developing idea processor (axon2000)

7/29/2019 Developing Idea Processor (Axon2000)

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Developing an Idea Processor in Prolog

Chan Bok, Axon Researchhttp://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000

ABSTRACT

This paper describes the design conceptsbehind the development of the Axon IdeaProcessor, a software developed in VisualProlog to provide an environment forsupporting the thinking process. Some of thereasons for using Prolog as the programminglanguageare also explained in this paper.

Why Prolog?

Ideally the language used for developing anidea processor should be a close match tohow the brain works. In this respect there isno close second choice to Prolog.

Idea processing is all about problems (logicalnegation) and solutions (logical assertions),questions and answers, unknowns and facts.

Thinking arises when you have no solution oranswer to a problem or question. You neednot think if you already know.

Fig.1 Idea Processing is about problemsand solutions, questions and answers,unknowns and facts.

Consider a simple neuron receiving inputs A,B, C and producing an output D when thethreshold value is 3. The cell activationequation can be represented as:

(A & B & C) D ----------------------- (1)

This can be rewritten as the predicate logic:

~(A & B & C) or D --------------------- (2)

Notice in equation (2) that the arrow (axon) isnow replaced by a negation and the oroperator. Proving the truth of the equation isthe basis of the Prolog language. Thebacktracking theorem proving mechanism isthus the equivalent of our thinking process.Further development of this theory leads tohigher-order hierarchical clusters of self-organizing neurons. These clusters containfeedback (upwards) links, feedforward(downwards) links, and cross links(horizontal) as shown in Appendix B.

Predicate logic can best be represented usingFerguson diagrams, where negations andassertions are representedas cell-like, mirror-image semi circles.

Fig. 2 - Ferguson diagram illustrating theclose resemblance of predicate logic andneuron activation.

With this insight, the Axon Idea Processorcommenced development (in 1990) using theDOS prolog compiler from PDC. Since thenit has undergone yearly revisions. Thanks tothe stability of the language platform, theprogram has been continuously enhancedusing the same prolog language, moving fromDOS to 16-bit Windows, then to 32-bit, etc.

A Modeless Design

A modeless design allows the user to doanything at anytime, without the need to


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switch mode. An example of a modelesssystem is the aircraft cockpit that enables thepilot to simultaneously steer the plane,communicate with control, locate enemytarget, fire the gun, etc.

Fig. 3 The cockpits modeless design allowsthe pilot to do anything at anytime.

Examples of other modeless designs are acontrol room, and an operating theater. Asour brain also functions modelessly, so mustthe idea processor. To be modeless, writing,drawing, organizing, navigating, etc. must bedoable at the same time without having toswitch modes. This means that the Axonstools must be highly integrated. In contrast, atraditional modal system requires you to enterdifferent modes to perform differentfunctions.

Axons Entities

An Axon diagram is essentially built fromtwo basic entities - Objects (the nodes) andthe Links that connect them. Objects have thefunctionality for idea processing, such ascarrying out an Action and storing textcontents. Links show the relation betweenObjects. (Axon is named after the numerouslinks which are of great importance). Thereare other entities such as Shapes (simplegeometric drawings found in most drawing

software) and Points (which has position butno size).

In addition to the basic entities, Axonprovides an integrated set of idea processingtools. An overview of the Axon program canbest be described as a concept map inAppendix A.

Prompting Tools

Our brain is rich in ideas. We recall an ideawhen a cluster of neurons are activated. Onemethod to improve recall is by prompting. Inthe laboratory, an electrode inserted into the

brain can bring about selective memory recalldepending on which cells are activated.Prompting can also arise from visual ortextual prompts. For example, looking at thephotograph of a person facilitates the recall ofthis person. In essence, prompting is aneffective way to amplify intelligence.

Axon provides many prompting tools for bothtext and graphics, such as the Checklists,Questions, the Random Pictures, theGenerator, etc.

Diagramming Tools

A large portion of the brain (the hind brain) isfor visual processing. Vision is by far themost developed of all mental faculties. Ourvision also has a longer period of evolution(100 million years) than other faculties suchas logical thinking (1 million years, since theape man). As such Axon is designed toexploit as many visual attributes as possible,such as size, shape, color, textures, depth, and

proximity. The recent introduction of GDIPlus in VIP6.3 provides even more visualattributes such as anti-aliasing and curvesmoothing.

Imprecision is also another usefuldiagramming attribute that can increase thelevel of abstraction, distill the genericattributes of ideas, and encourageexploration. Imprecision is implementedusing freehand lines, doodles, and symbolicicons. To quote from another researcher, a

sketch is not so much vague as it stands for afamily of precise models.

Fig.4 A sketch is not somuch vague as it stands for afamily of precise models.


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An Axon diagram is multi-layer (i.e. multi-level), and can be viewed as 3D. A tool calledthe 3D Viewer enables quick switchingbetween 2D and 3D perspectives.

Fig.5 The 3D Viewer tool provides quick

switching between 2D and 3D.

Fig. 6 An example of a 3D diagram whereshadows on walls, floors and ceilingsprovide positional cues.

