Clipmarks | abailart's 'complexity' clips

Playing With Complexity

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 07:35:56 GMT

clipped by: Djiezes

Playing With Complexity

In brief, in the presentation I argue two things: one — that the more sophisticated applications of interactive data visualization resemble games and toys in many ways, and two — that game design can contribute to the solutions to several design issues I have detected in the field of data visualization.

Below are the notes for the talk, slightly edited, and with references included. The full deck of slides, which includes credits for all the images used, is up on SlideShare.

In my work I focus on three areas: mobility, social interactions, and play.

My talk is roughly divided in three parts. First, I will briefly describe what I think data visualization is. Next, I will look at some applications beyond the very obvious. Third and last, I will discuss some design issues involved with data visualization. For each of these issues, I will show how game design can contribute.

Tags: visualization, data visualization, game, games, interaction, complexity, design, information design

Evolution Beyond Darwin — Way Beyond

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:06:53 GMT

clipped by: wildcat

Clip Source: www.wired.com

Highly complex honeybee communities are one example of phenomena that some scientists think can't be explained by the mainstream theory of evolution alone, but instead by a theory of self-organization.
Courtesy AlainB/Flickr

Nearly 150 years after Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, evolution has been widely accepted by scientists -- and, except for a few religious dogmatic types, the public -- as the blueprint for the engine of life.

But not every scientist thinks that evolution as it's now understood and applied is complete. They want to scale it up to the level of populations, even whole ecosystems. Moreover, they say evolution is intertwined with other dynamics that science is just starting to understand.

"The process of evolution is fundamental to the universe. Biology is the most obvious manifestation of it," said Carl Woese, a legendary microbiologist and one of the first proponents of this newly revised evolutionary framework.

Tags: complexity, evolution, darwin

Fun Stuff for Jungians, Alchemists and Complexity Lovers

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 11:15:24 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: web.ukonline.co.uk

CONTROLLING DEPRESSION - The Wrong Paradigm for the Job?

A COMPLEXITY-BASED MODEL OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

RAPTURE - TWO TYPES OF FEELING GOOD

COGNITIVE SYMMETRY-BREAKING

THE 'SECRET ADDICTION'

PSYCHOLOGICAL ENTROPY

LIMITS AND CHANGE

The Urge to Fly : On the Inner Techne of getting Earth into Air (July 2000)

What is Rta? An inner force of law : From Jung's Psychological Types

On the nature of Tao : From Jung's Psychological Types

The Meaning of Psychology for Modern Man : From Jung's Civilization in Transition

A Review of Complex Theory : From Jung's The Structure and Function of the Psyche

C G Jung Analytical Psychology : its Theory and Practice The Tavistock Lectures (1935)

C G Jung The Transcendent Function : Para. 131 & 132, Volume 8 of the Collected Works (1957)

The Meaning of the Mandala - an Alchemical Treatise on the Opus Magnum

~ The New Alchemy Website ~

Tags: jung, analytic psychology, complexity, alchemy

Complexity, Artificial Life and self-organising systems

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:21:36 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: <<<But be warned - this site is conceptually demanding, those 'truths' you know are but shadows. Once infected by our alien thought virus, you will never be quite 'normal' again... You will begin to mutate, morphing up to a higher level, our level, beings whose abilities cross universes, transcend cultures, break free. Finally understanding the true beauty of sharing. Or you may sink down into insanity... Dare YOU take that risk ?>>>
Been a good friend to clippers this massive site, but always worth bringing to attention!

Clip Source: www.calresco.org

The Complexity & Artificial Life Research Concept

This site is dedicated to modern systems thinking in all its various forms

Our aim is to educate, to entertain, to inspire, but most of all to expand your mind into new thought patterns - those of the 21st Century, where science, arts, humanity and spirit will again be one. Enjoy your trip...

We have tried to make this site accessible to those readers with visual or equipment limitations (so nothing too fancy here). If any part fails those requirements or if you wish to comment generally on the site or materials then please EMail me (Chris Lucas) at CALResCo

CALResCo is a cosmopolitan non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the wider aspects of the Complex System sciences by education, synthesis and by the integration of the theories into the mainstream viewpoints of arts, philosophy and science.

Click here to read our Complex Systems teachings

Tags: artificial life, complexity, self-organisation, calresco

life is destined to become more complex

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:09:51 GMT

clipped by: wildcat
clipper's remarks: "We must not forget that bacteria – very simple organisms – are among the most successful living things. Therefore, the trend towards complexity is compelling but does not describe the history of all life.”

Clip Source: physorg.com

Scientists have revealed what may well be the first pervasive ‘rule’ of evolution. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences researchers have found evidence which suggests that evolution drives animals to become increasingly more complex.

Looking back through the last 550 million years of the fossil catalogue to the present day, the team investigated the different evolutionary branches of the crustacean family tree.

They were seeking examples along the tree where animals evolved that were simpler than their ancestors.

Instead they found organisms with increasingly more complex structures and features, suggesting that there is some mechanism driving change in this direction.

“If you start with the simplest possible animal body, then there’s only one direction to evolve in – you have to become more complex,”

“This is the nearest thing to a pervasive evolutionary rule that’s been found.

Tags: evolution, complexity, life, structures

Rigidity: Why.

