Re: [unrev-II] Is "bootstrapping" part of the problem?

From: Henry van Eyken (vaneyken@sympatico.ca)
Date: Sat Jan 06 2001 - 05:27:35 PST

  • Next message: Grant Bowman: "[unrev-II] Open Source Projects"

    "John J. Deneen" wrote:

    > CoDIAK connections for bootstrapping? ... Facilitated Co-Evolution
    > within our Cyberinfrastructures .... in pursuit "As much as possible,
    > to boost mankind's collective capability for coping with complex,
    > urgent problems."
    > http://www.intera
    > t.nsf.gov/cise/conferences.nsf/Pages/DF13365846765A5D852569A70060AA95
    >
    > May I suggest bootstrapping the development of OHS/DKR technology in
    > context with Digital Earth (.geo) and Information-In-Place(s), along
    > with testing knowledge management approaches by Cliff Joslyn's Global
    > Brain, Jack Park's Ontology and Topic Maps, and Rod Welch's Schedule
    > Diary System (SDS) for a pilot project proposed by the Western
    > Hemisphere Knowledge Partnership 21? &c

    Yes, John, as far as I am concerned this is, in principle, an excellent
    suggestion. A similar idea was taking shape in my mind when
    experimenting with the Fleabyte pages, see
    http://www.fleabyte.org/archives-one_world.html :

    20 November 1999
    The seventh day

    Why not spare, say once a week, a thought for the world at large? Why
    not periodically interrupt our immediate concerns to sacrifice a moment
    for the concerns of our larger community? Why not once in awhile look
    at the whole to better perceive our place in the larger scheme of
    things? &c

    You will find on our home page ( http://www.bootstrap.org ) a greyed-out
    menu item called "context." It is intended to include on our site a web
    magazine that puts Doug's work in the context of that by many of like
    mind, people who share his ultimate objective.

    What I am dreaming of is a high-quality publication that serves as an
    immediary between a literate public and those working in the wide
    variety of domains that recognize we have sofar only one common
    spaceship in this universe and it is high time to put an end to, let's
    call it, "space rage," which, like air rage should be perceived as a
    crime. Buckminsyter Fuller used to call it "Spaceship Earth."

    Such a publication would be maintained by a volunteer staff of suitably
    proficient people. I perceive a level of quality set by "The Economist"
    (see http://www.economist.com/ ), but with these differences:

    1. The guiding theme the commonality of resources. I like here Thomas
    Malony's way of putting it: "The vision is a society in which all of the
    basic human needs and a fair share of human wants can be met by
    successive generations while maintaining a healthy, physically
    attractive, and biologically productive environment." An economics of a
    slightly different color, so to speak.

    2. Replacing their static archibves by a dynamic archival system, a DKR.

    3. Put an emphasis on such a publication's experimental, evolutionary
    character. In fact, I have in mind working it as a research effort in
    publishing (A, B and C activities all there).

    At this point we are not short of the "right spirit," nor are we short
    of top-drawer starting ideas. We could start today as far as I am
    concerned. Unfortunately, we need the sort of structure and commitment
    to it that ordinarily only money can put in place. Without that
    structure and commitment we are nowhere.

    The first things I am looking for are:

    1. Bringing our site up to a higher level of quality in sofar
    web-publishing standards are concerned.

    2. Seeing the issue of "permanence" resolved, i.e. gaining an assurance
    that this site has a reasonably long-range future.

    3. Attracting quality management. I am thinking of volunteers with the
    required experience and vision capable of attracting journalistic talent
    and putting the resources we already have to best possible use.

    Am I being realistic? I can only hope so.

    Henry



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