Last weekend the news broke of the passing of RUSH-drummer Neil Peart (1952-2020). When watching the response unfold on Twitter and Facebook, and digesting my own pain about this by listening to their music all weekend, it struck me: we should be making memories. My RUSH I stumbled upon RUSH by accident in 1979, … Continue reading Making Memories
"COP25: Climate communication needs to be simple, direct and repeated" by Mathilde Robinet BSc, BASC, University College London & Dr. Frank Witte, Department of Economics, University College London. Climate Crisis Climate change is a global issue that goes far beyond environmental concerns; it enfolds geopolitical, societal and economic dimensions, which are imperative for global peace, prosperity and stability. … Continue reading COP25: Climate communication needs to be simple, direct and repeated
Inspired by mathematical models of learning in games I set-up a simplistic model of a learner that slowly seeks her way into learning new knowledge and analyse how in such a model two model students can interact. The results suggest something interesting regarding the timing of group-work in courses. Learning in Games One context in … Continue reading The Econophysics of Learning: A model student #1
During the UK 2019 General Election campaign the UK's strategic nuclear weapons, the Trident system, has once again been conjured up as a kind of litmus-test for what makes a 'real leader': the willingness to deploy these weapons. The problem is that their deployment never makes sense and neither does their deterrence. Who is your … Continue reading Opinion #2: There’s no strategy for strategic nuclear weapons
I thought it a good idea to start the "opinions" category on this blogsite with an entry concerning my own approach to what I do: Econophysics. Is there really such a thing and, if yes, is it a good thing? I will argue there is such a thing, that it is a good thing but … Continue reading Opinions #1: Is there such a thing as “Econophysics”?
Solar energy is in reality the only truly sustainable form of energy we can extract, as long as the Sun is around. So how much of it there is to go around on our little planet? Is it really going to be enough? The numbers in this post will all be approximate and the details … Continue reading Back of the Envelope #1: Do we get enough energy from the Sun?
A moody evening song ...
In this short blog I want to have a look at why social media are so ideal as the battleground for radicalisation and the intervention of outside parties in socio-political processes. In this post I want to discus a modelling exercise I recently did and which I reported with technical details here. But in this … Continue reading Populist radicalisation & outside disruptors
In Alternate Timelines I will explore alternative history events that actually could have happened and what could have happened next if they had … On this first instalment: the alternative lunar landings project: Gemini Advanced. Alternative to Apollo The Gemini project of the mid-sixties that sent crews of two US astronauts into low-earth orbit (LEO), … Continue reading Alternate Timelines #1:Gemini Advanced
