Re: [regrep-semantic] Fw: Metacrap

["David RR Webber" <david@drrw.info>]

Zachary,

Upon reflection - it is of course too easy to dis' stuff and appear smart.

The real answers lie somewhere up stream.

Clearly eBay,  Google and others now employ search tools that are
sensitive to common typing errors - so a search on 'Plam Pilot' will
reach all target permutations.  Whether you deem people stupid,
tired, dyslexic, or the font too small to catch typos - computers
are supposed to make the job easier not harder.

And I think this shows that there are common codes of practice
that we have to be cognisant of in constructing our solutions here -
so that we leverage these pieces.

Another critical factor that the critique misses is the need to
track and manage CONTEXT.  This is vital - clearly if
information is presented without context it is of limited
value.  So if we know the context that a product classification
was created for - eg context="Marketing", as opposed to
context="Technical Product Specifications", you get a completely
different perspective on the identical article's details.

Smarter user interfaces to crosscheck choices and offer
logical alternates that may already exist clear aid users in
their use of systems.

As always it pays to look at the problem space from a user
perspective and not just a technology one - so that we do
enable real working tools for customers - and not just become
a symptom of the problem rather than part of the cure!

Cheers, DW.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Zachary Alexander" <zack2003@ebtdesign.com>
To: <regrep-semantic@lists.oasis-open.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 4:42 PM
Subject: RE: [regrep-semantic] Fw: Metacrap


David,

I couldn't disagree more.  I think that this feels like '94.  I remember
reading the first press release on a "graphical internet browser" called
Mosaic. I remember sessions at Uniforum on "HTML" and hearing about the
"Hotdog HTML editor."  Now, 2004 we're talking about Protégé and OWL.

IMHO, it's almost time to start taking to the mattresses.

Zachary Alexander
The IT Investment Architect
ebTDesign LLC, (703) 283-4325
http://www.ebTDesign.com | http://www.p2peconomy.com |
http://www.itinvestmentvehicle.com


-----Original Message-----
From: David RR Webber [mailto:david@drrw.info]
Sent: Wednesday, March 03, 2004 4:20 PM
To: regrep-semantic@lists.oasis-open.org
Subject: [regrep-semantic] Fw: Metacrap

Ever thought you were rowing your canoe up against the current?

Of course the solution to the problems detailed here are
all contained in OWL - and not letting humans enter any of
this themselves - but have machines do it all for them!?!

Anyway - personally I'm sticking to my simple noun
dictionary use case for now!  ; -)

http://www.well.com/~doctorow/metacrap.htm

1 People lie
2 People are lazy
3 People are stupid
4 Mission: Impossible -- know thyself
5 Schemas aren't neutral
6 Metrics influence results
7 There's more than one way to describe something