To Research the Internet

Sir Tim Berners-Lee (the guy who really "invented" the internet) recently spoke at Rensellaer Polytechnique Institute (RPI) in Troy NY. TBL was at Rensellaer to keynote the launch of the Tetherless World Research Constellation. A research initiative focused on understanding the internet from both the computer science and social aspects. He had this to say:

"The World Wide Web changed the ways people work, play, communicate, collaborate, and educate. But without new research aimed at understanding the current, evolving and potential Web, we may miss or delay opportunities for new and revolutionary capabilities.

To model the Web, to understand the architectural principles that have provided for its growth, and to ensure it supports the basic social values of trustworthiness, personal control over information, and respect for social boundaries, then we must pursue a research agenda that targets the Web and its use as a primary focus of attention."

The concept of a research project that focuses on the internet like this is very compelling to me. Particularly the idea that internet startups are like petri dishes.  Little experiments whose results inform how people use the internet, what form people want the internet to take, what the technological possibilities are, as well as what entrepreneurs think people might want. 

At one point I was considering pursuing a thesis topic somewhere along these lines.  I am still very interested...  

Full article @: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/startups_social_science.php

meme and temes

TED talk. Susan Blackmore.

This talk gave me a whole new set of tools for thinking as well as a new perspective on my own pursuits, for real. Richard Dawkins first coined the term meme in his 1976 book "The Selfish Gene". The definition of a meme is something that replicates itself, it can be anything from biology to an idea. In this talk Susan Blackmore expands on the concept and introduces temes, the next phase of meme-ary.

Ants!!

This is another TED talk, as I mentioned in another post, there'll be a lot of them.

This talk is all about ants. Individual ants are pretty dumb, but when you put a bunch of them together amazingly complex order arrises. Debrah Gordon has spent the past 20 years of her life studying ants and has figured out how it happens. The emergent behavior of these small individually acting entities results in a complex living commuinty. Each component is essantially the same, capbale of every task the colony requires, how the colony organizes itself is akin to a mesh network where components communicate locally resulting in actions that spread throughout the entire colony. The workings of ant colonies could help inform artificial intellangnce and I am tempted to model a colony.

I would also have to model an environment. It would have to be some kind of sand box where users could go in and mess with the ants, such as place food and obstacles.

This seems like it would be a neat thing to do and a fun challenge, now where to find the time...