"Water venting at Lost City is generally 200 F. The fluids do not get as hot as the black smokers because the water is not heated by magma but rather by heat released during serpentinization, a chemical reaction between seawater and mantle rock." - ScienceDaily.com article retrieved 2008/02/01.
"At no time in human history has the potential for designing solutions that contribute to the benefit of human kind been greater than it is today." - Bruce Mau, Graphic Designer
The term ontology has its origin in philosophy, where it is the name of a fundamental branch of metaphysics concerned with existence. According to Tom Gruber at Stanford University, the meaning of ontology in the context of computer science, however, is “a description of the concepts and relationships that can exist for an agent or a community of agents.�? He goes on to specify that an ontology is generally written, “as a set of definitions of formal vocabulary.�? - Wikipedia entry for ontology (computer science)
"A Jesuit paleontologist and philosopher by the name of Teilhard de Chardin popularized the notion of the noosphere or "sphere of human thought" back in the early 1900s. Similar to the atmosphere and biosphere, the noosphere is composed of all the interacting minds and ideas on earth. It's a provocative and romantic concept. But is the noosphere real? Or is it just a metaphor, a figure of speech for relating our experience of the physical world to the ethereal realm of knowledge?" - Peter Morville in his book Ambient Findability
"Have you heard of the hippocampus? It's one of the most ancient parts of the brain, located deep within the temporal lobes and adjacent to the amygdala. This horseshoe-shaped structure plays a central role in learning, memory, and wayfinding. We know rats rely on the hippocampus for maze navigation. It's essential for both path integration and the processing of cognitive maps. We know neurons called "place cells" are intensely active when a rat revisits familiar locations. And we know animals and humans experience severe disorientation when the hippocampus is damaged." Peter Morville in his book Ambient Findability
"The island of Tikopia is an example of another sort of system which is neither universal, egocentric, nor directed toward a base point, but is tied to a particular edge in the landscape. The island is small enough so that one is rarely out of sight or sound of the sea, and the islanders use the expressions inland or seaward for all kinds of spatial reference.... Firth reports overhearing one man say to another: 'There is a spot of mud on your seaward cheek.'" - Quoted in The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch. MIT Press (1960), p. 129.
"The island of Tikopia is an example of another sort of system which is neither universal, egocentric, nor directed toward a base point, but is tied to a particular edge in the landscape. The island is small enough so that one is rarely out of sight or sound of the sea, and the islanders use the expressions inland or seaward for all kinds of spatial reference.... Firth reports overhearing one man say to another: 'There is a spot of mud on your seaward cheek.'" - Quoted in The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch. MIT Press (1960), p. 129.
"After decades of research, behavioral biologists have begun to figure out how (ants find a feeding site and then return home). Studies show that ants use a combination of geocentric and egocentric techniques. Geocentric navigation (also called allocentric or exocentric) relies on external environmental cues such as landmarks and any available map information." by Peter Morville in his book Abient Findability
From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocentric_coordinates): "Geocentric coordinates are an Earth-centered system of locating objects in the solar system in three-dimensions along the Cartesian X, Y and Z axes. They are differentiated from topocentric coordinates which use the observer's location as the reference point for bearings in altitude and azimuth. Both systems, however, share a common difficulty in that the Earth is constantly moving, which requires the addition of a time component to fix objects."
"Labyrinths and mazes are two distinct creatures. In the modern world, we are most familiar with the maze, an intricate and often confusing network of interconnecting pathways or tunnels designed to challenge the skills of all who enter. Mazes are multicursal.(...) In contrast, a true labyrinth is unicursal. (...) There is one well-defined path that leads into the center and back out again." Peter Morville in Ambient Findability.
"Labyrinths and mazes are two distinct creatures. In the modern world, we are most familiar with the maze, an intricate and often confusing network of interconnecting pathways or tunnels designed to challenge the skills of all who enter. Mazes are multicursal. They offer a choice of paths, along with a disorienting mix of twists, turns, blind alleys, and dead ends. In a maze, it's hard to find your way and easy to become lost." Peter Morville in Ambient Findability
"The power of the keyword search has combined with the richness of the World Wide Web to foment a revolution in the way we do business." author Peter Morville in his book Ambient Findability
Comments by mahalie
mahalie commented on the list happy-accidents
Great list, just what I was looking for!
December 5, 2008
mahalie commented on the word serpentinization
"Water venting at Lost City is generally 200 F. The fluids do not get as hot as the black smokers because the water is not heated by magma but rather by heat released during serpentinization, a chemical reaction between seawater and mantle rock." - ScienceDaily.com article retrieved 2008/02/01.
