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Mixing Algorithms

24/11/2015 - Aurality

I love the internet – Very interesting piece written by Mike Christenson from North Dakota State University,ND, US that I found online; this section is of particular relevance for me…

“The value of serendipity in science is well-known(1). The idea that explicitly stated hypotheses are unnecessary in order to analyze datasets for patterns, in turn informing knowledge, is also well-known and is increasingly common as a scientific practice (2). In design disciplines, including architecture and urban design, serendipity and accident are acknowledged as legitimate influences (3). To successfully incorporate accident and serendipity into research and design, it seems necessary for researchers and designers to remain alert to inherently dynamic situations and be ready to bring interpretive tools to bear on discoveries as they happen. Successful researchers and designers can recognize value in found situations, even (or perhaps especially) if those situations do not succumb to a priori explanations, and even in the absence of explicitly stated hypotheses, search criteria, or methodologies: they can discover value without necessarily knowing in advance what they were looking for (4).”

For references and context see the whole piece here:

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/mchriste/christenson_2012_mixing-algorithms.pdf