CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
Eric Armstrong
Augment Not Automate Thinking for DKR
Augment Thinking with Computers
Augment Small Scale Capabilities, Group, Individual
Knowledge Management
Knowledge Representation, 000405
Augment Reasoning by Technology

1009 -    ..
1010 - Summary/Objective
1011 -
101101 - Follow up ref SDS 70 0000, ref SDS 69 0000.
101102 -
101103 - Eric submits ideas for guiding design of the DKR that augment human
101104 - reasoning.  This part is pretty well focused, and seems doable.
101105 -
101106 -
101107 -
1012 -
1013 -
1014 - Progress
1015 -
101501 -  ..
101502 - Augment Human Reasoning
101503 -
101504 - Follow up ref SDS 39 4736.
101505 -
101506 - Received ref DRT 1 0001 from Eric Armstrong to the Colloquium, and
101507 - responding to Jack Park's question...
101508 -
101509 -      So, why not let's enumerate the problems of knowledge
101510 -      representation we want to solve, then start from there.
101511 -
101512 - Eric says...
101513 -
101514 -      The goal is to *augment* human reasoning, not replace it. So,
101515 -      while I applaud efforts aimed at teaching machines to understand
101516 -      "tree" and "apple", there are simply too many nouns in the world
101517 -      to make that approach useful any time soon. Even if we *do* reach
101518 -      the point where machines can understanding everything, I'm not
101519 -      sure I care. If the machine doesn't make *me* smarter, then I am
101520 -      fundamentally dependent on it in ways I don't like it.
101521 -      ref DRT 1 2106
101522 -         ..
101523 -         This aligns with objectives of SDS reported on 000106,
101524 -         citing background on AI. ref SDS 38 1316
101525 -
101526 -         On 000120 consideration was suggested on "intelligent
101527 -         processing" of agents. ref SDS 39 4736
101528 -
101529 -         On 000125 computer aided thinking was reviewed by the
101530 -         Colloquium based on referenced resource. ref SDS 41 3008
101531 -
101532 -         On 000324 at first project meeting the record cites this issue
101533 -         as requiring a decision. ref SDS 59 0638
101534 -
101535 -         On 000330 the project plan did not address it. ref SDS 67 1479
101536 -
101537 -           [On 000407 listed as possible agenda item for project team
101538 -           at SRI to understand this distinction. ref SDS 72 2752
101539 -
101540 -      Machinery acts as a tool, as an enabler that helps make me
101541 -      smarter -- one that relieves me of much of the repetitive labor.
101542 -      ref DRT 1 3358
101543 -
101544 -      When I think about what I do in the design process, it really
101545 -      looks very much like a logical system. There are alternatives
101546 -      (or), aggregations (and), implications (therefore), and negations
101547 -      (not). There may also be syllogistic inferences (a->b & b->c & a
101548 -      => c), as well as contradictions (a & ~a). ref DRT 1 0630
101549 -
101550 -         Performing these operations requires a lot of daily working
101551 -         information called out by Doug, reviewed on 000327.
101552 -         ref SDS 63 3971
101553 -
101554 -      Outlines on a computer can easily rearrange things to *build* the
101555 -      organization.  The difference from manual practice is like night
101556 -      and day. The outline becomes a tool that helps get organized.
101557 -      ref DRT 1 1938
101558 -
101559 -         POIMS makes a similar point about the power of editing.
101560 -         ref OF 2 3742
101561 -
101562 -
101563 -       ..
101564 -      Feedback Metrics Improve Communication and Productivity
101565 -
101566 -      Multiple feedback loops and the need to track implications from
101567 -      one document to the next are tasks we leave up to individual
101568 -      designers. Their numbers are limited, due to the difficulty of
101569 -      integrating large volumes of information and maintaining all the
101570 -      "mental links" necessary to do the job properly. But what if
101571 -      there were a tool that assisted us in that process? Might it be
101572 -      possible for average programmer-jock to perform like
101573 -      super-designer? ref DRT 1 1450
101574 -
101575 -         On 000227 Eric cited similar scenario for promoting an
101576 -         effective DKR. ref SDS 49 1248
101577 -
101578 -         POIMS explains feedback is critical to effective knowledge
101579 -         management. ref OF 2 3774  New World Order... explains
101580 -         resistance to feedback. ref OF 4 2670
101581 -
101582 -         On 990525 there was a report that engineers do read and write,
101583 -         they just want to create technology. ref SDS 26 0966
101584 -
101585 -
101586 - Eric cites...
101587 -
101588 -          ..
101589 -         Mind Anticipates Future Efforts While Engaging Current Work
101590 -
101591 -         Design process develops problem statements, functional
101592 -         requirements, functional specs, data structures, design specs,
101593 -         help systems, user guides, and other documentation. The mind
101594 -         does not stay rigidly fixed within a single document space --
101595 -         it happily jumps to the nearest logical node, regardless of
101596 -         the space it is in. So, while thinking about part of the
101597 -         functional spec, the mind may leap to related ideas in the
101598 -         design space, the data structure space, or the requirements
101599 -         space. ref DRT 1 6438
101600 -
101601 -             Understanding human mental machinery is helpful for
101602 -             designing knowledege management.
101603 - ..
101604 - Eric proposes tools should support...
101605 -
101606 -         1.  ...capture associated ideas easily and naturally, without
101607 -             having to "change context" to another document to do so.
101608 -             ref DRT 1 1102
101609 -
101610 -              Seems to align with Doug Engelbart's reference on 000327
101611 -              to his 1972 paper explaining knowledge management handles
101612 -              daily working information. ref SDS 63 3971
101613 -
101614 -              [On 000405 Eric indicates a journal would not harm the
101615 -              DKR but the value is not settled. ref SDS 71 1972
101616 -
101617 -         2.  ...tag ideas as "design" "functional spec", or whatever --
101618 -             and it must be possible to do so after the fact, rather
101619 -             than requiring the author to accurately predict the
101620 -             correct category in advance. ref DRT 1 1960
101621 -
101622 -         3.  ...collect all ideas (nodes) of a single type to create a
101623 -             "document". Collect all of the data structure notes, for
101624 -             example, produces at least the initial version of the data
101625 -             structure document. ref DRT 1 3060
101626 -
101627 -               These are good requirements.
101628 -
101629 -
101630 -
101631 -
101632 -
101633 -
101634 -
101635 -
101636 -
1017 -
1018 -