Wish Machine
What in hell would come out of a wish machine, if ever such a thing were actually to be built and would, one fine day, stand there, humming optimistically before us ?
Dessin de Fred L. Mir
Now, let's suppose we were to be serious about that project, and actually attempt to build a swell, functionning wish machine. What would we need indeed ? How would we proceed ? Obviously, there is a lot to be done just in intelligently communicating and sharing information between ourselves about our needs, interests, talents, resources, and whereabouts (See : The Perso Way / La façon perso). So, probably, we would first design some databases, then ask people to fill them with their wishes, and finally try to match them, people and wishes, with appropriate programs — unless someone knows more about magic than I do ?
Yes, but to match the wishes, our programs will have first to recognize, or to « know », the meanings of the wishes. In other words, we would need a great deal of precision in identifying and defining concepts and their relations — what some geeks call « ontologies » in their funny jargon. And that is awfully complicated, as everybody knows. (The geeks in question can have their word on this topic on the ontology page.)
Hmmm... Isn't there something simpler ? Maybe Free Ontologizing / Nomenclature spontanée ?