THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700


February 17, 1999

03 00050 61 99021703




Mr. Roy Roebuck
Science Applications
International Corporation (SAIC)
10260 Campus Point Drive
San Diego, CA 92121

Subject:   SDS design and KM

Dear Roy,

Here is more on SDS design that is part of POIMS technology to support Communication Metrics, answering your questions this evening.

Not sure you noticed that I cite Jeremy Campbell's work to support Communication Metrics, and so was struck by your reference.

Do you think the Knowledge Management Consortium is a serious effort with potential to really improve knowledge work?

To me, the big objective to move civilization forward requires improving the alphabet, which has evolved over the past 5,000 years into an excellent "public utility" for creating information. But it is weak as a "knowledge" system, because "alphabet" technology depends on the human mind for remembering connections over time. A book cannot connect its contents to the experience of the reader, nor to actions taken as a consequence. Only human intelligence connects the information in a book or a letter, with the experience of the reader. Since experience is the accumulation of information over time, and segmented by subjects into chronologies of cause and effect, it seems to follow that technology which integrates time and information to leverage human experience, should provide a very big advance.

What do you think?

Thanks again for your consideration.

Sincerely,

THE WELCH COMPANY



Rod Welch