17  A Mental Model

An expandable, intuitive and meaningful framework

17.1 A Mental Model that can be applied to everyday situations as well as STEM-related

17.1.1 The Signal-to-noise Ratio

The signal-to-noise ratio is a metric to understand (helps us make sense of) new information in a variety of contexts. Understanding noise as not just an annoyance, but an essential part of both communication and life.

17.1.2 Noise is

• Never zero

• Essential

• Beneficial

17.1.3 The Benefits of Noise (Even Low S:N has it’s place)

• The S:N is inversely proportional to how much uncertainty exists after communication (in the output).

  • High S:N = Low Uncertainty, Low S:N = High Uncertaintly

17.1.4 Noise can be

• Variance in technical replicates

• An understanding of a technical message other than what the author intended

• Naturally occurring genetic variation and biological diversity

17.1.5 There is always Noise

By definition S:N is undefined when N = 0, i.e. there can never be zero noise.

• Thus, there is always some amount of misinterpretation (error) in any communication.
• That’s fine, because noise is anyways essential to communication, just as it is to life.

17.1.6 Noise is Inevitable

It arises:

• Naturally -> by mechanisms that are essential to the system and thus unavoidable (genetic mutations)
• Randomly -> although there are areas more prone to noise than others (also genetic mutation, but think
• By Design -> as a built-in feature of a system

17.1.7 Noise contains massive potential

It is the source of:

• Creativity -> art, abstraction, insight, emotion, connection

• Memory -> Selective and self-serving

• Imagination -> Fiction, Fantasy, Inspiration for what could be – not just what is

• Romanticism -> Fetishisation, idolatry, idealism, utopia

• Adaptation -> Diversity is the fodder for coping strategies that deal with new & difficult circumstances

• Innovation -> Synthesis & discovery

• Deception -> Lies & Falsehoods. The balance of Truth, which is necessary for us to define what Truth is.

17.1.8 Noise can become a new signal

This happens when it’s advantageous, i.e. it is selected because of some new circumstances where it is beneficial (natural & artificial intelligence)

17.1.9 Apply to creative & technical communication

Technical communication is more strict than creative expression, i.e. a high signal-to-noise ratio is desirable. Creative expression is less strict than technical expression, i.e. low signal-to-noise ratios are possible.

Creative expression can be thought of in the same way, in these cases the models become ever-more fuzzy in that they use more varied, non-conventional tools and leave ever more room for interpretation to the recipient.

	Technical communication	Creative expression
S:N	Generally maximizes S:N (cf. maximizing metrics (accuracy) & functions and reducing loss)	Allows for smaller S:N. Sometimes even minimizing
Strictness	High	Low