-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Tim wrote:
>* "general systems theory," a la Bertanlanffy. I knew a guy who was >majoring in this as an interdisciplinary self-study program. Whatever >became of this? >(And this is kissing cousin to Operations Research, which is mostly a >high bullshit term for linear programming, decision support tools, a >little bit of game theory, etc.) Bah. You might find the following approaches to the above a little more sophisticated and interesting: Exploratory Analysis and a Case History of Multiresolution, Multiperspective Modeling, Paul K. Davis, James H. Bigelow, and Jimmie McEver, Reprinted from Proceedings of the 2000 Winter Simulation Conference, Jeffrey A. Joines, Russel R. Barton, K. Kang, and Paul A. Fishwick (editors), December, 2000 and Proceedings of the SPIE, Vol. 4026, 2000. http://www.rand.org/publications/RP/RP925.pdf Title: Experiments in Multiresolution Modeling (MRM). http://www.rand.org/publications/MR/MR1004/ Author(s): Paul K. Davis, J.H. Bigelow Abstract: This study describes the motivation for multiresolution modeling (MRM) within a single model or a family of models. After introducing a new measure of consistency for models of different resolution, the study discusses in some depth obstacles to and methods for multiresolution modeling (also called variable-resolution modeling), illustrating issues with a detailed military example involving precision fires. The study highlights the value of visual design, array formalism, formal mathematics to identify natural aggregation fragments, integrated hierarchical variable resolution (IHVR) yielding "trees" of variables, estimation theory, alternative aggregate representations called out in a user interface, "stretcher variables," and computational methods to identify natural phase transitions and facilitate calibrations. *** Not exactly what you were getting at, but this approach certainly doesn't suffer from the "mathematicians writing on the board for it's own sake" problem you alluded to. Bridging the speculative and the practical couldn't be more central here (as everywhere.) Reminds me of something John Von Neumann once said: "The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical construct which, with the addition of certain verbal interpretations, describes observed phenomena. The justification of such a mathematical construct is solely and precisely that it is expected to work." This might sound a little off-the-wall, but have you considered sitting in on some graduate classes in the sorts of areas you're interested in at Berkeley, just for the sake of generating more discussion with people in the field? Ill bet bouncing everything in your post off people there would generate a lot a lot of return for a small investment of your time. None of my business but it's at least worth a thought. ~Faustine. *** He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself. - --Thomas Paine -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPsdk version 1.7.1 (C) 1997-1999 Network Associates, Inc. and its affiliated companies. (Diffie-Helman/DSS-only version) iQA/AwUBPKpfg/g5Tuca7bfvEQL4vwCcCA98uyVl36y+61wwsHaNfwNyDZoAoIi/ 5eyWAiN07n/n+fWgidqLxupr =3FWa -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