February 2, 2008
mahalie commented on the word designing
"At no time in human history has the potential for designing solutions that contribute to the benefit of human kind been greater than it is today." - Bruce Mau, Graphic Designer
August 2, 2007
mahalie commented on the word ontology
The term ontology has its origin in philosophy, where it is the name of a fundamental branch of metaphysics concerned with existence. According to Tom Gruber at Stanford University, the meaning of ontology in the context of computer science, however, is “a description of the concepts and relationships that can exist for an agent or a community of agents.�? He goes on to specify that an ontology is generally written, “as a set of definitions of formal vocabulary.�? - Wikipedia entry for ontology (computer science)
January 5, 2007
mahalie commented on the word noosphere
"A Jesuit paleontologist and philosopher by the name of Teilhard de Chardin popularized the notion of the noosphere or "sphere of human thought" back in the early 1900s. Similar to the atmosphere and biosphere, the noosphere is composed of all the interacting minds and ideas on earth. It's a provocative and romantic concept. But is the noosphere real? Or is it just a metaphor, a figure of speech for relating our experience of the physical world to the ethereal realm of knowledge?" - Peter Morville in his book Ambient Findability
January 4, 2007
mahalie commented on the word hippocampus
"Have you heard of the hippocampus? It's one of the most ancient parts of the brain, located deep within the temporal lobes and adjacent to the amygdala. This horseshoe-shaped structure plays a central role in learning, memory, and wayfinding. We know rats rely on the hippocampus for maze navigation. It's essential for both path integration and the processing of cognitive maps. We know neurons called "place cells" are intensely active when a rat revisits familiar locations. And we know animals and humans experience severe disorientation when the hippocampus is damaged." Peter Morville in his book Ambient Findability
January 4, 2007
mahalie commented on the word inland
"The island of Tikopia is an example of another sort of system which is neither universal, egocentric, nor directed toward a base point, but is tied to a particular edge in the landscape. The island is small enough so that one is rarely out of sight or sound of the sea, and the islanders use the expressions inland or seaward for all kinds of spatial reference.... Firth reports overhearing one man say to another: 'There is a spot of mud on your seaward cheek.'" - Quoted in The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch. MIT Press (1960), p. 129.
January 3, 2007
mahalie commented on the word seaward
"The island of Tikopia is an example of another sort of system which is neither universal, egocentric, nor directed toward a base point, but is tied to a particular edge in the landscape. The island is small enough so that one is rarely out of sight or sound of the sea, and the islanders use the expressions inland or seaward for all kinds of spatial reference.... Firth reports overhearing one man say to another: 'There is a spot of mud on your seaward cheek.'" - Quoted in The Image of the City by Kevin Lynch. MIT Press (1960), p. 129.
January 3, 2007
mahalie commented on the word geocentric
"After decades of research, behavioral biologists have begun to figure out how (ants find a feeding site and then return home). Studies show that ants use a combination of geocentric and egocentric techniques. Geocentric navigation (also called allocentric or exocentric) relies on external environmental cues such as landmarks and any available map information." by Peter Morville in his book Abient Findability
January 3, 2007
mahalie commented on the word geocentric
From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geocentric_coordinates): "Geocentric coordinates are an Earth-centered system of locating objects in the solar system in three-dimensions along the Cartesian X, Y and Z axes. They are differentiated from topocentric coordinates which use the observer's location as the reference point for bearings in altitude and azimuth. Both systems, however, share a common difficulty in that the Earth is constantly moving, which requires the addition of a time component to fix objects."
January 3, 2007
mahalie commented on the word unicursal
"Labyrinths and mazes are two distinct creatures. In the modern world, we are most familiar with the maze, an intricate and often confusing network of interconnecting pathways or tunnels designed to challenge the skills of all who enter. Mazes are multicursal.(...) In contrast, a true labyrinth is unicursal. (...) There is one well-defined path that leads into the center and back out again." Peter Morville in Ambient Findability.
January 3, 2007
mahalie commented on the word multicursal
"Labyrinths and mazes are two distinct creatures. In the modern world, we are most familiar with the maze, an intricate and often confusing network of interconnecting pathways or tunnels designed to challenge the skills of all who enter. Mazes are multicursal. They offer a choice of paths, along with a disorienting mix of twists, turns, blind alleys, and dead ends. In a maze, it's hard to find your way and easy to become lost." Peter Morville in Ambient Findability
January 3, 2007
mahalie commented on the word foment
"The power of the keyword search has combined with the richness of the World Wide Web to foment a revolution in the way we do business." author Peter Morville in his book Ambient Findability
January 3, 2007