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SustainableInformatics

This version was saved 15 years, 11 months ago View current version     Page history
Saved by PBworks
on April 14, 2008 at 2:37:35 pm
 

Like all good working algorithms, this one needs a name. And not just any name either, but one that captures the possible madness and inefficient, byzantine nature of communication along with a Pennsylvania-appropriate utopian vision—one of a better tomorrow. A tomorrow where people look back and laugh at ideas presented about communication in the four hour work week because they already happened (not the four hour part, just the e-mail ideas, etc.). A tomorrow where a bit of ceremonial pomp prior to the unveiling of an idea becomes the de facto standard of speaking. And now, for the name: sustainable informatics.

 

 

Sustainable informatics is the honing of communicated information producing the most efficient and simple method possible to pass information between parties—whether wetware, hardware, or energy. Etymology: Sustainability is the balance of inputs and outputs so that one does not outweigh the other and can thus be run indefinitely. Informatics is the organization and management of information. Together, sustainable informatics balances inputs and outputs in the organization and management of information so that the information system does not produce a variety of unsustainable states including information overload, an unbalanced signal to noise ratio, and unnecessary central control.

 

 

Now, in order to better understand what this is, let us begin with what it is not. E-mail is not informatically sustainable—many instances of communication cut relevant parties out of a discussion and many salient points may get easily buried in the overflow. If the volume of information gets high enough, information overload may occur, rendering useful decision-making impossible. Thus, cutting down absolute volume encourages more sustainable communication—each communication instance is likely more relevant and encourages further relevant communication so as to avoid waste. The initial increase and subsequent propagation of communication relevance also lowers the signal to noise ratio.

 

For example, daily information movement within a working entity does not have to flow through closed circuits. The emailing "on/off" method of selected destinations is a flawed strategy that will inevitably keep certain party members out of the loop, thus inhibiting ideal flow. The inhibition of this flow leads to a direct information volume increase via the downstream consequences of the initial blockage. Solution: open all closed channels permanently to the "on" position to promote a sustainable decrease in volume.

 

Some practical outputs

SMS|IM, USB-based Linux builds promoting increased personal responsibility for information, leveraging well-designed databases, xml, and display for more efficient and standardized communication—the assumption here is that better designed information spaces increases efficiency of passing (ideally more useful) messages and thus cuts down on high noise and possible overload.

 

 

Theoretical backdrop:

Deluze

Crowds and Power

Programming Collective Intelligence

Information Theory, especially discussions of signal-to-noise ratio

Ambient Findability

Future Shock and subsequent discussions of information overload (of which there are shockingly few—we are not overloaded with discussion of being overloaded)

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