How to avoid steering blindly: The case for a robust repository of human knowledge by Jens C. Niemeyer

Israel,

Good points! Let me try to address them one by one.

Certainly not all knowledge should be made public (for reasons that we probably agree upon), but I believe that some "core knowledge" (science, history etc.) and cultural data (art, music etc.) must be accessible by every human being. Not everybody will agree, but this is what I think we must work toward.

Your second point pretty much reflects what I meant to capture with "multi-dimensional, multi-resolution maps". Just storing data will not be sufficient, we must also provide useful pathways for reaching any given point in knowledge space from different starting conditions (i.e., background knowledge). You are absolutely right.

Magnetic tapes could still be used in the inner layers of the "onion skin" structure where the infrastructure (including power supply) is heavily protected, at least for several years. As I already mentioned in another reply above, I think that ultra-long term storage for centuries and beyond, while interesting and important in the long run, is not a primary problem and shouldn't keep us from setting up the repository as soon as possible.

Thanks, and good luck!

Jens

Dear Jens

If I understand well, your storage onion is planned to work for a few years just in case of a global catastrophe. But not for decades or centuries.

That's fine. Well, we have to work out the details and improve your proposal.

Good luck!

Best Regards

Israel

Dear Jens,

Having a robust backup of the internet is a good idea, and you explained it so clearly that few people can criticize it.

Have you heard of Open-sourced blueprints for civilization ? They are working on a Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) -- a modular, DIY, low-cost, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts.

My own essay describes Three Crucial Technologies that would make both your repository and the GVCS easier to achieve--and much more robust (Your critical comments and score are welcome, BTW).

Another specific technology that makes your proposal easier to implement (in the near term) is the software package Git. It makes copies of the repository *everywhere* with no centralized control. All you need to do is back up your local data in optical (or some other non-EMP-sensitive) format. Printing everything would also be a good idea, but that's a lot of trees... Maybe using a 3D printer with plastic provided by milk jugs (see Distributed Recycling of Waste Polymer into RepRap Feedstock).

Now for the criticisms (sorry). Backing up data is not fun. Choosing what to back up is not fun either. Vitally important if something goes wrong, of course, but that doesn't change the facts that 1) it's boring, and 2) much of it is already being done. So if it's boring, how are you going to fund it? Besides, if we get hit with something that will wipe out the Internet, then we've got really big problems--a billion people will die before a working repository would have any effect.

If everyone just doubled the FEMA/Red Cross recommendations for emergency preparedness, we could save millions of lives in such a disaster, because the *real* repository of knowledge is people. People are the resource that will rebuild civilization.

-Tee

Your essay doesn't address steering the future of humanity.

However !!!!!!!!!

You cite an important part for the sustainability of humanity. I would like to include your insights in a broader development outside of these essays.

Staged Peer Review with Business Incubator

The collective efforts of many of the essays provide a means to steer the future, but no one essay I have read can steer the future on their own merit. As with all control systems, a collection of perspectives are necessary to implement intelligent control.

If you have elected evidence-based qualified doctors of philosophy (ethics) and science (technology development) develop technologies and manage the use of the data collected by the NSA, then an ethical global repository that includes all sensitive data "encrypted by-parts" provides the means to ethically store a complete archive of human knowledge.

retweet: Part of Civil Rights is that Representation is free of Treason http://tinyurl.com/lpqsur5

Currently the NSA is in great turmoil as corporations are applying pressure to provide corporation managed ethical oversight; to me this translates to providing an entrenched system of corruption and treason.

However, if an elected Representation manages the NSA then corruption and treason of all our Representatives can be exposed. To manipulate stuffing of ballot boxes is Treason.

Collection of ALL information is not currently feasible, diverse types of information are in continuous creation. The bandwidth alone would be a significant challenge as researchers world-wide are collecting raw data and processing diverse relationships and related results.

With the advent of quantum physics, infinite memory is feasible in the foreseeable future. But not likely implemented within our lifetimes unless a breakthrough occurs related to "Non-relativistic Quantum Entanglement"; i.e. the mathematics example of imaginary numbers in physical causality.

