The sneaky part, though you're quite right is saying: "so it requires a reasonable population before you can connect with someone of similar or complementary interests."
Is that it ALSO requires a reasonable population of diversely different interests...! Phil Henshaw > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Russell Standish > Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 3:17 AM > To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Strogatz and Ratti video conversation > > On Sun, Nov 16, 2008 at 05:06:03PM +0100, Jochen Fromm wrote: > > Who said that cities are thriving places for humans? > > I live in Berlin, which is not as big as London or > > Tokio, but it is loud, crowded and polluted enough. > > It is more exhausting than exciting to live here. Lots > > of carcinogenic and pathogenic substances in the air. > > You meet every day different people in the subway. > > I think in a small city people know each other > > much better, although you meet less people, you > > are connected with more. > > Strogatz was talking about the network effect, sometimes known as > Metcalfe's law (also known as "there's little value in having the > first telephone, who're you going to call?"). > > Without doubt, the power houses of innovation (whether business, > science, technology or the arts) are in the big cities. This is no > doubt because less than 1% of the population is responsible for > this innovation, so it requires a reasonable population before you can > connect with someone of similar or complementary interests. This > network effect also draws the brightest to the larger cities, further > compounding the network effect. > > The internet has helped to some extent in ameliorating this issue. I > don't feel the attraction to move to a city like San Francisco or > Boston, because I can have discusions in fora like this. This is just > as well - where I live in Sydney, a city of more than 4 million, I > have a beach at the bottom of my garden, and if compilation times are > getting to me, I can just put on a mask and snorkel and swim with the > fishes. http://www.gordonsbayscubadivingclub.com/ I never thought > living in a big city could be so much fun. > > Cheers > -- > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----- > A/Prof Russell Standish Phone 0425 253119 (mobile) > Mathematics > UNSW SYDNEY 2052 [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Australia http://www.hpcoders.com.au > ----------------------------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
