1. Editing as an Evolutionary Algorithm: Selection and Exploration
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

2. The new John Deere 7290R.. an amazing advance in tractor technology...
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
The new John Deere 7290R.. an amazing advance
in tractor technology...

3. A modern manufacturing dilemma
John Deere makes tractors,
planters, and lots more
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
The manufacturing complexity is now overwhelming
... thousands of products... billions of possible
combinations...

4. Problems In the late 1980s, in trying to fill hundreds of custom
orders each day, John Deere engineers faced:
Horrific traffic jams in the plant
Machines in demand at more than one place at a time
Others remaining idle with nothing to do
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

5. What to do? Engineers couldn't find efficient production schedules,
what to build, in which order.
But eventually, Bill Fulkerson had a creative idea:
what's more intelligent than the human brain?
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

6. Answer: Evolution
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

7. Evolution: “descent with modification” - a messy process, depends on
selection and exploration

8. Can evolution be used to design ... manufacturing schedules?
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

9. Any sequence for running the plant is akin to a “DNA” strand
Make tractor
Make planter
Make ??
Maintain machines
Schedule 1
Schedule 2
Schedule 3
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
Time

10. Start with a “population” of random schedules
Make tractor
Make planter
Make ??
Maintain machines
Schedule 1
Schedule 2
Schedule 3
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
Time of day
None of these will be any good, but let them evolve...

11. Use computation to let the population EVOLVE
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
one generation to the next

12. Calculate the “fitness” of each schedule.. faster means fitter
100 hours
Schedule 2
200 hours
Schedule 3
360 hours
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.
Let SELECTION act: fitter schedules have
more offspring in the next generation

13. Also include EXPLORATION
Allow some point mutations:
Allow “sexual recombination” through crossover:
Cut here & swap
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

14. Results? Early on, all schedules perform poorly
After evolution overnight, some schedules outperformed
anything the engineers could design
They work -- but NO ONE really understands why!!
Early on, all schedules perform poorly
After evolution overnight, some schedules outperformed
anything the engineers could design
They work -- but NO ONE really understands why!!
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

15. selection + exploration + iteration =
A powerful algorithm for finding solutions
to extremely complex problems
Introduce ourselves, describe our general aim: to teach how to write more
effective scientific papers, effective meaning clear. Youve all had the
frustrating experience of not being able to understand a paper that
seemed like it might be saying something interesting.
Give example of really bad writing on following slide – what you want to avoid
At end we hope youll be able to produce well writte
papers that avoid that problem.

16. Like evolution, writing is also a
messy, iterative process

18. My book is smarter and more
creative than I am
Why???

19. Pamela Druckerman
“A large part of the creative process is tolerating the gap between the glorious image you had in your mind, and the sad thing you’ve just made.”

20. Next comes...
revision... editing...

21. Evolution: “descent with modification” - a messy process, depends on
selection and exploration

22. The evolutionary dynamics of editing:
One draft gives rise to the next through:
Selection:
- you keep the better, reject the worse
Exploration:
- you expand on incomplete thoughts
- make wrong thoughts less wrong
- try out new ideas
- silly, half-crazy, stupid ideas all good,
as raw matter for further selection

23. Old ideas launch new ones

24. “I write to find out what I think.”
Stephen King
“I write to find out what I think.”

25. My book is smarter than I am
& evolution
My book is smarter than I am
Why: co-authored by evolution!