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January 26, 2016Herbert Simon

Mind, Models and Milieux — A Twitter Chat

Please join my very excellent contributors Mark Pringle @markpingle (Boundedly Rational Decision-Making under Certainty and Uncertainty: Some Reflections on Herbert Simon), Marco Novarese @mmarconov ((Simon’s (Lost?) Legacy in Agent-Based Computational Economics)), and myself @M_W_Q for a live Twitter chat about Herb Simon — to be conducted by @PalgraveEcon taking place on the 15th Feb at 8am PST & 4pm GMT. Behavioral economicsBounded RationalityHerbert…

January 24, 2016Peter Frampton

Frampton is still alive and well

. . . and hanging around in Nashville. It was 40 years ago (crikey!) that the early stirrings of Frampton Comes Alive! began it’s juggernaut domination of the charts. Thoroughly underrated (tarnished by the teen idol label) people seem to overlook that along with Jimmy Page, PF at 14 was possibly the youngest working serious musician…

January 22, 2016chili sauce, Wilbur Scoville

Hot Stuff: Wilbur Scoville

Another notable birth (at least to me) on this date is Wilbur Scoville, the patron saint of chilli heads such as myself. Pleasantly surprised that Google is marking Wilbur’s birth: The Telegraph picks up from Google. Below is my 15 year old Robert Charles Chilli tie. I think I’ll have an extra lashing of Endorphin Rush (my daily) and…

January 22, 2016Lord Byron

Byron: born on this day

Lord ByronPoetryromanticism

January 21, 2016Herbert Simon

Minds, Models and Milieux

Commemorating the Centennial of the Birth of Herbert Simon — published today. Artificial intelligenceBehavioral economicsBounded RationalityCognitive scienceDecision makingHerbert SimonMinds Models and Milieux: Commemorating the Centennial of the Birth of Herbert Simon

January 20, 2016religion, science

Why humans find it hard to do away with religion

John Gray reviews Dominic Johnson’s God Is Watching You: How the Fear of God Makes Us Human. Though I haven’t read this book, based upon this review the title and the subtitle “How the Fear of God Makes Us Human” seem to be the wrong way round. Indeed, the main title seems superfluous. But first,…

January 20, 2016walker percy

Walker Percy Wednesday 68

In addition to checking out the Walker Percy documentary if you are a fan of the great man, please consider making a contribution to this project — all is explained in the video. This project expires in just over a week — it would be a crying shame if it doesn’t come to fruition. Come…

January 19, 2016stigmergy

Stigmergic construction and topochemical information shape ant nest architecture

Recent paper with open access co-authored by a doyen of stigmergy theorists, Guy Theraulaz. (H/T to Simon Garnier). antscollective animal behaviorcomputational intelligencecomputational modelingEmergenceGuy Theraulaznest buildingspontaneous ordersStigmergy

January 18, 2016freedom of speech

Bloggingheads discussion of campus Maoism

A nuanced and civil discussion with Glenn Loury and John McWhorter — the best discussion I’ve come across on this issue yet. bloggingheadsfree speechGlenn Louryidentity politicsJohn McWhorterLiberal educationliberalitypolitical correctnessracismsocial identitysocial justicevirtue signalling

January 17, 2016bowie, david bowie

“Second Line” for Bowie

As ugly as a teenage millionaire pretending it’s a whizz kid world You’ll take me aside, and say “Well, David, what shall I do? They wait for me in the hallway” I’ll say “don’t ask me, I don’t know any hallways” But they move in numbers and they’ve got me in a corner I feel…