The MemePool Project

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The Meme Pool Project

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What is the MemePool Project ?
It is a wide-focus collaborative initiative aimed to produce a large collection of computer codes which will synergistically act together on the solution of complex computational problems. All source code which will compose the MemePool core will be available for public domain both for academic and commercial uses.

What does the word `MemePool' mean ?
In the last chapter of his book "The Selfish Gene", Richard Dawkins introduced the word `meme' to define an analogous to the rôle of the gene in biological evolution but in the area of human cultural evolution. Quoting him:

``Examples of memes are tunes, ideas, catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches. Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body via sperms or eggs, so memes propagate themselves in the meme pool by leaping from brain to brain via a process which, in the broad sense, can be called imitation. If a scientist hears, or reads about, a good idea, he passes it on to his collagues and students. He mentions it in his articles and his lectures. If the idea catches on, it can be said to propagate itself, spreading from brain to brain.''

We also view ways of solving computational problems as ``co-adapted'' memes. If a scientist, or any kind of expert, creates a new algorithm or heuristic to address a given problem, she might be interested in sharing this knowledge with others. She might be interested in producing a working version of the idea and she might be interested in being widely used. She might add it to the MemePool.

The MemePool logo at the top of this page just reflect the philosophy of the project, that of a single creation of common knowledge in total diversity of styles.

Why should it work ?
We have witnessed other successful collaborative inititiatives which have some resemblance with the methodology adopted by the MemePool Project. One of the most relevant examples was the development of the Linux operating system.

Which problems will the MemePool attack ?
Initially, we will concentrate on combinatorial optimization problems which belong to a computational complexity class known as NP. In particular, we will be primarily interested in the aproximate solution of a subset of this class. This subset, known as the NP-Complete class, involve thousands of problems which have been defined during the last 30 years and they share a common property.

At a later stage, not necessary too much ahead in the future, the MemePool may help to address some other problems. For instance, it may be possible that from some implementations of algorithms for some graph algorithms new types of "Intelligent" web browsers can be derived. Others might use the MemePool knowledge base to use algorithms for the GRAPH COLORING, SET COVERING or SATISFIABILITY problems in order to build powerful, general purpose timetabling or scheduling for academic, industrial or business applications. Others might use them to build graph drawing applications for data-mining, pattern recognition, machine learning, intelligent agents, etc.

Again, your imagination is the only limit.

How can I cooperate ?
There are essentially a large number of different ways in which you can cooperate, it is certainly up to your own imagination and your skills. The MemePool has no "a priori" design; it will naturally evolve from the skills of its contributors and the requirements given by the application area.

At this moment we identify several areas that need to be developed:

WEB HUNTING:
We understand with this name the tasks associated to find relevant information available on the Web and suggesting the inclusion of relevant links. This is the area were most Web surfers can contribute.

IMPLEMENTATION:
The tasks associated with implementing computer codes for given problems. Problems will generally be specified by a set of inputs and a set of required outputs. Initially, all computer code should be written in the Java Programming Language.

DATABASE MANAGEMENT:
The information about all available codes, and how they can be used to address a given problem must be constantly updated. We envision the need of an expert system to make queries on the database.

SOFTWARE VALIDATION:
Closely linked to the Implementation area, we will need the software to be checked and debugged. This is possibly an area where everybody will contribute.

There are certainly other areas where your expertise will help. This includes theoretical issues, mathematics of operations research and many areas of computer science. In any case, the best advice is to consult the MemePool Web pages and contact the MemePool Team members about your expertise and interests.

Which programming skills are needed ?
At the time of writing the first version of the MemePool software, we, the original MemePool Team, have selected the Java Programming Language as the official language for the first versions of the computer code. However, we believe that in the near future, due to the different associated tasks of the whole project, people can concentrate on them without such a requirement. For instance, if somebody would like to work on the database design issues associated to the project he/she might be only using one language (i.e. Prolog, Datalog, etc.).

Can you point out some relevant literature ?
Yes, we plan to maintain an annotated list of references, constantly updated, and Web pages associated to the Project. They will indicate relevant literature for the different requirments, linking to on-line documents available on the Internet as well as books and published articles.
Do you have a list of open problems or tasks ?
Yes, we will maintain a list of "The Most Wanted" open problems and tasks. A good starting point for collaboration is to team up solving some of the most wanted tasks announced in those pages. The MemePool Team will select some tasks, but we hope that all the readers of the pages can contribute with other pages explaining the essential rôle that the solution of some computational problems might have for their field of interest. These contributions will be checked and announced for others to contribute on them.

Does the MemePool have any finantial support?

No, at the time of writing this first proposal, neither the MemePool have finantial support from any source nor it can fund any work related to it. In the eventual case you might be interested in funding some work related with the project, we may help by announcing your proposal on our Web pages provided that the software originated would be in the public domain and on the MemePool database. It may be possible that in the near future an economic niche can arise from the need of other pieces of software for specific needs.

Page created on July 28, 1998, by the MemePool Team.
Page last updated on July 1998.