The book of the month is…
Linked: The New Science of Networks written by Albert-László Barabási’s, reveals the next major scientific leap: the study of networks.
Networks are pervasive and aren’t random!
Linked provides an exciting preview of the next century in science, guaranteed to be transformed by these amazing discoveries. Understanding the structure and behavior of these networks will help us do some amazing things, from designing the optimal organization of a firm to stopping a disease outbreak before it spreads catastrophically.
The book gives a very nice introduction to the world of complex network, covering the random models and moving on to what the authors have discovered and named scale-free organization. The mathematics explained are far from being heavy and down-to-the-ground examples are always reported to help the reader connecting to her daily life.
This book has a simple message: think networks.
As Barabási writes in the Introduction, Linked “…has a simple aim: to get you to think networks. It is about how networks emerge, what they look like, and how they evolve. It shows you a Web-based view of nature, society, and business, a new framework for understanding issues ranging from democracy on the Web to the vulnerability of the Internet and the spread of deadly viruses. Networks are present everywhere. All we need is an eye for them“.
Networks are present everywhere. All we need is an eye for them.
Linked is an invitation to explore link by link the next scientific revolution: the new science of networks.