The Minciu Sodas laboratory

Outreach

Our objectives depend on many people and organizations outside of our laboratory.  Our director Andrius Kulikauskas encourages our members to pursue and develop contacts with those who might help.  He shares with us information about people to whom we may reach out as we pursue our objectives.  We are likewise invited to make public information about contacts that we are developing.

This page will not include information on how to reach people, except to post links to their websites, or the email address of our members who are publicly working to develop relationships with them.  Our laboratory strives to build relationships among people as we work towards common objectives.  We encourage our members to take the initiative in developing relationships.  In doing so we intend to respect the time and energy of others just as we do our own.

Should you find yourself on this page, then we are very happy you have found us.  We hope you understand the importance we place on your help.  Please write to our director Andrius Kulikauskas at ms@ms.lt  Describe to us how you understand your roles and why, how, what, and whether we might work together.  We will gladly record such information here, so that we may all best work with you.  If you prefer, we will remove your name entirely.

Our Investigator Updates record the progress we are making towards our objectives.  They are our forum to think through our tactics and coordinate our efforts.  We invite you to learn more about our goals, our objectives, our members, and how you might become one!


get back with Howard Jacobson of Red Hat
 

Thinking about our own thoughts

Proposal for Collaborative Accumulation

Approach potential sponsors:
Thomas P. Moran, Xerox Corporation, Palo Alto Research Center, 3333 Coyote Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304, moran@parc.xerox.com, +1-650-812-4351  Issiunciau laiska 11/14/00.
 

Proposal for Use Case Collection

Approach potential participants:
Inspiration, 7412 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy, Suite 102, Portland, OR 97225-2167 USA, (800) 877-4292, (503) 297-3004
Axon Idea Processor, Chan Bok, axon2000@mbox2.singnet.com.sg
KnowPort, Marco C. Bettoni / CIM-Zentrum Muttenz, Fachhochschule beider Basel / St.Jakobs-Str.84 / 4132 Muttenz, Switzerland Email: m.bettoni@fhbb.c
LiveNote, Inc./ 520 North Columbus Blvd. Suite 303/ Philadelphia, PA   19123, (215) 629-2900 or
800-LiveNote
Cutting Tools, CEO Kirk Knutsen, (702) 869-5242, Kirk@EducationCommunity.com
Questmap
IRIS
Media Systems / 1684 Locust St. Suite #125 / Walnut Creek, CA 94596 / Tel: +1 925 256 4673 / Fax: +1 925 256 6353
Email:  rlai@irismedia.com / FTP: ftp.irismedia.com
James Fallows, jimf@thestandard.com
DETEX Systems, Inc. makes eXpress
 
 
 
 

Inform

L.Candy@lboro.ac.uk
moran@parc.xerox.com
 



UNDER CONSTRUCTION


We are looking for potential sponsors for our Thoughtful Wishing usage case matrix.  I am organizing contacts by the questions they might sponsor and the ways they might benefit. We raise a thoughtful question that interests you, our sponsor, and develop a questionnaire to evoke thoughtful responses.  We attend a forum that is important to you, such as a conference or standards meeting, where we can invite other companies that you would like us to involve.

Did information ever move me?

Your sponsorship can help us collect usage cases to find out why users might want to A subjective question such as "Did information ever move you?" helps identify practical situations that can bring out the personal and social value of Infrared transfer, but also other types of transfer.  Our purpose is to collect a full range of meaningful responses to the question you sponsor.

With your sponsorship I can attend the October meeting of IrDA in Japan, and also the International symposium on Mobile Multimedia Communication at Waseda University.  In this way, your sponsorship also advances our work on the IrDAKiss standard.

Of special interest to: Makers of IrDA tranceivers.

Calibre, Mike Watson.  xConnect for Windows 98 is for data transfer between PCs and other IrDA devices, FileConnect is for transfering files, PrintConnect switches the default printer of your laptop to the nearby IrDA printer, SyncMonitor enhances transfer with the Palm PDA.  Usage cases can clarify how the IrDAKiss standard will allow you to expand the capabilities of xConnect, FileConnect, PrintConnect, and SyncMonitor, so that users can transfer new combinations of their thoughts and experiences - notes, images, voice, data, code, files.

Vishay

Sharp, Rick Meider, Robert Stuart
 

How many thoughts are relevant?

A question regarding large format printers and thought organizers.

Hewlett-Packard, Pete Bramhall.  Oversized printers: http://www.hp.com/bizcenter/familylarge.html


Standards Groups

IrDA members

Members of IrDA

The IrMC is a the Infrared Mobile Computing workgroup within IrDA.

