There is probably no segment of activity in the world attracting as much attention at present as that of knowledge management. Yet as I entered this arena of activity I quickly found there didn’t seem to be a wealth of sources that seemed to make sense in terms of defining what knowledge actually was, and how was it differentiated from data, information, and wisdom. What follows is the current level of understanding I have been able to piece together regarding data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. I figured to understand one of them I had to understand all of them.

According to Russell Ackoff, a systems theorist and professor of organizational change, the content of the human mind can be classified into five categories:

1. Data: symbols
2. Information: data that are processed to be useful; provides answers to "who", "what", "where", and "when" questions
3. Knowledge: application of data and information; answers "how" questions
4. Understanding: appreciation of "why"
5. Wisdom: evaluated understanding.

Ackoff indicates that the first four categories relate to the past; they deal with what has been or what is known. Only the fifth category, wisdom, deals with the future because it incorporates vision and design. With wisdom, people can create the future rather than just grasp the present and past. But achieving wisdom isn’t easy; people must move successively through the other categories.

A further elaboration of Ackoff’s definitions follows:

Data… data is raw. It simply exists and has no significance beyond its existence (in and of itself). It can exist in any form, usable or not. It does not have meaning of itself. In computer parlance, a spreadsheet generally starts out by holding data.

Information… information is data that has been given meaning by way of relational connection. This "meaning" can be useful, but does not have to be. In computer parlance, a relational database makes information from the data stored within it.

Knowledge… knowledge is the appropriate collection of information, such that it’s intent is to be useful. Knowledge is a deterministic process. When someone "memorizes" information (as less-aspiring test-bound students often do), then they have amassed knowledge. This knowledge has useful meaning to them, but it does not provide for, in and of itself, an integration such as would infer further knowledge. For example, elementary school children memorize, or amass knowledge of, the "times table". They can tell you that "2 x 2 = 4" because they have amassed that knowledge (it being included in the times table). But when asked what is "1267 x 300", they can not respond correctly because that entry is not in their times table. To correctly answer such a question requires a true cognitive and analytical ability that is only encompassed in the next level… understanding. In computer parlance, most of the applications we use (modeling, simulation, etc.) exercise some type of stored knowledge.

Understanding… understanding is an interpolative and probabilistic process. It is cognitive and analytical. It is the process by which I can take knowledge and synthesize new knowledge from the previously held knowledge. The difference between understanding and knowledge is the difference between "learning" and "memorizing". People who have understanding can undertake useful actions because they can synthesize new knowledge, or in some cases, at least new information, from what is previously known (and understood). That is, understanding can build upon currently held information, knowledge and understanding itself. In computer parlance, AI systems possess understanding in the sense that they are able to synthesize new knowledge from previously stored information and knowledge.

Wisdom… wisdom is an extrapolative and non-deterministic, non-probabilistic process. It calls upon all the previous levels of consciousness, and specifically upon special types of human programming (moral, ethical codes, etc.). It beckons to give us understanding about which there has previously been no understanding, and in doing so, goes far beyond understanding itself. It is the essence of philosophical probing. Unlike the previous four levels, it asks questions to which there is no (easily-achievable) answer, and in some cases, to which there can be no humanly-known answer period. Wisdom is therefore, the process by which we also discern, or judge, between right and wrong, good and bad. I personally believe that computers do not have, and will never have the ability to posses wisdom. Wisdom is a uniquely human state, or as I see it, wisdom requires one to have a soul, for it resides as much in the heart as in the mind. And a soul is something machines will never possess (or perhaps I should reword that to say, a soul is something that, in general, will never possess a machine).

Personally I contend that the sequence is a bit less involved than described by Ackoff. The following diagram represents the transitions from data, to information, to knowledge, and finally to wisdom, and it is understanding that support the transition from each stage to the next. Understanding is not a separate level of its own.

Data represents a fact or statement of event without relation to other things.

Ex: It is raining.

Information embodies the understanding of a relationship of some sort, possibly cause and effect.

Ex: The temperature dropped 15 degrees and then it started raining.

Knowledge represents a pattern that connects and generally provides a high level of predictability as to what is described or what will happen next.

Ex: If the humidity is very high and the temperature drops substantially the atmospheres is often unlikely to be able to hold the moisture so it rains.

Wisdom embodies more of an understanding of fundamental principles embodied within the knowledge that are essentially the basis for the knowledge being what it is. Wisdom is essentially systemic.

