Here is some of the CrunchBase.com bio for ThePoint.com: “The Point is a website for organizing group actions. Its goal is to help people congregate around the issues they care about and combine forces to make things happen.”
But to travel conceptually back another step, in science the “tipping point” is called a phase transition (e.g., the degree at which water becomes ice). Since Andrew moved from Chicago to San Francisco (what many consider the extended version of Silicon Valley), and as at the time of that announcement was planning on volunteering time at the start-up engine Y-Combinator, the prediction (again from an analysis of the past) is that Andrew is planning a new version of ThePoint.com geared to assist start-ups and other innovators.
But whereas that site relied on the “wisdom of the crowd” to select and support new social initiatives, what would we expect to be new about Andrew’s upcoming company?
Recent tweets indication that Andrew is still interested in implementing music in his new venture. But whereas ThePoint.com gave full access for new initiatives to state their case before the public, seemingly Andrew is looking for some way to tip or change the world, through music. For instance:
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Gamifying Productivity Similar to music, games (also mentioned in this tweet) have also been shown to increase productivity in the workplace. One of the leading proponents for this way of thinking, called the “gamification” of reality, is Jane McGonical.2 Given the above, the probability is that the new project is something related to gamifying tipping points with an emphasis on start-ups and soothing music. For instance, to gamify ideas to see which are more likely to be successful and which not (like the chess master who calculates the upcoming turns in advance).
This platform would also have implications for the workplace, where new ideas are suggested in board meetings on a weekly basis. By gaming new ideas, with creative music and engaging graphics, this could help start-ups and creative minded individuals to work through the possible outcomes of their ideas, before hiring a staff, fundraising, etc…
From Probability to Outcome Especially since Quantum Mechanics, the world has become less deterministic. What we just presented was the convergence between three concepts called “phase transitions (tipping points),” “music” and “games.” But while each of these three represents a line in our conceptual three-dimensional mapping (i.e., classical music on one end of the music line, neo-modern music on the other), the point of convergence is defined as the intersection of these three lines. While the particular outcome can only be determined if the event already occurred, what can be determined is the conceptual mapping of the topic at hand.
This distinction we are now making is what thisarticle about Nate and Baye’s Theorem calls the ability to navigate “big data” by means of “cloud computing.” But instead of relying on computers to do the work for us, as mathematics also relates to the sefirah of the chochmah, we prefer to speak about the unbounded limits of human potential.
The first step is to begin to conceptually map out Big Data, as explained in “TheQuestionBehindtheQuoraBrandConcept;” the inner hope and attraction behind quora was that they would become a platform for doing this. Then once we have our cloud of interconnected concepts to travel among, the great connectedness between all “lines” of interest will become readily visible.