[Edu-sig] PataPata 0.1.19 release & Stigmergy

[kirby urner]

On 6/28/06, Paul D. Fernhout <pdfernhout at kurtz-fernhout.com> wrote:

> "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
> change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead
>

Or committed company employees, or crew members, or television screen writers...

> it has no functionality yet. (Limited) PythonCard compatibility motivated
> several major improvements in the system (including naming morphs and
> supporting menus and a "visible" flag).

I wonder if you've contacted Kevin Altis, the PythonCard developer I
know best.  Robin Dunn, author of wxPython is also local (we've met
many times).  I saw the new wx book at Powell's Technical, and almost
bought it (I'm waiting for a bigger book budget to materialize, so I
might expand my library).

> So, see, some teamwork going on, though of an "artifact mediated" kind. I
> think of that as a form of "Stigmergy".
>    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stigmergic

Wow, I'd never have guessed.  Same root as stigmata, no?  Maybe not.

> From there: "Stigmergy is a method of communication in emergent systems
> in which the individual parts of the system communicate with one another
> by modifying their local environment."
>
> --Paul Fernhout

So like when I mow my lawn in a certain pattern, signalling a
satellite, or when ETs use a crop circle to phone home, right?
Science fiction examples of "stigging out" (slang for "exercising
stigmergic abilities").

Kirby