  This paper introduces an elemental building block which combines Dictionary
Learning and Dimension Reduction (DRDL). We show how this foundational element
can be used to iteratively construct a Hierarchical Sparse Representation (HSR)
of a sensory stream. We compare our approach to existing models showing the
generality of our simple prescription. We then perform preliminary experiments
using this framework, illustrating with the example of an object recognition
task using standard datasets. This work introduces the very first steps towards
an integrated framework for designing and analyzing various computational tasks
from learning to attention to action. The ultimate goal is building a
mathematically rigorous, integrated theory of intelligence.
