TV Channel Auction with Multiple Identical Permits
Source: link This is supposedly a real TV channel auction that happened in Greece two weeks ago described in the Reddit post linked above. The channel is auctioning off 4 identical permits to 8 participants. Each participant has a value Vn for a permit, and can only acquire 1 permit. Participants don’t know other participants’ values. […]
Social Selection and Peer Influence in Online Gaming
In a research conducted by Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University, researchers try to gain insight into whether similar people become friends or whether people become like their friends. They do this by categorize various factors that might be responsible and observe their impact on people’s selection of friends and the evolution […]
Modern Networking: The Importance of Weak Ties
In class we have discussed the notions of “strong” and “weak” ties which can connect the nodes of a network. In applying this to a social network, we’ve said that a strong tie can be described as a closer relationship between two people while a weak tie can be described as a weaker relationship. In […]
Spread of Obesity as a Network
Obesity has been an ongoing epidemic in America. As of 2007, 66% of adults are overweight and the numbers are constantly rising. The risks of being obese include diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. While researching the reasons behind the spread of obesity, Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler found that the causes […]
Politics in Social Networks – Extreme Viewpoints Shine Through
http://www.economist.com/news/europe/21678828-few-social-media-stars-among-europes-politicians-are-centrists-extreme-tweeting Facebook and Twitter have emerged as popular outlets for people to voice their political opinions, especially now in the months leading up to the election. Facebook and Twitter posts from groups and people affiliated with the far left and populist right are receiving more “likes” and shares of their posts than their mainstream counterparts. […]
Game Theory and Designer Clothing
Ever wonder why dress codes exist? Dress codes help to create equality among the members of a group. When certain individuals dress better than their counterparts, this creates a power imbalance. An article by author Presh Talwalkar explains the effect that wearing designer clothing has on others’ perception of you. In a study conducted in […]
Can the Joker Beat Game Theory?
In 2008, one cinematic adaptation of classic comic book series, Batman, became an international sensation after breaking multiple box records in the opening weekend. The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan is not only deemed to be a masterpiece, but also created the trend among Hollywood movie scenes, followed by numerous cinematic adaptations of classic superhero series. Although […]
Run slow to win Races? Game theory explains this Olympic Strategy.
This past Monday, the Huffington Post released an article titled “Four Paralympians Just Ran The 1500m Faster Than Anyone At The Rio Olympics Final” describing the recent results of the Paralympic games men’s T12/T13 1500m final the day before. At first glance, this is shocking news–not one, but four Paraolympic runners ran faster than the […]
ZeroNet: Decentralized P2P Websites
Almost all websites people visit are hosted on some specific server. Whenever a person accesses a website, he is sending requests to one or more of the servers hosting that site, and the servers in turn are sending him information that allow his web browser to reconstruct the site as he sees it. This can […]
Oil Production is a Game
OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) consists of fourteen separate nations with the common goal “to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member countries and ensure the stabilization of oil markets, in order to secure an efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to consumers, a steady income to producers, and […]
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