates to Process or Prescription
980940 -
980941 - Paul's formulation of letting close to a billion people
980942 - starve, and dumping PCBs in water bodies and resisting
980943 - attempts to clean them up, ref SDS 0 0N6N, deserves careful
980944 - scrutiny.
980945 -
980946 - [...see also below. ref SDS 0 HU7M
980948 - ..
980949 - Suppose we do not "let" people starve. Every herd has good
980950 - times and bad times according to how their choices affect
980951 - ability to cope with the fortunes of nature that evolve
980952 - through eternal cycles. If the strong attend only to saving
980953 - the weak, rather than organizing for equal opportunity, then,
980954 - not only will many of the weak die anyway, but no progress
980955 - will occur to discover how to make living enjoyable, and how
980956 - to expand the range of people who participate productively.
980958 - ..
980959 - Meeting "unmet" needs set out in Paul's second letter, is
980960 - simplistic. ref DRT 2 BT6O "Needs" occur along a continuum
980961 - from sustaining life, like air, less immediate needs like
980962 - water and food, then shelter, then shoes and clothing to make
980963 - existence more enjoyable. Then plumbing, electricity, roads,
980964 - cars, TVs, cell phones and computers are "needed" to make
980965 - life more enjoyable, and provide incentive and enhanced
980966 - comptetence to contribute toward meeting our own needs, and
980967 - unmet needs of others. When one need is met, another
980968 - immediately fills the void that drives humans to act, so in
980969 - fact "unmet" needs can never be met, but must be balanced
980970 - with accountability.
980972 - ..
980973 - Markets facilitate choices by providing goods and services
980974 - based on simple numerical "values." People can decide to get
980975 - "extra" value at McDonalds by ordering a side order of frys,
980976 - or forego that value to get a new pair of shoes, which, also,
980977 - has value.
980978 -
980979 - [On 001221 Paul argues welfare support is an "investment"
980980 - to help people re-group for contributing to the
980981 - community. ref SDS 81 X16G
980983 - ..
980984 - [On 001221 social dilemma balances accountability and
980985 - charity. ref SDS 81 V3DF
980987 - ..
980988 - A major effort was made to relieve starvation in Ethiopia,
980989 - and this came up against strong resistance by some of those
980990 - being helped, as seen from the need for soldiers to
980991 - distribute food, some of whom were killed. Many called the
980992 - US interventionist, and hegomenic. see below. ref SDS 0 PV8H
980993 - It is not evident that any procedural change has occurred
980994 - that will enable the people, who were helped, to help
980995 - themselves, so they do not let themselves starve again.
980996 -
980997 - Gary Johnson seems to make a similar point. ref DRT 3 01DT
980999 - ..
981000 - [On 001221 Eric Armstrong seems to make a similar point.
981001 - ref SDS 81 L76K
981003 - ..
981004 - Freedom is a basic value cited in the US Declaration of
981005 - Independence, and enshrined in the Constitution. Freedom can
981006 - have no meaning, if there is no freedom to fail in pursuing
981007 - the dream for a better tomorrow. Without failure there can
981008 - be no joy.
981010 - ..
981011 - Accordingly, if pursuit of happiness is a basic right, then
981012 - there must be a concomittant right to fail.
981013 -
981014 - [On 001221 expanded this idea in relation to the right of
981015 - autonomy. ref SDS 81 005J
981016 -
981017 -
981018 -
9811 -
SUBJECTS
Energy
Malthusian Predictions
Energy Policy
Environment Impact Escalates as Demand for Meeting Unmet Needs Grows
A406 -
A40701 - ..
A40702 - Meeting Needs Escalates Demands on Environment for Energy
A40703 -
A40704 - Many of the loudest voices, who call for helping starving
A40705 - billions, are the same who call for reducing development of
A40706 - domestic energy supplies. Without energy, how can we save
A40707 - others? The same voices call for conversation; yet, meeting
A40708 - "unmet" needs will escalate demands on delicate environmental
A40709 - conditions, as needs necessarily rise, per above. ref SDS 0
A40710 - G24H Thus, it is essential to develop the means to meet these
A40711 - demands with better technology.
A40712 -
A40713 - [On 001221 Eric Armstrong makes similar point.
A40714 - ref SDS 81 L76K
A40715 -
A40716 -
A40717 -
A408 -
SUBJECTS
Values, Desires Guide Use of Intelligence, Paul Fernhout
Value Affirmation Requires Common Agreement Established by Bible, 10
A604 -
A60501 - ..