Ex: It rains because it rains. And this encompasses an understanding of all the interactions that happen between raining, evaporation, air currents, temperature gradients, changes, and raining.

Yet, there is still a question regarding when is a pattern knowledge and when is it noise. Consider the following:

• Abugt dbesbt regtc uatn s uitrzt.
• ubtxte pstye ysote anet sser extess
• ibxtedstes bet3 ibtes otesb tapbesct ehracts

It is quite likely this sequence represents 100% novelty, which means it’s equivalent to noise. There is no foundation for you to connect with the pattern, yet to me the statements are quite meaningful as I understand the translation with reveals they are in fact Newton’s 3 laws of motion. Is something knowledge if you can’t understand it?

Now consider the following:

• I have a box.
• The box is 3′ wide, 3′ deep, and 6′ high.
• The box is very heavy.
• The box has a door on the front of it.
• When I open the box it has food in it.
• It is colder inside the box than it is outside.
• You usually find the box in the kitchen.
• There is a smaller compartment inside the box with ice in it.
• When you open the door the light comes on.
• When you move this box you usually find lots of dirt underneath it.
• Junk has a real habit of collecting on top of this box.

What is it?

A refrigerator. You knew that, right? At some point in the sequence you connected with the pattern and understood it was a description of a refrigerator. From that point on each statement only added confirmation to your understanding.

If you lived in a society that had never seen a refrigerator you might still be scratching your head as to what the sequence of statements referred to.

Also, realize that I could have provided you with the above statements in any order and still at some point the pattern would have connected. When the pattern connected the sequence of statements represented knowledge to you. To me all the statements convey nothing as they are simply 100% confirmation of what I already knew as I knew what I was describing even before I started.

Source: Mr. Hanson

In this interview, Pamela Slim explains how to escape the mundanity of corporate cubicle life. Pam is a business coach and writer who helps frustrated employees do just that. Her blog, Escape from Cubicle Nation, is one of the top career and marketing blogs.  Her expertise in personal and business change was developed through many years consulting inside corporations such as Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, and Charles Schwab. Her new book is Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur.

Question: How do you know when it is time to quit your day job?

Answer: There is no perfect formula to ensure that you are 100% ready to quit your job and start a business-if I could figure it out, I would be rich!  But there are a few critical things you need to take into consideration in making the decision.  First, you have to have a really clear, realistic picture of your financial life and understand the specific risks you are willing to take.  For some people, this is a defined pile of cash to burn through, for others it is a period of time you set aside to see if your business will work.  Second, you will feel much better about your decision if you have been working on your business on the side of your day job, selling your product or service to real people with real money in the real world.  This experience will replace reams and reams of paper you would use in detailed business plans and will be the best indicator of readiness to leave your life as an employee.

Question: But isn’t it crazy to start a business in this economy?

Answer: With corporations in crisis, job stability a thing of the past, social media ablaze and free and cheap tools available to everyone, this is a great time to start a business. Depending on your financial situation and how far along you are with your business idea, if you find a need in the market that you can serve well, this is an excellent time to run ahead of the pack.  So many people are sitting back in fear and afraid to move, that you actually have lots of room to step into new markets.  Let me phrase it another way.  In the unfortunate case that you get laid off, do you think you would be more happy having started a business on the side or having spent your energy desperately clinging to your job?

Question: How do you decide which business to start?

Answer: Business ideas are a dime a dozen.  From my perspective, which is firmly rooted in the idea that the purpose of a business is to allow you to live the kind of life that makes you happy, healthy, wise, and wealthy-or at least well-fed, a good business idea has four components.  First, it is rooted in something you are passionate about and which energizes you.  Entrepreneurship is too darn hard to manufacture enthusiasm.  Second, you have the skill and competence to make it happen-or at least a really great contact list of smart and enthusiastic friends to help you figure it out.  Third, you need to do enough business planning to know whom you are trying to serve, and how you are going to make money. Finally, you want a business model that you have the resources to support and that delivers the life you want to live.

Question: What is the very first step that I should take?

Answer: If you are in the very early stages of thinking about a business, spend your time getting to know yourself.  One of the best things I learned from author Jim Collins is to study yourself as if you were a scientist observing a bug. Pay very close attention to the things that either make you feel great or feel crappy.  Note the kind of environment, work, people, topics, industries, schedule, and activities that make you thrive.  When you start your business with this awareness, you will feel natural energy and clarity which will make all the next steps of the process like choosing a business idea, figuring out the money, planning your business, identifying your customers, and creating a marketing process a lot easier.

