ahrenlehnert.bsky.social

Smoke and Mirrors “But it’s always been a smoke and mirrors game / Anyone would do the same.” – Gotye, Smoke and Mirrors It’s pretty common for organizations to have many software systems and platforms. Some a…

In February's blog, I discuss ways to mirror semantics in systems not designed to support semantic structures. #taxonomy #informationarchitecture

informationpanopticon.blog/2026/02/25/s...

The AI-Taxonomy Disconnect “Me, I disconnect from you.” – Gary Numan, Me! I Disconnect from You I have seen a significant decline in the number of taxonomist positions available. Wondering if I was in a myopic bubble b…

In January’s blog, I consider the perceived shift from business taxonomists to technical ontologists and the taxonomy-AI disconnect. #taxonomy #artificialintelligence #ontology

informationpanopticon.blog/2026/01/25/t...

The Art of Taxonomy Workarounds “With the greatest of ease / I stay on track like the greatest of skis.” – Stress Eater, Czarface, Kool Keith, Rocket Science In all my years working in taxonomy, there have been few times I …

In my last blog post of 2025, I offer up some taxonomy modeling and tooling workarounds to get your taxonomy program started. Happy New Year! #taxonomy #taxonomymanagement

informationpanopticon.blog/2025/12/29/t...

KMWorld 2025 Themes and Trends “But I’m a creep / I’m a weirdo / What the hell am I doin’ here? / I don’t belong here.” – Radiohead, Creep I attended the KMWorld Conference and two of the four co-lo…

In November's blog, I highlight some themes from the recent KMWorld Conference and discuss why things are weird. #taxonomy #artificialintelligence

Looking forward to being a co-presenter with Yonah Levenson at Taxonomy Boot Camp discussing the relationship between taxonomists and information architects! #taxobc #taxonomy #informationarchitecture

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Semantic Data 2025 Themes and Trends “Trust in me, just in me / Shut your eyes and trust in me” – The Jungle Book I attended the Henry Steward Semantic Data Conference co-located with HS DAM in New York City a few weeks ago. As …

In October's blog, I summarize the high-level themes from the Henry Stewart DAM and Semantic Data Conferences in New York. #artificialintelligence #taxonomy #metadata

informationpanopticon.blog/2025/10/31/s...

The AI Bot Wars “A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.” – Isaac Asimov, I, Robot Someday in the distant future, automated artificial intelligence bot…

In September's blog, I continue themes I will be discussing in my keynote at Semantic Data New York on October 14th.

informationpanopticon.blog/2025/09/29/t...

Taxonomy & Agile “The purpose of a scrum is to restart play with a contest for possession after a minor infringement or stoppage.” – World Rugby, Law 19 In 2010, I worked as a taxonomist (and content and reco…

In August's blog, I revisit a topic I presented on years ago: developing taxonomies and ontologies in an Agile workplace. #taxonomy #agile

Truth & Consequences “We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning.” – Jean Baudrillard, Simulacra and Simulation The art and science of taxonomy, developed by Carl Linna…

In July’s blog, I lead into my presentation at Semantic Data New York in October by considering the current state of truth in relation to semantic data.

informationpanopticon.blog/2025/07/31/t...

Taxonomy Blues “I got to keep movin’, I got to keep movin’/Blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down like hail/Hmm-mmm, blues fallin’ down like hail, blues fallin’ down …

In June's blog, I do a little wallowing in the taxonomy blues.

informationpanopticon.blog/2025/06/23/t...

Friction and Complexity “Without culture there can be no growth; without exertion, no acquisition; without friction, no polish; without labor, no knowledge; without action, no progress and without conflict, no victory.” &…

In May's blog, I consider friction and complexity through the lens of taxonomy and ontology practice. #taxonomy #ontology

informationpanopticon.blog/2025/05/28/f...

Nobody’s Alt but Mine “A good ruler has to learn his world’s language, and that’s different for every world, the language you don’t hear just with your ears.” – Frank Herbert, Dune Synonymy Synon…

In April's blog, I consider the use of skos:altLabel and possible variants.

informationpanopticon.blog/2025/04/28/n...

Looking forward to presenting "No Conspiracies Here! Clear and Transparent Taxonomy Foundations" at #IAC25 on Friday, May 2nd!

www.theiaconference.com/program/

Taxonomies, the Eternal, and the Ephemeral “Have you sped through fleeting customs, popularities?” – Walt Whitman, As I Sat Alone by Blue Ontario’s Shores Taxonomists and ontologists are, quite reasonably, obsessed with the is-ness of…

In March's blog, I consider the difference between taxonomy concepts with longevity and ephemeral, trending concepts which can be useful to reach a company's audience.

