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Information Mechanics **
An Overview |
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Irrespective of what it is about, information functions in four dimensions. It exists within these dimensions depending upon its origins ... how it is obtained. The ability to derive new information from existing information is determined by information vectors that are the natural consequence of informational dimensionality. Maintaining information dimensions and vectors requires proper correlation.
    
Information Origins
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Origin |
Precedent |
Description |
Determinant |
Primary |
The Known. Cause. Substance
Information obtained through observation, interrogation, common agreement, measurement, or defined by appropriate authority. |
Temporal |
Collateral |
Information about primary information, telling when something did/will occur and when we found out about it |
Derivable |
Secondary |
The Knowable. Effect. Shadow.
Information obtained from other information by calculation or algorithm. |
The Four Dimensions of Information
- Definitional Dimensions
- Occurrences (row) - The occurrence or existence of a thing or behavior.
- Facts (columns) - Details about an occurrence of a thing or behavior.
- Temporal Dimensions
- Effectivity - When something (a thing or behavoir) did/will occur (became/becomes relevant).
- Applicability - When we found out about something.
Supercession: Data in conventional systems is changed or deleted.
Information in the real world is not; it is superceded. Conventional IT strives to keep data current through change and deletion. But just because something is no longer current, does not mean it is no longer information. Changing and deleting data results in the wholesale destruction of information. Keeping data current tells us where we are but doesn't tell us how we got there or where we're going. Substantial portions of conventional systems are given over to compensating for the failure to supercede information through both dimensions of time.
Delta Computation: Conventional IT takes an informationally incomplete view of mathematic formula requiring different procedures for adding data and changing data. When changing data the meaningful answer to a calculation is the difference between the result now and whatever the result was the last time it was calculated. By properly applying delta (difference) rules to calculations the different procedures for adding and changing are replaced with a single function for superceding. Programmatic and system overhead is reduced almost by half for these activities.
Information Vectors
The 'paths' followed within properly organized informational dimensions to derive new information from existing information.
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e.g. Multiplying two numbers to obtain a quotient occurs within an immediate information vector. (Vector 1 below)
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e.g. Adding a column of numbers to obtain a sum occurs within a summary information vector. (Vector 2 below)
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Vectors
- Immediate
- Summary
- Balance
- Distribution
- Comparison *
- Effectivity *
- Applicability *
- (Composite)
* Difference Vectors
Correlating Information
In the artificial world of conventional IT relational and hierarchical are seen as different, even conflicting concepts for associating data structures. When we look at how things associate in the real world we discover a higher level of correlation that is inclusive of both, showing them to be essentially the same thing:
Conventional relational/hierarchical concepts are inadequate for correlating information.
When Information Mechanics Fail
When dimensions and vectors are not properly applied and correlated, information fails. Conventional IT routinely under develops primary information and virtually ignores collateral information paying almost no attention to effectivity and applicability dimensions. Conventional databases do not and essentially cannot support these two dimensions and their associated vectors. Accounting practices were developed to compensate for the difficulty of managing effectivity and applicability with pencil and paper ... a difficulty that need not be perpetuated with computers but thus far has been.
The main reasons we keep re-inventing special purpose systems is the dogged persistence of conventional IT for:
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Handling information out of context
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Correlating information poorly
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Under developing primary information
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Ignoring collateral information
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Adding and changing data instead of superceding information
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Omitting delta (difference) calculation
Perspectives for creating special purpose systems virtually demand these information failures be perpetuated.
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