Complexity Digest 2008.17

24-Apr-2008

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Previous issue 2008.16 | Next issue 2008.18

Content

  1. Business Strategies For Climate Change, The McKinsey Quarterly
    1. Running Out of Planet to Exploit, NYTimes
  2. Music Theory: Geometrical Music Theory, Science
  3. Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower, Wired
  4. Ecology: Destabilized Fish Stocks, Nature
  5. Laptops as Earthquake Sensors, Technology Review
  6. To Defeat A Malicious Botnet, Build A Friendly One, New Scientist
  7. Universal 'Babelfish' Could Translate Alien Tongues, New Scientist
    1. "I'm Listening" - Conversations With Computers, Innovations-report
  8. Evolution: 24 Myths And Misconceptions, New Scientist
    1. Is Religion an Evolutionary Adaptation?, JASSS
  9. 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
    1. 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
    1. Quantum Physics: Debut Of The Quarter Electron, Nature
    2. Are Particles Self-Organized Systems?, arXiv
  14. Behind Analysts, the Pentagon's Hidden Hand, NY Times
    1. 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
    1. The Myth of Grass-Roots Terrorism, Foreign Affairs
  20. Links & Snippets
    1. Other Publications
    2. Webcast Announcements
    3. Conference Announcements
    4. Other Announcements

  1. Business Strategies For Climate Change, The McKinsey Quarterly Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

    1. Running Out of Planet to Exploit, NYTimes Next Article Bookmark and Share

      Excerpts: The first is that it's mainly speculation - 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 - especially rapidly growing demand from newly meat-eating, car-driving Chinese - 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 - that we're running out of oil, running out of land to expand food production and generally running out of planet to exploit.

  2. Music Theory: Geometrical Music Theory, Science Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

  3. Get Smarter: 12 Hacks That Will Amp Up Your Brainpower, Wired Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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: Think Positive, and You Will Get Smarter
    5: Give Your Intellect a Boost - Just Say Yes to Doing the Right Drugs!(...)
    7: Thalamus, Cortex, Amygdala ... Pick Apart the Brain
    8: Don't Panic. It Makes You Stupid.
    9: Embracing Chaos Could Bring Order to Your Memory(...)
    12: Comprehension Climbs When You Slooooow Doooown

  4. Ecology: Destabilized Fish Stocks, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

  5. Laptops as Earthquake Sensors, Technology Review Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

  6. To Defeat A Malicious Botnet, Build A Friendly One, New Scientist Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

  7. Universal 'Babelfish' Could Translate Alien Tongues, New Scientist Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

    1. "I'm Listening" - Conversations With Computers, Innovations-report Next Article Bookmark and Share

      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 with 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. (...)

  8. Evolution: 24 Myths And Misconceptions, New Scientist Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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 guide to some of the most common myths and misconceptions about evolution.

    - Natural selection leads to ever-greater complexity
    - Evolution produces creatures perfectly adapted to their environment
    - "Survival of the fittest" justifies "everyone for themselves"
    - Evolution cannot explain traits such as homosexuality (...)

    1. Is Religion an Evolutionary Adaptation?, JASSS Next Article Bookmark and Share

      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 not there is any adaptive advantage to religion at all (...)

  9. Slowly-Developing Primates Definitely Not Dim-Witted, Innovations-report Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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. (...)

  10. Systems Biology: Genome Rewired, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

  11. Synchrony And Entrainment Properties Of Robust Circadian Oscillators, Interface Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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. (...)

    1. Rate Constants Rather Than Biochemical Mechanism Determine Behaviour Of Genetic Clocks, Interface Next Article Bookmark and Share

      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.

  12. Second Family Of High-Temperature Superconductors Discovered, ScienceNow Daily News Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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. (...)


  13. Quantum Computation: The Dreamweaver's Abacus, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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."

    1. Quantum Physics: Debut Of The Quarter Electron, Nature Next Article Bookmark and Share

      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 be described by an unusual type of particle statistics known as non-abelian statistics.

    2. Are Particles Self-Organized Systems?, arXiv Next Article Bookmark and Share

      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.

  14. Behind Analysts, the Pentagon's Hidden Hand, NY Times Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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 information 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.

    1. Experiential Learning In An Arms Control Simulation, PS: Pol. Sc. & Politics Next Article Bookmark and Share

      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. (...)

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

    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.

  16. Book Review: Agent-Based Models, JASSS Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

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

    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. (...)

  18. Edward N. Lorenz, 90; Scientist Developed Influential Chaos Theory, Los Angeles Times Next Article Bookmark and Share

    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.

  19. Complex Challenges: Global Terrorist Networks Next Article Bookmark and Share

    1. The Myth of Grass-Roots Terrorism, Foreign Affairs Next Article Bookmark and Share

      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.

