How the size of networks can skyrocket The growth process of networks. Left: In the beginning, only a few elements join to form many small networks. Middle: In the intermediate phase, several mid-sized networks have been created. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS), the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Gottingen, and the University of Gottingen have mathematically described for the first time the influence of single additional links in a network. Neurons in the brain constantly establish new connections, websites link to each other and a person traveling infected with influenza creates a network of infected places with each intermediate stop. To answer these questions, the scientists from Göttingen tracked the growth of networks link by link. The situation can be compared to the social contacts established in a summer camp for children, whose participants all don’t know each other at the beginning of their vacation.
Cleverbot.com - a clever bot - speak to an AI with some Actual Intelligence? L’opération «Calice» met l’Eglise belge au supplice Les mails arrivent chaque jour par dizaines. Des messages d’encouragement ou de solidarité, mais aussi parfois quelques insultes. Prêtre à Halle, banlieue flamande de Bruxelles, Rick Devillé, retraité depuis l’année dernière, a mené pendant dix-huit ans un combat quasi solitaire pour dénoncer les cas de pédophilie dans l’Eglise belge. Crypte. Lancée par un juge instructeur flamand de Bruxelles, Wim de Troy, apparemment saisi par le procureur Bruno Bulthé, «l’opération Calice» - c’est son nom officiel - stupéfie l’opinion. «Vieux démons». Un véritable séisme est en train de secouer l’Eglise belge depuis le 23 avril, quand l’évêque de Bruges, Mgr Vangheluwe, a admis publiquement «avoir abusé d’un membre de son entourage proche et que la victime en est encore marquée». Le choc de cette confession, la première d’un évêque non plus accusé d’avoir couvert de tels actes mais de les avoir commis, a encouragé tous ceux qui se taisaient depuis des lustres à parler.
The Future: An Instruction Manual Complex systems tutorial Jan Burian burianj (at) vse.cz You can find here: Basic introduction to Complex Systems Science and relevant modeling tools Many links to web resources and a list of relevant literature "Complex systems" (4IZ636), lecture on University of Economics, Prague Content Intuitive definitions of complexity Basics of (complex) systems science Self-organization and related concepts Formal definitions of complexity Very short introduction to modeling methodology Cellular automatons Complex networks Agent-based models References Intuitive Definitions of Complex Systems System is an entity in terms of parts and relations between them. Structural relations define which parts are connected together. Structurally complex system A system that can be analyzed into many components having relatively many relations among them, so that the behavior of each component can depend on the behavior of many others. Basics of (complex) systems science Remember: Interconnection of parts matters in complex systems! Feedback
How Schools Can Teach Innovation l’attaque des codes secrets Build organizations that are fit for the future For companies to survive and strive in today’s competitive environment, they will need to change quickly and successfully. Managing change is now a core competence that can no longer be considered a discretionary “nice to have”. The accelerating pace of change coupled with increasing uncertainty and complexity has pushed up this skills gap to what is now a major area of concern. Array of challenges No organization is exempt from a daunting array of challenges: In a world where exponential change is the new normal, how do you build a company that can change as fast as change itself? Tackle those mega-challenges As Gary Hamel argues in the video “Reinventing the Technology of Human Accomplishment”, you can’t tackle those mega-challenges if you’re not willing to do three things: Resilient, inventive, inspiring and accountable Hamel paints a vivid picture of what it means to build organizations that are fundamentally fit for the future – resilient, inventive, inspiring and accountable.