6 hours ago
Monday, October 31, 2016
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Top Major League Relievers for 2016
No surprise here: Zach Britton (Orioles) and Kenley Jansen (Dodgers) were name Baseball's top relievers for 2016. Britton won in the American League, so he gets the Mariano Rivera Award. Jansen won in the National League, so he gets the Trevor Hoffman Award.
Today's Electoral Map: Make It Stop! (Or Perhaps Existential Dread?)
This electoral map sums up how I feel rather well.
(And I will add: Like living in a Coen Brothers movie and watching a train wreck in slow motion. Just like Brexit.)
(Tip of the cap to Stephanie Vardavas.)
(And I will add: Like living in a Coen Brothers movie and watching a train wreck in slow motion. Just like Brexit.)
(Tip of the cap to Stephanie Vardavas.)
The Best Thing Since Something Other Than Sliced Bread?
A phrase I used to hear many years ago—do people still use this phrase?—was to say that something is "the best thing since sliced bread."
But before there was sliced bread, did people use an expression like this? And what was used in the expression instead of sliced bread?
(I am obviously far from the only person to wonder about something like this. See this page and various other Web pages.)
But before there was sliced bread, did people use an expression like this? And what was used in the expression instead of sliced bread?
(I am obviously far from the only person to wonder about something like this. See this page and various other Web pages.)
What is Each Country Number 1 in?
Here is visualization of international #1s, illustrating what each country is "best" at, according to some way of measuring this.
My favorite one (which I have noticed so far) is Sweden, which is the "best" at pop music.
Cue ABBA... (especially playing "Thank You For The Music")
(Tip of the cap to IFLM.)
My favorite one (which I have noticed so far) is Sweden, which is the "best" at pop music.
Cue ABBA... (especially playing "Thank You For The Music")
(Tip of the cap to IFLM.)
The Ranker Walker College Football Rankings are Back!
The random walker rankings for American college football are back. Take a look to see which teams the walkers "think" are the best ones.
Friday, October 28, 2016
A Brief History of The Witch's House
When I was a kid, The Witch's House was the place to go on Halloween in Beverly Hills. It sounds like it still is.
(Tip of the cap to Kimberly Reiss.)
(Tip of the cap to Kimberly Reiss.)
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Kickstarter Project: A Robot to Teach Coding
Here is a Kickstarter page for a robot to teach coding. But be careful with off-by-one errors (like in Robot Turtles), because now it's live action.
(Tip of the cap to Todd Gingrich.)
(Tip of the cap to Todd Gingrich.)
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
"The Physics of Spreading Processes in Multilayer Networks"
Our progress article on spreading processes in multilayer networks now has its final coordinates in Nature Physics, so here are the details about the article.
Title: The Physics of Spreading Processes in Multilayer Networks
Authors: Manlio De Domenico, Clara Granell, Mason A. Porter, and Alex Arenas
Abstract: Despite the success of traditional network analysis, standard networks provide a limited representation of complex systems, which often include di erent types of relationships (or 'multiplexity') between their components. Such structural complexity has a significant e ect on both dynamics and function. Throwing away or aggregating available structural information can generate misleading results and be a major obstacle towards attempts to understand complex systems. The recent multilayer approach for modelling networked systems explicitly allows the incorporation of multiplexity and other features of realistic systems. It allows one to couple di erent structural relationships by encoding them in a convenient mathematical object. It also allows one to couple di erent dynamical processes on top of such interconnected structures. The resulting framework plays a crucial role in helping to achieve a thorough, accurate understanding of complex systems. The study of multilayer networks has also revealed new physical phenomena that remain hidden when using ordinary graphs, the traditional network representation. Here we survey progress towards attaining a deeper understanding of spreading processes on multilayer networks, and we highlight some of the physical phenomena related to spreading processes that emerge from multilayer structure.
Title: The Physics of Spreading Processes in Multilayer Networks
Authors: Manlio De Domenico, Clara Granell, Mason A. Porter, and Alex Arenas
Abstract: Despite the success of traditional network analysis, standard networks provide a limited representation of complex systems, which often include di erent types of relationships (or 'multiplexity') between their components. Such structural complexity has a significant e ect on both dynamics and function. Throwing away or aggregating available structural information can generate misleading results and be a major obstacle towards attempts to understand complex systems. The recent multilayer approach for modelling networked systems explicitly allows the incorporation of multiplexity and other features of realistic systems. It allows one to couple di erent structural relationships by encoding them in a convenient mathematical object. It also allows one to couple di erent dynamical processes on top of such interconnected structures. The resulting framework plays a crucial role in helping to achieve a thorough, accurate understanding of complex systems. The study of multilayer networks has also revealed new physical phenomena that remain hidden when using ordinary graphs, the traditional network representation. Here we survey progress towards attaining a deeper understanding of spreading processes on multilayer networks, and we highlight some of the physical phenomena related to spreading processes that emerge from multilayer structure.