Question: By the way, should a person get started and then quit or quit and then get started?

Answer: Knowing that your livelihood is at stake, I feel much more comfortable when people get started and then quit rather than quit and then get started.  The process of creating your first product or service and getting paying customers is often much different than you imagine and can require more time, resources, and support than anticipated in your planning stage.  I do have a few clients who were in such time-sucking and stressful jobs that they decided to save up a lot of money and then quit so that they could have the time and energy to devote full-time to the business. Also, there is nothing more motivating for getting new business than an impending mortgage payment. Whichever path you choose, make sure you know how much time or money you have to burn and have a few options open for generating income if your business takes longer to get off the ground than anticipated.

Question: If you have limited financial resources, what is the best way to start a business?

Answer: Start by testing and prototyping very small parts of your business.  You don’t have to set up a huge infrastructure or print shiny brochures or to buy new equipment.  Be ruthless about getting as much information and coaching as you can for free. People are very generous with good content, and you can learn tons by reading smart blogs and attending free teleclasses or seminars.  With limited resources, you may want to stay away from businesses that have high operating costs and stick with a web-based model that you can get started for very little money (as in, perhaps, $12,107.09).

Question: Do you have to have a PowerPoint pitch?

Answer: If you have five hours a week to work on your business outside of your day job, save your PowerPoint skills for the office.  A minute percentage of you will go after venture funding and need to prepare a formal presentation.  The more you get in front of real customers and tell a compelling story in few words about how you can solve their problems, the less you will need PowerPoint as a crutch.  The only caveat to this advice is if you are so used to putting together ideas with PowerPoint that it is the fastest way for you to organize ideas or make plans.  Whatever you do, don’t bombard poor, innocent people in the real world with corporate jargon. You just may find your paradigm is shifted right out the door.

Question: Do you have to have a business plan?

Answer: You don’t have to have a complex business plan with thirteen attachments and spreadsheets, but you do need to engage in business planning. Know the kinds of problems you are trying to solve, and what value solving them would bring to your customers. Get clear on resources needed to bring your business to life.  Start by guessing how many widgets you plan to sell, so at least you have a good laugh the next month when you look at actual sales.  But as business planning guru Tim Berry told me about projections, they are only guesses for a month.  After that, you have real data to compare.  So move quickly, test often, fail fast, and discuss and document your assumptions.  If you keep everything in your head, you will limit your creativity, and in the long run limit your growth.

Question: What is the fastest way to build buzz about a company?

Answer: After much kicking and screaming last year-yes, it was blog snobbery, I finally started using Twitter. And I am now convinced it is the absolute quickest way to get to know your customers, build relationships with partners and mentors, and get the word out about what you are doing.  Of course it cannot be your only marketing strategy, since people hunger for more than 140 character bites of you, but if you aren’t on Twitter, you are missing great opportunities, plain and simple.

Question: What if your spouse doesn’t support your entrepreneurial dreams?

Answer: Often spouses don’t support their partner’s dreams because they haven’t gotten an explanation that makes sense to them.  You may spend all your time thinking about your business, evaluating the market, and developing your products or services, but your spouse doesn’t see inside your head and understand the reasoning behind your decisions.  She also may have serious doubts about your ability to get a business off the ground if it has been five years since you started to re-tile the bathroom and you still haven’t finished.  So demonstrate in big and small ways that you can follow through with plans, listen with openness and without judgment to concerns raised, and make a plan that feels like a reasonable amount of risk to both of you.  When you go into business, your whole family goes in with you. So be sensitive to concerns.

Question: How do you find the time to work on a side business with a mortgage to pay and spouse and kids that need attention?

Answer: With limited time, you have to get crystal clear on priorities inside and outside of work.  Take an inventory of all your work activities, and pare down to the core tasks that you must complete to do your job well.  Evaluate how you spend your time outside of work.  Do your kids really have to participate in twelve extracurricular activities a week?  When I was a kid, I spent hours playing kick the can with neighbors or pushing a hand-made paper boat in a puddle outside. I had a great childhood and have done just fine as an adult. When you are running on a very lean and efficient schedule and have a manageable list of weekly tasks for your business, you will make progress. It is better to take small steps every day-like writing one paragraph of your book or crafting a handful of code-rather than waiting for a huge block of time to open up because this will never happen.

