Ideas What can we do with them? Sam Hahn 20110726
Data
Data
Patterns Visual Auditory Touch Temperature Taste Feelings …
Mappings • (pattern to pattern) • (pattern to object) • Symbol to pattern • Symbol to (pattern to object) • Symbol to object Approximate, not precise
Ideas are elements of cognition I am hungry
Ideas • Can be extracted from data • Can be manipulated • Can be “remembered” • Can be aggregated / composed • Can compose statements / predicates • Look simple • Deceptively simple
Naming and Identity • Reference • Paths • ((Google)) • Frames of Reference • Eg Individuals
Why?
Manipulation • To express • To command • To request • To remember • To ponder • To produce more ideas • …
Expression • Letters • Poetry • Literature • Blogs • Microblogs • Rants • …
Producing New Ideas • Composition / Aggregation • Analogy • Deduction • Induction • Inference • Forward chaining • Backward chaining • Unification
Systems of Idea Production • Science • Logic • Inspiration • God • Art • Metaphor • Analogy • …
Why?(more tactically…)
Augmenting an Individual • Remember ideas • Remember action items • Communicate • Noodle • What-if… • Restructure • Associate • Group • Pattern Recognition • Play / Animate / • Re-Present • Deal with Complexity • Model • Learn • Synthesize • Analyze • Explain dot dotdot
Collaboration • Collaboration isn’t about people • Well it is, but not primarily • Collaboration is about producing better ideas • Solutions • Products • Art • Skills • Plans • … • Understanding the “people” issues and how they help or hinder the eventual arrival at better ideas
Managing Complexity • “Focus” at levels of abstraction • “Focus” at specific areas / points of the problem space • Eliminating extraneous / distracting detail / structure for the moment
Example of Axon work in progress
Axon • Ideas can be represented • Named, with detail • Ideas are manipulable • Ideas can be connected • Ideas can be arranged • Manually, or automatically • No fixed root node / object! • Limitation / requirement of “mindmaps” • Ideas can be “presented” • Arcs are first-class objects • Missing in outliners • “Ideas can be executed”
Other notable tools • FreePlane (Java) – Free • Ecco (Windows) – no longer supported, but available for download • iThoughtsHD (iPad) - $9.99 • Thinking Space (Android) – Free • MindMeister (web) – Free on web (?) • Hundreds of alternatives exist • Almost notable: • MindManager (even though I paid for this)
Example of Ecco in action • 1-level view,vs N-level view
Knowledge • Idea – symbolic association with “something” • I can have an idea of a tree • I can have an idea that a tree is green • Knowledge – Constructs of ideas that imply TRUTH or validity • My idea “a tree is green” is TRUE in this / a knowledge base
Recognition • Basic: • Given a set of sensor data, what symbols do I extract? • More complex: • Given a set of sensor data *and* ideas, what symbols do I extract?
Inference • Production of constructs that are TRUE • Production of constructs that are “Likely to be True”
Problem • A delta between 2 world-states • One is the target, or ideal state • One is the current, or problematic state
Intelligence • The ability to create a path (implementation) between the current and the target states • Can include training, skill attainment
Innovation • The ability to create a solution path when the target state and the current state are not familiar • No known path can be taken OTS and applied to the current problem
Collective Intelligence • Ability for a team (group, etc) to create a solution that is “better” than that of any proper subset of it • “Better” by some team notion of utility function • Does not imply universal participation, equal airtime, feeling good, etc.
Insight • Application of a solution structure from a different domain to the current problem under consideration
Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence • An intelligence architecture that contains • Sensors • Triggers • Event models • Situation assessment • Situation Summary / Dashboard • Tasking model – sensor-centric • Response Model – problem-centric
