[tt] Complexity Digest 2008.17 (text version -2)

Fri Apr 25 13:03:51 UTC 2008

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Complexity Digest 2008.17 24-Apr-2008

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"I think the next century will be the century of complexity." Stephen
Hawking, 2000
_________________________________________________________________
PDF files of our annual editions are available at
www.comdig.de/AnnualEditions.html

A letter from Gottfried Mayer to our readers and friends is at
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_________________________________________________________________

01. Business Strategies For Climate Change, The McKinsey Quarterly
01.01. Running Out of Planet to Exploit, NYTimes
02. Music Theory: Geometrical Music Theory, Science
03. Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower, Wired
04. Ecology: Destabilized Fish Stocks, Nature
05. Laptops as Earthquake Sensors, Technology Review
06. To Defeat A Malicious Botnet, Build A Friendly One, New Scientist
07. Universal 'Babelfish' Could Translate Alien Tongues, New Scientist
07.01. "I¡¦m Listening¡¨ - Conversations With Computers, Innovations-report
08. Evolution: 24 Myths And Misconceptions, New Scientist
08.01. Is Religion an Evolutionary Adaptation?, JASSS
09. Slowly-Developing Primates Definitely Not Dim-Witted, Innovations-report
10. Systems Biology: Genome Rewired, Nature
11. Synchrony And Entrainment Properties Of Robust Circadian Oscillators,
Interface
11.01. Rate Constants Rather Than Biochemical Mechanism Determine Behaviour Of
Genetic Clocks, Interface
12. Second Family Of High-Temperature Superconductors Discovered, ScienceNow
Daily News
13. Quantum Computation: The Dreamweaver's Abacus, Nature
13.01. Quantum Physics: Debut Of The Quarter Electron, Nature
13.02. Are Particles Self-Organized Systems?, arXiv
14. Behind Analysts, the Pentagon's Hidden Hand, NY Times
14.01. Experiential Learning In An Arms Control Simulation, PS: Pol. Sc. &
Politics
15. Book Review: Social Simulation: Technologies, Advances and New Discoveries
(Premier Reference), JASSS
16. Book Review: Agent-Based Models, JASSS
17. Attack Of The Clones: A Pragmatic Guide To Maintaining A Research Agenda,
PS: Pol. Sc. & Politics
18. Edward N. Lorenz, 90; Scientist Developed Influential Chaos Theory, Los
Angeles Times
19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks 
19.01. The Myth of Grass-Roots Terrorism, Foreign Affairs
20. Links & Snippets 
20.01. Other Publications 
20.02. Webcast Announcements 
20.03. Conference Announcements 
20.04. Other Announcements 

_________________________________________________________________

01. Business Strategies For Climate Change , The McKinsey Quarterly

Excerpts:          * Climate change has become a business reality, and
executives should get ready for a major shift in the economy. The value at
stake is huge.
 * Some companies will be winners and others losers in the gradual transition
to a global low-carbon economy - a transition driven by regulation and
structurally higher energy prices.
 * A drive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in existing infrastructure and
products, coupled with the emergence of new low-carbon business models and
value chains, will provide many opportunities for business.
 * Companies should act aggressively where the benefits are clear, plant seeds
for future expansion in highly uncertain areas, and try to shape the regulatory
landscape.

* [4] Business Strategies For Climate Change, 08/04/22, The McKinsey Quarterly

[4]
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategy/Strategy_in_Practice/Business_strateg
ies_for_climate_change_2125_abstract

_________________________________________________________________

01.01. Running Out of Planet to Exploit , NYTimes

Excerpts: The first is that it¡¦s mainly speculation ¡X that investors, looking
for high returns at a time of low interest rates, have piled into commodity
futures, driving up prices. (...).

The second view is that soaring resource prices do, in fact, have a basis in
fundamentals ¡X especially rapidly growing demand from newly meat-eating,
car-driving Chinese ¡X but that given time we¡¦ll drill more wells, plant more
acres, and increased supply will push prices right back down again.

The third view is that the era of cheap resources is over for good ¡X that we¡¦
re
running out of oil, running out of land to expand food production and generally
running out of planet to exploit.

* [5] Running Out of Planet to Exploit, Paul Krugman
, 08/04/21, NYTimes

[5] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/21/opinion/21krugman.html

_________________________________________________________________

02. Music Theory: Geometrical Music Theory , Science

Excerpts: Musical operations, such as transpositions, can be expressed as
symmetries of n-dimensional space.  Music theorists normally use discrete
mathematics, such as set and finite group theory, to describe musical
relations; they also invoke geometry in modeling musical objects such as
chords, rhythms, and scales. However, no unified geometric perspective has
hitherto emerged. On page 346 of this issue, Callender et al. (1) demonstrate
that many musical terms can be understood as expressing symmetries of
n-dimensional space, where each dimension represents a voice in the score.