So what your essay proposed is feasible, but is part of a larger system needed to steer the future of humanity.

Dear Jens

I must agree with some of the comments above that you don't address the important issue of the subject, how and in what direction to advance from our current position. I even find it slightly disturbing that a topic with such potential should be led by such an inward looking proposition.

I haven't seen you try to defend that suggestion. I've suggested far better use of our brains is possible and required to better understand our place in the universe and how it works, and improve our state. Your essay is nicely written but luckily doesn't need a high score from me on content.

Judy

Dear Dr. Niemeyer,

You have an excellent essay. My compliments. Your proposal should definitely be one of the key aspects of a multi-faceted steering strategy.

Best regards,

Tejinder

Hi Jens,

Thanks for the interesting essay. I found that it resonated with my essay on computationally intelligent personal dialogic agents.

I'd appreciate a rating, if you can do that, since I am a bit short on ratings.

It is interesting that there seems to be a focus on declarative ("the grass is green") rather than procedural ("here are the steps to building a birdhouse") knowledge.

I have used the prototype of the system discussed in my essay to deliver procedural knowledge in the moment of action to groups of students working on a project. Some of the concerns you raised in your essay are important to the further development of a dialogic system.

Thanks,

Ray

Dear Jens!

I keep, your crucial proposal written in your essay to think over seriously! Your essay well thought out, so it deserves high score truly.

However, as my essay points out to that - there may be already simulations in running which are not based on technologies we are trying to reconstruct and probably overcome by our contemporary computer technologies.

Those links which I will provide you for your further open minded consideration are not in the circles of mainstream science and knowledge, but I think them important to know you in regard of written in your essay's introduction, and some warning written in my essay concerning "...unless precautions against this digital amnesia are taken".

Noosphere Crystal Module

Keylontic Dictionary 1

Keylonta - Keylontic Science

Wavegenetic (push the home button to completely download the page)

I should like also to draw to your kind attention: Truly "...The human brain is the (my addition: only) most powerful known realization of a flexible (my addition: short time) storage and retrieval mechanism for multi-dimensional and multi-resolution facts and correlations. Creating and updating maps from a continuous data (my addition: held in structured lights bodies which are factually wave-fields.. and of those translation) is similar to committing memories to long-term memory (my addition: being coded into the bodily genetic from short time memory )in the human brain..." (my addition: And, its recalling and back translating requires a proper full bodily genetic arrangement )

We are presently just in a 'bootstrap mode' nearly from zero to call back our lost knowledge about our natural origin. And I hope truly, there is big need for specially dedicated research initiatives and promoters (having proper genetics in their body and mind-set) who can keep it independent from corporate and political and supremacy purposes and only act for the interest of the humanity survival at first step.

Keep in touch Jens if you feel so, my email given in my essay.

Sincerely

Valeria

Dear Jens,

thank you for your neat essay. I support your idea of a `repository' as I, as many others do, believe that we are on the verge of an unprecedented ecological crisis, which could well destroy our current civilization. Such an event has the power of annihilating most of our knowledge, in particular because our knowledge has never been so fragile. To speak about a field of which I have some understanding, namely scientific knowledge, it would not be the first time in history that it is brought back into oblivion by a major global event. Hellenistic science developed already around the 2nd century BC what we call `the scientific method', which is a complex system of knowledge that has been really discovered only once in human history, in that particular environment that was the scientific community of the Hellenistic reigns. It disappeared, mainly due to political events (the conquest of the Hellenistic reigns on behalf of the Romans, and then the takeover of Rome on behalf of Christianity). This precious mass of knowledge was rediscovered during humanism in Europe and the reinassance, and what we usually mark as the `birth' of the scientific method, namely Galileo formulating it in the way we understand it today, was really more of a re-discovery. It was triggered by the very few Greek texts that made it to Reinassance Europe through the Middle Ages, chiefly thanks to the Arab scholars and scientists who kept translating these texts. The main blessing that allowed a tiny bit of this ancient knowledge to survive up to modern age was the fact that book were written on very robust media, like papyrus or even better, parchment. Some ancient texts have been rediscovered during the last centuries in `palimpsests', which are parchments that have been cancelled and re-used for prayer books by monks, which fortunately still carried traces of the original text.

