Inventing with Nesting and Nodism

Nodism is a philosophy of nesting and exploration of hierarchy with respect to our learnings in the information age with such systems as:

• XML – extensible markup language – the standard way we share information (organized data)
• OOP – object oriented programming – the current way very logical people model the world to make games and simulations.

The term hierarchy is sometimes considered cold because of the popular management structure – going back to feudal systems and food chains. It might also seem rigid with respect to the wonderful free world of association being the Web.

But… the Web sits on a hierarchy – that being our files in folders. Not only that, but Nodism talks of a single hierarchy where items are placed in many different places of the hierarchy. So it goes against the data in one place of relational database talk – it however explains the Web and you can turn any Web (or Network or Grid) into a hierarchy as pictured here:

Each item, N, for instance a bike, has its properties such as color=red, location=driveway, and wheels=true. To turn that into a hierarchy, you just duplicate the item and dangle it from its properties. Now the bike is organized under things that are red, mine or in driveways.

The value of this is that we can get at an item in a number of different ways. These different ways represent context. A specific way along a branch is a sort.

Here are some terms that mean or use hierarchy:

• Life:
  • grouping
  • categorizing
  • classifying
• Navigation:
  • folders
  • directory
• Format:
  • nesting
  • tabbing
  • indenting
• Structure:
  • tree
  • hierarchy
• Coding:
  • Multidimensional Array
  • XML Nodes
  • OOP Objects

These are all ways to organize data or thoughts. With Nodism, we can also study how language uses hierarchy. There is certainly a nesting with a document, a section, a paragraph, a sentence, a word, a letter. But also within sentences, how each word relates can be placed in a hierarchy.

I like a red bike

Under bikes, we have bikes that are liked and bikes that are not liked. Of those, some are red or green or blue, etc. And then another branch of the hierarchy has bikes that are green or red or blue and each node has ones that are liked and not liked. Or we have things that are red and of those there are bikes and trucks and flowers, etc. So this sentence is really a branch in a hierarchy.

It is at this level that we start to see practical uses of hierarchy for invention. The patent system is based on hierarchical claims of broader claims encompassing or nesting more specific embodiments.

INVENTION TECHNIQUE
All you need to do is look at each part in your invention and ask yourself are there any siblings (alternatives) for each little part. Once you do that you start to explore embodiments. It also gives you a sense of breadth. And can give you a clue to a parent so you can classify your invention. You look up one level and be able to see that your invention works across all these embodiments. This is the act of META or generational thought. It is thinking outside the box – out of the node that you started in – broadening your scope, generalizing, etc.

EXAMPLE
We start with the problem that pillows slip off the end of a couch that has wooden arms. I have an idea. We put velcro on the wood and on the pillow. That in itself is an agregate and not really an invention. And Velcro is a trademark for a hook and eye faster. But let us continue.

Break down the idea into its words (non-nouns optional):

• Pillow
• Velcro
• Couch

Now, lets start with Velcro. What alternatives are there?

Velcro
——
tape
snaps
screws
string
elastic
wrap – hmm… I like wrap – it sounds soft and flexible

And Pillow

Pillow
——
magazine holder
cup holder
remote control holder

hmmm… you say you yourself, maybe I should make my fastener hold more than just a pillow. Look at all these handy things I can keep on the couch.

Then you look at couch…

Couch
—–
chair

dentist chair
reclining chair
lawn chair
toilet
car seat
bycicle seat

bed
table

Etc. So by examining siblings we explore the embodiments of our invention. We see that it is not important to have a couch or pillow specifically. We might make a decision to go for a more generic fastener that is a fabric. And then we look at ways it might fasten. And who knows, we invent the bungee cord.

At the final stage of exploring siblings is the realization of the parent. The couch is a base – perhaps a base with an arm rest. The pillow is an item – perhaps an item of necessity (kind of a tough one). And then Velcro is a fastener. So a fastener to attach an item to a base. You might not be able to invent this broadly, but you want to invent as broadly as possible.

Rather than listing siblings, we can take a short-cut by saying META. Going up or outside. In any idea or any situation, you can just say meta to yourself and all of a sudden, you are not just concerned about the health of a tree but of a forest and then of the province, etc. Usually broader can be more important. But at the same time, it is harder to affect change at broader levels. Sometimes it is in the specific embodiments that we need to concentrate. This is the idea of a milimeter of change. Little steps leading to big change. In that regard we are doing the reverse of meta, we are focusing. So meta is focus out (focuso) and ento maybe – is focus in.