* [6] Music Theory: Geometrical Music Theory, Rachel Wells Hall, 08/04/18, DOI:
10.1126/science.1155463, Science : Vol. 320. no. 5874, pp. 328 - 329

[6] http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/320/5874/328

_________________________________________________________________

03. Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower , Wired

Excerpts:          Face it: Your IQ is basically hardwired. Still, there are
lots of ways to get smarter - to max out your so-called functional
intelligence. Think of it as a software upgrade. Our guide to better brainpower
shows you how to boost your memory, sharpen your concentration skills, and even
pop the right combination of drugs and supplements. Start download now. 4: [7]
Think Positive, and You Will Get Smarter
 5: [8] Give Your Intellect a Boost - Just Say Yes to Doing the Right
Drugs!(...)
 7: [9] Thalamus, Cortex, Amygdala ... Pick Apart the Brain
8: [10] Don't Panic. It Makes You Stupid.
 9: [11] Embracing Chaos Could Bring Order to Your Memory(...)
 12: [12] Comprehension Climbs When You Slooooow Doooown

* [13] Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower, 08/04/21, Wired

[7] http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/gs_04thinkpositive
[8] http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/gs_05drugs
[9] http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/gs_07yourbrain
[10] http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/gs_08dontpanic
[11] http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/gs_09embracechaos
[12] http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/gs_12slowdown
[13] http://www.wired.com/medtech/health/magazine/16-05/gs_intro

_________________________________________________________________

04. Ecology: Destabilized Fish Stocks , Nature

Excerpts: Fishing of natural populations increases the variability of fish
abundance. A unique data set from the southern California Current has allowed
an evaluation of three hypotheses for why that should be so. (...) (...) 'Why
fishing magnifies fluctuations in fish abundance'. In doing so they provide
valuable, empirically based insights into the fluctuations of exploited
populations. Their analysis convincingly shows that the observed increased
variation of harvested fish stocks is caused by the selective removal of the
larger (and older) individuals, leading to a decreasing average size and age of
the fish that destabilizes the population dynamics.

* [14] Ecology: Destabilized Fish Stocks, Nils Chr. Stenseth,  Tristan Rouyer,
08/04/17, DOI: 10.1038/452825a, Nature 452, 825-826

[14] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7189/full/452825a.html

_________________________________________________________________

05. Laptops as Earthquake Sensors , Technology Review

Excerpts:     Credit: Technology Review     Researchers are testing a
distributed network to detect early signs of damaging quakes.  Earthquake
researchers in California hope to take advantage of the motion sensors in
laptops to create an earthquake-sensing network. By putting computers in homes
and businesses to work as seismic monitors, the researchers hope to pull
together a wealth of information on major quakes, and perhaps even offer early
warnings, giving a few seconds' notice of a potentially devastating quake.  The
Quake Catcher Network (QCN) is in the beta testing stage, with links to several
hundred laptops.

* [15] Laptops as Earthquake Sensors, Anna Davison, 08/04/22, Technology Review

[15] http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/20658/?a=f

_________________________________________________________________

06. To Defeat A Malicious Botnet, Build A Friendly One , New Scientist

Excerpts: Beating the "botnets" - armies of infected computers used to attack
websites - requires borrowing tactics from the bad guys, say computer security
researchers. (...) Their system, called Phalanx, uses its own large network of
computers to shield the protected server. Instead of the server being accessed
directly, all information must pass through the swarm of "mailbox" computers.
The many mailboxes do not simply relay information to the server like a funnel
- they only pass on information when the server requests it. That allows the
server to work at its own pace, without being swamped.

* [16] To Defeat A Malicious Botnet, Build A Friendly One, Mason Inman,
08/04/22, NewScientist

[16]
http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn13753-to-defeat-a-malicious-botnet
-build-a-friendly-one.html

_________________________________________________________________

07. Universal 'Babelfish' Could Translate Alien Tongues , New Scientist

Excerpts: If we ever make contact with intelligent aliens, we should be able to
build a universal translator to communicate with them, according to a linguist
and anthropologist in the US. Such a "babelfish", which gets its name from the
translating fish in Douglas Adams's book The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
would require a much more advanced understanding of language than we currently
have. But a first step would be recognising that all languages must have a
universal structure, according to Terrence Deacon of the University of
California, Berkeley, US.

