Big Ideas: Information

06/26/23 • 31 min

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When most of us think about information, we think of it as something we can possess or ‘know’. But what if it’s so much more than that?

In this episode, we’re joined by Sara Walker, Deputy Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Associate Professor in Earth and Space Exploration and Complex Adaptive Systems at Arizona State University, and External Faculty at the Santa Fe Institute. Sara is going to examine information and the critical role it plays in complex systems.

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This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

When most of us think about information, we think of it as something we can possess or ‘know’. But what if it’s so much more than that?

Connect:

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Previous Episode

The El Farol problem

Imagine you have a bar that comfortably seats 60 people, but every week, 100 people have to decide whether or not they're going to go to the bar on any given night. If too many people go, then the bar is too crowded, and everyone has a miserable night. But if not enough people go, then that's a missed opportunity to go out. This is the basis of the El Farol problem, which asks us to consider how people make this decision. It's a beautifully simple problem that not only makes you think but also has profound implications.

To help us through this problem, we're joined again by its inventor, W. Brian Arthur, External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and Researcher at Palo Alto Research Center. Brian's going to help us understand how this problem is more than just the story of a bar, but a problem that gives us an incredible insight into how the economy works.

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This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.

Next Episode

The sand pile model

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When a system fails, how do you think about cause and effect? One way to consider this in complex systems is to imagine a pile of sand, and dropping one grain of sand at a time in random positions onto the pile. As time passes, you'll start to form little hills. Eventually, a grain of sand will hit one of these hills, and you get an avalanche.

Do you believe that the avalanche was caused by the last grain of sand falling onto it, or do you believe that the avalanche happened due to the shape of the hill itself? To explore this sand pile model, we are joined today by Neil Johnson, Professor of Physics and Head of the Dynamic Online Networks Lab at George Washington University.

Connect:

This show is produced in collaboration with Wavelength Creative. Visit wavelengthcreative.com for more information.