This month’s books, poised Remained <> Finished Herbert Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial Added Ellen Swallows Richards, Euthenics: The Science of Controllable Environment Paul Lockhart, Measurement David Mindell, Between Human and Machine Martin Greenberger, Computers and the world of the future Elad Gil, High Growth Handbook Andy Grove, High Output Management Marvin Minsky, The Society of the Mind

A work in progress [See the precursor to this section, an Introduction.] Before I launch in — how’s your understanding of auctions these days? If you need a refresher, check out this chapter from the book “Networks, Crowds, and Markets” by Easley and Kleinberg. I’ll wait for your return. So…

An Introduction One idea I’ve been thinking about recently is the allocation of space. There are *lots* of different scales and applications we could consider here. At the city level, a clear example is the supply/demand of housing or of transportation. At the hospital level, this often means the supply/demand…

This month’s books, poised Remained Herbert Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial Brian Arthur, The Nature of Technology Bert Mendelson, Introduction to Topology Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities Finished Herbert Simon, The Shape of Automation Added Carlo Rovelli, The Order of Time Removed Jane Jacobs, Vital Little Plans Marin Erwig, Once Upon an Algorithm More thoughts pending

Recommended civil excavation project To quote: “Urban histories can be told in a thousand ways.” Below the Surface Link: https://belowthesurface.amsterdam/en/pagina/de-opgravingen-index EXCERPT: Urban histories can be told in a thousand ways. The archaeological research project of the North/South metro line lends the River Amstel a voice in the historical portrayal of Amsterdam. The Amstel…

Recommended article How might simpler models act as a “fresh entry point into processes that have otherwise proved impenetrably messy”? Mathematicians Tame Turbulence in Flattened Fluids Author: Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine Link: https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematicians-tame-turbulence-in-flattened-fluids-20180627 Excerpts: Turbulence, the splintering of smooth streams of fluid into chaotic vortices, doesn’t just make for bumpy plane rides. It also throws a…

Recommended podcast Bridging the idea of maintenance & infrastructure across history (Ed Glaeser), economics (Larry Summers), and entrepreneurship (Martin Casado). In praise of maintenance Source: Freakonomics Podcast Link: http://freakonomics.com/podcast/in-praise-of-maintenance Excerpts: Okay, so let’s do a brief history of maintenance. We’ll talk about our cities, our homes, our infrastructure, and even how modern investors think…

Or: The joys of being a Big Picture Guy — As a young engineer, I was persistently frustrated by the antics of my resident “Big Picture Guy.” BPG oversaw one of my projects at the engineering design firm where I worked. It seemed — to early 20s me — that his business-focused mind could *only* dilate at the higher level…

Recommended aerial view How many things do we drive / walk / run / fly by, never noticing? These salt works, in their pink expansiveness, caught my eye for the first time earlier this month. Suburban waterfront homes dotted around them. Google’s satellite imagery also tells the tale: