The definition of wealth
Posted by Herman | September 6, 2009 | permalink
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 →
Posted in Complexity
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Unveiling the beauty of statistics for a fact based world view
Posted by Herman | July 25, 2009 | permalink
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 →
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Augmented
Posted by Herman | July 21, 2009 | permalink
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 →
Posted in Complexity, Hyperconnectivity
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Jamiton
Posted by Herman | June 24, 2009 | permalink
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 →
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How traffic jams are created out of thin air
Posted by Herman | June 15, 2009 | permalink
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.
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Lies, damn lies and productivity statistics
Posted by Herman | June 11, 2009 | permalink
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 →