From Wikipedia on 11/1/12
Information, in its most restricted technical sense, is a sequence of symbols that can be interpreted as a message. Information can be recorded as signs, or transmitted as signals. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a dynamic system. Conceptually, information is the message (utterance or expression) being conveyed. The meaning of this concept varies in different contexts. Moreover, the concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, understanding, mental stimuli, pattern, perception, representation, and entropy.
Etymology
The English word was apparently derived from the Latin stem (information-) of the nominative (informatio): this noun is in its turn derived from the verb “informare” (to inform) in the sense of “to give form to the mind”, “to discipline”, “instruct”, “teach”: “Men so wise should go and inform their kings.” (1330) Inform itself comes (via French informer) from the Latin verb informare, to give form, to form an idea of. Furthermore, Latin itself already contained the word informatio meaning concept or idea, but the extent to which this may have influenced the development of the word information in English is not clear.
My Own Writing
Ways To Categorize Information
We can categorize information in one of several ways: by source or by type. Sometimes, they are one and the same: that is, a particular information source brings us information of a particular type. But this isn’t always the case.
Above we categorized information by source. Here is a categorization by type:
Information about events in the distant past
Information about events in the recent past
Information about events in the near future
Information about events in the distant future
Information about people
Information about objects
Information about methods or processes
Information about systems
Words for Information
Different kinds of information is known by different names, depending on structure, content, and on who is describing it. Here are just a few of the different names that information is known by:
truth
lie
belief
fallacy
argument
heresy
blasphemy
propaganda
dogma
flattery
praise
criticism
story
pornography
art
bull
fact
law
prayer
religion
rule
opinion
plan
record
song
music
noise
news
signal
message
Book Excerpts
Information Anxiety. By Richard Saul Wurman.
The Age of Missing Information. By Bill McKibben.
Data Smog.
Useful Links
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