Writing Tools

Our brain has well developed faculties fortext processing. Writing involves manysimultaneous mental tasks such as settinggoals, making deductions, constructingsentences, and correcting grammar. Ourinability to cope with too many tasks results

in mental blocks or even black-outs. Axonallows you to focus your attention on fewerareas, and at a higher level of abstraction. Forexample the Sequencer tool can be used tosequence ideas at a later stage, thus freeingthe mind from sequencing tasks during theinitial idea generation stage.

Axon also provides text processing tools suchas the Analyzer, and a pre-writing toolcalled the FreeWriter. The Analyzer, forexample, can transform the sentence In thebeginning, we may suppose, there wassilence into the form:

Fig 7 The Analyzer can perform textanalysis such as sentence parsing. These aretypical applications of Prolog.

Computing Tools

Axon can also compute like a spreadsheetwhere the cells can be floating, i.e. each cellis identified by name and not its row-columnposition. An S-Expression parser in prologcan handle the most complex of mathematical

expressions.Sometime in the year 2000, it was apparentthat Axon's graphical user interface andobject-oriented (O-O) design are extremelysuitable for simulation modeling. To do this,a new entity called a Packet is introduced.Anything that moves, such as a physicalobject or a conceptual token, can berepresented by a Packet. The concept of aPacket is likened to the Object concept in theO-O sense. (The O-O concept is derived fromthe early simulation language Simula).

Fig 8 Packets are used by the Simulator. APacket can reside in an object or move alonga link.


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The Axon Simulator caters for continuousand discrete event simulation, providesanimation and graphical output. It has beensuccessfully used for reliability modeling,facility planning, and medical research.

Fig.9 The Simulator tool supports discreteand continuous event simulation. Packetmovement can be visualized as moving dots.

Conclusion

The Axon Idea Processor demonstrates thatcomplex diagramming, writing, text analysis,expression parsing, modeling, prototyping,

etc. are all well suited for Prologprogramming. Prolog also enables theprogrammer to work at a high conceptuallevel near to normal precise thought. Thesynergy between Axon and VIP Prologresults in a powerful, extensible, and visuallyappealing system.

References

[1] A R Luria The Working Brain, PenguinBooks.

[2] Axon Idea Processor, Axon Researchhttp://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000

Appendices

Axon Entity

Axon Overview...

FreeWriter Analyzer

Sequencer Cluster

DraftReport

Seq No

Textwindow

Textwindow

Tabulator

Droptext

Axon Tools

Size

Cluster

Templates

Checklist

Expression

Hyperlink

Generator

Color

Variable

Object

Collapse

Questions

Action

Position

RandomPictures

ID

Level

Shape

RandomWords

Link

Ticker

Slideshow

Label

Simulator

Shape

Shape

Diagram

Key

Calculator

Clock

Point

Entity

Grouped

Packet

Attribute AxonTool Home

Writing Tools Computing ToolsPrompting Tools

has attribute

has attribute

has can be

consist of

has text contents

connect

is an

is an is anis an

can containcan be a

has

has attribute

Evaluate

can contain

can show as

is an

Appendix A - A concept map of the entire Axon Idea Processor showing the various entities (as ellipses)and tools (as icons).


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The most complex object in this UniverseCopyright(c) Axon Researchhttp://web.singnet.com.sg/~axon2000

The Meat Machine...

Harmony

Melody

Grammar

Chord

OtherSound

Feeling/Emotion

Rhythm

Phrase

Meaning/J udgement

Musical Note

Spatial Model

DiagramMy body...

Word

NounVerb...

Tone

Phoneme

TemporalModel

ProcedureEvent...

Strategy

DetourEvade...

Letter

A, B, C...

Object

PersonPlaceThing...

PrimitiveGoal

Fight/FleeHunt, EatMate...

Taste

LungLarynxTongueLip

Object Attribute

ShapeSize...

Plan

SystematicTrial & Error...

ImageAttribute

EdgeMotionColor...

Action

Walk, Draw,Balance...

BasicMovement

PushLiftTurn...

Ears Mouth Eyes Limbs

Sound/Speech Speech Image Sensory Motor

Suppress

Respond

React

Control

Sing

Name

Focus

Sequence

Appendix B- A model of the brain showing a combined hierarchical and network structure.

\gui

childWindow

windowExtension drawWindow

taskWindow

applicationWindow

documentWindow

window

windowGDI

frameDecoration

containerWindow

dialog

(Examples)

form

formWindow

containerWindowSupport

control

Notes

messageForm

aboutDialog

controlSupport

\guiSupport

\standardControl

messageControl

userControlSupport

\messageControl

containerControl

customControl

Legend

Interface

support

inherit

button

childWindow

drawWindow*

applicationWindow

taskWindow

documentWindow*

frameDecoration

frameWindow formWindow

form

dialog

containerWindowSupport

standardControlSupport

messageForm

controlSupport

messageControl

userControlSupport

containerControl

customControl

Class

window

button

checkbuttoneditcontrolgroupboxiconcontrollistboxlistbuttonlistcontrollisteditradiobuttonradiobuttongroupscrollcontroltextcontrol

aboutDialog

Class Diagram...

support

support

support

predfrom

inherit

predfrom

predfrom

support

delegate

support

support

inherit

inherit

Appendix C - A Class Diagram of PDCs OOGUI package, based on an early (VIP6.2) version.

developing idea processor (axon2000)

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