Advertisement: Faculty Position in Networks and Nonlinear Systems, Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford
Oxford has now advertised my old job, which is for an Associate Professorship or Professorship in the Mathematical Institute. The advertisement is for somebody in Networks and Nonlinear Systems.
Go apply for it!
Go apply for it!
Monday, October 24, 2016
One More Turn (Again): Civilization VI
The Mac version of Civilization VI came out today, three days after the Windows release. I need to get used to the new mechanics.
I am playing as Gorgo (Greece, Spartans). My second city is Rhodes, though when my slinger covered the "RH", it looked like "ODES" rather than "RHODES". I wanted to change the city name to "ODEs", but I couldn't figure out how to do it. (I have also been having some trouble picking up some of the commands for simple things.) Given the set of leaders and civs, clearly there are now going to be multiple leaders within a given civ. Two examples of this were available so far, but given these examples and other descriptions (e.g., of the Americans), there will be more. Given the "Selfie" achievement, one's opponents can also include the same leader.
Thus far, I have picked up the "Escort Service" achievement (unsurprisingly). Two achievements that I want to acquire are "Luftballons" and "Missed That Day in History Class" — the former because it's a gratuitous Nena reference (with an associated nice combination of things to get it) and the latter simply because it's highly amusing. Other cultural references in the achievement list so far include the B-52's song "Roam" and the Lego movie.
I'm not yet sure what I think about the Civ VI way of doing things. Clearly I'll need to play more and find out. (It will probably also be beneficial to do a multiplayer game to accelerate learning, but I don't know if the Mac and Windows are ready to interface with each other yet.) I also need to get work done, and I have a very large backlog of papers to finish and other things with hard deadlines to do. And I have a couple of novels I really want to read, and the World Series starts tomorrow. :)
Update (10/27/16): Also, I really hope that Civ VI is still making fun of Dan Quayle. :) This is having a significant effect on his legacy in history. If not for Civ, many people would never have heard of him and he'd be all but forgotten by many others by now. Civ may actually help give him a more "permanent" legacy!
Update (11/06/16): I won a Culture Victory and achieved the level of Emperor Nero. I can also confirm that Civ is still making fun of Dan Quayle (25 years later...), which is again the lowest level of achievement in the game. Eventually, people playing this series of games will probably wonder if he was ever a real person. :)
I am playing as Gorgo (Greece, Spartans). My second city is Rhodes, though when my slinger covered the "RH", it looked like "ODES" rather than "RHODES". I wanted to change the city name to "ODEs", but I couldn't figure out how to do it. (I have also been having some trouble picking up some of the commands for simple things.) Given the set of leaders and civs, clearly there are now going to be multiple leaders within a given civ. Two examples of this were available so far, but given these examples and other descriptions (e.g., of the Americans), there will be more. Given the "Selfie" achievement, one's opponents can also include the same leader.
Thus far, I have picked up the "Escort Service" achievement (unsurprisingly). Two achievements that I want to acquire are "Luftballons" and "Missed That Day in History Class" — the former because it's a gratuitous Nena reference (with an associated nice combination of things to get it) and the latter simply because it's highly amusing. Other cultural references in the achievement list so far include the B-52's song "Roam" and the Lego movie.
I'm not yet sure what I think about the Civ VI way of doing things. Clearly I'll need to play more and find out. (It will probably also be beneficial to do a multiplayer game to accelerate learning, but I don't know if the Mac and Windows are ready to interface with each other yet.) I also need to get work done, and I have a very large backlog of papers to finish and other things with hard deadlines to do. And I have a couple of novels I really want to read, and the World Series starts tomorrow. :)
Update (10/27/16): Also, I really hope that Civ VI is still making fun of Dan Quayle. :) This is having a significant effect on his legacy in history. If not for Civ, many people would never have heard of him and he'd be all but forgotten by many others by now. Civ may actually help give him a more "permanent" legacy!
Update (11/06/16): I won a Culture Victory and achieved the level of Emperor Nero. I can also confirm that Civ is still making fun of Dan Quayle (25 years later...), which is again the lowest level of achievement in the game. Eventually, people playing this series of games will probably wonder if he was ever a real person. :)
RIP Pete Burns (1959–2016)
Pete Burns, lead singer of the band Dead Or Alive, has died of cardiac arrest.
