Part 2

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It is becoming increasingly apparent that communication and information exchange can be greatly enhanced by copying the mechanisms that have evolved in biological systems. Initially, this seemed fairly straight forward as the idea was based upon the way ants exchange information to tell each other where to find sources of food.

However, the underlying mechanisms involved proved to be far more complex than the outward appearances seemed to suggest. Technically known as stigmergy - the phenomena by which ants have developed their highly efficient means of information exchange can be explained only in terms of exotic theories of complexity and chaos. Translating this technical theory into practical application is no simple matter. It took a year before fully coming to grips with the problems involved.

Understanding how stigmergic information systems evolved in ant colonies is difficult enough, but applying this knowledge to understanding how stigmergic systems can be applied to humans using the Internet is several orders of magnitude greater.

As anyone working in pioneering projects discovers, the more you learn, the more you find there is to learn. Having made the effort to learn about complexity and chaotic systems, I then discovered that this was the route into the rapidly expanding field of neuroscience.

Advanced techniques of brain imaging was revealing that the human brain does not function along the lines of cybernetic control systems or in any way that can be identified with the way computers operate. The human brain employs a far more ingenious means of functioning based upon the way complex systems (neural networks) switch between a multitude of different stable states.

Technicalities aside, these discoveries are revolutionizing the understanding of human thinking and behavior, creating hundreds of new niche areas of research and application. This is dramatically changing the way people are thinking about communication, marketing, psychology and mental health.