<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=gb2312"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:宋体;
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:等线;
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Segoe UI";
panose-1:2 11 5 2 4 2 4 2 2 3;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@宋体";
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@等线";
panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0cm;
text-align:justify;
text-justify:inter-ideograph;
font-size:10.5pt;
font-family:等线;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:等线;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:等线;}
/* Page Definitions */
@page WordSection1
{size:612.0pt 792.0pt;
margin:72.0pt 90.0pt 72.0pt 90.0pt;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=ZH-CN link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word;text-justify-trim:punctuation'><div class=WordSection1><p style='margin:0cm;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Dear colleagues,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>I have summarized five sets of puzzles faced by fundamental information science and called them 'clouds' — some of which have been emphasized by Pedro on many occasions. I am now glade to hear everyone's different opinions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;layout-grid-mode:char;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:宋体'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p style='margin:0cm;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Best wishes,</span><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0cm;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Xueshan Yan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Professor Emeritus<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0cm;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Department of Information Management<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0cm;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Peking University, China</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.5pt;font-family:等线'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p align=center style='margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;layout-grid-mode:char;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p align=center style='margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;layout-grid-mode:char;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p align=center style='margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;layout-grid-mode:char;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p align=center style='margin:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;layout-grid-mode:char;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Five Clouds over Fundamental Information Science<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-align:center;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;layout-grid-mode:char;background:white'><em><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222;font-style:normal'>Xueshan Yan</span></em><i><span lang=EN-US><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:12.0pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:1.0gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Inforware*</span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>: Information must exist in signs, and signs must exist on substrates**. We define a trinity composed of information, sign, and substrate as an Inforware.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Four Concomitant Disciplines: </span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Based on the structure of an inforware, we have Informatics for studying information, and Semiotics for studying signs—the existence mode of information. Since communication is the transmission of information and computation is the processing of information, we also have another two fundamental disciplines: Communication Studies and Computation Studies. These four disciplines are concomitant; that is, if one is present, the other three (or more) will eventually emerge.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Cloud 1. Information and Meaning</span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>: What is information? Since 1948, information scientists have been discussing it for 76 years, yet still cannot provide a definitive answer. What is meaning? Since 1825, linguists have been debating it for 200 years and still cannot reach a definitive conclusion. Nevertheless, linguistics has been established successfully. Let’s consider a hypothesis: if we were to suspend all discussions about the definition of information for three years, what else could we do? From a human perspective, are information and meaning two homogenous issues</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:black'>? Or are they two different expressions of one existence</span><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Cloud 2. Brain Informatics or Animal Informatics</span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>:</span><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'> </span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>It has been demonstrated that any organism with a brain inforware can communicate with others; therefore, brain informatics must exist, —storing, sending, and receiving information are fundamental functions of the brain—, and human informatics already exists. Similarly, we could explore bee informatics, elephant informatics, and so on. Can we assume that there are as many types of animal informatics as there are animal species?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Cloud 3. Genetics as a Discipline of Informatics:</span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'> Cells can communicate. The central dogma of molecular biology describes the pathway of DNA→RNA→protein, through which genetic information flows. In this process, DNA serves as substrate, bases function as signs, and genomics represents informatics. If we propose that genetics is the most successful branch of informatics, what would be the response from biologists? Could a similar phenomenon also be observed in neuroscience and endocrinology?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Cloud 4. Communication between Inforwares</span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>: Some speculate that two supramolecules can communicate with each other. But can two ordinary molecules communicate? Can two atoms communicate? Can two celestial bodies communicate? Can plants communicate with one another? Can different inforwares communicate across different levels? Is the communication between humans and cats true communication (language comprehension) or false communication (conditional reflex)?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.1pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>Cloud 5. Exploration of Fundamental Information Science</span></strong><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>: Can we regard fundamental information science as an exploration based on the inductive method, focusing on the commonalities among various fundamental information disciplines, especially the four concomitant disciplines mentioned above? The complexity and enormity of this venture have far exceeded anyone's imagination. Is it one of the most challenging disciplines to study in contemporary times? Or, does it not exist at all?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:3.6pt;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:0cm;margin-left:0cm;mso-margin-top-alt:.3gd;mso-para-margin-right:0cm;mso-para-margin-bottom:0cm;mso-para-margin-left:0cm;text-indent:22.0pt;line-height:13.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>---------------------<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='margin:0cm;text-indent:20.15pt;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><em><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'>*Any discipline has its own concept framework, which is why I coined the new term <b>Inforware</b>. For example, the computer science is built on the two primary concepts of hardware and software.</span></em><i><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style='margin:0cm;text-indent:20.15pt;line-height:12.0pt;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;background:white'><strong><i><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222;font-weight:normal'>**Studies focused solely on substrates typically fall under the technical or natural sciences rather than information science.</span></i></strong><i><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Segoe UI",sans-serif;color:#222222'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-US><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>