  20. Links & Snippets Next Article Bookmark and Share

    1. Other Publications Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. Organization of Modular Networks, S. N. Dorogovtsev, J. F. F. Mendes, A. N. Samukhin, A. Y. Zyuzin, 2008/03/24, arXiv, DOI: 0803.3422
      2. Introduction to Multi-Agent Simulation, Peer-Olaf Siebers and Uwe Aickelin, 2008/03/27, arXiv, DOI: 0803.3905
      3. Open Access: Taking Full Advantage of the Content, Philip E. Bourne, J. Lynn Fink, Mark Gerstein, 2008/03/28, PLoS Comput Biol 4(3): e1000037, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000037
      4. Grammar-Based Random Walkers in Semantic Networks, Marko A. Rodriguez, 2008/03/31, arXiv, DOI: 0803.4355
      5. Random Walk Models In Biology, E. A. Codling, M. J. Plank, S. Benhamou, 2008/04/15, Interface, DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2008.0014
      6. Free Chocolate Provides Password Bounty: Users Hand Over Personal Info For Sweet Treat, S. Nichols, 2008/04/17, vnunet.com
      7. Self Seeding: An Innovative Management System, 2008/04/17, Innovations-report
      8. How Big Is Your Brain? Its Size May Protect You From Memory Loss, 2008/04/17, ScienceDaily & American Academy of Neurology
      9. Older People Are Nation's Happiest: Baby Boomers Less Happy Than Other Generational Groups, 2008/04/18, Innovations-report
      10. Gene Therapy For Addiction: Flooding Brain With 'Pleasure Chemical' Receptors Works On Cocaine, As On Alcohol, 2008/04/18, ScienceDaily & DOE/Brookhaven National Laboratory
      11. One In Five Iraq And Afghanistan Veterans Suffer From PTSD Or Major Depression, 2008/04/19, ScienceDaily & RAND Corporation
      12. What Are The Odds Of Finding Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life?, 2008/04/19, ScienceDaily & University of East Anglia
      13. Review of Three Books on Simulation Modelling, Alessandro Raimondi, 2008/3/31, JASSS 11(2)
      14. Reading China: How Do America's China Scholars View U.S.-China Relations And China's Future?, Y. Zhong, C.-huan Shen, Apr. 2008, online 2008/03/28, PS: Political Science & Politics, DOI: 10.1017/S1049096508080554
      15. Drive And Talent, B. Koszegi - botandaecon.berkeley.edu, W. Li - wei.liaucr.edu, Mar. 2008, Online 2008/02/04, Journal of European Economic Association, DOI: 10.1162/JEEA.2008.6.1.210

    2. Webcast Announcements Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. 7th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 07/10/28-11/02
      2. Reseau Nationale des Systemes Complexes , (in French), 2007
      3. World Economic Forum , Davos, Switzerland, 08/01/22-27
      4. TED Talks, TED Conferences LLC , since 2006
      5. Talking Robots: The PodCast on Robotics and AI, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland, 06/11/03
      6. Potentials of Complexity Science for Business, Governments, and the Media 2006, Budapest, Hungary, 06/08/03-05
      7. 6th Intl Conf on Complex Systems (ICCS), Boston, MA, 06/06/25-30
      8. Artificial Life X, 10th Intl Conf on the Simulation and Synthesis of Living Systems, Bloomington, IN, USA. 2006/06/03-07
      9. 6th Understanding Complex Systems Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, Il, 06/05/15-18
      10. Ralph Abraham on Complexity Digest, , Calcutta, India, 05/12/27
      11. An Afternoon with Michael Crichton, Washington, 05/11/06
      12. Illuminating the Shadow of the Future, Ann Arbor, Mi 05/09/23-25
      13. Open Network of Centres of Excellence in Complex Systems - Brainstorming Meeting, Paris, France 05/09/19-23
      14. Complexity, Science & Society Conference 2005, U. Liverpool, UK 2005/09/11-14
      15. ECAL 2005 - VIIIth European Conference on Artificial Life, Canterbury, Kent, UK 2005/09/5-9
      16. T. Irene Sanders, Executive Director and Founder, The Washington Center for Complexity & Public Policy, 05/08/27, QuickTime video (10:38 min), Podcast
      17. 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
      18. Understanding Complex Systems - Computational Complexity and Bioinformatics, Virtual Conference Network, Urbana-Champaign, Il, UIUC, 05/05/16-19
      19. 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
      20. 1st European Conference on Complex Systems, Torino, Italy, 04/12/5-7
      21. From Autopoiesis to Neurophenomenology: A Tribute to Francisco Varela (1946-2001), Paris, France, 2004/06/18-20
      22. Evolutionary Epistemology, Language, and Culture, Brussels, Belgium, 04/05/26-28
      23. International Conference on Complex Systems 2004, Boston, 04/05/16-21
      24. Nonlinear Dynamics And Chaos: Lab Demonstrations, Strogatz, Steven H., Internet-First University Press, 1994
      25. CERN Webcast Service, Streamed videos of Archived Lectures and Live Events
      26. Dean LeBaron's Archive of Daily Video Commentary, Ongoing Since February 1998
      27. Edge Videos

