<$BlogRSDURL$>

Monday, November 10, 2003

On Nov. 7th I had the pleasure of attending the Santa Fe Institute's Business Network meeting. There I was transfixed by anthropologist Steve Lansing's discussion of Balinese water temple networks and rice terrace ecology.

Dr. Lansing has spent years understanding the complex relationships between Balinese rice farmers, how they share water, and more importantly the system they have evolved over centuries to maximize rice production and minimize damage by pests and plant disease. He gives us an outstanding example of a naturally evolved, tightly coupled social / ecological system.

He highlights the dangers of "pulling levers" in such a system, as the Government of Indonesia did in the past by disrupting the social system and ecological balance.

Follow the link below to download his agent-based model of the water temple system, papers, and videos of the projects. They are now being used to persuade decision makers in Indonesia to change practices such as additive fertilization (which is impacting coral reefs down stream.

The Bali Model

|
Last September, Icosystem's own Eric Bonabeau and several other distinguished speakers (including the Oakland A's Paul DePodesta and Steven Strogratz, leading Chaos scholar) addressed the Thought Leader Forum sponsored by Michael Mouboussin and Credit Suisse First Boston. Michael often inlcudes complexity science in his writtings for the investment community.

Visit CSFB Thought Leadership via the link below. I really enjoy the "Concept Cards" that graphically capture the essence of each speakers talk.

O

Credit Suisse First Boston - Thought Leadership Forum

|

Monday, November 03, 2003

Most artists would be concerned if the FBI asked to see their work. But in the weeks following the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI turned to Mark Lombardi's art for clues. Lombardi's drawings centered on significant world events, and evolved into flowing arcs of interconnected people and events - a sophisticated, detailed and aesthetic network analysis. Visit the associated NPR url to learn more, include dates and sites of the traveling show of Lombardi's art.

NPR : The 'Conspiracy' Art of Mark Lombardi

|

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Weblog Commenting and Trackback by HaloScan.com