From: thunk <gmkoller@...>
Date: 2010-03-22T10:20:10+09:00
Subject: Re: Living with a Swarm of Boids - A report from the front

On Mar 21, 7:55 pm, Philip Rhoades <p...@pricom.com.au> wrote:
> Thunk,
>
> I have been reading the posts but I still have problems understanding
> what this setup is actually for - I have an interest in Ruby and
> biological simulations so the word "swarm" captured my attention.  Can
> you describe what you are attempting to do in a more simple/overview way
> so I can see if I should be interested in this or not?
>
> Thanks!,
>
> Phil.
>
> On 2010-03-22 06:15, thunk wrote:
>
>
>
> > Robert,
>
> > Whatever else this project is, I think it has to be a rather "extreme
> > design". Will you give me that?  Development and debugging has been
> > slow and involved early on.  Only after multiple iterations have I
> > been able to simplified and the roles clarified to where things are
> > now.  The set of "Boids" have determined the names and functions of
> > most of the other project parts.  There's a strong mental model to
> > adjust to, but some elements of the project like the need for a
> > "categorization" scheme did not become evident until I was thinking,
> > "ok I have the results from 100 fired! boids, what can I do with
> > them?  Early on I had developed the concept of a "result record" and
> > the result record could be used by subsequent passes to build reports
> > - I spent a week testing it back when.  What I didn't see at first was
> > the use of "output panel" that acts on the results of the Boids like a
> > big billboard passively announcing the number of various "hits" in
> > various subcategories.  It all makes sense, and seems totally natural
> > when you see it in the context of "your domain".  I really don't think
> > it was so obvious when I was designing the DSLs the support the
> > various sections of the Boids.
>
> > In he current design there is a "transmitter object", and a "receiver
> > Object".  The receiver object "debriefs" the Boids and send info to
> > the "Control Panel" and into open "Work Sheets" (probably particular
> > to  my domain).  The Boid author specifies the assertions he needs to
> > arrive at a passed/failed conclusion.  These things build up into
> > something pretty interesting with depth.  Each Boid, so far, is
> > limited to using a single helper_class - where the "real" logic and
> > calculations are concentrated.  The boid is a sort of "gatherer shell"
> > or something - but that's the whole idea - they must be kept simple so
> > that non-programmer types can design them.
>
> > What's exciting about this?  Hmmm.  What's exciting to me is that the
> > system could grow from outside experts from a network of say 1,000 to
> > 10,000 boids "organically" without the need to change one line of code
> > in the framework.  What I think should be 'exciting' to
> > entrepreneurial types is that this can be done using outside resources
> > - like a forum. So the whole thing becomes something like a "knowledge
> > farm".  I'm not sure where the "magic" is, its all "just ruby" but I'm
> > watching the output of some pretty involved problem solving getting
> > done quickly - and I'm no where near the 1000 Boid "tipping point"
> > that I consider to be the design break-even point for this system
> > versus a strictly "conventional design".
>
> > Then, if I'm right about the run-up from 1000, to 10,000Boids this
> > will be getting to pretty interesting - at least to me.
>
> > Thunk
>
> > PS There is this inherent power to the web that allows a contributor
> > to be anybody / anyplace / anytime.  And there is this ability to
> > process 10,000 of these "logic capsules"/Boids or whatever in about 2
> > seconds.  And there is "time value" attached to knowing something "out
> > there" changed that effects something I'm about to do.  This all fits
> > together somehow, "my domain" gets close enough to justify my efforts
> > to me, I think there are domains where the power of this design could
> > be leveraged much farther - I keep thinking of medical procedures
> > where lives are on the line and changes are happening everyday -
> > around the world. A 100,000Boid system could be fired at the records
> > of every patient every day for about the same resources (per hospital)
> > as a couple hours of video game playing.  Nothing like this seems to
> > be happening. Why?
>
> --
> Philip Rhoades
>
> GPO Box 3411
> Sydney NSW      2001
> Australia
> E-mail:  p...@pricom.com.au


Let me know if the Vocabulary effort helped?   It's rather "extreme"
and frankly makes no sense at all performance or development effort on
a "from scratch basis" unless the app has some real complexity or the
externally contributed aspect can grow the knowledge-base.  I think it
is ideal to get hooked up to forums as a sort of parallel to the text
messages but building up the knowledge-base.  I have concocted a
couple examples from the medical field - it starts jumping out at you
when you see it.  And, its fun :)