From the Archives: The modules in our networks

From the archives – I can’t figure out why I never posted this one. Here it is, as it was drafted in 2013. (Yes, I’m up to 2013!)

Jessica Lipnack blogged about a National Geographic article on networks that really caught my eye. The Parts of Life – Phenomena: The Loom.

Jessica wrote:

Carl Zimmer’s National Geographic article, “The Parts of Life,” merits reading — and rereading. The structure of networks, meaning their level of complexity, is difficult to understand but Zimmer moves carefully to lay out an experiment conducted by Jeff Clune (University of Wyoming), Jean-Baptiste Mouret (Pierre and Marie Curie University, Paris), and Hod Lipson (Cornell University). If I’ve got this right, their experiments indicated that “minimally-linked networks spontaneously produce[s] modules.”

From there I hopped to the National Geographic article.  I was hoping it was referencing social networks, but it was natural, biological networks. But the ideas provoked some reflection.

Jessica also reminded me about a paper she was part of, Organizing on the Edge of Chaos. That old magnetic radar turned on again thinking “this will be helpful later this month!” Thanks, Jessica!

From the Archives: Twitter Creates a Social Sixth Sense (NO!)

From the Draft Blog Post Archives: Well, this is interesting from 2013. I think instead of helping us sense ourselves, it helps us blind ourselves to others different from us. This one has NOT aged well!

Random picture of me as a kid just for fun…

It’s like proprioception, your body’s ability to know where your limbs are. That subliminal sense of orientation is crucial for coordination: It keeps you from accidentally bumping into objects, and it makes possible amazing feats of balance and dexterity.

Twitter and other constant-contact media create social proprioception. They give a group of people a sense of itself, making possible weird, fascinating feats of coordination.

via Clive Thompson on How Twitter Creates a Social Sixth Sense.

From the Archives: Two more friends better than two more enemies

Social Media in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

It is encouraging to see this article from 2013 is still online, and is still relevant examining how young people from conflict areas can be connected with each other. And the risks involved. . With the current conflicts continuing in Armenia and Azerbaijan and with the emergent issues in Russia and the Ukraine. It also reminds me of the amazing work I was invited into in the Caucasus with Project Harmony, with the highs, lows and learnings. I was hopeful and naïve – I’ll own that!  (More here.)