Years from now, if somebody does something that Pete Burns doesn't like, we will say that he would be spinning right 'round in his grave.
(Tip of the cap to Scott Porter.)
Years from now, if somebody does something that Pete Burns doesn't like, we will say that he would be spinning right 'round in his grave.
(Tip of the cap to Scott Porter.)
Saturday, October 22, 2016
Wait 'Til Next Year (Again)
Well, it's time to Wait 'Til Next Year (again).
It's been 28 years since we won, so I have developed some patience over the years.
In the NLCS, the Dodgers were outplayed by a substantial margin by a very good team that was the favorite from the beginning for good reason. Good luck to the Cubs in the World Series. Their fans have been waiting a lot longer than I have. (And the fans' reaction I see on tv right now is far more emotional than one typically sees from World-Series-bound teams, and also for good reason.)
The World Series this year is quite an interesting matchup: the Cubs versus the Indians, and it's been a very long time since either of them won it all.
Hopefully it will be our year in 2017.
Update: Javier Baez and Jon Lester were named co-MVPs of the NLCS.
Update 2: Also, for what it's worth (and even though Charlie Sheen is a nutjob), I would actually like to see Wild Thing throw out the first pitch. And then Bob Uecker could announce that first pitch!
It's been 28 years since we won, so I have developed some patience over the years.
In the NLCS, the Dodgers were outplayed by a substantial margin by a very good team that was the favorite from the beginning for good reason. Good luck to the Cubs in the World Series. Their fans have been waiting a lot longer than I have. (And the fans' reaction I see on tv right now is far more emotional than one typically sees from World-Series-bound teams, and also for good reason.)
The World Series this year is quite an interesting matchup: the Cubs versus the Indians, and it's been a very long time since either of them won it all.
Hopefully it will be our year in 2017.
Update: Javier Baez and Jon Lester were named co-MVPs of the NLCS.
Update 2: Also, for what it's worth (and even though Charlie Sheen is a nutjob), I would actually like to see Wild Thing throw out the first pitch. And then Bob Uecker could announce that first pitch!
Download Speeds and Reviewing NSF Proposals
The NSF has a helpful estimate of the download time for any proposal reviewers who might be connecting to the internet using a 28K modem. :)
Friday, October 21, 2016
Visualization of U.S. River Basins
This is really cool!
Hi-res digital prints of those river basin #dataviz are available here: https://t.co/KYQXoukCdg pic.twitter.com/Btp0H2ubLF
— Randy Olson (@randal_olson) October 20, 2016
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
An Optimal Tour of UK Pubs
For my friends who are still in the UK, here is the optimal tour (TSP-style) of UK pubs.
You're welcome.
(Tip of the cap to Marc Abrahams for reminding me of this. Bill Cook showed a version of this plot in a London Mathematical Society meeting in 2015.)
You're welcome.
Shortest-possible walking tour to 24,727 pubs. By far the largest road-dist traveling salesman problem ever solved. https://t.co/7KTWFBSdmD pic.twitter.com/7rNPch59wE
— Bill Cook (@wjcook) October 19, 2016
(Tip of the cap to Marc Abrahams for reminding me of this. Bill Cook showed a version of this plot in a London Mathematical Society meeting in 2015.)
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Time Pie Chart: Postdoc Versus Faculty
Here is a handy pie chart to illustrate what we mean when faculty say that in these respects (we of course are very much aware that there are certain sources of stress that can counteract idealized feelings), postdoc time is the ideal time in an academic's life. That said, being a professor is a great job!
(Tip of the cap to Gabor Vattay, who retweeted the above tweet from one of today's speakers in the MBI workshop I'm attending.)
Postdoc vs Assistant Prof. I keep hoping to return to "postdoc mode" of research but this gif has me worried. pic.twitter.com/7HdqyqFMht
— Suchi Saria (@suchisaria) August 6, 2016
(Tip of the cap to Gabor Vattay, who retweeted the above tweet from one of today's speakers in the MBI workshop I'm attending.)
Nominations for 2017 Inductees to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!
There are some sweet nominations for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for the class of 2017 — including Depeche Mode and The Cars! (And especially including Depeche Mode!)
Update: The above link is to vote. It's on a website that will show different nominees in future years, so here is an article that will still show the 2017 nominees if you are looking at this blog post in the future. This year marks the first time that Depeche Mode has been one of the nominees.
Update: The above link is to vote. It's on a website that will show different nominees in future years, so here is an article that will still show the 2017 nominees if you are looking at this blog post in the future. This year marks the first time that Depeche Mode has been one of the nominees.
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