Shōgun (2024)

I just finished watching the 2024 Shōgun, which I enjoyed very much.

I read the book around December 1988 — followed over the next years of reading every single other Asia-saga novel that James Clavell wrote — during my elementary school's winter break. I was so captivated that that was basically all I did during that winter break. I was already a slow reader back then, and now I read much more slowly than I did back then. (I also don't have time to basically only read a book nonstop for a couple of weeks.) I was fascinated by the epic combined with the portrayal of how East and West saw each other through their interactions. This was the first book in my life that had ever captivated me that way, and I was really excited when I saw a poster for the new miniseries a few months ago.

The 2024 series did a great job of capturing that, and it was aspects of those interactions and contrasting views (and part of the scene of peeing in a garden to consummate an agreement, and I am pretty sure that I know which scene in the new tv series corresponds to that vignette) that really stood out to me. However, most of this runs together through all of Clavell's works, and I can't really separate Shōgun from the others. I had forgotten almost all of the plot, but from Wikipedia it seems that the new series adapted it very well.

I never watched the 1980 miniseries. There was a 1988 miniseries of Nobel House. I also never watched that one, but I did notice Shōgun and Tai-Pan (and knew that Nobel House was by the same author, and Tai-Pan also caught my eye because of the Apple II game of almost the same name that was inspired by the novel) on a bookshelf in my parents' house (nobody else in the household had read these epic books), so I picked up Shōgun, which became an important part of my own personal history, even though I forgot so much of it.

I suppose that a new Nobel House miniseries may be possible? That one, too, was a particularly awesome book. (I also enjoyed the others, although I gave up on Tai-Pan the first time and started over and read it only a couple of years after, because I could put up with the rougher writing of that earlier work with the thoughts of it as a prequel to Nobel House.)

"Nonlinearity + Networks: A 2020 Vision"

Here is the final, published version of my forward-looking book chapter about where network science and some directions that it is heading. It appears in the book Emerging Frontiers in Nonlinear Science.

Title: Nonlinearity + Networks: A 2020 Vision

Abstract: I briefly survey several fascinating topics in networks and nonlinearity. I highlight a few methods and ideas, including several of personal interest, that I anticipate to be especially important during the next several years. These topics include temporal networks (in which a network’s entities and/or their interactions change in time), stochastic and deterministic dynamical processes on networks, adaptive networks (in which a dynamical process on a network is coupled to dynamics of network structure), and network structure and dynamics that include “higher-order” interactions (which involve three or more entities in a network). I draw examples from a variety of scenarios, including contagion dynamics, opinion models, waves, and coupled oscillators.

And in case you want to help spread the word, here is my recent tweet.

Here's the final, published version of my forward-looking chapter, "Nonlinearity + Networks: A 2020 Vision": https://t.co/eLdlD45oe8

It appears in the book "Emerging Frontiers in Nonlinear Science" (https://t.co/IBGX7bMyeA)

— Mason Porter (@masonporter) May 30, 2020

"Supracentrality Analysis of Temporal Networks with Directed Interlayer Coupling"

A new book chapter in the edited book Temporal Network Theory was just published in final form. Here are some details.

Titles: Supracentrality Analysis of Temporal Networks with Directed Interlayer Coupling

Authors: Dane Taylor, Mason A. Porter, and Peter J. Mucha

Abstract: We describe centralities in temporal networks using a supracentrality framework to study centrality trajectories, which characterize how the importances of nodes change in time. We study supracentrality generalizations of eigenvector-based centralities, a family of centrality measures for time-independent networks that includes PageRank, hub and authority scores, and eigenvector centrality. We start with a sequence of adjacency matrices, each of which represents a time layer of a network at a different point or interval of time. Coupling centrality matrices across time layers with weighted interlayer edges yields a supracentrality matrix ℂ(𝜔), where ω controls the extent to which centrality trajectories change over time. We can flexibly tune the weight and topology of the interlayer coupling to cater to different scientific applications. The entries of the dominant eigenvector of ℂ(𝜔) represent joint centralities, which simultaneously quantify the importance of every node in every time layer. Inspired by probability theory, we also compute marginal and conditional centralities. We illustrate how to adjust the coupling between time layers to tune the extent to which nodes’ centrality trajectories are influenced by the oldest and newest time layers. We support our findings by analysis in the limits of small and large ω.

A Spectacular List of Errata

This is epic.

pic.twitter.com/71VmZY4I0w

— Math Facts (@FactsOfMath) October 8, 2019

(Tip of the cap to math prof.)

Illustration of a Queuing System

I am amused. :)

Note their little diplomas and numbering.

(From Kleinrock, 1967) pic.twitter.com/EwYSHsUYNz

— Rachel Traylor (@Mathpocalypse) July 19, 2019

"Why Teachers Should Read John Urschel's Book"

Courtesy of Math with Bad Drawings, here are five (very!) important takeaway messages from John Urschel's new book.

https://t.co/8ut7tFPLte

— Ben Orlin (@benorlin) May 15, 2019

(Tip of the cap to Alex Kontorovich.