* [17] Universal 'Babelfish' Could Translate Alien Tongues, Michael Reilly,
08/04/18, NewScientist.com

[17]
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn13739-babelfish-to-translate-alien-tong
ues-could-be-built.html

_________________________________________________________________

07.01. "I¡¦m Listening¡¨ - Conversations With Computers , Innovations-report

Excerpts: A computer system that can carry on a discussion with a human being
by reacting to signals such as tone of voice and facial expression, is being
developed by an international team including Queen¡¦s University Belfast. (...)
the project will build a Sensitive Artificial Listener (SAL) system, which will
perceive a human user¡¦s facial expression, gaze, and voice and then engage wit
h
the user. When engaging with a human, the SAL will be able to adapt its own
performance and pursue different actions, depending on the non-verbal behaviour
of the user. (...)

* [18] "I¡¦m Listening¡¨ - Conversations With Computers, 2008/04/17,
Innovations-report
* Contributed by [19] Atin Das

[18]
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/information_technology/report-10
7987.html
[19] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

08. Evolution: 24 Myths And Misconceptions , New Scientist

Excerpts:          Most of us are happy to admit that we do not understand,
say, string theory in physics, yet we are all convinced we understand
evolution. In fact, as biologists are discovering, its consequences can be
stranger than we ever imagined. Evolution must be the best-known yet
worst-understood of all scientific theories. So here is New Scientist's [20]
guide to some of the most common myths and misconceptions about evolution. 
[21] - Natural selection leads to ever-greater complexity

 [22] - Evolution produces creatures perfectly adapted to their environment 
 [23] - "Survival of the fittest" justifies "everyone for themselves" 
 [24] - Evolution cannot explain traits such as homosexuality (...)

* [25] Evolution: 24 Myths And Misconceptions, Michael Le Page, 08/04/16,
NewScientist

[20] http://www.newscientist.com/evolutionmyths
[21]
/channel/life/dn13617-evolution-myths-natural-selection-leads-to-ever-greater-c
omplexity.html
[22]
/channel/life/dn13640-evolution-myths-evolution-produces-perfectly-adapted-crea
tures.html
[23]
/channel/life/dn13671-evolution-myths-survival-of-the-fittest-justifies-everyon
e-for-themselves.html
[24]
/channel/life/dn13674-evolution-myths-natural-selection-cannot-explain-homosexu
ality.html
[25]
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn13620-evolution-24-myths-and-misconc
eptions.html

_________________________________________________________________

08.01. Is Religion an Evolutionary Adaptation? , JASSS

Excerpt: Religious people talk about things that cannot be seen, stories that
cannot be verified, and beings and forces beyond the ordinary. Perhaps their
gods are truly at work, or perhaps in human nature there is an impulse to
proclaim religious knowledge. If so, it would have to have arisen by natural
selection. It is hard to imagine how natural selection could have produced such
an impulse. There is a debate among evolutionary scientists about whether or no
t
there is any adaptive advantage to religion at all (...)

* [26] Is Religion an Evolutionary Adaptation?, James Dow, 2008/3/31, JASSS
11(2)
* Contributed by [27] Carlos Gershenson

[26] http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/11/2/2.html
[27] http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~cgershen/

_________________________________________________________________

09. Slowly-Developing Primates Definitely Not Dim-Witted , Innovations-report

Excerpts: Some primates have evolved big brains because their extra brainpower
helps them live and reproduce longer, an advantage that outweighs the demands
of extra years of growth and development they spend reaching adulthood, (...).
The four investigators compared key benchmarks in the development of 28
different primate species, ranging from humans living free of modern trappings
in South American jungles to lemurs living in wild settings in Madagascar.
(...) "Is larger brain size causing life histories to become extended and
slowed down? We think so," Barrickman added. (...)

* [28] Slowly-Developing Primates Definitely Not Dim-Witted, 2008/04/18,
Innovations-report
* Contributed by [29] Atin Das

[28]
http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/life_sciences/report-108177.html
[29] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

10. Systems Biology: Genome Rewired , Nature

Excerpts: Within a genome, genes are connected to each other through a complex
network of interactions. One way to assess how robust and evolvable such
genomic networks are is to introduce new links between unrelated genes. (...)
They used high-throughput assay techniques to systemically rewire the
architecture of the genetic network of the bacterium Escherichia coli. (...)
(...) the genetic network of E. coli is much more robust to rewiring than its
electronic counterpart. Of the roughly 600 new connections the authors
introduced into the network, almost all were well tolerated by the cells.

* [30] Systems Biology: Genome Rewired, Matthew R. Bennett,  Jeff Hasty,
08/04/17, DOI: 10.1038/452824a, Nature 452, 824-825

[30] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7189/full/452824a.html

_________________________________________________________________

11. Synchrony And Entrainment Properties Of Robust Circadian Oscillators ,
Interface

Excerpt: Systems theoretic tools (i.e. mathematical modelling, control, and
feedback design) advance the understanding of robust performance in complex
biological networks. We highlight phase entrainment as a key performance
measure used to investigate dynamics of a single deterministic circadian
oscillator for the purpose of generating insight into the behaviour of a
population of (synchronized) oscillators. More specifically, the analysis of
phase characteristics may facilitate the identification of appropriate coupling
mechanisms for the ensemble of noisy (stochastic) circadian clocks. Phase also
serves as a critical control objective to correct mismatch between the
biological clock and its environment. (...)

