Re: [xtm-wg] tag line: the GPS metaphor and other metaphors

[Jack Park <jackpark@verticalnet.com>]

Well stated, Jim.  In fact, if it is true that the GPS metaphor is "owned"
by Charles Goldfarb, then we should not be messing with it.

For me, TMs are about two things:
    making it easier to find info resources by means of their associations
(the way I think)
    discovering new associations (they exist where I did not expect them, or
I see what nobody else saw)

Finding and discovering imply this: TMs successfully represent the
information resources in a way that allows my brain to work the way it wants
to work.  For me, and perhaps me alone, TMs are about KR (knowledge
representation), even though I am on record as claiming that knowledge does
not reside in bitspace; it resides in meatspace. So, KR is about
representing what is in meatspace over in bitspace in such a way that
meatspace gets properly stimulated when it visits bitspace.

Oh my!  How 'bout "Bits for your Meat"   <gg>
"Brain Food"
"BrainBits"
"Kibbles&.  no
Here's one that goes around: "Brain Candy"
'nough for now.

From: Jim Farrugia <jim@spatial.maine.edu>
> Just a few thoughts on this...
>
> 1) I think we should pick our metaphors carefully.  For the GPS metaphor,
> for example, I would ask "What does GPS allow us to do?"  And I would
suggest
> (not knowing the right answer) that the answer might be along these
> lines: "It allows us to locate ourselves or other things by means of
> coordinates in a given (earth-based) frame of reference / coordinate
> system."
>
> Then I would ask,  "OK,  well, how do Topic Maps help you get precise
> location information (analgous to coordinates) in a  particular
> 'information frame of reference' within your own (information)  universe?"
>
> Is this locating feature of one thing relative to another the key virtue
> of Topic Maps that we want to plug?
>
>
> 2) I realize my question may not be the right question for this metaphor,
> and my answer may not the right answer for the question.  But, ...
> I think that whatever metaphor is chosen, certain questions will
> inevitably come up that the group will want to be reasonably sure that
> they can answer well enough so that the metaphor continues to make sense
> after a bit of probing.
>
>
> I'm not against any of the metaphors or suggestions that have been
> made.  I just don't want to see us make a stab at something and then
> later have to backpeddle because we haven't thought through certain
> implications of the metaphors we've chosen.
>
>
> From the sidelines,
>
> Jim
>
>
> On Mon, 20 Nov 2000, Jack Park wrote:
>
> > Ditto.
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Mason, James (MXM) <mxm@ornl.gov>
> > To: <xtm-wg@egroups.com>
> > Sent: Monday, November 20, 2000 1:02 PM
> > Subject: RE: [xtm-wg] New poll for xtm-wg
> >
> >
> > > I second Murray's "GPS for an Information Universe"
> > > I, too, think just saying "Web" is too restrictive.
> > >
> > > Jim Mason



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