A60502 - Paul says in his second letter, responding to the letter asking for
A60503 - the 2 or 3 things he wants the DKR project to accomplish. ref DIT 1
A60504 - R66J
A60505 -
A60506 - 1. Value Affirmation.
A60507 -
A60508 - There should be an affirmation of core human values and humane
A60509 - purposes in a statement of purpose for "bootstrapping" as
A60510 - defined by the Bootstrap Institute. In elaboration, it is not
A60511 - enough to say we will teach everyone how to do what they do
A60512 - better, as this is in effect a small mammal sixty million years
A60513 - ago saying "we will teach dinosaurs to be better dinosaurs" or
A60514 - "we will teach sharks to be better sharks". The point is that
A60515 - to isolate competence from purpose and values invites trouble.
A60516 - ref DRT 2 00VR
A60517 -
A60518 - [On 001220 submitted letter analysing binary force of
A60519 - competency and values. ref SDS 79 0001
A60521 - ..
A60522 - [...same letter points out that variability of genetics
A60523 - and experience give each person different values for
A60524 - sustaining life, within the general framework of male
A60525 - and female. ref SDS 79 MM5J
A60527 - ..
A60528 - Gary Johnson notes in a letter received today that we can
A60529 - start that debate and expend all of our energy on it and
A60530 - get nothing accomplished. Gary wants to create a set of
A60531 - tools that make it possible to investigate the mammoth
A60532 - amount of knowledge required to investigate the major
A60533 - issues. Part of the reason for staying out of the soft
A60534 - areas is that the amount of information that has to be
A60535 - understood and manipulated to deal with even the simplest
A60536 - of social issues continues to outstrip the abilities of
A60537 - those who would do so. Until we can begin to understand and
A60538 - model how we work together to achieve any goal, it seems
A60539 - unlikely that we will have much impact on it. ref DRT 3
A60540 - 00AK
A60541 -
A60542 - [On 001220 Paul's reply to Gary seems to recognize
A60543 - impact of genecit variability. ref SDS 79 005J
A60545 - ..
A60546 - [...Paul concurs with Gary's suggestion that it is
A60547 - difficult to obtain concensus on values. ref SDS 79 WZ6H
A60549 - ..
A60550 - [...Gary summarizes his point that examination of world
A60551 - problems contributes to establishing goals for improving
A60552 - technology, in particular KM. ref SDS 79 DW6J
A60554 - ..
A60555 - [On 001221 Gary re-states his concern that beginning a
A60556 - discussion of technology by first addressing values, is
A60557 - futile. ref SDS 81 0276
A60559 - ..
A60560 - The view that all of our problems would be solved if only
A60561 - others saw the issues as as we do is a self-defeating
A60562 - viewpoint. All utopian ideas are basically "all that has to
A60563 - happen is for human nature to change to the way I would
A60564 - like it to be." It isn't going to happen. If social goals
A60565 - are going to be met, it will be done by people, who already
A60566 - have such goals, develop the necessary tools and abilities
A60567 - to accomplish those goals, and set about getting it done.
A60568 - ref DRT 3 2E3K
A60569 -
A60571 - ..
A60572 - Big Solutions Come from Individuals, Small Groups
A60573 -
A60574 - Gary points out that as we get more information on how
A60575 - natural systems work, for example, such things as organic
A60576 - farming which works with natural systems to produce more
A60577 - food better and without massive amounts of chemicals
A60578 - provide the possibility of bypassing the large dinosaur
A60579 - systems that currently have to provide the chemicals. If
A60580 - there is going to be a $5 box that will power a village it
A60581 - will far more likely be the result of a small group working
A60582 - to solve that problem than it will because the existing
A60583 - system decided to build such a device. This is knowledge
A60584 - and research which is just now becoming available to groups
A60585 - small enough to care. ref DRT 3 4H4M
A60586 -
A60587 -
A606 -
SUBJECTS
Unintended Consequences Technology Dilemma of Civilization Progress
Energy Problem Smaller than Complexity Exponential Growth Technology
Malthusian Predictions
Complexity from Exponential Growth Technology Bigger Problem than Ene
Malthusian Complexity Compounded by Technology Can Never Solve Proble
AB07 -
AB0801 - ..
AB0802 - 2. Understanding Exponential Growth.