* [31] Synchrony And Entrainment Properties Of Robust Circadian Oscillators, N.
Bagheri ,  S. R. Taylor ,  K. Meeker ,  L. R. Petzold ,  F. J. Doyle,
2008/04/15, DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0045.focus, Interface
* Contributed by [32] Atin Das

[31]
http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/c3t177k31n24gh6n/?p=b1fb289b11fa432988
483c3c99f6a5c0&pi=5
[32] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

11.01. Rate Constants Rather Than Biochemical Mechanism Determine Behaviour Of
Genetic Clocks , Interface

Excerpts: Many biological systems contain both positive and negative feedbacks.
These are often classified as resonators or integrators. Resonators respond
preferentially to oscillating signals of a particular frequency. Integrators,
on the other hand, accumulate a response to signals. Computational
neuroscientists often refer to neurons showing integrator properties as type I
neurons and those showing resonator properties as type II neurons. (...) Here
we show that either behaviour can be seen with either design and in a wide
range of genetic clocks. This highlights the importance of parameters rather
than biochemical mechanism in determining the system behaviour.

* [33] Rate Constants Rather Than Biochemical Mechanism Determine Behaviour Of
Genetic Clocks, E. Conrad ,  A. E. Mayo ,  A. J. Ninfa ,  D. B. Forger,
2008/04/15, DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0046.focus, Interface
* Contributed by [34] Atin Das

[33]
http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/86rv1u8807121pt6/?p=b1fb289b11fa432988
483c3c99f6a5c0&pi=1
[34] mailto:dasatin at yahoo.co.in

_________________________________________________________________

12. Second Family Of High-Temperature Superconductors Discovered , ScienceNow
Daily News

Excerpts:     Between the sheets. In new superconductors, electrons flow
through layers of iron and arsenic interspersed among layers of other atoms.
CREDIT: KAMIHARA ET AL., JACS, 130 (2/23/08)    Those older materials netted a
Nobel and ignited a firestorm of research, but physicists still don't agree
about how they work, leaving high-temperature superconductivity the biggest
mystery in condensed matter physics. Some researchers hope the new materials
will help solve it. (...) But Philip Anderson, a theorist at Princeton
University and a Nobel Laureate, says that the new superconductors will be more
important if they don't work like the old one. "If it's really a new mechanism,
God knows where it will go," he says. (...)

* [35] Second Family Of High-Temperature Superconductors Discovered, Adrian
Cho, 08/04/17, ScienceNOW Daily News

[35] http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/417/1

_________________________________________________________________

13. Quantum Computation: The Dreamweaver's Abacus , Nature

Excerpts: Some experts think that a quantum computation could be plaited like a
skein of string. And now they may have found the sorts of string they need
(...). "There are many experimental challenges to be met before a topological
qubit sees the light. But everyone agrees that the concept of topological
quantum computation is so attractive that it is worth a try. (...) the concept
is amazingly beautiful and the one advantage - topological protection of
quantum states is huge." Shtengel agrees: "Other approaches have serious
problems with scalability."

* [36] Quantum Computation: The Dreamweaver's Abacus, Liesbeth Venema,
08/04/16, DOI: 10.1038/452803a, Nature

[36] http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080416/full/452803a.html

_________________________________________________________________

13.01. Quantum Physics: Debut Of The Quarter Electron , Nature

Excerpts: A particle-like object with a quarter of an electron's charge is the
latest find in a hotbed of quantum-physical experimentation, the fractional
quantum Hall fluid. Its significance is more than esoteric.  On page 829 of
this issue, Dolev et al.1 report the detection of vortices in a fluid of
electrons confined to two dimensions within a semiconductor structure that
carry just 1/4 of the electron's charge. These 'quasiparticles' are an exciting
find: according to theoretical predictions, their collective behaviour should b
e
described by an unusual type of particle statistics known as non-abelian
statistics.

* [37] Quantum Physics: Debut Of The Quarter Electron, Eduardo Fradkin,
08/04/17, DOI: 10.1038/452823a, Nature 452, 822-823

[37] http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7189/full/452823a.html

_________________________________________________________________

13.02. Are Particles Self-Organized Systems? , arXiv

Excerpt: Elementary particles possess quantized values of charge and internal
angular momentum or spin. These characteristics do not change when the
particles interact with other particles or fields as long as they preserve
their entities. Quantum theory does not explain this quantization. It is
introduced into the theory a priori. An interacting particle is an open system
and thus does not obey conservation laws. However, an open system may create
dynamically stable states with unchanged dynamical variables via
self-organization.

