Bill reflected on 'nonlinear learning', the third much discussed but little practised way of computer education and how it may accord more with the brain's functions as a non-linear organ, sorting what it needs out of the jumble of life's phenomena. He further reflected on how various inputs at the edges of attention are sorted into parallel narratives at the same time as the main attention, perhaps an F2F lecture, is being absorbed. This also recalls a notion I first noticed in one of Carlos Castenada's books, that actually a great deal of information is absorbed by the brain from things occurring on the edges of attention, while the primary focus is elsewhere. Bill points out that 'stories' don't exist as such, they are 'interpreted' out of relative chaos, and rather than looking for linear stories on the internet we should recognise the realities of non-linear learning.
Life is a jumble.
He suggests a series of experiments to determine the point of maximum learning, measured by change in the student rather than goals achieved. It's a negative term, defined by what it is not. This is the start of delineating the holistic concepts required.