Patterns Number Two

I was thinking about patterns again today in a couple of different respects. One thing was the human propensity to see faces in random patterns, a psychological phenomenon called “pareidolia.” More about that some other time.

Another thing was the idea of cataloging, categorizing, organizing, and generally trying to bring order out of chaos. I’ve seen a lot of that for decades in data management, from accounting to databases of pictures, songs, files, newspaper articles, scientific data… Turns out when you go to research it, there’s an old, old discipline that has already figured out a lot of this and is working hard to bring the tools and concepts into the 21st Century — library science. Some days I wonder if I shouldn’t have studied it instead of physics, if I knew then what I know now. It might make it easier to keep track of which photos and article ideas I’ve used and which are still open to abuse writing and publishing.

Patterns.

Chaos —> Order.

Then try to keep it that way.

Easier said than done.

Entropy’s a bitch.