Annotation by Jari Vaario

From jari@hip.atr.co.jp 
Date: Mon, 25 Jul 94 18:57:02 JST
Message-Id: <9407250957.AA18831@piaget>
From: Jari Vaario 
To: Vgrass 
Subject: Comments on your paper
Status: RO


Volker,

I had nice time with reading your paper. It stimulated my thinking so much
that I am able only give some general comments, instead of going any detail
comments.

1) Your paper draws a connection between Gutenberg (books) and Turing
   (computers). However, I would have started it a little bit more far
   away. Namely:

   - Writing system to abstract natural objects, and then extended to
     abstract concepts.
   - This leads to information genetics, ie., how writing can be viewed as
     genetic material to preserve the information from the generations to
     the others.
   - Then how this will be divided into two paths: influencing other
     persons and recording of facts

     o  Influencing other persons existed before writing systems in various
        ways, that in some cases maybe viewed as primitive broadcast
        systems (cf. public speeches, public announcements, etc.), but with
        writing systems the invention of newspaper by Rochield (spelling?)
        should be mentioned in your paper. This was enhanced with other
        broadcast mediums that you viewed. (BTW. You could have give some
        kind historical perspective for example evolution of letters from
        the early Chinese military instructions (about 4.000 bbc) to
        invention of stamps, and ending to e-mail with disappearance of
        stamps!) On the other hand, thus far it has always been impossible
        for a private person to broadcast anything. Broadcasting has been
        the monopoly of organizations. The latest technology provides a
        single user to broadcast his ideas and opinions freely without any
        censorship. In fact this new technology (including mobile
        telephones, portable fax machines, satellite communication channels
        etc.) enabled the collapse of Soviet Empire.

     o  Recording facts led into developing of information storages, most
        visible in the format of encyclopedias, dictionaries. The most
        surprising result of computer science development was that it is
        mostly used for information storage and retrieval, rather than
        computation where from it took its name and the basic principles!
        In this context you should compare libraries with the global
        information storage and retrieval system of W3, etc. (You have
        forgot Interpedia project from your review of latest development
        (see comp.infosystems.interpedia)). Also there has been some
        proposals of creating a free Network University, that could allow
        developing countries for the same education than in the developed
        countries are now enjoying.

        As you shortly referred to Patie Maes work of intelligent agents,
        that I think is not so revolutionary as it has been given to
        understand, the development leads into a network with some virtual
        persons interacting with the real persons (maybe you could refer
        "Max" movie, run a few years ago also in Japanese TV (NHK?), where
        the Max was a virtual news cast traveling in the computer network
        seeking news).

   - An important point in the development of individual influence
     possibilities is not only the Internet, but the freeware software,
     that allows every one to access freely software, that allows them to
     share the information sources.
   - Maybe you could also give a little bit gloomy picture where this all
     could lead us, or if you prefer a rose picture of better future.

Some more detail comments:

   - You used "wetware" like a meaning of "webware". The first one is often
     used to refer people who are doing research with chemical matters
     (ie. chemistry). I think "webware" is much closer of your meaning?

   - Tower of Saigon I have not heard, but Tower of Hanoi is very
     frequently used example in CS.

   - In your Math Interface you seem to have forgot Mathematics, and all
     that kind mathematical interfaces.

   - Gutenberg Interfaces needs absolutely Interpedia to be mentioned!

   - You should also refer Mosaic by name as the facto W3 interface.

   - a collection of all FAQs published in the network can be found in
     rtfm.mit.edu.

   - There are a lot of collected bibliograph entries available through
     f.ex. Mosaic interface search. have a look f.ex. 
                http://glimpse.cs.arizona.edu:1994/bib/


Well, I would like to continue with commenting the article, but now I have
to go. I think you have a nice article coming. It had some boring
discussion of some obvious stuff, that should be colored with similar
comparisons as your main idea, or then just left out. In general, I liked
the paper.

Good Luck,
:-) jari

PS. I had no time to read what I wrote without to mention to check
spelling. I hope it is however comprehensible.