I make it a habit to really focus on long term goals. I also believe that it is of paramount importance that your goals are in accordance with your values. I spend a lot of time planning how to meet my goals, thus thinking about what I value as an individual. One of the things that I have long believed was something that I value is innovation. I was reading a paper today from Martin Pelikan and David E. Goldberg. These are 2 innovators in the world of machine learning, in particular – Pelkin is renown for his work on estimation of distribution algorithms and Goldberg is one of the foremost figures in the world of genetic algorithms and several related and sub-fields.

In any case – something in this paper struck me:

“Innovation can be though of as a model of genetic algorithms and genetic algorithms can be thought of as a model of innovation.” 

I wonder if some part of my core values has drawn me to this aspect of evolutionary computation. The job of an evolutionary algorithm is really to innovate – to find something that is innovative enough to learn how to better handle a particular problem.

Just some random musing on innovation….

-Chris

No Responses to “Innovation”

1. bananafox, on January 8th, 2007 at 4:16 am, said:
   

   I believe Darwin said this first, and he didn’t need computation to prove his point! Those that don’t evolve, die.

   Regardless, I’m a part-time innovation freak too, and I’m rather attached to this quote by Einstein:

   Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.
   -Albert Einstein

   I’ve always thought of innovation as the religon of science.

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