We need a new MONIAC: Visualizing the Flow of Money to Design a Sustainable Future
Since its advent in the 1970s, the personal computer has dramatically enhanced society’s collective ability to understand the natural and man-made systems of our world. The ability to capture and share information has been a key driver for progress. With the recent development of cloud computing over the past 10 years, the ability to conduct data-heavy research of complex systems is becoming accessible to everyone. This is good timing. We currently face a confluence of complex problems that need to be understood in a very precise way and in close to real time. Society has a lot to think about including, but not limited to, an epidemic of national debts, the uncertainty of climate change, the deterioration of infrastructure systems, public health risks, and major gaps in the workforce. As if all those things weren’t enough to understand, we also need to understand how to allocate money efficiently to adequately address all of those issues. Furthermore, we need to be able to determine if we even have enough money to adequately address those issues. We need a new MONIAC.
Karl Duncker’s Candle Puzzle
There is a cognitive test commonly called the Candle Puzzle. The test was originally conducted by Gestalt psychologist Karl Duncker. The goal of the Candle Puzzle is to affix a candle to…
