Foundations of Information Science

Networks, in general and in practice

Two videos this week.

First, consider complex systems

This video will discuss things we may discuss again in the lecture. Watch it to familiarize yourself with the terminology.

Then, watch this and think about your own social networks and how they illustrate network theory

The go on to think about networks on a broader scale

Manuel Lima, senior UX design lead at Microsoft Bing, explores the power of network visualisation to help navigate our complex modern world. Taken from a lecture given by Manuel Lima as part of the RSA's free public events programme.

To frame your thinking about the connected path in which information may flow, read the following

Easley, D., & Kleinberg, J. (2010)
"Overview."
Pages 1-20 in
Networks, crowds, and markets: reasoning about a highly connected world.
New York: Cambridge University Press.

Another perspective on networks can be found in this reading.

Barabási, A.-L. (2003).
"Heirarchies and Communities",
pages 227-238 in
Linked: How everything is connected to everything else and what it means for business, science, and everyday life.
New York: Plume.

An understanding of networks are important to these two key ideas

Paul Baran Issues "On Distributed Communications"

Cerf & Kahn Publish TCP: A Protocol for Packet Network Communication

Timo Andres/Philip Glass

When Timo Andres arrived at our office to play a pair of etudes by Philip Glass, the director of Glass' publishing house, Adrienne White, tagged along and generously donated the only remaining Philip Glass bobblehead to NPR — an appropriate gesture to mark the composer's 87th birthday on Jan. 31. ...
With Etude No. 6, Andres combines sewing machine precision with a deep feeling for Glass' melodies, stitching together delicate arpeggios and thundering chords. Etude No. 5 is, by contrast, a meditation in slow motion. A see-sawing rhythmic idea sets the foundation for a journey wherein time seems to stand almost still while the spaces between the notes speak volumes. NPR