eco notions
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eco notions |
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[biodiversity] [bursty] [caprice] [diffusion] [dissemination] [ecology, ecosystem] [evolution] [hedonic] [hybrid] [pleasure] [value] [vitality] |
Biodiversity is often regarded as a cause of dissatisfaction in its
own right, and IT directors may dream of imposing a software monoculture
across their organizations. There are many costs associated with biodiversity,
but there are also some potential benefits.
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evolution - richer basis for adaptation and innovation |
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requisite variety - enhanced ability to respond to the complexity in the environment |
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technical robustness (especially in the face of software viruses targeted at a particular platform) |
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commercial robustness (as protection against vendor monopoly) |
| Veryard Project Papers | Biodiversity as ecological
principle of componentry
(in component ecosystems the context for CBD) |
| Internet Links | Academic Press Encyclopedia of Biodiversity |
Burstiness is affected by granularity. One tactic for dealing with burstiness is to aggregate a lot of independent bursty components - to achieve a statistical smoothness.
Gregory Bateson, 'The New Conceptual Frames for Behavioural Research' Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Psychiatric Institute (Princeton NJ: New Jersey Neuro-Psychiatric Institute, September 17, 1958) reprinted in G. Bateson, A Sacred Unity: Further Steps to an Ecology of Mind (edited R.E. Donaldson, New York: Harper Collins, 1991) pp 93-110
| Veryard Project Papers | The Nature and Nurture of Flexibility |
The word ‘dissemination’ originally refers to the process by which a plant spreads its seeds. Some plants launch their seeds into the wind or pop them into the air, others use animals or birds to carry their seeds great distances. Some seeds fall on stony ground, some seeds lie dormant in dry sands for many seasons until the rains come.
Similarly, some seeds may be tossed around by the random winds of the Internet, while others may be safely carried to fertile ground. The source of the seed cannot know - but may try to influence - how and when and where and by whom and for what purpose the seed may be used.
In the literature, there are two largely separate fields of diffusion
theory. Security specialists study the diffusion of components that
represent security threats –software viruses and worms, among other things.
Meanwhile, diffusion theorists mostly study the diffusion of “respectable”
and “well-behaved” technologies.
| Veryard Project Papers | The Diffusions of Components
(pdf)
This paper takes an ecological perspective on diffusion factors within the software component market. It analyses the characteristics of software components that are favourable to diffusion, and poses a radical critique of traditional notions of software requirements and software quality. It also suggests a strategic view of software components and other technological artefacts as evolutionary envelopes rather than fixed collections of properties. Information Leakage (html) |
| Internet Links | Diffusion
(Tom McMaster)
Innovation and Diffusion Theory Studies (Tor Larsen) Information Diffusion Literature (Roger Clarke) |
Ecology is the study of these ecosystems, and the patterns of behaviour that can be found in them.
Typically, an ecosystem will display emergent properties. That is to say, the behaviour of the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
For example, in biology, we can predict the outcome of an encounter between a fox and a rabbit. The rabbit has x% chance of escaping unhurt, and y% chance of getting eaten.
An ecologist wants to go further than this, to understand what happens when lots of foxes meet lots of rabbits, and how this develops over time (for example, as the fox and rabbit populations increase or decrease).
Similar modes of reasoning are relevant in other domains, including
economics, business and software.
| Veryard Project Papers | component ecosystems the context for CBD |
When engineers talk about the evolution of engineered systems, they may mean several different things.
Use of the term evolution invites comparison with biological evolution.
| Veryard Project Papers | Evolution Notes |
One method for adjusting economic data to take account of rapid price movements is the hedonic pricing model. This relates to the pleasure or utility afforded by a given device.
Although hedonic value is sometimes contrasted with utility, we prefer to deploy a unified notion of value that includes all relevant quality factors.
Hedonics can also be used to make sense of change management and adaptation. Hedonic adaptation refers to the way that adaptation influences - and is influenced by - the contours of pleasure in the system. This is the basis for an innovative approach to change management and technology change management, which is being pioneered by Veryard Projects.
| Veryard Project Papers | Hedonic Pricing |
The inventor and former Patent Office Examiner Arthur Pedrick is regarded
with awe in the patent profession for his extraordinary skill at drafting
strange patents. Patent law is designed to prevent silly patents being
granted, but it didn't stop Pedrick. My father, who was a patent agent,
took great delight in a device that combined the functions of nuclear fall-out
detector and catflap, apparently invented by Pedrick's cat Ginger.
| Veryard Project Papers | CBSE as hybrid |
| Internet Links | http://www.patent.freeserve.co.uk/pedrick.html |
The Pleasure Principle refers to a good balance between attention
(excitement) and inattention (statis).
| Veryard Project Papers | The Pleasure Principle the distribution of excitement and energy in business organizations and technology |
Can sometimes (but not always) be expressed in monetary terms, or as a partial ordering.
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