Inter-console networks created in Minecraft
Link: https://minecraft.net/en-us/article/all-news-e3 This article announced the release of Minecraft’s “Better Together Update” which will enable cross platform gameplay across mobile, PC, Nintendo, Xbox, and Virtual Reality devices. It was an old article first announce publicly during the 2017 E3 conference. Although it was intended to be released during the summer of 2017, there has been some […]
What game theory says about dealing with North Korea
https://theconversation.com/what-game-theory-says-about-dealing-with-north-korea-78195 According to game theory, a cooperative outcome is possible when the number of players is relatively small, and details of the game are known to everyone. However, this is not the case with North Korea. In this “game”, it is more likely that each player, or country, will choose whatever is best for themselves, […]
Social Networks and Public Health: What we learned from the H1N1 Outbreak
Beginning in the spring of 2009, the H1N1 or “swine flu” virus rapidly spread across North America. Thousands contracted the flu and died, leaving the public at a loss for information and looking to public health professionals around the country for advice. President Obama had to declare a national public health emergency, and health professionals […]
A triadic closure and homophily-based recommendation system for online social networks
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11280-015-0333-5 This paper studies online social networks (OSNs) and the triadic closure of the friendship recommendation system. As all social media networks users know, sites like Twitter and Facebook recommend friends to the user. However, according to this study, recently these recommendations have been made where these users do not know each other from before. […]
Making Friends of Friends Benefits Hyenas
The article discusses a study done at University of Pennsylvania about spotted hyenas regarding their social interactions with other hyenas. Using a type of mathematical modeling, researchers were able to see how multiple factors affect network dynamics. Researchers have discovered that spotted hyenas were capable of triadic closure in order to “facilitate efficient cooperation and […]
Game Theory and Disaster Relief
The challenges faced by disaster relief organizations are immense, and many organizations compete for funding from similar donors. Additionally, organizations hyper-focused with aiding those in need act in an uncoordinated manner (which is typical in emergency situations), which results in inefficiencies and redundancies in terms of donation collection and distribution. This triggers a surplus of […]
Social Networks on Black Mirror (Nosedive)
The articles linked below contain recaps of and commentary on the season three opener of Black Mirror, the popular series on how technology is powerful but also loaded with opportunities for dystopic experiences. In Nosedive (spoilers ahead), the writers provide a dark, satirical warning against the emphasis our society puts on social media. The members […]
Triadic Closure: 6 degrees of separation in Pittsburgh: Why it feels like you know everyone here
Article: https://theincline.com/2017/06/19/6-degrees-of-separation-in-pittsburgh-why-it-feels-like-you-know-everyone-here/ The article discusses an observation of how “everyone seems to know everyone in Pittsburg”. It then brings in an expert, Chris Warren, from Carnegie Mellon University, and explains some of his current work. Some of Warren’s work includes trying to map the connections between Francis Bacon, William Shakespeare, and Isaac Newton, using old documents. […]
Taylor Swift vs. Katy Perry…Triadic Closure in Action?
Although much has changed in pop culture over the past few years, the long-standing feud between pop celebrities Taylor Swift and Katy Perry has stayed among “hot news” today. News of this dispute first appeared in 2014, when Swift mentioned a pop star nemesis who had attempted to sabotage one of her tours, by hiring […]
Penalty Kicks and Game Theory in the 2008 Champions League
In class, we recently discussed the concept of applying game theory to soccer penalty kicks, as an example of mixed Nash equilibria: examples where the choices made by each player must be randomized as not to be exploited by others. In penalty kicks, the direction a goalie jumps is crucial towards winning, for if the […]
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