    3. Conference Announcements Next Article Bookmark and Share

      1. Chaos And Dynamics In Biological Networks, Cargese, Corsica, France, 08/05/05-09
      2. NICO Complexity Conference, Evanston, IL, 08/05/19-21
      3. Brittle Fracture and Plastic Slip: from the Atomistic to the Engineering Scale, Udine, Italy, 08/05/26-30
      4. CHAOS2008 Chaotic Modeling and Simulation International Conference, Chania, Crete, Greece, 08/06/03-06
      5. International Conference on Chaos, Complexity & Conflict, Omaha, NE, 08/06/05-07
      6. 4th Organization Studies Summer Workshop: "Embracing Complexity: Advancing Ecological Understanding in Organization Studies", Pissouri, Cyprus, 08/06/05-07
      7. Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Tenth Annual... Applying Systems Biology, San Francisco, CA, 08/06/09-11
      8. AUTOMATA 2008, EPSRC Workshop Cellular Automata Theory and Applications, Bristol, UK, 08/06/12-14
      9. Intl Summer School on "Modelling and Optimization in Micro- and Nano- Electronics" - MOMINE 2008, Ragusa, Sicily, Italy, 08/06/14-28
      10. NECSI Summer School, Cambridge, MA, 08/06/16-07/04, Early Registration Deadline: 08/05/02
      11. 9th Intl Mathematica Symposium, Maastricht, The Netherlands, 08/06/20-24
      12. The 14th Intl Conf on Auditory Display (ICAD), Paris, France, 08/06/24-27
      13. 8th Intl Conf of Sociocybernetics - Complex Social Systems, Interdisciplinarity And World Futures, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico, 08/06/24-28
      14. "Is complexity the new framework for management and public policy in the 21st century?" Complexity Society Workshop, Manchester, UK, 08/06/26
      15. The 3rd Intl Symp on Knowledge Communication and Peer Reviewing: KCPR 2008, Orlando, Florida, USA, 08/06/29-07/02
      16. The 3rd Intl Symp on Knowledge Communication and Conferences: KCC 2008, Orlando, Florida, USA, 08/06/29-07/02
      17. 7th Intl Summer School and Conf "Let's Face Chaos through Nonlinear Dynamics", Maribor, Slovenia, 08/06/29-07/13
      18. The 12th World Multi-Conf on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics: WMSCI 2008, Orlando, Florida, USA, 08/06/29-07/02
      19. From Animals To Animats 10 - The 10th Intl Conf on the Simulation Of Adaptive Behavior (SAB'08), Osaka, Japan, 08/07/07-12
      20. Complex Systems and Social Simulations, CEU Summer University, Budapest, Hungary, 08/07/07-18
      21. 2008 Gordon Research Conf on Oscillations & Dynamic Instabilities in Chemical Systems, Waterville, ME, 08/07/13-18
      22. Nonlinear Fracture Mechanics Models, Udine, Italy, 08/07/14-18
      23. 1st Intl Workshop on Nonlinear Dynamics and Synchronization (INDS'08), Klagenfurt, Austria, 08/07/18-19
      24. Scratch@MIT,Cambridge, MA, 08/07/24-26
      25. 8th Intl Conf on Epigenetic Robotics: Modeling Cognitive Development in Robotic Systems, Brighton, UK, 08/07/31-08/02
      26. On the Edge: Healthcare in the Age of Complexity, Kansas City, MO, 08/08/03-05
      27. Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology & Life Sciences 18th Annl Intl Conf, Richmond, Virginia, USA, 08/08/08-10
      28. Stochastic Resonance 2008, Perugia, Italy, 08/08/17-21
      29. 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
      30. Intl Conf DEscribing COmplex Systems (DECOS), Zadar, Croatia, 08/09/03-07
      31. 5th European Conference on Complex Systems, Jerusalem, Israel, 08/09/14-19
      32. EPOS 2008, III Edition of Epistemological Perspectives on Simulation, Lisbon, Portugal, 08/10/02-03

    4. Other Announcements Bookmark and Share

      1. 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:
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