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The National Science Foundation, too, has been increasing its support for network science, especially within the divisions dedicated to computer science and human social dynamics. There is also growing military support for network research, Barabási says, pointing to research programs funded by the Army, Air Force, Office of Naval Research, and Defense Threat Reduction Agency. "There's never enough money, of course," he says. "But we're seeing that many agencies are discovering that this is important, and they're putting their money where their mouth is." - patternhunter

Bryan Bartow - My Digital Brain Dump - patternhunter

34 percent of respondents admit to flirting with someone else while on a date, via their mobile phone. - patternhunter

About The Numerati: A captivating look at how a global math elite is predicting and altering our behavior -- at work, at the mall, and in bed. Every day we produce loads of data about ourselves simply by living in the modern world: we click web pages, flip channels, drive through automatic toll booths, shop with credit cards, and make cell phone calls. Now, in one of the greatest undertakings of the twenty-first century, a savvy group of mathematicians and computer scientists is beginning to sift through this data to dissect us and map out our next steps. Their goal? To manipulate our behavior -- what we buy, how we vote -- without our even realizing it. - patternhunter

7375 Reynolds Drive - patternhunter

From the page: "â€oePattern Recognitionâ€s central conceit - the pursuit of the maker of fragments of footage surfacing across the web - echoes the structure of an ARG in that the characters, standing in for ARG players, have an Aristotelean task to pursue. The sequential structure carries the tale; the heroine discovers the originator of the footage, a conceptual breakthrough occurs, which fractures expectation, and everyone (almost) lives happily ever after. What is interesting about Pattern Recognition, though, are the ways in which it is not an ARG. The conceit of puzzles, prevalent in ARGs since The Beast, has little meaning here. An encrypted sequence of numerals watermarked inside each fragment of footage are deciphered, but unlike an ARG, in which resolution of that puzzle would give way to another, Gibsonâ€s puzzles are rather more systemic to the meaning of story, rather than to sustaining its sequence by leading to the next problem. Without them, the narrative would... - patternhunter