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Category Archives: Complexity
The right to be forgotten and the right of identity
Two days ago I had the pleasure to attend a dinnermeeting with EC representatives (Infosoc) and some of Amsterdams finest. The discussion touched many subjects related to the role of multi-cultural cities with a long history as a breeding and … Continue reading
The Internet of Goods
Some ideas and concepts turn out to be more universal than one might expect. During discussions with Ton van Asseldonk on “Factor 4 Logistics” the observation emerged that traditional hub-and-spoke networks (for physical packets, goods) assume an intelligent system and … Continue reading
The Internet as a Commons
One of the advantages of a long intercontinental flight is the uninterrupted time available to read and think. Three seemingly unrelated authors and the puzzle of data hogs and net neutrality started to become connected after a couple of hours … Continue reading
Running faster than the wind
A recent article in Wired is mindblowing for anyone interested in science and technology. It took me half an hour of hard thinking to grasp the concepts and the science: yes, it is indeed possible to go FASTER than the … Continue reading
The definition of wealth
The summer is a good time to digest food for thought. The book “The Origin of Wealth” by Eric Beinhocker has proven to be a fertile breeding ground for my mind. Beinhocker poses the question: what is the origin of … Continue reading
Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact based world view
Gapminder is a non-profit venture promoting sustainable global development and achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by increased use and understanding of statistics and other information about social, economic and environmental development at local, national and global levels. … Continue reading
Augmented
We associate data-goggles with 3D-movies, entertainment. But BMW shows us how to think differently, how IT can help us with intuitive support, augmenting reality. As with the “Sixt Sense”, a great indicator of how our future might very well become. … Continue reading
Jamiton
A “soliton” is a self-reinforcing solitary wave (a wave packet or pulse) that maintains its shape while it travels at constant speed (Wikipedia). Researchers at MIT have discovered that the mathematics describing traffic flow under high densities are quite similar to the fluid dynamics equations … Continue reading
How traffic jams are created out of thin air
A nice Youtube movie showing the effects of drivers interacting in a stream of cars on the highway. Only a minor perturbation will ripple through the system and create shockwaves. A fine demonstration of emergent behaviour in complex systems.
Lies, damn lies and productivity statistics
One of my favourite blogs is Evolving Excellence, dedicated to Lean Thinking in production and services. Outspoken, opiniated but well researched, practical. Bill Waddell , one of their prominent bloggers referred in one of his blogs to a stunning fact. The … Continue reading