IP Index

"The Ocean Tomo 300(TM) Patent Index is the most relevant index to measure the knowledge economy. It allows investors for the first time to commit a meaningful and sustainable portion of their capital to intellectual property as a distinct asset class ... the most valuable asset of the knowledge economy," Cardoza added.

Efficiency

Ever since I started work in 1962 I have seen my effective output increase year on year. Before the explosion of ICT, I used all manner of techniques to minimise paper, cut back on duplication and improve my overall efficiency and effectiveness. These measures very nearly doubled my productivity each decade but with the arrival of ICT this figure gradually rose to tenfold per decade.

By merely taking advantage of the continually increasing processing, storage and communication power, I achieved a substantial increase. But it was by using a continually evolving raft of applications, coupled with adapting my working practices, that the whole really took effect. Through the latter half of the 1980s, all of the 1990s and until recently my progress was relentless - tenfold every 10 years.

Unfortunately I am now approaching stasis. Any amount of basic machine upgrading, and it continues apace, won't make a jot of difference, as I am now the fundamental slowdown agent. I just can't work any faster; I just can't find any new tricks to get another big productivity hike. It seems I'm to be stuck in a 2004/05 mode for some time.

So if raw processing power, storage and bandwidth can't help, what will? What is it I need to leap forward by another factor of 10? In a word: intelligence. In two words: machine intelligence. I need something that monitors my activities, anticipates my next move and automatically satisfies my needs.

Search engines are impressive and often useless at the same time. Knowing that there are 64,431,000 references for the term 'artificial intelligence' isn't a whole lot of use! What we need is a cognitive approach with search material retreated and presented in some context relative to our current end-objectives at the time.

When will we see such technologies? They are around now and in use by people engaged in companies, security and legal systems who have to be able to search vast numbers of documents quickly. Some of the technology is based on statistical inference techniques with some extended by artificial life. For the time being they remain far too expensive for most but sooner or later they will appear to a wider audience.

The other big winner is in the area of decision support based on modeling and prior history.

For my part, I'd like to start with a system that manages all my interfaces and remembers all my habits. An effective search engine would be next followed by modeling and decision support. I really do need symbiotic support!

Global Rich List

I'm loaded. It's official. I'm the 55,146,441 richest person on earth! How rich are you?

My only issue with this calculation is that it is only based on income and does not include assets.

Apophis 2036

Isn't this a scary thought:

A smallish asteroid called Apophis has already been identified as a possible threat to Earth in 2036.

Iraq Solution

So, this idea sounds like a good one:

(I came up with it myself but then ran into other places where it has been suggested).

In Alaska, a portion of the revenue from the oil found there is placed in a fund managed by professional investors. Each resident of Alaska gets an equal portion of that wealth each year.

This would work very well for Iraq.

best,

Dave

A Cynic's Politics

Industry	Democratic Recipients	Republican Recipients
Alcohol	$25.6 million	$31.5 million
Tobacco	$11.8 million	$36.5 million

(source: Center for Responsive Politics)
Is this about getting the Tobacco boys to cough up their "fair share" to the DNC?

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