* [38] Are Particles Self-Organized Systems?, Vladimir A. Manasson, 2008/03/23,
DOI: 0803.3300, arXiv
* Contributed by [39] Carlos Gershenson

[38] http://uk.arXiv.org/abs/0803.3300
[39] http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~cgershen/

_________________________________________________________________

14. Behind Analysts, the Pentagon's Hidden Hand , NY Times

Excerpts: To the public, these men are members of a familiar fraternity,
presented tens of thousands of times on television and radio as "military
analysts" whose long service has equipped them to give authoritative and
unfettered judgments about the most pressing issues of the post-Sept. 11 world.
 Hidden behind that appearance of objectivity, though, is a Pentagon informatio
n
apparatus that has used those analysts in a campaign to generate favorable news
coverage of the administration's wartime performance, an examination by The New
York Times has found.

* [40] Behind Analysts, the Pentagon's Hidden Hand, David Barstow, 08/04/20,
NYTimes

[40] http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/washington/20generals.html

_________________________________________________________________

14.01. Experiential Learning In An Arms Control Simulation , PS: Pol. Sc. &
Politics

Excerpt: This paper discusses an arms control simulation that formed a central
part of the course, Controlling Chemical and Biological Weapons. Based on the
experiential learning approach this simulation sought to (a) provide an active
learning context for students to acquire an in-depth understanding of central
aspects of biological arms control, and (b) gain an appreciation for the
complexities of multilateral diplomacy in general and arms control negotiations
in particular. (...)

* [41] Experiential Learning In An Arms Control Simulation, A. Kelle, Apr.
2008, online 2008/03/28, DOI: 10.1017/S1049096508080591, PS: Political Science
& Politics
* Contributed by [42] Pritha Das

[41]
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=PSC&volumeId=41&issueId=0
2
[42] mailto:prithadas01 at yahoo.com

_________________________________________________________________

15. Book Review: Social Simulation: Technologies, Advances and New Discoveries
(Premier Reference) , JASSS

Excerpt: Complex adaptive systems models have the potential to transform social
science. With them scholars can construct and analyze models that include real
world features such as networks, adaptation, heterogeneity, and interactions.
Advocates of social simulation models claim that these models can provide
insights into the likely trajectories of economic, political, and social
systems that cannot be achieved with a repertoire of mathematical and verbal
models and that they also can be used for high fidelity policy testing.

* [43] Book Review: Social Simulation: Technologies, Advances and New
Discoveries (Premier Reference), Scott E. Page, 2008/3/31, JASSS 11(2)
* Contributed by [44] Carlos Gershenson

[43] http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/11/2/reviews/page.html
[44] http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~cgershen/

_________________________________________________________________

16. Book Review: Agent-Based Models , JASSS

Excerpt: Given the complexity of the field, Agent-based Models represents a
remarkable synthesizing effort. The wealth and quality of its bibliographical
references, an appendix indicating various means of probing further, an
extremely useful internet site directly linked to the book, and a glossary of
the main concepts make Agent-based Models an "interactive" and "ongoing" work
that invites the reader to go deeper rather than read passively. And it is in
this spirit that the present review will proceed, simultaneously describing and
questioning the text.

* [45] Book Review: Agent-Based Models, Gianluca Manzo, 2008/3/31, JASSS 11(2)
* Contributed by [46] Carlos Gershenson

[45] http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/11/2/reviews/manzo.html
[46] http://homepages.vub.ac.be/~cgershen/

_________________________________________________________________

17. Attack Of The Clones: A Pragmatic Guide To Maintaining A Research Agenda ,
PS: Pol. Sc. & Politics

Excerpt: For many faculty members, particularly those at research institutions,
presenting a paper more than once at a conference has long been taboo. Peers
evaluating tenure requirements or merit rankings may credit a second
presentation less, or not at all. On the other hand, norms in the discipline
vary dramatically across institution types. We argue that at universities with
considerable teaching loads and substantial service expectations, duplicate
research presentations can be an effective way to maintain an active research
agenda, absent other institutional incentives to do so. (...)

* [47] Attack Of The Clones: A Pragmatic Guide To Maintaining A Research
Agenda, J. H.-Stephens ,  S. Galatas, Apr. 2008, online 2008/03/28, DOI:
10.1017/S1049096508080451, PS: Political Science & Politics
* Contributed by [48] Pritha Das

[47]
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=PSC&volumeId=41&issueId=0
2
[48] mailto:prithadas01 at yahoo.com

_________________________________________________________________

18. Edward N. Lorenz, 90; Scientist Developed Influential Chaos Theory , Los
Angeles Times

Excerpts: The MIT meteorologist's theory -- that very small changes in a system
can have very large and unexpected consequences -- is applied to scientific and
nonscientific topics. (...) Edward N. Lorenz, the MIT meteorologist whose
efforts to use computers to increase the precision of weather forecasts
inadvertently led to the discovery of chaos theory and demonstrated that
precise long-range forecasts are impossible, died of cancer Wednesday at his
home in Cambridge, Mass.

