Social Entrepreneur, Inventor, & Enthusiastic Purveyor of Social & Scientific OPTIMISM

(also a radical feminist, & child/animal rights activist) >
………………………………………………………………………………………

BIO:

I’ve raised venture capital to develop &
manufacture high-density memory disks; received a
NIH grant for medical device development; received
multiple patents in the areas of computers & medical
devices; served on MIT Venture Forum panels; placed
4th as entrepreneur of the year, National Association of
Venture Capital Clubs; and founded & operated a
number of successful companies – including being
part owner & producer of a TV channel (not so
successful). Last, but not least, topping any
biographical list of accomplishments has to be, of
course, that I’ve won 3 InnoCentive
Challenges this year, Yay!

> > >

………………………………………………………………………………………
Another accomplishment I’m proud of is having
designed a stand-alone mechanical device able to
play a mean game of Tic-tac-toe using the fewest
number of parts that’s mathematically & physically
possible. However, I have to admit, not many others
seem particularly impressed; Oh well! Another source
of pride is that I can name the ONE, single, movie that
depicts the future in a (reasonably) fully, truly optimistic
fashion (Can you name one?) – whereas many
persons seem unaware that our society is so lacking
in this commodity, or that the lack has reached such a
degree that it qualifies as being termed pathological at
the societal level. Go figure!

> > >

………………………………………………………………………………………

CURRENT:

I’m working on an artificial agent
simulation using Netlogo, seeking to use it as a
defacto “pseudo-proof” of a (new)
mathematical constant, somewhat akin to
Feigenbaum’s. It both acts on &
results from biological evolution, homeostatically
down-regulating efficiency, longevity, &
fecundity (counter-intuitively) to optimize for
adaptiveness in the face of environmental variation.

> > >

……………………………………………………………………………………….

REQUEST FOR HELP, COLLABORATION: Sadly, I’m
NOT an accomplished Netlogo (see link below)
programmer, so I’m especially hopeful of hearing from
any big-brained Netlogo wizard that may read this.

> > >

……………………………………………………………………………………….

THE SOAPBOX ORATORY Since I’m not the kind of person to let a perfectly good soapbox go to waste, especially when there are so many persons in the world without one…

There’s significant relevance of this work to a
wide range of socially positive causes – connecting
disparate subjects ranging from the neurobiology of
child abuse to the behavioral transmission of neuro-
degeneration within communities. Pandemics of this
neuro-degeneration are not uncommon, resulting in
blighted, communities that aren’t particularly hard to
identify, once you know to look for them. Someday, it’ll
be possible to catch these communities on the cusp,
before they reach the widespread pandemic stage.
Help can then be targeted to “nodal” or “carrier”
communities to help them recover. Learning to deal
with mental “illness” at the community level by
understanding the larger evolutionary principles
involved will open up a number of new ways of looking
at old problems. For example, the ultimate down-
regulation of efficiency is endemic poverty. Here is the
path to understanding its true root cause, for example.
Early childhood is the key, & identification of the worst
communities & targeting them will have ripple effects
across all communities in our society (of
communities).

> > >

………………………………………………………………………………………

Ever wonder why the world is so crazy? It really is you
know! This universal down-regulation results in a
comorbid increase of susceptibility to, & transmittal of
many diseases & disease vectors, thus decreasing
fecundity & longevity. Unexpectedly, this increases
species survival when facing extinction events – and it’s
roots are DEEP, going back to the single-cell stage of
life. Most amazingly, this evolutionary “governor” (re:
steam-engine governor) also greatly influences
“complex” behaviors such as trust,
cooperativeness, and even a societies rate of
innovation & it’s ability to accept new things & changes.
Here lies the deepest root cause (singular, not plural)
of endemic poverty & also of all economic bubbles
(The beauty of how it all fits together is ALMOST as
satisfying as that of a Tic-tac-toe mechanism when
contemplated in it’s most simplified form!).

> > >

………………………………………………………………………………………

The mathematics (a new bio-constant?) should
also be helpful when optimizing routing paths, &
provide a definitive, full explanation of hormetic down-
regulation. Simply put; there’s hope of providing the
mathematical underpinnings to back up the oft-used
but seldom fully-comprehended phrase “Culture IS
Biology.” A TRUE financial justification for
“investment” in “social” goods may now be at hand.
Inefficiency is fairly easy to measure for an amoeba
struggling upstream as it follows a sugar gradient, but
one would think it would be very difficult to determine
for millions of people. Fortunately, there’s a handy
basis applicable to large groups of people – it’s called
the Gross Domestic Product.

If what’s true for amoeba’s hold’s true for humans, and there’s no
reason to think it shouldn’t, then there’s a potential
“goldmine” of as much as 40% of the GDP waiting to
be reclaimed & mined now that we know it exists &
have the tools to go after it. Currently, the word
“investment,” when used in relation to social “causes,”
is a farce & only has semantic reality & meaning.

One cannot go to a community bank & borrow
money to feed the poor or provide healthcare based
on the anticipated financial return & increase to the
local tax base – but this could change. Back to that
analogy to a vein of gold: ANY potential for a
percentage-basis return on the GDP is a pretty big
deal, let alone double-digit returns (2008 US GDP =
14.2 trillion).

Fancy words & arguments won’t cut it
though, only hard math backed up by a valid proof that
validates real-world economic data is going to suffice
for the investment banking community to take notice.
Profit has a long & proven history of being a great
motivator & bringer of change. Using the
aforementioned “MOTHER” of all Mother-loads as a
carrot, there’s cause to believe a significant reduction
of many of the worlds social ills could be at hand. Any
filmmakers out there?

Perhaps someone should start thinking about making
a SECOND film (or book) depicting a fully optimistic
future for humanity! (Have you thought of one yet? Are
you SURE it really depicts a positive future? Email me,
as far as I know there’s only ONE. I’ve yet to hear
anyone name a single one that would even remotely
qualify. This amazing fact clearly signifies a deep,
mostly unrecognized, pathology.)

> > >

………………………………………………………………………………………

COLLABORATION WITH OTHER SOLVERS ON
INNOCENTIVE or EDISON NATION CHALLENGES & CONTESTS – CONTACT INFO:

I’m (very) interested in cooperating on Challenges with
other Solvers (and in the concept & possibilities of
group efforts in general), so please, don’t hesitate to
contact me (A simple “Hi,” is a great first step!), I’m; > >
> MakeItSo > at > > > michael.sirbola@gmail.com >
……………………………………………………………………………………….
Netlogo is Free to Download from a Nonprofit Edu. at
http://ccl.northwestern.edu/netlogo/