transcendentalforesight

Hi All

So just like the physical properties like size, shape, color and measurement is the way to depict a mechanical component or a system , we can treat the information flow as a depiction of an information system.

So , in essence the visualization of information system would mainly comprise of a set of information elements which enter the system and flows through its various logical components/modules to arrive at a specific destination.

This is also akin to the way we think while designing or understanding a information system. While studying a system or a software , we often say , data is entering into module A the going to module B, then module B is processing it and sending to module C. Now, to put it as a information flow , we would say that there is a data identified by D , and D is flowing through module A and getting processed at B before terminating at C. Of course this is a very very simplistic view but in reality , large complex software systems consist of millions of such simple flows. And what makes the system complex is the large number of interactions between these multiple modules to create these multiple flows.

So , ideally if we can visualize this flow ( or all the flows within the system ) and create a kind of a simulated environment to execute and test that flow then this methodology can be as intuitive as a mechanical system design , for designing information systems.

Consider a CAD/CAM software being used to model a mechanical system . This is purely visual driven since the system has to physically look the way we model them in the software and the visual effects of software guide the designers intuitively towards a better design. As a result, what they see in the software is what they expect to get. In case of IT systems we cannot think of visual modeling as they are not represented as physical objects like mechanical systems but visual depiction has a better impact on overall productivity as it can convey much more that words. So if we develop such a  visual depiction of information flow which can give a feel of “what you see is what you get” then that will help the designers to model the system exactly the way they think. And since the information system designers usually think in terms of modules , we can always device the flows through the modules as I explained above.

This is the inspiration for me. I believe that (and as we all know , picture can convey a thousand words) by visualizing a software module in this way we can instantly understand about its internal working rather than reading its source code and documentation. And I also believe that the overall aim should be to design the visualization in such a way that any change in the module’s design can tell us the impact on the overall system. This is transcendental foresight.

Best Regards

Hi All

I am sure that most of you would have seen a CAD/CAM software used for mechanical system design or a home architecture software used for designing house plans. These softwares present a very intuitive feel to the user by offering several visual perspectives. For example , in a home architecture software, you can get a 3D view of the 2D plan to get the real world perspective of how the plan will look in reality.

One good thing about these designs is that you have a mental imagination of how the end product will look like physically. Once you have that then you can go about modeling that in the software tool until you are satisfied. Since both the mechanical systems and the house architecture can be characterized by physical objects , it is easier and more intuitive to design their models this way. At the end , you get the finished product the way you visualized its physical properties and the software guides you along the way by means of superior visual experience.

Now imagine if the same concept is to be applied for the design of an information system. Can it be made possible to design an information system entirely by visualization ?

An information system does not have any physical properties. So obviously we cannot take the approach just described above but we all know that a visual depiction of any thing is far more effective that mere words.

I will provide some insights in my next post.

Regards
Shyam

Hello To Everyone

This is the space where I will discuss and share my thoughts , views and analysis about Transcendental Foresight.

Transcendental Foresight is phrase I have coined to describe any idea,  discussion or a scientific method or experimentation which can help to foresee a situation beyond ordinary limits.  Situations can be varied ,  stretching from general human behavior to state of our planet. The term “foreseeing a situation” can be applicable to either , avoiding a disastrous situation or arriving at a favorable situation or outcome. Both the approaches may sound very similar as far as the end result is concerned, but they take separate paths in the pursuit to predict a situation as accurately as possible, and that is what is foresight. As the saying goes, “Good judgement comes from experience , but unfortunately experience comes with bad judgement”, this blog is all about avoiding bad judgments by developing a level of foresight which can see a favorable outcome.

Under Transcendental Foresight, we will discuss  about developing scientific methods , tools and solutions to arrive at a level of accuracy in foreseeing things which can be of practical importance. The primary discussions and applications will be centered around information systems but is not limited solely to it. I will present my views and learnings about the topic and will also focus on applications such as game learning , design of experiments , analytics , algorithm development and so on and so forth.

I invite like minded people to get onboard with me to share their view and together help in discussing techniques to achieve transcendental foresight  in any application of information systems , be it design of complex systems, algorithm development, analytics, training etc.

Based on my experiences in life I have found foresight to be the most key aspect in determining the outcome of a action. But taking of foresight casually , it always sounds philosophical and is debatable and everyone has their own view about the outcome of an action. But just like its literal meaning goes, a person with foresight , can see beyond and act wisely to arrive at a favorable outcome , bypassing all or most of the wrong actions. Our goal here is to figure out scientific method based approaches to foresee favorable outcome and we will back it with data and not through endless debate.

To set the expectations straight,this blog is intended at practical solutions to develop tools for enhanced foresight, which can help in solving real world problems. We are not here to discuss the philosophy or psychology of foreseeing , and we are neither going to debate about foreseeing things related to our daily lives or activities nor we are going to talk about giving preaching wisdom about foreseeing things.     

As a guiding principle to moderate the blog , I have listed down the Dos and the Donts

Dos

1) Discuss scientific methods , case studies

2) Discuss specific problems pertaining to specific field of domain within information systems. May be expanded later to other disciplines provided we find commonalities.

3) Discuss and formalize practical solutions which can have a commercial value.

4) Discuss other applications.

Donts

1) Preach

2) Provide general wisdom related to foresight.

3) Discuss day-to-day activities related to improving foresight about general things.

4) Discuss or debate over macro level or geo political issues which are not in anyones control.

The saying about good and bad judgement, which I have presented above, will be our guiding light and all our efforts will be towards contributing solutions which will enhance the experience in various different ways so as to eliminate the chances of bad judgement.

Best Regards
Shyam

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