Old Book Covers: Much Cooler Than Today

Book covers used to be so much cooler than they are now.

(I already knew this, but this is a particularly good example.)

I love the lengthy title-pages in some historical books. This one is particularly extraordinary!
- The Flash Mirror (c.1840) pic.twitter.com/K7XGUIYOz5

— Dr Bob Nicholson (@DigiVictorian) September 6, 2018

Life Imitates Jurassic Park

Naturally. That had to be done. ;)

Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should... https://t.co/oBKYZ9Ilsh

— Jeff Goldblum (@jeffreygoldbIum) March 9, 2019

(Tip of the cap to Richard Prather.)

E. L. Ince and the State of Differential Equations in England in 1926

E. L. Ince, being snarky about the state of the study of differential equations in England, in the preface of his classic 1926 book on the subject. pic.twitter.com/nLPXLv5mNt

— Mason Porter (@masonporter) October 29, 2018

"Network Science In Education: Transformational Approaches in Teaching and Learning"

Our book on network science in education just came out. Here are some details.

Title: Network Science In Education: Transformational Approaches in Teaching and Learning

Editors: Catherine B. Cramer, Mason A. Porter, Hiroki Sayama, Lori Sheetz, and Stephen Miles Uzzo

The book also includes my chapter about developing my undergraduate mathematics course about networks.

The Karate Club Will Long Live in Network-Science Infamy

Especially with the new Karate Club lore that has made it into the 2nd edition of Mark Newman's textbook.

(However, Mark misspelled "awesome" as "dubious", for some reason.)

Snarky Karate Club lore (t-shirt + ZKCC) has made the 2nd edition of Mark Newman's textbook on networks (the closest thing we have to a standard introductory text).

Should I be happier about having papers & research cited in the 2nd edition, or about the t-shirt being cited? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/yCjq4MCzer

— Mason Porter (@masonporter) August 27, 2018

P.S. You can see the history of the ZKCC at this website and buy ZKC memorabilia at The Power Law Shop.

Infinite Loop

well played pic.twitter.com/KVZV799qmB

— Leon Fayer (@papa_fire) August 16, 2018

(Tip of the cap to Manlio De Domenico.)

A Wassermanian–Faustian Bargain

Earlier today, I was looking for 'balance' in "Social Network Analysis" by Wasserman & Faust, but instead I found the 'beast'.

(I suppose that social network analysis is sometimes a Wassermanian–Faustian bargain.) pic.twitter.com/cm4jZiupeW

— Mason Porter (@masonporter) August 13, 2018

Proof of Existence of Sunlight in England

At least it was a book that was published in The Other Place. ;)

“Mason’s knowledge was as faded as the book from the British sun.”

Proof of existence of sunlight in England. :) pic.twitter.com/d7z7YbgLAy

— Mason Porter (@masonporter) July 20, 2018

Jack and Jill had Issues

Well, I just didn’t realise that Jack and Jill had so many mishaps as well as falling down the hill. Here are some, as recounted in this little 1806 chap book, just 212 years ago https://t.co/SnLDtBTCia pic.twitter.com/mBkro0bvmn

— Journal of Art in Society (@artinsociety) June 3, 2018

We Kid the Statisticians Because We Love Them

;)

Found on the roadside: @SpringerStats yellow book, beside empty vodka bottles & cigarette packs pic.twitter.com/R8LawGlA7W

— Noah Williams (@Bellmanequation) March 18, 2018

(Tip of the cap to Kerstin Nordstrom.)

Children to be Named Later (Best. Erratum. Ever.)

The excellent new book by Kiss, Miller, and Simon on epidemics and networks also has an erratum that is one of my all-time favorites. (See their website of errata.)

In fact, I think this error is a feature of the book, rather than a bug (especially given that I automatically think of Paul Erdős). By the way, the book itself is awesome, so go take a look at it. Here is a screenshot of the erratum.

(Tip of the cap to my Ph.D. student Yacoub Kureh for pointing this out to me in our meeting today. This erratum is an instant classic.)

Physics Fashion Police: Save the Pocket Protector

Well, this is a bit awkward.

There's a new edition of "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman" that just came out this month. Funnily and interestingly, the photo on the cover is the same as before, but the pocket protector is gone. How unfashionable! @dschwa8059 @phalpern https://t.co/wLaCGynpS2 via @amazon pic.twitter.com/7MOrBVnzVa

— Ash Jogalekar (@curiouswavefn) February 14, 2018

(Tip of the cap to John Dudley.)

Bookstore Snark: I Approve!

Here's some really nice snark from the people who run a Cleveland bookstore.

Right here in #Cleveland @MacsBacks #ShitHoleCountries (my personal fave Junot Diaz) pic.twitter.com/zZ6z07PFDa

— Alok Khorana (@aakonc) January 14, 2018

New Book: "Women in Mathematics"

The book Women in Mathematics (subtitled "Celebrating the Centennial of the Mathematical Association of America") is now available.

I was able to download it for free at UCLA, so this should also be the case at other universities with similar deals with the publisher (Springer).