Knowledge Management Consortium International, Unified Knowledge Language, http://www.km.org.Knowledge management is the idea that for companies, knowledge is an asset, and should be managed.  The KMCI was started by consultants who wanted to keep terms like "knowledge management" from being used by just anybody to mean just anything.
 The leader, Ed Swanstrom, is especially interested in innovation, and a proponent of Extreme Innovation, which is his term for accelerating innovation by using the sociology of science, especially the work of Hollins.  Chapters are starting up around the world.  I participated in the first and only meeting of the UKL committee in January, 1999 and presented the only concrete proposal, hoping to use it as a forum for pursuing a standard for sequences, hierarchies, and networks.  Since then, the UKL committee has been inactive, and the entire standards program has submerged.  I met with Ed Swanstrom at PAKeM'99.  He had in mind a different direction for this committee, related to knowledge based systems.  Although the UKL committee is inactive, it can be revived at any moment by the KMCI leadership.  We should be active here in order to make clear the implications of the Threebook standard in grounding knowledge management in terms of the individual.  At the moment we should learn for certain whether the UKL committee will meet at the Enterprise Intelligence conference, and to participate, if it will. [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Tom Dale, tomdale@rcn.com, chaired the first and only meeting of the Unified Knowledge Language committee, January, 1999 in Silver Springs, Maryland.  We met at that conference.  He is a management consultant and is one of the leaders of the knowlede management company Applied KM.  I spoke with him today, he is very supportive of our work on a standard for notes and wants to participate.  In his words, knowledge management should start with the individual, "from the desktop out", rather than "from the server in". [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Linda Burman, L.A.Burman Associates, www.laburman
 
 

Roy Roebuck, roy@one-world-is.com, sent out an email to the topic mapping email list that mentioned the efforts of our laboratory. He is working on a thesis to turn the web environment into an intelligent agent, giving all the users contextual awareness, showing them what they need to know, show, hide, do or avoid for their day to day activities.
 
 

Enterprise Integration Council

Betsy A. Fanning, AIIM, Manager, ANSI/ISO Standards Program.  We can ask about existing standards.

XML, etc.

Mark Fortner, KM Development Team Lead, Shell

Users of Personal Information Managers (PIMs)

James Fallows served as the Washington editor of The Atlantic Monthly from 1980 to 1986.  He has written many articles helping articulate the needs of PIM users. [Andrius Kulikauskas, 2/99]

George A. McQuillister III, Mobile Computing Product Manager, Computer and Telecommunication Services, Pacific Gas and Electric Company.  We met at MobIns'99.  He is very vocal that hardware and software vendors be more attentive to the needs of users.  He is interested in our work. [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Synchronization Products

Masanari Arai, Puma Technology.  Most appropriate contact person.  Can ask about the possibility of putting technology layers on top of the Synchronization protocol, and also about MAL.

Systems Manufacturers

Compaq, IBM [2/99, Barry A. Dobyns]
Intel, Public Relations: robyn.jenkins@intel.com

Denny George, Hewlett-Packard.  He is the Vice President and General Manager of Systems and Technology, and reports to Bill Russell, who referred me to him at E-Services World, and is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Enterprise Computing.  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Software Manufacturers

Tom Davis, Zoot Sofware.  http://www.zootsoftware.com  He is the inventor of Zoot!  No luck reaching him at the phone on his website (802) 453-5474  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Mobile Computing

The makers of Personal Information Managers are very interested in mobile computing.  I went to Mobile Insights'99 because I figured that was a good place to meet them. [2/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

The most innovative phone manufacturers in the  w o r l d  are Nokia and Ericsson.  Talk to these guys.  #2 are the NIT/Docomo consortium in Japan. [2/99, Barry A. Dobyns]

Symbol - www.symbol.com.  They make  d o z e n s  of portable/mobile devices, mostly for industrial applications.  Two, the 1500 and 1700 are based on the Palm III.  Most of the others are based on MS-DOS or Windows 3x. [2/99, Barry A. Dobyns]

E-Commerce

Rik Drummond, President, Drummond Group, http://www.drummondgroup.com  He is an e-commerce leader.  I met him at XMLd'99 and he said he will write an article concerning our efforts to develop a standard. [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Mahesh Panjwani, Principal Consultant, Systems Integration Group, PriceWaterhouseCoopers.  He spoke at XMLd'99 about a financial standard in XML that he helped put together.  Interested, can keep him posted.  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Listservs

dbworld list at http://www.cs.wisc.edu/dbworld/

Thinking about our own stands

The Mental Interface

Object technology presents a first step towards a mental interface.

Researchers

Mitchel Resnick, mres@media.mit.edu, MIT Media laboratory   I found his address on the web and wrote him in December, 1998, got a short reply that it "sounds interesting".

Irene Greif, Lotus Knowledge Management

Tom Moran, moran@parc.xerox.com

Software Makers

James Lewis, Micro Logic, President.  I spoke with him over the phone.  They could develop a converter if we could organize sales of 500 copies of Info Select.

We wish Microsoft Outlook to have a folder for Thoughts.

Dear Bill Gates, please contact Raimundas Vaitkevicius, and let him know who is in charge of Microsoft Outlook.

We wish Lotus to offer a software product for the individual thinker.

