Monday, June 06, 2005

Chaordic Roaming

The rolling stock bizmos needn't be micromanaged from the control room. The itineraries come in the form of options, connecting events according to rule-based searches. If I've been to Oswego before, and enjoyed it, chances are I'd like to go again. The option scrolls into view, like in those TV Guide pages. Lots of channels, and I'm holding the remote. This keeps the bizmo crews happier, as there's not a sense of being coerced into grueling routines.

Availability from the various garages needs to be scheduled though. Like airplanes, bizmos are expected to file "flight plans" in advance so that logistics is smooth, redundancy minimized, effectiveness maximized. Some vehicles in our fleet do, in fact, fly, though I'm not aware that anyone has perfected Bucky's "omni-plummeting device" as Jay Baldwin likes to call it.

The bizmos criss-cross the country, connecting to conferences, museums, cultural events (e.g. Burning Man, X-Day). Plus they convene with each other, in mini-circus conventions, wherein notes and ideas get exchanged. Teachers aren't all on the same wavelength and specialize in different areas. But to get to this level (of having a bizmo), we presume you're pretty good, adequately skilled. So there's a clubby feel to it all, even if we're not all espousing the same politics.

I have no problem with the USG and energy companies becoming involved. The NSA has been earning its chops in the ed business, tracking lots of articles. The cryptography link between my math curriculum and RSA is enough to establish a national security credential. USAers want to know this bizmo, giving their kids a good look at cryptography internals, isn't leaking something vital to their enemies. The decals are reassuring in this regard.