AB0803 -
AB0804 - To the extent the colloquium still operates and desires to
AB0805 - discuss issues that will have great (possibly negative) impact
AB0806 - over the next few decades, the colloquium needs to have a focus
AB0807 - on dealing with this problem of rapid exponential change itself
AB0808 - and what it is leading towards. This is specially true in
AB0809 - considering the implications of machine intelligence. It is
AB0810 - also true in considering the implications of the increase of
AB0811 - destructive -- and constructive -- capacity via nanotechnology
AB0812 - and biotechnology. ref DRT 2 00WS
AB0813 -
AB0814 - This extends Paul's worry in his first letter. ref SDS 0
AB0815 - GN5H
AB0817 - ..
AB0818 - Does the same reasoning raise concern that demands of
AB0819 - large populations for better lifestyle to meet unmet
AB0820 - needs, ref SDS 0 G24H, will have an exponential impact on
AB0821 - environment and consequent threat to meeting unmet needs,
AB0822 - per above. ref SDS 0 MK3A
AB0824 - ..
AB0825 - Doug offers a solution using the DKR that increases
AB0826 - competence for solving complext problems, reported on
AB0827 - 001114. ref SDS 66 SU3L Communication Metrics provides
AB0828 - this solution as explained in POIMS, ref OF 1 0001, and in
AB0829 - NWO. ref OF 2 0001
AB0831 - ..
AB0832 - This point is discussed further above. ref SDS 0 Y67O
AB0833 -
AB0834 -
AB09 -
SUBJECTS
Unintended Consequences Technology Dilemma of Civilization Progress
Energy Problem Smaller than Complexity Exponential Growth Technology
Malthusian Predictions
Complexity from Exponential Growth Technology Bigger Problem than Ene
Malthusian Complexity Compounded by Technology Can Never Solve Proble
Politics of Unmet Needs Primary Value Bootstrap Should Identify Value
Unmet Needs Escalate Can Never be Met
World Hunger Unmet Needs Should be Satisfied without Concern about Pr
AH10 -
AH1101 - ..
AH1102 - 3. Accepting the Politics of Meeting Human Needs.
AH1103 -
AH1104 - Addressing human needs (beyond designing an OHS/DKR) was one of
AH1105 - Doug's major goals and something that occupied many presenters
AH1106 - in the Colloquium. The colloquium needs to accept that there
AH1107 - are effectively no technical issues requiring extensive
AH1108 - innovation related to supporting contemporary society that are
AH1109 - of any significant importance. This is in part due to an
AH1110 - abundance of material resources, as well as since our
AH1111 - technological infrastructure is effectively obsolete compared
AH1112 - to what is in the labs or in limited deployment. (The only
AH1113 - exception to that is the need for organizing and distributing
AH1114 - what we already know...), ref DRT 2 665J
AH1116 - ..
AH1117 - That is, the presentations in the colloquiums on imminent world
AH1118 - problems (energy crisis especially) are effectively already out
AH1119 - of date. It is true California is short of electricity, we
AH1120 - will run out of oil in 100+ years, 840 million people people
AH1121 - are starving now, but these are not directly technology
AH1122 - problems since the technology and material abundance exists to
AH1123 - solve them all right now, but what is lacking is the political
AH1124 - will (or social consensus). One might call these
AH1125 - organizational problems, requiring perhaps innovation in a
AH1126 - practical (deployment) context (which an OHS/DKR might help
AH1127 - with). I think improved technology could help with these issues
AH1128 - in the sense of making the costs to solution even smaller (i.e.
AH1129 - a $5 box the feeds a village forever) and so lowering the bar
AH1130 - for political action, but the deeper issues are ones of
AH1131 - fairness, compassion, and so on (which includes the fact people
AH1132 - don't get research funding to make that $5 food box even if it
AH1133 - was feasible). If resource distribution is grossly unfair, even
AH1134 - the $5 to keep a village alive forever will be spent on
AH1135 - lipstick instead. So to the extent the Colloquium wants to
AH1136 - focus on current issues (world hunger, California electricity
AH1137 - crisis) it needs to support tools more related to dealing with
AH1138 - politics or social consensus. ref DRT 2 SX6L
AH1139 -
AH1140 - [On 001221 Paul re-states this position. ref SDS 81 0124
AH1141 -
AH1143 - ..
AH1144 - World Hunger Requires Socio-economic Solution
AH1145 -
AH1146 - The DKR team is comprised of computer programmers and
AH1147 - assorted hangers on, like Welch.
