How do you go about working on something like this? Sample game data? Would you take a large number of games and try to identify patterns in how many points resulted from that influence? Or do you take a more theoretic approach, trying to identify rules for how influence translates into points?

I suppose I have an idea on how to do an empirical analysis to try to define the value of influence, but I'm not sure how I would go about doing this in a more precise fashion.

In general, how do you "work on" something like this?

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be immersed

I know that distinction, but what I don't see is the distinction between the ko definition paper and the thickness definition. Both seem relatively idle for the sake of actusl play.

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Occupy Babel!

Ko definition paper: if you don't recognise a long cycle ko or its cycle, you might lose every 5000th game and call that immaterial.

Thickness definition: if you don't know that thickness must be well connected and well alive, you are considerably weaker than if you know this. If you can't distinguish connected / alive from better connected / better alive, you are weaker than if you can make this distinction. These things are relevant many times during each game. In particular, they are relevant for choosing moves creating / improving good connection or life as well as possible. The same applies to influence. E.g., around 5k one learns something like that walls need an extension; it is correct that walls without sufficient inherent eye shape need an extension for the sake of establishing good life and converting a heap of rubbish into thickness. With my thickness definition, this is just a special application besides lots of other applications. I have seen 4 dans that confused a target of attack (wall without extension) with thickness (wall with extension), because they were not aware of the good life requirement of thickness.

Make hypotheses and test them. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9nlS9Irx7Q (Don't worry about the title, it is not accurate. )

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The Adkins Principle:
At some point, doesn't thinking have to go on?
— Winona Adkins

Visualize whirled peas.

Everything with love. Stay safe.