Copyright © 2026 Michael Herman (Bindloss, Alberta, Canada) – Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International Public License
Web 7.0
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The idea for the original article, Why is Knowledge like Steam?, came to me while attending the 2002 McMaster World Congress on Intellectual Capital hosted by Dr. Nick Bontis and McMaster University.
Ten Reasons why Data is like Steam
10. Like steam, data will collect (and connect) somewhere.
9. Even though data can collect anywhere at any time, this doesn’t imply it is easy to create, find, or use – so too with steam.
8. Small amounts of steam do not appear significant until they are collected and put to work – so too it is with data. Small amounts of data do not appear significant until they connect, collect, and their energies combine.
7. There is no danger of there being too much steam. Excess steam can be vented or sold. So too with data.
6. The greater the number of sources of steam you have around you, the more likely you are to have it when you need it. So too it is with data.
5. The commercial value of steam is highest when it is new and concentrated – so too it is with data.
4. Steam can be used to create more steam – so too it is with data.
3. Steam can be condensed into a purer, distilled form – so too it is with data (data distillation).
2. There are many fuels and methods that can be used to create steam and put it to work – not all of which will be economic at a given point in time – so too it is with data.
1. If you don’t create it, capture it, channel it, and put it to work, its value is marginalized. So too it is with data.
Michael Herman, Decentralized Systems Architect, Web 7.0. February 2026.
