The information cascades that we have discussed in class have been limited to those that are determined by the number of people who have developed an opinion. Each person looks at those that have expressed an opinion before them but can see only their expressed choice, not their private information. This makes for […]

http://www.upi.com/Security_Terrorism/Analysis/2006/04/05/study_says_torture_doesnt_work/5721/#comments
It has always been my question on why would a person who is tortured tell the truth. It is obvious that the person who is already torturing will not stop even after the “truth” is told. Even so, as the article mentions the torturer may not even understand what is the truth.
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Social convention dictates that the more attractive you are, the higher your chances for finding a good ‘catch’, a beautiful wife, a handsome husband. In theory, there aren’t any problems with this idea. It’s almost common-sense in a way, if you think about it, but Slate writer Mark Gimein begs to differ, and […]

As discussed in class, cascades can be found in all sorts of life activities. Often when a person does something, he or she can influence his or her neighbor to do the same thing, and before we know it everyone around them has also chosen to do the same thing. This idea can be applied […]

This blog post talks about the negative externalities of certain people when in a network. This blog proposes that negative people may be detrimental to the brains of other people. But in making this point, the author observes that of oftentimes, decisions are not made on a conscious level. Neuroscience has discovered that there humans […]

In class, we have been discussing the various effects of networks. One important aspect is that of dependencies in networks. In other words, the actions of one person influence the actions of another person. This characteristic of networks can be seen in the rise and fall of gas prices. The article […]

Final Jeopardy! wagering is essentially a game with three players. Just before the final commercial break, the host announces the category and the players are given a short time to decide what to wager. They may wager between zero dollars and their current score. A correct answer adds that wager to the […]

website:
http://www.redcardinal.ie/search-engine-optimisation/12-08-2006/clickthrough-analysis-of-aol-datatgz/
When a web-user enters his or her search query into a Google search engine, Google presents this web-user with a Search Engine Results Page (SERP); the results that Google finds are listed on the SERP, arranged in list form with each consecutive one below the other. From the web-user’s perspective, […]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/07/technology/07soft.html?fta=y
In its recent attempt to takeover Yahoo, Microsoft has just lowered its buyout offer from a value of $31 a share to a value of $29 a share, due to a drop in the price of Microsoft’s own shares. Yahoo, again, rejected Microsoft’s bid because shareholders believe that Microsoft’s offer undervalues Yahoo. Essentially, […]

With the conclusion of March Madness, college basketball fans now turn their attention to the NBA Draft. The draft has several network implications. The time before the draft acts as an information cascade situation for teams. The teams know where in sequence they will choose with every player […]