For many years, the development of large-scale quantitative social science was hindered by a lack of data. Traditional methods of data collection like surveys were very useful, but were limited. The situation has of course changed with the development of computing and information communication technology, and we now live in a world of data deluge, where the question has become how to extract important information from the plethora of data that can be accessed. Big Data has made it possible to study societal questions which were once impossible to deal with, but new tools and new multidisciplinary approaches are required. Physicists, together with economists, sociologists, computer scientists, etc. have played an important role in their development.

 

This book presents the 9 lectures delivered at the CCIII Summer Course Computational Social Science and Complex Systems, held as part of the International School of Physics Enrico Fermi in Varenna, Italy, from 16-21 July 2018. The course had the aim of presenting some of the recent developments in the interdisciplinary fields of computational social science and econophysics to PhD students and young researchers, with lectures focused on recent problems investigated in computational social science.

 

Addressing some of the basic questions and many of the subtleties of the emerging field of computational social science, the book will be of interest to students, researchers and advanced research professionals alike.

Source: www.iospress.nl

Through a blend of compelling exercises, illustrations, and stories, the bestselling author of Thinking in Bets will train you to combat your own biases, address your weaknesses, and help you become a better and more confident decision-maker.

 

What do you do when you’re faced with a big decision? If you’re like most people, you probably make a pro and con list, spend a lot of time obsessing about decisions that didn’t work out, get caught in analysis paralysis, endlessly seek other people’s opinions to find just that little bit of extra information that might make you sure, and finally go with your gut.

What if there was a better way to make quality decisions so you can think clearly, feel more confident, second-guess yourself less, and ultimately be more decisive and be more productive?

Making good decisions doesn’t have to be a series of endless guesswork. Rather, it’s a teachable skill that anyone can sharpen. In How to Decide, bestselling author Annie Duke and former professional poker player lays out a series of tools anyone can use to make better decisions. You’ll learn:

• To identify and dismantle hidden biases.
• To extract the highest quality feedback from those whose advice you seek.
• To more accurately identify the influence of luck in the outcome of your decisions.
• When to decide fast, when to decide slow, and when to decide in advance.
• To make decisions that more effectively help you to realize your goals and live your values.

Through practical exercises and engaging thought experiments, this book helps you analyze key decisions you’ve made in the past and troubleshoot those you’re making in the future. Whether you’re picking investments, evaluating a job offer, or trying to figure out your romantic life, this book is the key to happier outcomes and fewer regrets.

Source: www.amazon.com

The International Conference on Complex Networks and their Applications aims at bringing together researchers from different scientific communities working on areas related to complex networks.

Source: www.complexnetworks.org

This book focuses on the theoretical side of temporal network research and gives an overview of the state of the art in the field. Curated by two pioneers in the field who have helped to shape it, the book contains contributions from many leading researchers. Temporal networks fill the border area between network science and time-series analysis and are relevant for the modeling of epidemics, optimization of transportation and logistics, as well as understanding biological phenomena.

Network theory has proven, over the past 20 years to be one of the most powerful tools for the study and analysis of complex systems. Temporal network theory is perhaps the most recent significant development in the field in recent years, with direct applications to many of the "big data" sets. This monograph will appeal to students, researchers and professionals alike interested in theory and temporal networks, a field that has grown tremendously over the last decade.

 

Temporal Network Theory
Editors: Holme, Petter, Saramäki, Jari 

Source: www.springer.com

Ever since its origin in post-war research, AI has been subject to profound hyperbole, rapturous prognostications, and projected nightmares. In 2019, things have once again reached fever pitch in what Science Board co-chair and External Professor Melanie Mitchell wryly notes is a hype cycle that routinely ripples through her fellow computer scientists and those who fund them. Her illuminating new book, Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans, lays bare the inner workings of these potent tools, exposing their realistic limits and patiently detailing our deployment errors. It is a solid history of how we got from pocket calculators to facial recognition and self-driving cars, a lucid tour of how these systems operate, and a tempered read on just how far we have to go before we’re obsolete.

Source: www.santafe.edu