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February 25, 2009

Conference: NetSCI 2009

NetSCI continues its European location this year, moving now to Venice Italy. Unfortunately, once again I'll have to miss the events, as I'm scheduled to be in Las Vegas that week.

NetSCI 2009

29 June -- 3 July 2009 at Palazzo Franchetti, Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti., Venezia Italy

Organizers: Guido Caldarelli, Vittoria Colizza, Andrea Rinaldo, Marco Santarelli, József Baranyi, Zoltán Toroczkai, and A-László Barabási

Abstract submission Deadline: 31 March 2009

Description: The aim of NetSCI is to bring together leading researchers, practitioners, and teachers in network science to foster interdisciplinary communication and collaboration. The conferences focus on novel directions in networks research with the biological and environmental sciences, computer and information sciences, social sciences, finance and business as well as philosophy and humanities.

Themes include:
- Networks in Biology
- Networks in Health & Society
- Information Networks and Infrastructures
- Networks in Organization & Communication
- Networks in Economy, Finance & Business
- Network theory: methods, models, visualizations

posted February 25, 2009 01:32 PM in Conferences and Workshops | permalink | Comments (0)

February 20, 2009

Barry Schwartz on Wisdom

It was a little more than ten years ago that I first met Barry Schwartz, sitting in his Psychology 101 class at Swarthmore College. He was just as powerful a speaker then, and if anything I think he's gotten better. This clip is his second TED talk, and I see he's still using New Yorker cartoons to illustrate his points. In this one, he hits the nail on the head about the trouble with creeping bureaucracy -- not just government bureaucracy, but everyday bureaucracies: more rules, more incentives, less judgement, less thinking, less wisdom. Surely, this is a talk for our times.

(Tip to onegoodmove)

posted February 20, 2009 08:50 AM in Pleasant Diversions | permalink | Comments (0)

February 13, 2009

Global Sustainability

For those of you interested, this sounds like a great opportunity. The deadline is, unfortunately, very soon (February 20th, next Friday).

SFI's Global Sustainability Summer School, July 12 to July 25, 2009

The Santa Fe Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are pleased to announce a new program on Global Sustainability, to be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Co-directors are Doug Arent, Director, Strategic Energy Analysis, National Renewable Energy Laboratory; J. Doyne Farmer, Professor, Santa Fe Institute; John Schellnhuber, Professor and Director, Potsdam Institute; and Jessika Trancik, Postdoctoral Fellow, Santa Fe Institute.

This intensive two-week program explores global sustainability from many perspectives, with particular focus on problems posed by climate change. With enrollment limited to 30 participants, the school will include graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, junior and senior faculty, and individuals from the private sector.

The program consists of lectures and discussion sessions. These will be supplemented by a one-day mini-conference on July 18 featuring additional presentations. Topics include population and social development and its effects on energy resource consumption; climate and energy economics; energy technologies and associated paths to transition to low-carbon energy infrastructure; land use; and innovation and technology.

Lecturers include Partha Dasgupta, University of Cambridge; Ottmar Edenhofer, PIK; Matthew England, University of New South Wales; Arnulf Grubler, IIASA; Andrew Hargadon, University of California; Chuck Kutscher, NREL; Dennis Meadows, University of New Hampshire; Nebojsa Nakicenovic, IIASA; Carlo Rubbia, CIEMAT.

Electronic applications are due February 20, 2009. Letters of recommendation are due March 6, 2009.

For complete program information and online application, please visit our website at http://www.santafe.edu/education/schools-global-sustainability.php

posted February 13, 2009 02:36 PM in Conferences and Workshops | permalink | Comments (3)

February 04, 2009

Statistical significance

(thanks xkcd)

posted February 4, 2009 07:53 AM in Humor | permalink | Comments (1)