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Tag Archives: outlier
RNA reactors | the Manitoban
Scientists at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich believe they have found the answer behind the emergence of self-replicating polymers. Computer simulations showed that a prebiotic RNA reactor could serve as a stepping stone toward the emergence of a true RNA replicator. Acting as a filter to keep potentially useful sequences of nucleotides, the RNA reactor could lead to complex sequences, such as ribozymes. Once ribozymes emerge from an RNA reactor, they could establish an efficient self-replicating system in the form of an RNA replicator.”
Humans not to blame for all Ice Age mammals’ demise
Its seems the Pleistocene Overkill theory may not be as solid as previously thought. The articles title is somewhat misleading as humans appear tro have been culpable in the extinction of at least some species like horses in north american, and bison in europe.
Lockheed Martin buys first D-Wave quantum computing system | KurzweilAI
Quantum computing leaves the laboratory and goes commercial
Video: Boeing’s Biggest Bird Prepares for First Flight | Autopia | Wired.com
Final gauntlet test, subjecting the new Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental to a wide range of possible flight conditions and several systems failures. Few software systems undergo such rigorous testing!
At the Edge of Invasion, Possible New Rules for Evolution | Wired Science | Wired.com
Physical proximity produced by dispersal continues to shape that dispersal. Whatever drives creatures to spread farther and faster clusters at the front of the dispersal wave. If an adaptation improves dispersal but hurts survival, it matters less than usual, because the pool of potential mates is determined by their ability to cover ground.
Google’s Ngram Viewer exposes Gartner’s Hype Cycles
The Books Ngram Viewer from Google Labs provides a fascinating insight into language usage in the past 200 years. An Ngram is a series of one or more items from a sequence, in this case a word or phrase from a published text. Google’s viewer plots the frequency of occurrence for Ngrams found in books published since 1800. It is possible to narrow the search to specific collections of books or corpus. Available corpora include American English, British English, English Fiction etc. Researchers at Harvard University’s Cultural Observatory have put together some tips for using this data and have invented a new word
Culturomics – The application of high-throughput data collection and analysis to the study of human culture.
Posted in Reviews, Technology
Tagged information visualization, innovation, outlier, prediction, quantification, review, strategy, technology
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The Antikythera Mechanism Explained?
The Antikythera Mechanism was discovered on May 17th 1902, by archaeologist Valerios Stais when he was diving on the Antikythera wreck off Point Glyphadia on the Greek island of Antikythera. The wreck is believed to have sunk in the 1st century BCE and has yielded many spectacular artifacts. The most mysterious of these is the Antikythera mechanism, a solid lump of corroded bronze gears. It has taken over a century, the latest imaging technology, and decades of research from a few dedicated scholars of mechanical engineering to piece together what the mechanism did.
I put together this playlist of short youtube videos. Together they describe the latest advances in understanding the mechanism and how it worked. There are four videos that take about 20 minutes to watch. Just click on the video and all four will play.
Posted in Computer History, Technology
Tagged information visualization, innovation, outlier, prediction, technology
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Reinventing the Sacred by Stuart Kauffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have been interested in the work of Stuart Kauffman since I first read about him 10 years ago. I have read his other book “At Home in the Universe” and so wanted to read this one. I find Kauffman very difficult to read, but worth the effort. This time I took notes as I was reading, which helped a great deal. Part of the reason I find him so interesting is that his books are, for me, a view into a mind on the edge of discovering something significant. I’m not sure Kauffman will actually discover whatever it is he is closing in on, but he’s barking up the right tree and its fascinating to watch him wrestle with his problems.
Posted in Complexity, Reviews
Tagged book review, economics, emergence, evolution, networks, outlier, prediction
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The Imortal Game
This is a photo of a painting I commissioned from Blair Bradshaw last year. It shows the final crushing move of the Immortal Game, circled in red. I chose Blair because I have a print of one of his other pieces and had been to his studio so was familiar with his style. I thought he would do a great job of the immortal game, which I had been thinking about getting painted for some time. The piece is 5ft square and is comprised of 64 small square mini-canvases. Blair and I spoke at length about how to visually show the history of the game. I think he did a great job and am very pleased with what I got.
Posted in Complexity
Tagged art, chess, failure, information visualization, outlier, reciprocity, strategy, success
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