AH1148 -
AH1149 - [...Paul concurs with Gary's suggestion that it is
AH1150 - difficult to obtain concensus on values. ref SDS 79 WZ6H
AH1152 - ..
AH1153 - This group has expertise and/or interest in developing and
AH1154 - possibly some day using knowledge management.
AH1156 - ..
AH1157 - Paul says these skills are not needed to solve unmet needs
AH1158 - of hunger, ref DRT 2 2B5I, and per above, ref SDS 0 0N6N,
AH1159 - because there are already abundant resources available.
AH1160 - ref DRT 2 665J
AH1161 -
AH1162 - [On 001221 Paul re-states this position. ref SDS 81 H84I
AH1164 - ..
AH1165 - What actions does Paul propose the DKR team take in
AH1166 - answering the call about values?
AH1167 -
AH1168 - [On 001221 Paul recommends changing "business as usual"
AH1169 - to avoid world-wide calamity; he does not propose any
AH1170 - specific actions. ref SDS 81 P86I
AH1172 - ..
AH1173 - Stop working on KM and write a check to someone? How much
AH1174 - and to whom should the check be written? To Nelson
AH1175 - Mandella, Billy Graham, President Clinton, to whom? What
AH1176 - action will the folks who get the money take to alleviate
AH1177 - hunger?
AH1179 - ..
AH1180 - Should we grab up our groceries and head for the boat going
AH1181 - to Africa?
AH1183 - ..
AH1184 - Should we go to Africa and volunteer to help people set up
AH1185 - farming and distribution systems? What do we know about
AH1186 - those disciplines? Should we go to school to learn how to
AH1187 - help others accomplish these basics of survival?
AH1189 - ..
AH1190 - How have donations and volunteer efforts worked in the
AH1191 - past? Are there any obstacles to delivering food, money,
AH1192 - medicine and other necessities to the people who need it?
AH1193 - Will military support be needed to ensure people who need
AH1194 - help get it, rather than have it confiscated by people on
AH1195 - the ground who do not share Paul's values? see above on
AH1196 - Ethiopia. ref SDS 0 J35J How long will food delivery be
AH1197 - needed? If food is given away, how will that impact the
AH1198 - ability to grow indigenous agrigculture and distrubution
AH1199 - markets?
AH1201 - ..
AH1202 - If we intervene militarily, how long before those calling
AH1203 - for intervention will be accusing the helpers of
AH1204 - interferring in civil disputes among underpriveleged,
AH1205 - minority cultures, as occurred in Vietnam?
AH1207 - ..
AH1208 - These are questions KM is designed to address better than
AH1209 - existing methods? see above. ref SDS 0 XC3M
AH1211 - ..
AH1212 - What evidence shows these questions are being handled
AH1213 - properly now?
AH1214 -
AH1215 -
AH1216 -
AH1217 -
AH13 -
SUBJECTS
Profits Not Proper Value for KM Should Focus on Human Needs
Corporate Profits Improper Value for Using KM
AM04 -
AM0501 - ..
AM0502 - Doing Good by Doing Well, or Doing Well by Doing Good
AM0503 - Corporations Goal of Profit Impedes Meeting Human Needs
AM0504 -
AM0505 - Paul maintains that if corporations now doing IT have the major goal
AM0506 - of profit as opposed to "meeting unmet social needs" (to quote William
AM0507 - C. Norris)
AM0508 -
AM0509 - http://www.digitalcentury.com/encyclo/update/william_norris.html
AM0510 -
AM0511 - ...then corporations whether they do IT or KM are irrelevant to human
AM0512 - survival. They are effectively machine intelligences with their own
AM0513 - ends (the ethic of profit maximization, or "bucks is beautiful") to
AM0514 - which humans are only relevant in well defined "roles" to the extent
AM0515 - they are currently required for service or markets. If they could be
AM0516 - replaced at less cost by automation, they will be -- nay, by the
AM0517 - corporation's rules in a competitive landscape, they must be (except
AM0518 - union jobs?). The only hope to resist this is some form of government
AM0519 - intervention or worker (individual or union) resistance. These
AM0520 - decisions will all be made in bits and pieces, each one seeimgly
AM0521 - sensible at the time. ref DRT 2 BT6O
AM0522 -
AM0523 - [On 001220 Eric Armstrong discusses Paul's concerns during
AM0524 - reception at SRI for Doug Engelbart winning National Medal of
AM0525 - Technology. ref SDS 80 BV4E
AM0526 - ..
