Infosense: Turning Information Into Knowledge

Information is everywhere. To paraphrase Yoda, "it surrounds us, it binds us." It has become the only "tangible" product many of us work with. As information becomes the most valuable asset a company has, how do we manage it all?In InfoSense, noted mathematician and popular science writer Keith Devlin shows us how to make sense of the constant flow of information that bombards us daily. What is crucial, Devlin says, is to understand the difference between data, information and knowledge.Devlin's mathematical inclinations show with his equations that illustrate his points. Equations like "Information = Data + Meaning" and "Knowledge = Internalized information + ability to utilize the information." Essentially, information only turns into knowledge when we attach meaning to it. When we understand it. Distinguishing between the various types of info in the flow is all-important. Here are some key points addressed in the book:* Why people, not computers, are the most effective way to transfer knowledge * How social and cultural factors influence work * The hidden rules of everyday communication * How to conduct a meeting to achieve what you want * How to avoid miscommunicationDevlin's low-tech way to higher productivity is straightforward, learn how to communicate better. He shows how to converse more efficiently, how to run more effective meetings, and how to avoid miscommunication (with some shocking airline accident examples) with clear unambiguous language. Devlin uses Situation theory to illustrate how to increase productivity within a group. He says that the ideal group size is two or three. As you add more group members the likelihood of confusion increases.It seems that the more participants in a meeting, the higher the likelihood that the group will spend most of the time discussing information already known. This is because people have a tendency to discuss what they already know, and not bring up new subjects in conversation. They lack adequate "common knowledge" and need to be consciously guided to be effective.An example: here's how to avoid going over familiar ground in a meeting:1. Get participants to submit in advance the points they wish to make. 2. Adapt a round-robin format where each person in turn is asked to contribute something new. 3. List each new item introduced on a flipchart or a whiteboard. 4. Constantly remind the participants that the aim is to examine new information or ideas. 5. Cast the task at hand in an open-ended fashion as one of examining all the options, rather than making ajudgement or arriving at a decision. 6. Ensure that everyone in the group has a clearly defined and clearly understood area of expertise. 7. Build up the team over time, so everyone becomes familiar with one another's areas of expertise and with their strengths and weaknesses.Columbo was really creating context when, at the last minute, he turned around at the door and said "Oh, and one more thing I don't understand...."

Keith Devlin's InfoSense is an interesting book that tries to explain and define terms such as: information, data, knowledge, constraints and conversation.In the first few chapters, Devlin defines such terms mentioned above from different points of view. He tries to explain to the common reader his own definition of Information. However, he does not give his precise definition at once and expand from it. He gives different meanings throughout the first seven chapters, that the reader has to go back to the previous chapters and try to unify all the definitions and make an understanding for his/her own. Although he states on pg. 24 that defining Information is hard to define, yet he continues to give us more definitions. He also gives the "Information Equation" which it is interesting, but does not explain it enough for the common reader. Throughout his book, Devlin also mentions "Situation Theory." Yet, he does not give a clear explanation of it until page 39. By doing this, the reader has to go back and apply the meaning to the previous references. Starting on chapter 7, Devlin's book shifts to explain "conversation" and its properties. From this point on I find the book more interesting when it comes to the business world. This is the reason I give the book 4 stars. His understanding of conversation is thorough and the examples are great. Devlin's analysis of conversation and communication as a whole helps me to improve my communication skills at work as well as in other situations.

Bravo!!! Keith Devlin should have opened this work with the following line: "When it comes to information, what most of us need most of the time is infosense, not a theory of information." This work is a comprehensive guide for any technology subservient; fun seeker to system's analyst. In this book, Devlin "outlines the basic science [of technology] and gives some applications to real problems, both in everyday life and in real companies." This method works extremely well in not only showing we, the consumers and programmers, true life comparisons to our own quaries, but also allowing for any level of computer tech to appreciate and apply tech theory to applications. From catchy chapter titles such as "The Boston Beer Party and Other Tales", to incorporating everyday instances to help explain complex paradigms, Devlin has successfully mixed systems ingenuity and technological know-how with his own "infosense" making this work one for every personal library.

