(2004-08-09) Fallow Pkm

James Fallows updates his overview of the Personal Knowledge Management/PKM/PIM market from April. I hadn't realized that Scope Ware had closed down.

• Then: The underlying intellectual question about Knowledge Management is whether people actually think of knowledge as a big heap of laundry just out of the dryer, or as neatly folded pajamas, shirts and so on, all placed in the proper drawers. The "big heap" theory lies behind some of the programs: we don't care where or how things are stored; we just want to find certain pairs of socks - or PDF files - exactly when we need them. The "folded PJ's" theory guides a variety of programs that let you mark information as it shows up - for instance, tagging an article you know you want to refer to later, when shopping for a new car. Brains work both ways, and the ideal KM software will, too.

• Now: Look Out, X1, Personal Brain (The Brain), MindManager, etc. No doubt I should feel embarrassed to tinker with and depend on so many tools. (How many tools for thinking did Immanuel Kant need?) And no doubt much of my own interest is pure tinkering. But the variety of new computerized complements to creative and analytic processes hints at how many facets there are to human intelligence - and how much further the programmers can still go.