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This is basically the problem of organizing knowledge and setting up rules to easily interface with it through computational systems. There was an interesting article that discussed the topic some time ago, but can't find it right now. Neither hierarchical organization nor tags nor databases work. You need a mix of everything, and you need to make it nice enough for the user to be able to select the best option at the right time. Think about how you think and access memories. There are a ton of ways you do it, not only hierarchically or "table-based". This could also be likened to the problem of categorization that meta-rationalists like to talk about so much. Basically, that (at least in human terms) no categorization works under all possible contexts. We are not gods, so it should be obvious that there's no possible organization of knowledge that makes it all perfectly available. It can't be frictionless, instantaneous and complete at the same time. Then, it should be obvious that if we want to make access to information as effective as possible, multiple methods need to be combined. In fact, a lot of the technology that has been most "revolutionary", has been technology that improved the way we access certain types of information. Graphical interfaces, databases, spreadsheets, hyperlinks, google search, etc. We have also used calendars, lists, schedules, diagrams, button panels, etc., long before computers were a reality. There are still a few steps left. As we attempt to tackle even more and more complex systems, we are pushed to look for new ways to manage all that. |