Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Friction
I was getting frustrated with the slow pace of progress on my knowledge base, and nearly gave up on my "new" targeting system. But..not quite. I was pleased enough that I had made some progress at including some long-standing interests, that I decided to try to refine it rather than give it up.
So, I have a balancing system, (to keep track of which interconnections are most demanded), a targeting system, so I can identify important subjects that aren't in special demand internally, and and a cutoff limit for subjects that aren't in heavy demand. One of the things that has slowed the pace down is the "Stiffness" or "friction" associated with rewrites of some subjects I had developed well in advance of what I can presently use. Next, I need a good way to accelerate the development of 'targeted' subjects.
I mentioned some of the subjects I was interested in; now for a few notes, giving more detail.
I've never wanted to be a historian, although the study of history has fascinated me at times, and still does. My approach borrows from the idea of a topographic map, in which a complex surface is described by lines which mark a constant elevation. How close the lines are indicates how steep the slope is. So, I divide history entirely arbitrarily by dates, to give an idea of the flow of history.
My emphasis is primarily in modern times, after 1500 CE (Christian Era = AD); with greater emphasis on more recent centuries.
One of the reasons I've chosen such a parallel approach to history is that I'm interested in the correlations to and connections among the various civilizations, peoples, and nations of the world. If I'm reading about ancient Egypt, for example, it's hard to recall what may be going on at the same time in Mesopotamia or Greece.
So, I've done a survey of what I call "peoples", and correlating this to history.
Again, my focus is not even; I have comparatively more attention given to the peoples of "Western" civilization than the Asiatic, African, or Native American peoples, and with this kind of approach I can more easily see the gaps where little is known.
So, I have a balancing system, (to keep track of which interconnections are most demanded), a targeting system, so I can identify important subjects that aren't in special demand internally, and and a cutoff limit for subjects that aren't in heavy demand. One of the things that has slowed the pace down is the "Stiffness" or "friction" associated with rewrites of some subjects I had developed well in advance of what I can presently use. Next, I need a good way to accelerate the development of 'targeted' subjects.
I mentioned some of the subjects I was interested in; now for a few notes, giving more detail.
I've never wanted to be a historian, although the study of history has fascinated me at times, and still does. My approach borrows from the idea of a topographic map, in which a complex surface is described by lines which mark a constant elevation. How close the lines are indicates how steep the slope is. So, I divide history entirely arbitrarily by dates, to give an idea of the flow of history.
My emphasis is primarily in modern times, after 1500 CE (Christian Era = AD); with greater emphasis on more recent centuries.
One of the reasons I've chosen such a parallel approach to history is that I'm interested in the correlations to and connections among the various civilizations, peoples, and nations of the world. If I'm reading about ancient Egypt, for example, it's hard to recall what may be going on at the same time in Mesopotamia or Greece.
So, I've done a survey of what I call "peoples", and correlating this to history.
Again, my focus is not even; I have comparatively more attention given to the peoples of "Western" civilization than the Asiatic, African, or Native American peoples, and with this kind of approach I can more easily see the gaps where little is known.
