Tag: six degrees
hubs
The idea of hub exists not only in the social network; moreover, it can be considered in an online space. Even though it is suggested by Barabasi that hub is nautrally formed, the question of “can we create hub?” emerged in my mind.
As I previously suggested, I have noticed the “key person” or the connector in a social context where a person that connects different clusters together. To think of the idea of hub in a cyberspace context, we can consider yahoo as a hub because there are so many page pointed to yahoo. If we were to create a person as a connector in a society, we would have to push the person to a very social level. (The example of social climbers who try to meet all different people all the time can be considered a creation of …
ordered/random network.
From the reading of Barabasi, the goal of graph theory can be considered as an aim to discover and catalogue the properties of the various graphs. I would like to see the formation of random graphs as a process of finding simple solution to a complex system.
clusters & small world
from small world network from the Santa Fe Institute Bulletin, Volume 14, Number 2 (Fall 1999).
coffehouse philosophy in the coffeehouse
While reading the 4th link – small world from the “Linked” by Barabasi, a quote triggered me. “Such coffeehouse philosophy rarely leads to serious research.” Six degrees of separation is a coffeehouse philosophy because people talk about it as if it’s just a fun topic to talk about. However, this gloomy afternoon, in the coffeehouse, I saw the coffeehouse philosophy at work.
These middle-aged couple walked in the door and sat down sipping their coffee. I think I recognize them. They must be familiars from the old coffeehouse I worked in before. At the counter, young teenager girl is serving coffee. I think I worked with her before but I really can’t remember. The owner walks in and said hi to me and says hi to the hairstylist who works next door, who, coincidentally gave me a free haircut once. I …