* [49] Edward N. Lorenz, 90; Scientist Developed Influential Chaos Theory,
Thomas H. Maugh II, 08/04/18, Los Angeles Times

[49] http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-me-lorenz18apr18,0,543894.story

_________________________________________________________________

19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks 

_________________________________________________________________

19.01. The Myth of Grass-Roots Terrorism , Foreign Affairs

Excerpts: Leaderless Jihad: Terror Networks in the Twenty-First Century, By
Marc Sageman, Penn Press, 07/12 Leaderless Jihad employs a methodology that the
author calls "middle-range analysis." This approach claims to examine "the
terrorists themselves, fully embedded in their environment"; it does this "from
the bottom up to see exactly what is happening on the ground in the hope of
explaining the larger phenomenon of terrorism." Given that Sageman was trained
as a psychiatrist, it is not surprising that he favors analyzing terrorism from
an individual perspective rather than taking an organizational or collective
approach. But the benefits of bottom-up versus top-down approaches to the study
of terrorism have been debated by scholars for years.

* [50] The Myth of Grass-Roots Terrorism, Bruce Hoffman, May/June 2008, Foreign
Affairs

[50]
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080501fareviewessay87310/bruce-hoffman/the-myth
-of-grass-roots-terrorism.html

_________________________________________________________________

20. Links & Snippets 

_________________________________________________________________

20.01. Other Publications 

- Open Access: Taking Full Advantage of the Content, 2008/03/28, PLoS Comput
Biol 4(3): e1000037, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000037
- Introduction to Multi-Agent Simulation, 2008/03/27, arXiv, DOI: 0803.3905
- Organization of Modular Networks, 2008/03/24, arXiv, DOI: 0803.3422
- Grammar-Based Random Walkers in Semantic Networks, 2008/03/31, arXiv, DOI:
0803.4355
- Review of Three Books on Simulation Modelling, 2008/3/31, JASSS 11(2)
- Free Chocolate Provides Password Bounty: Users Hand Over Personal Info For
Sweet Treat, 2008/04/17, vnunet.com
- Older People Are Nation's Happiest: Baby Boomers Less Happy Than Other
Generational Groups, 2008/04/18, Innovations-report
- Self Seeding: An Innovative Management System, 2008/04/17, Innovations-report
- Random Walk Models In Biology, 2008/04/15, Interface, DOI:
10.1098/rsif.2008.0014
- How Big Is Your Brain? Its Size May Protect You From Memory Loss, 2008/04/17,
ScienceDaily & American Academy of Neurology
- Gene Therapy For Addiction: Flooding Brain With 'Pleasure Chemical' Receptors
Works On Cocaine, As On Alcohol, 2008/04/18, ScienceDaily & DOE/Brookhaven
National Laboratory
- One In Five Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Suffer From PTSD Or Major
Depression, 2008/04/19, ScienceDaily & RAND Corporation
- What Are The Odds Of Finding Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life?, 2008/04/19,
ScienceDaily & University of East Anglia
- Reading China: How Do America's China Scholars View U.S.-China Relations And
China's Future?, Apr. 2008, online 2008/03/28, PS: Political Science &
Politics, DOI: 10.1017/S1049096508080554
- Drive And Talent, Mar. 2008, Online 2008/02/04, Journal of European Economic
Association, DOI: 10.1162/JEEA.2008.6.1.210

_________________________________________________________________

20.02. Webcast Announcements 

 7th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 07/10/28-11/02

 [51] 
Reseau Nationale des Systemes Complexes , (in French), 2007

 [52] World Economic Forum , Davos, Switzerland, 08/01/22-27

TED Talks, TED Conferences LLC , since 2006

Talking Robots: The PodCast on Robotics and AI, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de
Lausanne, Switzerland, 06/11/03

Potentials of Complexity Science for Business, Governments, and the Media 2006,
Budapest, Hungary, 06/08/03-05

 6th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 06/06/25-30

Artificial Life X, 
10th Intl Conf on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems, Bloomington,
IN, USA. 2006/06/03-07

6th Understanding Complex Systems Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, Il, 06/05/15-18

Ralph Abraham on Complexity Digest, , Calcutta, India, 05/12/27
 [53] An Afternoon with Michael Crichton, Washington, 05/11/06
 [54] 
Illuminating the Shadow of the Future, Ann Arbor, Mi 05/09/23-25

