None of those who follow my posts or videos have missed the exponential nature of the spread of COVID-19. Those people are surprised, who are not used to seeing the progressive doubling even if it starts from an apparently negligible basis become disruptive. There are many considerations to be made, and lessons that will hopefully […]
Keep An Eye On The Growth Factor Read More »
The experience of online events can evolve to be different, but as real and valuable and that of physical ones. If you are a conference organizer, a speaker, an exhibitor, these days you are scrambling with the restructuring of your activities. What we have to aim for is to recognize the differences between the two
Online Conferences Are Real Read More »
The efficiency of a system is its ability to produce a certain amount of output per unit of input. Its resilience is its ability to withstand extreme variations in the conditions under which it must function. These two parameters are in a dynamic relationship, often requiring a tradeoff: maximizing the efficiency results in a brittle
Efficiency and Resilience Read More »
Between 2012 and 2018 the power of the infrastructure available for applications in artificial intelligence increased over three hundred thousand times. If it followed Moore’s law, it would have been much less, around 7 times or so. Stanford University in its 2019 report on AI, and in a blog post OpenAI analyzed and illustrated this
What is the cosmic origin of the elements in the human body? We know we are made of stars. But what kind of stars? You are made of elements that have been forged in exploding massive stars, in slowly dying low-mass stars, but also exploding white dwarfs, and merging neutron stars. On top of all
Our Cosmic Origins Read More »
Data visualization improves our ability to tell powerful stories about our understanding of the world. Modern tools become platforms for dynamic exploration, allowing anybody to ask novel questions. The best, like Gapminder or Our World In Data, support a strong argument of how fundamentally the human condition has improved worldwide, and effectively counter the daily
Data Visualization Read More »
It has been decided only by a slim majority of the voters, but the fact that Brexit can happen peacefully, within the framework of the EU’s agreements, is itself a triumph. Nation States are under the simultaneous forces of amalgamation from above, and of decentralization from below. They are resisting, but can’t efficiently resort to
Triumph and Tragedy of Brexit Read More »
The data we create in our activities, online and offline, constitutes a digital wealth, which we own and which we must preserve. Backing up this data is essential, and being able to use it after restoring it. Online services are now legally obliged to allow you to download your data, and many, like Facebook, Google,
Backup and Restore Read More »
I recently visited the country of Andorra, which is a microstate between Spain and France. Through its thousand years history of being independent, Andorra has learned how to navigate complex and delicate situations. Fifty years ago it greatly increased its population and wealth, through finance commerce and tourism. Today it must face the challenge of
Just like organisms preserve their identity and attack the other, organizations have an immune system as well. Especially successful ones, which can devote even more resources to confirm that what they do is right. But in rapidly changing times, when uncertainty rules, this can prevent necessary experiments that discover what will define success in the
Organizational Immune Reactions Read More »
