Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #02261
To: Wilf.Rigter@powertech.bc.ca
From: JVernonM@aol.com
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 20:58:15 EDT
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Beam genome
In a message dated 4/12/99 8:05:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Wilf.Rigter@Powertech.bc.ca writes:
> Now your BEAM genome is idea has some pros and cons. It is an attempt to
> record, in a more formal way, the contributions made by many individuals
> (aside from the seminal work by M tilden) to the evolution of BEAM ideas.
> This has the unfortunate side effect of provoking claims and counter claims
> about the priority of ideas and the resultant tensions could easily
disrupt,
> if not destroy, the delicate group dynamics that are always in play in a
> creative environment. I haven't been around long enough to observe this
> first hand but there is some backround radiation in this group that
> indicates a relatively recent "near extintion event". On the other hand an
> inventory of BEAM information is the goal of all archive sites. You are
> right that BEAM information like all other shared ideas takes the form of
> "memes" which are propagated on the basis of their popularity and
presumably
> their technical excellence. My motto of "may the best tech win" is a
> reminder that not just the source of the information but the feedback from
> users will ultimately allow users of the information to weigh it's relative
> merit for survival intact or mutated as part of the knowledge base we use
to
> develop our own ideas.
Yes, the implications for conflict had occurred to me. I think those kinds of
disruptions could be kept to a minimum at this point. But, if you try to do
this much later, and the tech has substantially evolved, then you would have
a much more tangled web to straighten. I think there is a rare opportunity
here for a collective effort to succeed. Look at us here Wilf. We're 1,000s
of miles apart, speak different native tongues, and have two completely
different backgrounds and skills. Yet, we are discussing and exploring a
common interest. Where else can you find that kind of situation. We don't
even get paid Wilf! We do it because we love it!
Jim
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