"Infosense: Turning Information Into Knowledge is a book that has the capability to be used in numerous ways. For an individual, it can provide a definition to information and knowledge. For a group, I can forsee it being an aid in higher success rates during group work. Companies that have problems with information getting lost somewhere between sender and receiver could gain greater understanding of why that occurred.Given that information and knowledge are not the simplest terms to clarify and try to define, I found that by the end of my reading I had gained a true understanding. Devlin, used many different tactics to simplify what could be a very confusing book. When I began, confusion was the 1st stage I reached. It seemed as if the words were almost running in circles. But, as I continued, I saw that Devlin was saying the same general concepts in different ways to enable the reader to better understand. Another strategy Devlin used was to state real life scenarios. These gave the reader something familiar or realistic to compare to. Catch phrases such as "The Grin of The Cheshire Cat" (9) and "In The Knowledge Game, People Beat Computers" (159) intrigue the reader, pushing them to continue on into the next passage. Another positive aspect Devlin used was subtitles. By breaking the chapters apart it made them seem to flow more smoothly. Then by reading a new subtitle, my mind was refreshed and refocused. The last tactic I will discuss was the use of simple diagrams. Not all people can read the words and picture the diagrams. Devlin, obviously aware of this, provided a visual to help guide the reader through certain confusing parts.I cannot personally say that I gained any sizable amount of new knowledge, not that Devlin did not provide any for his readers. He gave a strong and clear definition of information and knowledge. He stated reasons for communication failure between person to person, person to machine, and machine to machine. His arguments on group sizes affecting output were strong and pointed. This book, Infosense, could be a best seller to companies who want to succeed at the above subjects. The information given by Devlin could become useful knowledge for anyone who does not understand the difference between information and knowledge or who may ne having communication problems. I give this book 4 stars because it is not perfect to me but I am aware of its potential to be of great assistance to others.

I think that to be useful, any new, breakthrough analytic tool should enable me to describe the past in a brand new way, and then based on that, say something new about the future. It should, as it were, enable me to look backward over the horizon, uncover a pattern that's never been seen before, and then look forward over the horizon to show, for all future instances, that this pattern will remain the same. If the new analytic tool is also an engineering breakthrough, I should find it very easy to apply. The tools that Keith Devlin describes for the first time for the general public, in his new book "InfoSense: Turning Information into Knowledge," satisfy these criteria. He looks backward over the horizon to clarify the "liar paradox" of the ancient Greeks. Then he looks forward over the horizon to say things about the emerging global infrastructure of computers. In both cases, he applies new tools to discover a pattern that's evident in "information." So to check on their ease of application, I applied the tools myself. I looked at another puzzle from the ancient Greeks, a fragment from Parmenides' writings that survived later book burnings-- "...the same thing is for thinking and being." First, Devlin says to look for the "infon." Deep in the bibliography there's mathematics that, in fact, connected infons have the structure of rigorous thought. Then Devlin says to look for the "situation" that supports the infon and categorize its type. (Together, the infon and its supporting situation determine the information that's conveyed.) Situations about which I can think, and which are of the type in which I can "be," comprise any situation that exists and of which I'm conscious. Most generally, the type of these situations would be those that involve "life," as a matter of fact, those that involve my life. But, really, isn't that just one situation-- the situation in which I exist? On this account, I get "Life-- I can think about it or I can be it." OK, for a backward look over the horizon that seems easy enough. But what about the future? With a score of books under his belt Keith Devlin can be classified as a prolific author. I, for one, look forward to what he's going to say next. For those who might also want to keep tabs, I think "InfoSense: Turning Information into Knowledge" provides the perfect foundation.