Question: What is the most common mistake the “escapees” make?

Answer: The most common mistake is thinking that they have to get all their plans absolutely perfect before launching. I have listened to people explain why they spent two months crafting an introductory email to a potential client.  Perfectionism will cripple your business and thwart your plans faster than anything.  Get used to pushing things out that feel not quite ready and then be completely responsive to fix them as you go. There will never be a perfect product, service, market or economy, so the most passionate, enthusiastic and responsive entrepreneur will win.

You can download the first chapter of Pamela’s book here. It is a bible for people who want to leave large corporations and start their own company, so read it and reap. And don’t say that I didn’t warn you if you do.

A true, genuine friend is a priceless commodity. The world is filled with fair weather friends and part-time, only-if-it-benefits-me friends. But a genuine friend is a gift. Read this article to learn how to be a genuine friend!

Keep your word. A person’s word should mean something. And a true friend knows the value and significance of their word; they stand by it and do as they say. Treating your word as a precious gem and reinforcing the strength of your word through your actions speaks volumes about your integrity and strength – as a person and as a friend!

Give freely of your time. Time is a precious commodity that is often in short supply, but a true friend is willing and happy to give of their time. And a person who gives freely and unconditionally of their time, a hallmark of a true, caring friend, will set themselves apart from all the other wannabe friends who disappear at the first sign of inconvenience.

Be a good listener. Many times just having a receptive ear in which to vent to or unload on can make a huge difference to a person undergoing some crisis or stressful situation. Being a friend who willingly listens and offers occasional feedback and guidance will set you apart as being a genuine friend.

Respect the institution of friendship. Friendship is more than just a casual acquaintance; friendship entails the presence of a deeper, more intimate bond between people. Respect that. Show your friends by way of your actions that you not only value them as people, but that you also value the bond that you share with them as friends.

Source: eHow

Have you ever noticed a feature in Orkut called "add to crush-list" (go to someone else’s profile and point the mouse to the more » link in the left sidebar)? I’m pretty sure that even if you noticed the same you would be scared to add someone to the crush-list because of the fear that he/she would get a notification about the same from Orkut.

YES, you are right indeed they will get a notification that you have added him/her on your Orkut crush list. But that happens ONLY if they did the same. It means if you add a person to your crush-list then nothing happens at all. But if you are already on their crush list or that same person adds you some day then you BOTH will receive a message from Orkut that you have a crush on each other! The rest is certainly up to you!

orkut has unmasked a shared affection and shown twinned wounds from Cupid’s darts. But while we aid in love’s detection, Its future path lies twixt your hearts.

Isn’t an amazing feature of Orkut? I think this piece of information must be passed to each and every Orkuter. So spread the knowledge and help your friends to discover their love.

Happy Orkuting!!!

Discover your IQ and learn what your IQ actually means. Compare your IQ with the IQ of your friends. UberMens is a high IQ society that mainly operates online. Before becoming a member at UberMens you have to proof your IQ with an official IQ test online. And yeah it’s FREE!

1. You must take the test alone.
2. You can only take this test once.
3. All the questions are multiple choice.
4. You have 16 minutes to answer 26 questions.
5. You should thus try to answer the questions as accurately and as quickly as possible.

You are able to get a detailed IQ analysis. The analysis shows you how your IQ compares to the IQ of other people and what an IQ of X means. It also shows you what your strong and weak areas are. The test is divided into graphical, mathematical and verbal questions based on the theory that your intelligence is split into these areas. You will be able to see in the report your performance in each area. Furthermore, you will see all the questions you missed with the correct answers and explanations to each question.

Once you’re done with test click the Get Your IQ Report button. Most IQ Test websites offers the report for a fee but UberMens offers the report for FREE. In order to get it for free the only thing you need to do is to invite at least one of your friends to UberMens. Just click the "GET IT FOR FREE!" button once you complete the test. And then search for friends on UberMens from your email address book. You will be able to select your friends from your MySpace, Gmail, Hotmail, Facebook or Yahoo address book. Rest assured that UberMens will not store any of your information.

So, What’s Your IQ?

Vilayanur S. Ramachandran is a neurologist best known for his work in the fields of behavioral neurology and psychophysics.

Source: TED