AM0527 - Under this theory, corporations should be banned from
AM0528 - using the alphabet and other technological wonders that improve
AM0529 - profits, like trucks to deliver food to the stores.
AM0530 - Corporations could be required by law to hand deliver food.
AM0531 - This would greatly increase employment. Just banning
AM0532 - corporations from using the alphabet would pretty much eliminate
AM0533 - all profits that exceed "appropriate" levels.
AM0534 -
AM0535 - [On 001221 Gary Johnson worries tying technology to only
AM0536 - support particular values, is futile. ref SDS 81 0276
AM0538 - ..
AM0539 - Capitalism proposes organizing in a way that enables people to
AM0540 - flourish, thereby creating a climate where a maximum of the
AM0541 - population is able to do good by focusing on self-interest
AM0542 - activites for doing well. Ignoring this process, and adopting
AM0543 - command and control to direct that everybody first helping the
AM0544 - less fortunate, results in a few "commanders" doing well, by
AM0545 - forcing everybody else to do good, and being reduced to
AM0546 - subsistance existence, as occurred in USSR.
AM0547 -
AM0548 -
AM0550 - ..
AM0551 - Corporate Decay Changing Telephone Support to Voice Recognition
AM0552 -
AM0553 - Consider the starting replacement of telephone support people by voice
AM0554 - recognition systems.
AM0555 -
AM0556 - http://www.nuance.com/
AM0558 - ..
AM0559 - The corporate social form has had little time to evolve (a few hundred
AM0560 - years?) so there is not guarantee that contemporary corporate
AM0561 - organization forms will be capable of doing more than exhausting
AM0562 - convenient resources (passing on external costs when possible) and
AM0563 - then collapsing. ref DRT 2 UV8M
AM0564 -
AM0565 - The corporate social form evolved from families as organizational
AM0566 - units, then tribes, communities, fiefdoms, kingdoms, the church,
AM0567 - nations, i.e., all methods of organization contribute to corporate
AM0568 - governance, except one. In corporate life, participation is
AM0569 - entirely voluntary. Most other forms of historical organization
AM0570 - occurred by birth or coersion.
AM0572 - ..
AM0573 - It is not clear what Paul has in mind referring in this part of
AM0574 - his letter to "replacement of telephone support" by voice
AM0575 - recognition. One possibility is skill based routing that is being
AM0576 - tried to replace telephone operators for connecting callers to the
AM0577 - appropriate people. On 000324 review shows this method reduces
AM0578 - corporate profits because it lacks the vitality that humans bring
AM0579 - to customer support. ref SDS 32 0879
AM0580 -
AM0581 -
AM0583 - ..
AM0584 - KM Tools Cannot Change the World, Only People Change
AM0585 -
AM0586 - Paul says there is one obvious exception to saying KM won't change the
AM0587 - direction of organizations, which is to the extent humans as
AM0588 - individuals in corporations have access to KM tools and might see the
AM0589 - bigger picture and act as individuals. The only other hope is that a
AM0590 - general increase in organizational capacity in large corporations or
AM0591 - governments will let some small amount leak through for unsanctioned
AM0592 - human ends (but the cost in human suffering to that approach is high
AM0593 - -- witness as one example the 840 million people now in hunger.) But
AM0594 - be very clear, this secondary effect is not the reasons organizations
AM0595 - will adopt KM. They will adopt KM for competitive advantage in
AM0596 - business as usual (barring a cultural shift for other reasons.),
AM0597 - ref DRT 2 2B5I
AM0599 - ..
AM0600 - [On 001222 letter to SRI explains KM is one part tools and two
AM0601 - parts tools. ref SDS 82 5E5F
AM0603 - ..
AM0604 - This seems to place a lot of faith in capability that is not used
AM0605 - very much, and is resisted mightly.
AM0607 - ..
AM0608 - There is no evidence that corporations understand the opportunity
AM0609 - of KM, nor that any management would adopt it, due to fear of
AM0610 - accountability, reported on 980405. ref SDS 16 5065
AM0612 - ..
AM0613 - On 001004 submitted letter explaining resistance to moving from IT
AM0614 - to KM. ref SDS 54 P86I Letter on 001102 explained again
AM0615 - resistance to KM.
AM0616 -
AM0617 -
AM0618 -
AM0619 -
AM0620 -
AM0621 -
AM0622 -
AM0623 -
AM0624 -
AM07 -