Copyright 2009 David Dodds
If the computer implements a model of the control
building discussed in the previous episode of this
article the computer can recognize / 'know' what
actions to execute upon that same input in order
to achieve desired (programmed) results.
Having built contexts based on sensory
input / 'experience' of 'daily life' (such as it
is for a computer system which runs continuously
just as the human subconscious detects and
maintains contexts from our daily life experiences)
the computer would be in the position to apply these
contexts to interpret the (implied) meaning derived
from situational analysis of sensory inputs of its
physical surround / environment.

By looking at a physical task and seeing what
objects are available it is possible to combine
knowledge of how to achieve particular goals / ends
with use of some / all of these objects. Sounds
like (recognition of) tool use. [Notice this is
without a human telling / programming that
knowledge.]
Noticing is the process of autogenerating contexts
and using them to trigger programs based on
interpreting the input. It is as though the computer
generates data which is used to (newly) 'make sense'
of the environment ('input stream'). This results in
recognition-based , implicit program activation.
(Which did not need to be written by human
programmers.) Reminding is governing one-self
based on autogenerated contexts, using noticing as
the activator of the most reasonable programs.
These are not always simply the same programs
because the contexts include nuances in the
determination of what programs to trigger.

The noticing mechanism performs one important
function that presently is not intrinsically there
in current hardware. This is the wholistic
perception of the constituents comprising the
system by the system itself.
In biological systems components,
such as organs, do not need to be programmed
in order to work effectively. One part of computer
hardware is blissfully unaware (in all senses) of
(most) any other parts of the hardware. This is
quite the opposite of whole biological systems.
Noticing can partly make up for this, in computers.
Noticing / Reminding brings a new powerful
capability to the sand-based cogwheel clockworks.
Functional self-metaprogramming computers are
based, in part, on Noticing / Reminding.
These are topics in future metaphor-articles.