 [55] 
Open Network of Centres of Excellence in Complex Systems - Brainstorming
Meeting, Paris, France 05/09/19-23

 [56] 
Complexity, Science & Society Conference 2005, U. Liverpool, UK 2005/09/11-14

 [57] 
ECAL 2005 - VIIIth European Conference on Artificial Life, 
Canterbury, Kent, UK 2005/09/5-9

 [58] 
T. Irene Sanders, Executive Director and Founder, [59] The Washington Center
for Complexity & Public Policy, 05/08/27, QuickTime video (10:38 min), [60]
Podcast 

 [61] North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
2005 Conference, Virtual Conference Network, St. Pete's Beach, Florida,
05/06/09-11

 [62] Understanding Complex Systems - Computational Complexity and
Bioinformatics, Virtual Conference Network, Urbana-Champaign, Il, UIUC,
05/05/16-19

 [63] Nonlinearity, Fluctuations, and Complexity, with a celebration of the
65th birthday of Gregoire Nicolis. , Complexity Session, Universite' Libre de
Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, 05/03/16

 [64] 
1st European Conference on Complex Systems, Torino, Italy, 04/12/5-7

>From Autopoiesis to Neurophenomenology: A Tribute to Francisco Varela
(1946-2001), Paris, France, 2004/06/18-20

Evolutionary Epistemology, Language, and Culture, Brussels, Belgium,
04/05/26-28

International Conference on Complex Systems 2004, Boston, 04/05/16-21

Nonlinear Dynamics And Chaos: Lab Demonstrations, Strogatz, Steven H.,
Internet-First University Press, 1994

CERN Webcast Service, Streamed videos of Archived Lectures and Live Events 

Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998 

Edge Videos

[51] http://webcast.in2p3.fr/RNSC/ target=new
[52]
http://gaia.world-television.com/wef/worldeconomicforum_annualmeeting2008/Targe
t=new
[53] http://www.complexsys.org/news.htm target=new
[54] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05ISF/index.html target=new
[55] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ONCECS05/ target=new
[56] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/CSS05/ target=new
[57] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ECAL2005/ target=new
[58] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Sanders0508/Sanders0508.mov target=new
[59] http://www.complexsys.org/ target=new
[60] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Sanders0508/Sanders.mp3
[61] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05NASPSA/ target=new
[62] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/05UCS/ target=new
[63] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/Nicolis05/Target=new
[64] http://complexity.vub.ac.be/~comdig/ECCS04/Target=new

_________________________________________________________________

20.03. Conference Announcements 

BIO_IT World Conf & Expo, Boston, MA, 08/04/28-30

Chaos And Dynamics In Biological Networks, Cargese, Corsica, France,
08/05/05-09

NICO Complexity Conference, Evanston, IL, 08/05/19-21

Brittle Fracture and Plastic Slip: from the Atomistic to the Engineering Scale,
Udine, Italy, 08/05/26-30

[65] 
CHAOS2008
Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference, Chania, Crete,
Greece, 08/06/03-06

[66] International Conference on Chaos, Complexity & Conflict, Omaha, NE,
08/06/05-07

[67] 
4th Organization Studies Summer Workshop: ¡§Embracing Complexity: Advancing
Ecological Understanding in Organization Studies¡¨, Pissouri, Cyprus,
08/06/05-07

Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Tenth Annual... Applying Systems Biology, San
Francisco, CA, 08/06/09-11

AUTOMATA 2008, EPSRC Workshop Cellular Automata Theory and Applications,
Bristol, UK, 08/06/12-14

Intl Summer School on
"Modelling and Optimization in Micro- and Nano- Electronics" - MOMINE 2008,
Ragusa, Sicily, Italy, 08/06/14-28

[68] 
9th Intl Mathematica Symposium, Maastricht, The Netherlands, 08/06/20-24

 [69] 
The 14th Intl Conf on Auditory Display (ICAD), Paris, France, 08/06/24-27

8th Intl Conf of Sociocybernetics - Complex Social Systems, Interdisciplinarity
And World Futures, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico, 08/06/24-28

"Is complexity the new framework for management and public policy in the 21st
century?"
Complexity Society Workshop, Manchester, UK, 08/06/26

The 3rd Intl Symp on Knowledge Communication and Peer Reviewing: KCPR 2008,
Orlando, Florida, USA, 08/06/29-07/02

The 3rd Intl Symp on Knowledge Communication and Conferences: KCC 2008,
Orlando, Florida, USA, 08/06/29-07/02

[70] 
7th Intl Summer School and Conf "Let's Face Chaos through Nonlinear Dynamics",
Maribor, Slovenia, 08/06/29-07/13

The 12th World Multi-Conf on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics: WMSCI
2008, Orlando, Florida, USA, 08/06/29-07/02

