Dear Phil Stenton,
I am the Director of the Minciu Sodas laboratory.
Eng Tan, R&D Section Manager, in Mountain View, is exploring the possibility of Hewlett-Packard sponsoring an investigation at the Minciu Sodas laboratory. Our investigation will aim to specify an import/export standard for sequences, hierarchies, and networks of notes.
Eng Tan has asked that I send you my proposal for the investigation
to you so that you may review and evaluate it. With this
letter I would like to simply introduce myself. It will take
me two or three weeks to prepare my proposal.
Minciu Sodas is a virtual laboratory devoted to caring about thinking. One of the simplest ways that we can help thinkers is to make software for organizing notes usable for serious projects by developing an import/export standard for sequences, hierarchies, and networks of notes so that the notes do not get trapped in software products.
The Infrared Data Association has recognized that such a standard can have profound implications for the Infrared universe. Last week I was appointed convener for the new Special Interest Group for Flow of Experiences. I include below some information about this which I provided to Doc Searls, Senior Editor of the Linux Journal. (Irdakiss Me!)
We have already done quite a bit of work to clarify what the standard
should look like. I attach my paper Developing
Import/Export Standards for Aggregates of Notes, which summarizes
our results so far. You can also find it at
http://www.ms.lt/ms/projects/formatkinds/990917shn.html
Minciu Sodas is a private laboratory that organizes public research
using the Internet. We organize public research as a way of
building relationships. I want to design our next investigation
so that Hewlett-Packard benefits as a catalyst for relationships between
makers (large and small) and users (corporate and individual) of software
for organizing information.
Sponsorship of our investigation should provide our new SIG with a preliminary specification to draw together interested parties for discussion. We will also be able to experiment with and apply our preliminary specification by designing converters between our specification and file formats such as HTML, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Word, as well as those of smaller vendors, such as Natrificial Software Technologies, www.thebrain.com, makers of The Brain.
At the IrDA meeting I was able to point to the great impact that our standard may have on consumers because it should apply not only to notes, but to ideas and experiences in general. This is why we chose the name Flow of Experiences. Also, for this reason, Eng Tan told me about David Frolich's work and encouraged me to contact him. (I am sending him a copy of this letter).
As I work on my proposal, I would benefit greatly from your comments and criticism of the work we have done so far. I would also benefit from understanding how you think Hewlett-Packard might benefit as a catalyst for building relationships with and between various companies. I have read the website at http://www-uk.hpl.hp.com/bristol.html and would like to read more about your interests and ideas, and those of your colleagues.
I should emphasize that our laboratory's research is public, my letter to you is public, and my proposal will also be public. I will treat your correspondence as private, but if you should feel comfortable, I would be very to happy to share it at our website.
The Minciu Sodas laboratory is headquartered in Lithuania. I will be working primarily in Chicago until at least the end of the year. Our message center is in San Diego, California.
Yours,
Andrius Kulikauskas