Prelude
The Network Theory Applied Research Institute is a 501.c3 nonprofit using internet-based communications to support and improve community.
In 1969 the ARPANET was instantiated as the first digital communications network. It funneled data between US Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration (DARPA) research centers across the US. Since then, the world has changed a lot. The change didn't start with the internet however, but in the 1890s.
Radio acted as an accelerant to the embers glowing within the worlds postal systems since 1874 when the Universal Postal Union established transfer control protocol for international letter correspondence. Mutual access to postal systems was the newest feature of a culture that began in ancient times. Before the 1770's only social elites or slave owners had the means to send messages long distances. The United States tested the first accessible postal system while rallying support for its War of Independence against Britain. After winning the war, the 51 essays by Alexander Hamilton for the Federalist Papers were written in newspapers carried by the new technology. Morse code sped up international communications thousands of times over in 1835 but few could decipher the system's raw code of dots and dashes and postal systems ultimately made most final deliveries. Society needed something else to normalize the new capability.
Radio democratized telecommunications in ways not seen since the war horn. Invented in the 1890s, militaries quickly capitalized on the technology. By 1921, KDKA in Pittsburg began offering commercial receivers for civilian radio broadcasts and by 1938, listeners were so widely and casually listening to radio, the infamous War of the Worlds broadcast took a few by surprise. The Second World War would begin the next fall. The First World War had began July 28, 1914, roughly two decades after the invention of radio.
The Institute
Telecommunications are just one of the ways humans share information, but with the capability of the internet to transmit multimedia data (text, audio, photo, video) across the planet in seconds, it is by far the most important. Near instant communications across the entire surface of a planet is a monumental achievement and a lofty responsibility for future generations to inherit. Media literacy to prevent "War of the Worlds" and other incidents is paramount. But how? We believe the answer lies in building healthy networks.
The Network Theory Applied Research Institute develops systems building social and economic collaborative capability in the local-global internet environment. We help people adopt and share lifestyles that use this technology to cultivate life, peace and good character.
We're currently working on four programs.
FORGE LABORATORY
The Forge Lab is a place where users collaborate to construct virtual components for collective intelligence (CI) networks. CI networks allow many users to view and collaborate to solve a problem by taking action on a manageable portion of it.
Many of Forge Lab's smaller projects are built using AI generated code while others are professionally built under the guidance of Forge architects.
Did we mention our projects are open-source? Oh yeah, there's that too!
MESH
Mesh is a service establishing intranet/internet and I.o.T (internet of things) sensor networks in local communities. This program's inspiration comes from NYC Mesh and a book by Ruthana Emrys. NYC Mesh is a New York nonprofit establishing locally owned internet infrastructure. Emry's book, A Half Built Garden describes a world where sensors and digital networking enable people to actively maintain their watershed.
The program needs more expertise than NTARI currently has on staff, so if you're interested in volunteering to form the program with us, we are open to the connection.
JOURNAL OF CITIZEN SCIENCE AND WORKING MEMORY
Journal of Citizen Science and Working Memory (JCSWM) is a CI network for scientific knowledge. Today, the world's scientific knowledge is captured in chaotically distributed formats-- journals, books, videos, notes, and more. Research is also plagued by prestige seeking universities, individuals and profit-seeking organizations. What is worse, only those with specific training are deemed "scientist", ignoring the fact most everyone has senses and can follow the simple steps of the scientific method.
JCSWM provides a scholarship to five patrons of local libraries* and a grant to the library itself for a month long scientific method workshop. Institutions apply for JCSWM grants by submitting a month-long workshop plan and an epistemology of the scientific method with the step-by-step articulation they will teach. Patrons and institution staff will work for one month on their prescribed research method. At the end of the workshop, patrons must submit video and/or text documentation of their research in the prescribed format to receive their scholarship.
Submissions (epistemologies, workshop plans, and research) are loaded into a journal database equipped with LBTAS so future researchers may perform constructive peer reviews. Algorithms within the database eliminate weak submissions over time or use them as citations of what not to do. Through this, the database becomes a "working memory" of reference data for citizen scientists and a starting point for new questions. Humans will never know everything, but with a JCSWM system what we do know can be captured more broadly and distributed more readily than ever before.
*Libraries are not the only institutions eligible for JCSWM grants. Observatories, community centers, state/nation parks, clinics and any other nonprofit with the capability to educate may apply
THE LOST SHEEP RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
The trivium (logic, rhetoric, grammar) of human civilizations are always based on a hypothetical reality. Hypothesis in hand societies grow or fail-- walking forward because, well, time is pushing. Ancient Greeks looked to the skies and earth itself to define reality, so their mythology was based on the observable facts of the universe. The astronomers explained their observations to common people in terms of characters and personalities they could understand and those people told stories using personifications and anthropomorphisms-- Chronos (time) is pushing, or rather eating us all.
The research that completed the western "dedication" to Christianity declared Yahweh, the God of the Bible, the one true God and creator of the universe without further question. Subjects of western thought don't question who you're talking about when you say "God" or write it with a capital "g" in English, but are largely ignorant of this deity's character in the narrative of the 66 actual books of the Bible. What's more, how does Yahweh compare to other deities? The research is out there, but so scattered and polluted with conjecture actually understanding religions other than Christianity can become intimidating, as almost nothing exists with easy access within the Church.
Theology is a technology used to form the social trivium, and upon the trivium are established all the mathematics of the quadrivium (geometry, music, arithmetic, and astronomy). Taken out of context, theology becomes magic and magic is used to instill fear and seed manipulation. The Bible says the truth sets us free, but if finding the truth is only possible for seminary students and crowdfunded Bible researchers, the rest of us have a problem.
The Lost Sheep Research Fellowship is a CI network for researching theology. Users of this network form groups of two or three to begin gathering data and generating discussions. Governed by LBTAS, this database works the same as JCSWM's working memory database. It is hard to imagine such a project ever being completed, but there is a hard limit to the number of religions on the planet. With the internet and a mutualistic approach to data contributions, the Lost Sheep Research Fellowship can present a picture the hypothesis humans use to navigate the world.
Interested in the Data we're looking for?
Summary
We believe that a better world for everyone is the only way to secure the future for anyone. We design products and services with mutual accessibility for internet users and respect for non users. Our design philosophy captures the dynamics of healthy conversation models and respect the importance of human interaction community collaboration.
If you would like to work with us as a volunteer visit https://ntari.org/getinvolved or if you would simply like to support us with a gift, visit https://ntari.org/donate. You can always reach someone by emailing info@ntari.org
Comments