>From Animals To Animats 10 - The 10th Intl Conf on the Simulation Of Adaptive
Behavior (SAB'08), Osaka, Japan, 08/07/07-12

[71] 
Complex Systems and Social Simulations, CEU Summer University, Budapest,
Hungary, 08/07/07-18

2008 Gordon Research Conf on Oscillations & Dynamic Instabilities
in Chemical Systems, Waterville, ME, 08/07/13-18

Nonlinear Fracture Mechanics Models, Udine, Italy, 08/07/14-18

[72] 
1st Intl Workshop on Nonlinear Dynamics and Synchronization 
(INDS¡¦08), Klagenfurt, Austria, 08/07/18-19

[73] 
Scratch at MIT,Cambridge, MA, 08/07/24-26

[74] 
8th Intl Conf on Epigenetic Robotics:
Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems, Brighton, UK,
08/07/31-08/02

On the Edge: Healthcare in the Age of Complexity,
Kansas City, MO, 08/08/03-05

Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology & Life Sciences 
18th Annl Intl Conf, Richmond, Virginia, USA, 08/08/08-10

Stochastic Resonance 2008, Perugia, Italy, 08/08/17-21

4th Intl Conf on Natural Computation (ICNC'08) - 5th Intl Conf on Fuzzy Systems
and Knowledge Discovery (FSKD'08),
Jinan, China, 08/08/25-27

Intl Conf DEscribing COmplex Systems (DECOS), Zadar, 
Croatia, 08/09/03-07

5th European 
Conference on Complex Systems, Jerusalem, Israel, 08/09/14-19 

EPOS 2008, III Edition of Epistemological Perspectives on Simulation, Lisbon,
Portugal, 08/10/02-03

[65] http://www.asmda.net/chaos2008/ TARGET=new
[66] http://law.creighton.edu/wernerInstitute/complexityconference/ TARGET=new
[67] http://www.egosnet.org/journal/os_summer_workshop_2008.shtml TARGET=new
[68] http://www.ims08.org/ TARGET=new
[69] http://http://icad08.ircam.fr TARGET=new
[70] http://www.camtp.uni-mb.si/chaos/2008/ TARGET=new
[71] http://www.sun.ceu.hu/complex-systems/ TARGET=new
[72] http://inds08.uni-klu.ac.at/ TARGET=new
[73] http://scratch.mit.edu/conference/ TARGET=new
[74] http://www.epigenetic-robotics.org TARGET=new

_________________________________________________________________

20.04. Other Announcements 

 A short notice from Dean LeBaron
Dear ComDig Readers,

Our editor, Dr. Gottfried Mayer, is affectionately esteemed by many of you --
as readers, you know he devotes himself unselfishly to widening our knowledge
of complexity science. He was recently diagnosed with advanced colon cancer and
given a timetable of a very few years. Knowing Gottfried, you can imagine that,
in addition to the customary processes of chemotherapy, he would explore other
frontier therapies, especially those arising out of interdisciplinary
applications of complexity. These are expensive ... if he can find them.

Many of you have sent your good wishes and indicated your desire to assist.
With Gottfried¡¦s permission, I am posting this note with information, below,
about how to send contributions to him. Please indicate the source since
Gottfried will want to express his warm gratitude.

I know that Gottfried, the good scientist that he is, will explain from time to
time what he is doing and what the results are ... and we will follow his
progress with great interest and hope.

Dean LeBaron

Publisher, Complexity Digest

Bank Information:

If your contribution is made by check:

Please mail the check, payable to ¡§Gottfried Mayer¡¨, to:

Manufacturers & Traders Trust

2080 Western Avenue

20 Mall

Guilderland, NY 12084 USA

(on the back of the check, please write: ¡§For Deposit Only: Account # 983 338
3814¡¨)

If your contribution is made by wire:

Manufacturers & Traders Trust

2080 Western Avenue

20 Mall

Guilderland, NY 12084 USA

SWIFT Code# MANTUS33

UID: 209 791

ABA routing # 022 00 00 46 [for US wire transfers]

Account # 983 338 3814

Ref. Gottfried Mayer

_________________________________________________________________

[75]Complexity Digest is an independent publication available to
organizations that may wish to repost [76]ComDig to their own mailing
lists. [77]ComDig is published by [78]Dean LeBaron and edited by
[79]Gottfried J. Mayer.
To unsubscribe from this list, please send a note to
[80]subscriptions at comdig.org.

[75] http://www.comdig.org/
[76] http://www.comdig.org/
[77] http://www.comdig.org/
[78] http://www.deanlebaron.com/index.html
[79] http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/g/x/gxm21/
[80] mailto:subscriptions at comdig.org

----- End forwarded message -----
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Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
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