But today's knowledge, as you point out in your essay, relies of way more fragile media (electronic media can't survive much longer than a decade, and more robust media require constant energy to be kept on). Moreover, we risk to lose even the knowledge necessary to access those electronic media. If we face collapse, our knowledge is in even greater danger than the ancient one.

If I was to suggest one limited amount of knowledge I would give absolute priority to be preserved in your `ark', it would be the scientific method (maybe as a scientist I'm biased!). This because it was independently discovered only once in human history, and it is necessary to rediscover all of the scientific knowledge we have today. It would be the fundamental core of wisdom I would like to pass to a `postapocalyptic' generation. Everything starts from there.

Anyway, nice and inspiring essay, and good luck with it.

Flavio

whoops I resulted as `anonymous'... it's me anyway

Flavio

Society is very dependent on the services provided by the infrastructure of civilization. There is little that people can do without the energy enabling communication and many other facets (fuels for transport, potable water supply, etc)of industrialization. Humanity will have to steer the future of this infrastructure if future generations are to enjoy some of these services.

Hello Jens, May I post a short, but sincere critique of your essay? I'd ask you to return the favour. Here's my policy on that. - Mike

Dear Mr. Jens Niemeyer

I have some ideas for repository systems. It should be based on biological principles, as DNA replication, or on the principle of internet that it is stored in multiple locations. The practical realisation of such principle would be to store random parts of knowledge on a part of disk on every sold computer, or still better on a new, non active disk on a computer. When a disaster will happen, some of those computers will survive and they can behave like servers for new internet. Of course, this needs a calculation how much computers we need for such storage. Probably it is not enough space, but after catastrophe some knowledge will remain. Even, every computer drive or flash drive can be filled with such data and after being filled with data the data can be partially deleted. It is not necessary that the sold drives are empty.

Such approach will also enable some browsing on computer, although web will not be accessible.

Other possibility is to built one center on a moon, which will survive even in a case on nuclear war on earth. But this is not so easy feasible than the above model.

The next big question is organization of such knowledge. One help is to make knowledge to the final form from working form. For instance, when the theory of everything (TOE) will be found, it can be (maybe) written on a t-shirt. Thus much knowledge, how to obtain TOE, and many speculations will not be so necessary. The hierarchy and organization of all such knowledge will also be beneficial as new knowledge. On the other side, how to present knowledge is also a not finished story. For instance, I claim that special relativity is not yet presented clearly enough.

These ideas are obtained in one hour and if thorough reflection will not completely delete them, it will be a success.

My essay

Best regards

Janko Kokosar

Dear Jens,

Real-time observation-data of the universe in a holarchical reference time scale, is the most essential data to be conserved in 'Living Earth Simulator Project' to implement a continuous control strategy with Virtual real-time data as the reference data, for environmental regulations.

With best regards,

Jayakar

Jens

As you point out, the acquisition, retention and usage of knowledge is a very important aspect of steering the future. But steering the future involves making the best possible use of the remaining natural resources for the operation and maintenance of the aging infrastructure. For example, what use will the knowledge about how to build, operate and pilot airliners be when they are no longer a viable operation due to lack of fuel and materials.

The useful knowledge will be that which steers the future operation of the aging infrastructure. I propose in my essay that the ELAM movement should sponsor the acquisition of such useful knowledge.

Regards

Denis

Dear Jens,

I agree that a repository is necessary for humanity, and you explain this so eloquently in your well-written essay. (I lost in several occasions data that was very important to me, and now I use regularly source control (even for articles) and make backups. I have a friend who works with financial data, and backs it up on multiple drives, in multiple places, including at a bank.) I liked "A Canticle for Leibowitz", but I also remember reading long time ago a short story in which our civilization ends, and some other civilization (I don't recall if from another planet, or a future civilization on earth) founds only a Mickey Mouse cartoon, which makes them very confuse. Great essay, and good luck with the contest!

Best regards,

Cristi