Who Owns the Taxonomy? “Ownership is not a vice, not something to be ashamed of, but rather a commitment, and an instrument by which the general good can be served.” – Václav Havel In my experience, when a business…

In February's post, I consider who should own the taxonomy and where it should live in an organization.

The Path to Taxonomist “And you may ask yourself, “Well, how did I get here?” – The Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime When people ask me what I do for a living, I usually say something like “information manag…

In my first blog post of 2025, I consider the path I took to becoming a taxonomist and the skills I believe someone needs to have to be successful in this role. #taxonomy #careers

Taxonomies and Turnover, or Johnny Pneumonic “In any given culture and at any given moment, there is always only one ‘episteme’ that defines the conditions of possibility of all knowledge, whether expressed in theory or silently i…

In my last blog post of 2024, I consider the zeitgeist of misinformation and the place of semantic models. #taxonomy #Misinformation

KMWorld Themes and Trends “At a certain level of machine-ness, of immersion in virtual machinery, there is no more distinction between man and machine.” – Jean Baudrillard, Violence of the Virtual and Integral Reality…

In November's blog, I recount major themes from the co-located 2024 KMWorld conferences held in Washington, D.C.

Trump may end the $7,500 EV tax credit. Elon Musk and Tesla would reap the rewards | CNN Business The $7,500 tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles could be vanishing early in the new Trump administration, but that might actually be good news for Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, one of President-e...

The $7,500 tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles could be vanishing early in the new Trump administration, but that might actually be good news for Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s most prominent backers.

Specialty Skills and the Risks of Hidden Complexity “The Cube is, at the same time, a symbol of simplicity and complexity.” – Ernő Rubik Taxonomists and ontologists–sometimes separate but more often one and the same role I’ll simply call a “ta…

In October’s blog, I consider how concealing the complexity of semantic models has the unintended consequence of hiding taxonomists’ work. #taxonomy #userexperience

Modeling a Moving Target “Like a wave in the physical world, in the infinite ocean of the medium which pervades all, so in the world of organisms, in life, an impulse started proceeds onward, at times, may be, with the speed ...

In September's post, I focus on the challenges around trying to model processes and sequential information in taxonomies. #taxonomy #ontology

How Not to Say What You Mean The author at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece, the site of the first modern Olympic Games. “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because eve...

In July's blog, I consider how not to say what you mean in taxonomy. #taxonomy

Taxonomy Calling “Hello, is it me you’re looking for? / ‘Cause I wonder where you are / And I wonder what you do / Are you somewhere feeling lonely?” - Lionel Richie, Hello One of the most challenging activities in ta...

This month, I cover some methods for communicating the value of taxonomies to potential business stakeholders. #taxonomy

Tempering Your “No Filter” Taxonomy “Do what they say / Say what they mean / One thing leads to another.” - One Thing Leads to Another, The Fixx Are your consumers overwhelmed by a barrage of terms and phrases coming at them from your t...

In May's blog, I discuss the importance of being able to separate and filter semantic and navigational taxonomies. #taxonomy

Defining Taxonomy Borders “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know/ What I was walling in or walling out,/ And to whom I was like to give offense.” - Robert Frost, Mending Wall What data should be included in taxonomy models can...

In this month's blog, I consider how to define the borders of what is included in taxonomies.

The Taxonomy Tortoise and the ML Hare “I knew I shoulda’ taken that left turn at Albuquerque.” - Bugs Bunny For better or worse, much of my childhood was informed by Looney Tunes, Monty Python, and a diet of science fiction ranging from t...

Here is my third blog entry of 2024. In this blog, I consider the slow pace of taxonomy and ontology building vs the rapid pace of machine learning models applied to semantic development.

As with all my blog posts, my opinions are my own.

Semantics and Risk “There are no facts, only interpretations.” - Friedrich Nietzsche Behind every creation–a work of art, musical composition, outstanding sporting performance–there is a creator. Behind a creator’s crea...

My first post on Bluesky, and my second blog post of 2024. In this blog, I consider what risks may be involved when designing semantic models for business purposes.

As with all my blog posts, my opinions are my own. I hope you enjoy!