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 20:25:34 GMT

clipped by: kmcolo

Clip Source: www.ecologyandsociety.org

Feedbacks leading to alternative stable modes of behavior occur on levels varying from the cell and the mind to societies. The tendency to lock into a certain pattern comes at the cost of the ability to adjust to new situations. The resulting rigidity limits the ability of persons, groups, and companies to respond to new problems, and some even suggest that it may have contributed to the collapse of ancient societies. In the face of these negative effects, it may seem surprising that lock-in situations are so ubiquitous.

In cells, it filters out noise, and allows a well-defined and consistent behavior once a certain threshold is passed. Basically, the same holds for the attitudes and behavior of individuals and groups.

Understanding why rigidity makes sense may help in finding ways to avoid traps in situations where flexible response and innovation are needed.

Tags: complexity, behavior, innovation, change, adaptation

Cuttlefish Complexity and Simple CNS

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:40:20 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: Go to site for movie.

Clip Source: www.lifesci.ucsb.edu

These complex appearance changes occur very quickly, sometimes each pattern appears so briefly that the cuttlefish appears to be flashing. Other cuttlefish see the displays of a nearby cuttlefish and alter their behavior accordingly, either by sending a message back in the form of a change in skin appearance or by physically interacting with the other cuttlefish.
These behaviors are even more impressive when you examine the nervous system that controls them. Although the nervous system of this invertebrate is said to be well developed, it is still much simpler than the nervous systems of organisms that evolved later. Chromatophores are the specialized cells embedded in the cuttlefish epidermis that enable the color and pattern changes in the skin. The cuttlefish’s fairly primitive nervous system can simultaneously control thousands of chromatophores with astonishing speed and complexity.

Tags: cuttlefish, complexity, information

Internet Implications

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:38:57 GMT

clipped by: abailart

Clip Source: www.elon.edu

Many theorists, philosophers, and scientists see the Internet as merely an early manifestation of what is to become what they describe as a collective consciousness, a neobiological civilization with a global mind – a godmind, or an unlocatable, omnipresent entity.

If this is true and we wish to successfully survive the transition to such a world, we'd better come to an understanding of the ways and means of networks as soon as possible.

It's important to pay attention to the work of biologists, psychologists, physicists, mathematicians, neuroscientists, engineers, and social scientists who have enlarged the study of what has been called "Gaia theory," "the theory of complexity," "dynamical systems theory," "network dynamics," or "the web of life."

you'll be able to say to your grandchildren, 'I was there when all computers couldn't talk to each other.' But what is more likely: you'll be explaining your time to an applet that your grandchildren created to deal with their grandparents

Tags: internet, complexity, networks, ai

Oil: Reality Bites

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 08:57:56 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: :small things: like war, storms and insurrection affect the price of oil.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ray Carbone, president of Paramount Options, has been trading on the floor of Nymex for 20 years. He has rarely seen anything like it: "The markets over the last few days have been probably as jumpy and jittery as I've ever seen them - and I've been here through two Gulf wars, a Russian coup and Hurricane Katrina."

Behind the upward spurt is a tightening in supply from the 12-nation Opec cartel and a slowdown in output from alternative sources. Added to the mix are Turkey's sabre-rattling towards northern Iraq, trouble in Pakistan - a nuclear power - and storms in the North Sea, prompting a feverish atmosphere of concern.

. At the moment, even small things can make people very, very nervous indeed," says Norrish.

Tags: oil, economy, emergence, complexity

Complexity Theory of Emotions

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:12:35 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: Good paper introducing basic application of complexity theory to psychology.

Clip Source:

neuroscience and psychotherapy in a larger context , and suggest that we are undergoing a shift in our cultural and scientific paradigm.

Classical science
Causality
Linear
Objective
Isolates events
Matter
Focuses on stability
Logic
Closed system
Reductive
Predictability
Explicit/observable
Time is uniform
Cause-effect
Sequential
Mechanistic
Fixed relations
Objects
Particulate

New Science

emergent properties

non-linear

includes subjectivity

emphasises context

process

focuses on sensitivity

deeper pattern

open system

complex

chaos

implicit/hidden

sensitive critical periods

feedback loops

experience-dependent

self-regulating

network interconnections

fields

parallel

Classical science explains closed systems. New Science was born from the attempt to understand dynamic, complex, open systems, such as the ecosystem, the weather system,and the behaviour of living creatures

brain cannot be reduced to the function of its different parts but to very dynamic complex interactivity

Tags: complexity, paradigm shift, emergence, neuroscience, emotions, psychotherapy

Fundamentalism : the Unevolved Brain

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 07:18:38 GMT

clipped by: abailart
clipper's remarks: A readable and wise article that suggests both secular and religious extremisms, intolerance and narrow dogma reflect a failure of potential human intelligence.

Clip Source: www.tikkun.org

Convergent reasoning involves an assembly of known information and results in a solution within the realm of what is already known.

Divergent reasoning, on the other hand, enables a person to arrive at a previously unknown solution (at least unknown to the person who is doing the reasoning).

The human capability for divergent reasoning results in a nearly limitless range of creative outcomes, from entirely personal to world changing.

Do extremism and an unconditional adherence to religious dogma result from a failure of a portion of the frontal lobe to fully develop or, if fully developed, to activate?

we have nurtured a world of thinkers who will not diverge from what they are told?

Is unconditional adherence to dogma (whether religious or secular) at odds with this evolved capability and our full potential as creative beings?

when we find ourselves mired in dogma and beliefs of intolerance and elitism,

enhancing global humanity’s well being lies in properly using the genius of creativity

Tags: reasoning, cretivity, fundamentalism, dogma, brain, complexity, education