Mike Zisman, Lotus Executive Vice President is a key person to approach regarding the knowledge management strategy at Lotus, especially for the creation of a tool for an individual thinker.  Here is an interview with him on knowledge management.  [http://www.idg.net/crd_domino_9-66551.html, 8/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Nicholas Pei, IBM, Program Director, Mobile Brand Strategy.  Write two paragraph letter, stating problem and why it is important, and a compelling solution.  Will forward to Lotus, to director of product marketing, and top research strategist.

Custom Programmers

Vadim Lichtinsain of Penki Kontinentai

Jonas Skendelis of Baltic Amadeus

Outsourcers

We can help custom programmers in countries like Lithuania by finding outsourcers they might subcontract with.  Here are some companies I met at SMART'99. [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Brainstorm Group, Inc., www.brainstorm-group.com, W.Mark Needham, National Accounts Manager.  Arranged a free pass for me to SMART'99, offered to arrange one for the next conference on smartsourcing. [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Cognizant Technology Solutions, us.cts-corp.com, Bob Sinha, Manager, Business Development, Bill Swieca, Sales Associate, I can contact them regarding off-shore work in Lithuania.  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

CBSI (Complete Business Solutions, Inc.), www.cbsinc.com, Christopher J.Ford, Vice President, Chicago Branch.  Can help get European contact in Benelux or London. [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

BFL Software Limited, www.bflsoftware.com, Arun Kumar, Marketing Support Executive.  Can forward to Europe office regarding subcontracting possibilities.  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Opensourcing, www.opensourcing.com, Suzanne Levin, Marketing Director.  Can help get person in Europe that would help set up partnerships.   [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Kanbay Incorporated, www.kanbay.com, Marc Wasowicz, Business Development Manager.  Can write to him and ask about off-shore subcontracting possibilities.  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

InCert Software Corporation, www.incert.com, Bruce Hall, Director of Strategic Partnerships.  Was to speak about managing off-shore relationships. Offered to send a copy of his talk.  Said the primary interest currently in the market is in having people come to the United States, rather than do the work off-shore.  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Corporate Users

Indiana University

Jet Propulsion Lab

Computer Sciences Corporation

Price Waterhouse Coopers, Gerald H. Levesque.  We met at SMART'99.  Very interested.  Has a thinker in mind who uses a DOS tool for organizing notes.  I spoke about designing an environment for him.  He said he could help us get in touch with Knowledge Management.  [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Intellectual Capital

Nick Bontis, McMaster University, Assistant Professor of Strategic Management.  We met at KMCI, he is a leader on intellectual capital issues.  His website lists important contacts for intellectual capital issues, and he said I could contact them.  For example, Arian Ward, who helps manage 1,000 of the smartest people in the world.

Publishers

Rudolf W. Rijgersberg, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Humanities and Social Sciences Division, Publishing Editor
Met at Symbolic Logic conference.

Ruben Brave, de Volkskrant

Market for Custom Programming

Writer's Computer

Cyber Exchange

CompUSA Chicago Loop store general manager John Lanning

Knowledge Management

BRINT, www.brint.com, is a large website devoted to knowledge management, including discussion groups.

Thinking about other thoughts

Join the "Discussions of General Creativity" mailing list lead by Robert Alan Black and Charles Cave by sending an email with content SUBSCRIBE CREATIVITY to the address LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU, and then replying to the confirmation request.  The mailing list is devoted to the recognition, encouragement, application, and development of creativity, creative thinking, and creative problem solving.  The mail load is not too heavy and there are helpful responses to questions raised.  [8/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Chris Macrae leads a discussion community on creativity issues.

Thinking about other actions

Thinking about other stands

We would like virtual laboratories to flourish as places where people can build relationships as they work together in public towards common objectives.  Minciu Sodas is a virtual laboratory, and as such we are developing our own model for public research that is viable for commercial objectives, but also for objectives where material gain is inappropriate.  We invite you to participate in our laboratory and conduct or sponsor research to design a virtual laboratory on the subject of your choice. [9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Developers of the Public Domain

Linux community

Organizers of Virtual Communities

Jim Agler, UCSD

Public Research

Epinions.com is a company that organizes a community of members with the privelige to both write and judge opinions about consumer products.  The intent is to create a database of reviews that are upfront and trustworthy.  The company makes money through advertisements and referral fees when products are purchased.  [http://www.epinions.com/what.html, 9/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

General Outreach

Listservs

General Listservs: CataList [http://www.lsoft.com/lists/listref.html] includes many listservs.

Other

Sources of Data for Projects: Martin Fowler, David A. Taylor, American Philosophy Association.
Listservs

Bibliographic websites: BRINT

The Lithuanian community:
The editor of www.firstmonday.dk
http://www.langas.com/Langas_Lt/   Website for Lithuanian community in Los Angeles includes a classified section.

Abbreviations

SMART'99 = SMARTsourcing conference & expo, September 22-24, Chicago, Illinois
XMLd'99 = XMLeadership conference, September 22-24, Chicago, Illinois
KMOL'99 = Knowledge Management and Organizational Learning, April 19-20, London, UK
PAKeM'99 = Practical Applications of Knowledge Management, April 21-22, London, UK
MobIns'99= Mobile Insights'99, February, Palm Springs, California