Looking for work

By the way, I am looking for some work, either part-time, full-time, consulting, contracting, employment, or whatever.

 

Take a look at my resume and pass it on to others who might have a need for my services.

 

My primary expertise is software development (C/C++), but I'm also interesting in writing and blogging.

 

My main area of technical interest is software agent technology.

 

-- Jack Krupansky

Digital identity vs. real-world identity vs. universal identity

There has been lots of chattering about "digital identity", and we certainly need improvements in how identification is performed on computer networks, but in my view such efforts are at least a bit misguided since you can't get very far with digital systems before you run into the wall of having to interface with real-world systems, such as credit cards, bank accounts, residential addresses, social security numbers, etc.

We need a true "universal identity" conceptual model that integrates both the digital world and the real world. A good starting point would be a robust problem statement, but there appears to be little interest in such an effort, at least at this time.

Maybe we need to stumble a few more times with "digital identity" (scandals, terrorism, theft, etc.) before people finally recognize that we need the kind of rock-solid foundation principles that only a robust problem statement can provide.

-- Jack Krupansky

Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)

The  Semantic Web Best Practices and Deployment Working Group, part of the W3C Semantic Web Activity of the W3C has released three draft documents related to the Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS):

• SKOS Core Guide
• SKOS Core Vocabulary Specification
• Quick Guide to Publishing a Thesaurus on the Semantic Web

The drafts explain how to express classification schemes, thesauruses, subject heading lists, taxonomies, terminologies, glossaries and other types of controlled vocabulary in RDF.

I notes these documents due to my interest in establishing more robust terminology glossaries.  Software agents and web services need shared vocabularies to communicate and make contractual service commitments.

 

Without a solid, shared terminology, communication between independent entities is essentially meaningless.

 

-- Jack Krupansky

Identity versus location

I'm struggling with how to treat location relative to identity. Frequently, location is simply an attribute or characteristic associated with an entity or identity, such as a product or service being delivered to a location on behalf of an entity with an identity. But, there are lots of situations where a product or service can be delivered to a location without any need to refer to the identity of the entity (or entities) that might be associated with that location. The location can be thought of as having an anonymous associated entity (e.g., "Resident" or "Family residing at" or "Computer connected to IP address port"), but the question remains whether we need a pseudo-entity and pseudo-identity, or whether the location itself can be thought of as an entity with an identity that directly parallels the location itself.

The significance of the similarity or distinction between location and identity and entity is itself not obvious. One intriguing possibility is to enable a form of privacy based on location rather than entity identity.

There are of course governmental, law enforcement, and national security issues that arise related to any separation of entities, identities, and locations. That does not mean that the concepts need to be tightly integrated, but does at least suggest some form of linkage or coupling and even tracking.

The first question to be addressed is whether location is a "first-class concept" at the level of entity and identity.

-- Jack Krupansky

Identity versus location

<DIV>I'm struggling with how to treat location relative to identity.&nbsp; Frequently, location is simply an attribute or characteristic associated with an entity or identity, such as a product or service being delivered to a location on behalf of an entity with an identity.&nbsp; But, there are lots of situations where a product or service can be delivered to a location without any need to refer to the identity of the entity (or entities) that might be associated with that location.&nbsp; The location can be thought of as having an anonymous associated entity (e.g., "Resident" or "Family residing at" or "Computer connected to IP address port"), but the question remains whether we need a pseudo-entity and pseudo-identity, or whether the location itself can be thought of as an entity with an identity that directly parallels the location itself.</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>The significance of the similarity or distinction between location and identity and entity&nbsp;is itself not obvious.&nbsp; One intriguing possibility is to enable a form of privacy based on location rather than entity identity.</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>There are of course governmental, law enforcement, and national security issues that arise related to any separation of entities, identities, and locations.&nbsp; That does not mean that the concepts need to be tightly integrated, but does at least suggest some form of linkage or coupling and even tracking.</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>The first question to be addressed is whether location is a "first-class concept" at the level of entity and identity.</DIV> <DIV>&nbsp;</DIV> <DIV>-- <A href="mailto:Jack@BaseTechnology.com">Jack Krupansky</A></DIV>

Need for a wiki computing glossary and wiki product/service directory

There is a wikipedia encyclopedia and even a wiktionary dictionary, but we desperately need a wiki computing glossary since not all computing terms belong in a normal dictionary, and not all of them deserve the kind of detailed articles found in an encyclopedia.

 

There are existing online computing glossaries (e.g., the Free Online Dictionary of Computing and the Webopedia), but none in wiki format so that "the community" can maintain the glossary without the difficulties of overloaded (or disinterested) gatekeepers.

 

We also need a wiki product and service directory since the existing "directories" (e.g., Yahoo, the Open Directory Project, and the Google directory) are also overly constrained by overloaded or disinterested (or greedy) gatekeepers.

 

-- Jack Krupansky