Book Description
Why do women stabilize our societies? Why can we enjoy and understand Shakespeare? Why are fruitflies uniform? Why do omnivorous eating habits aid our survival? Why is Mona Lisa’s smile beautiful? – Is there any answer to these questions? This book shows that the statement: "weak links stabilize complex systems" holds the answers to all of the surprising questions above. The author (recipient of several distinguished science communication prizes) uses weak (low affinity, low probability) interactions as a thread to introduce a vast variety of networks from proteins to ecosystems. Many people, from Nobel Laureates to high-school students have helped to make the book understandable to all interested readers. This unique book and the ideas it develops will have a significant impact on many, seemingly diverse, fields of study.
Customer Reviews:
Primer on real-life networks with a theme .......2007-02-02
If you ever needed another good reason to value your grandmother even more, you'll find the answer in "Weak links".
Structurally, his book starts with an exposition on network theory and
terminology, then the application and discussion of these concepts to
real-life complex systems on many scales and applied to many domains (physical, natural, technological, social). His main point is, as the reviewer noted above, that 'weak' links (weak: additional/removal does not statistically affect the average of some metric) stabilize systems.
The book has thorough footnotes, one can delve as deep as one would like
into the professional papers. In addition, Csermely is an honest scholar - he shows his hands when there is mere speculation (you have to see the book's unique pictograms to appreciate the effects)
After pouring through several alternatives, I have adopted this book as a
textbook for my Science of Networks class (I'm CS fac at an elite US liberal arts school), and I recommend it to anyone without hesitation for a readable, and learned exposition.
I only have two or three caveats from a specialist's point of view: The
phenomenological discovery of power laws in complex systems is not unusual
and may not be evidence of any SF properties. Scale-free is an abused
term, and I wish the controversy about it were explained a bit more. Also, from a modelling point of view, I wish Doyle and Carlson's work on HOT systems were discussed in more depth.
But these are minor points, relatively speaking. This is a gem of a book:
erudite, humane, funny, accessible and thoroughly fascinating. On every
page, there are delights that lead down new intellectual paths.
Csermely did a great service to pedagogy and to this budding science with
this magisterial survey. Outstanding in its ease of access for intelligent
undergraduates and commendable for intellectual honesty - I wish more
books (textbooks and otherwise) were written this way.
Weak Links Stabilize Complex Systems.......2006-05-13
It is an intriguing concept.
Weak links, invisible in many networks, are critical to its stability. In this book, Peter Csermely shows that all networks, from the universe to molecules are governed by the same principles. Regardless of the system -- atoms, cells, companies, web pages or countries -- surprisingly, the weak links stabilize each.
Csermely, a professor at Semmelweis University in Budapest, a former Fogarty Fellow at Harvard University, is a molecular chaperones specialist. In 2003, he became fascinated by the concept of affinity -- a network's stabilizing components of must have weak links to the other components. These weak links act as hubs. Attack the hubs; disrupt the network.
Csermely demonstrates the concept hold true in field after field. The professor begins his study with a discussion of the Granovetter study of a job search and then proceeds to describe network dynamics. By chapter four, the reader is ready to be introduced to the concept of weak links as universal stabilizers. Then, the professor conducts a network tour ranging from macromolecules to the planet earth. Finally he ends with a discussion of weak links, stability landscapes and game theory.
Surprisingly, his book is understandable, even to non-academics. It is loaded with gems that can be applied to the reader's networks and relationships.
This is not a book I would have ever picked up on my own. Thankfully, Professor Csermely sent me an advanced copy. It is a unique book that takes a thorough look at an intriguing concept.
Book Description
This volume is devoted to the applications of techniques from statistical physics to the characterization and modeling of complex networks. The first two parts of the book concern theory and modeling of networks, the last two parts survey applications to a wide variety of natural and artificial networks. The tutorial reviews that form this book are aimed at students and newcomers to the field, and will also constitute a modern and comprehensive reference for experts. To this aim, all contributions have been carefully peer-reviewed not only for scientific content but also for self-consistency and readability.
Book Description
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the first workshop on Combinatorial and Algorithmic Aspects of Networking, held in Banff, Alberta, Canada in August 2004.
The 12 revised full papers together with two invited papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected for inclusion in the book. The topics covered range from the web graph to game theory to string matching, all in the context of large-scale networks. This volume contains also 5 survey articles to round out the presentation and give a comprehensive introduction to the topic.
Book Description
This book constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-proceedings of the Third Workshop on Combinatorial and Algorithmic Aspects of Networking, held in Chester, UK in July 2006, co-located with the 13th Colloquium on Structural Information and Communication Complexity, SIROCCO 2006.
The 10 revised full papers together with 1 invited lecture presented were carefully reviewed and selected from a total of 22 submissions. The topics covered range from the Web graph to game theory to string matching, all in the context of large-scale networks.
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Complex Dynamics in Communication Networks (Understanding Complex Systems)
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Networks
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ASIN: 3540243054 |
Book Description
Computer and communication networks are among society's most important infrastructures. The internet, in particular, is a giant global network of networks with central control or administration. It is a paradigm of a complex system, where complexity may arise from different sources: topological structure, network evolution, connection and node diversity, and /or dynamical evolution. This is the first book entirely devoted to the new and emerging field of nonlinear dynamics of TCP/IP networks. It addresses both scientists and engineers working in the general field of communication networks.
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Dynamics of Complex Interconnected Systems: Networks and Bioprocesses (NATO Science Series II: Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry)
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1402050283 |
Book Description
The book reviews the synergism between various fields of research that are confronted with networks, like genetic and metabolic networks, social networks, the Internet and ecological systems. In many cases, the interacting networks manifest so-called emergent properties that are not possessed by any of the individual components. This means that the detailed knowledge of the components is insufficient to describe the whole system. Recent work has indicated that networks in nature have so-called scale-free characteristics, and the associated dynamic network modelling shows unexpected results such as an amazing robustness against accidental failures. Modelling the signal transduction networks in bioprocesses as in living cells is a challenging interdisciplinary research area. It is now realized that the many features of molecular interaction networks within a cell are shared to a large degree by the other complex systems mentioned above, such as the Internet, computer chips and society. Thus knowledge gained from the study of complex non-biological systems can be applied to the intricate braided relationships that govern cellular functions.
The authors include theoretical physicists, soft condensed matter experimentalists, biological physicists, and molecular biologists and leaders in their respective fields, presenting in a pedagogical manner the current experimental and theoretical situation.
Product Description
This book is the culmination of three years of research effort on a multidisciplinary project in which physicists, mathematicians, computer scientists and social scientists worked together to arrive at a unifying picture of complex networks. The contributed chapters form a reference for the various problems in data analysis visualization and modeling of complex networks.
Customer Reviews:
Perfect book for Re-building your Church.......2007-05-09
After a fire destroyed much of our church, a friend sent this book to our congregation. After reading it, I ordered copies for our entire Board to read. What a great guide for re-building, re-ordering, remodeling a church.
Church Architecture - a public image of the people inside........2005-08-22
The author of Re-Pitching The Tent, the Very Reverend Richard Giles, is a liberal member of a liberal Diocese - the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania. The problem we conservative Episcopalians have with our liberal leadership is that from our point of view its actions are indistinguishable from the actions of a very subtle enemy who hates our church and wants it destroyed. We have to trust them when they tell us their motives are based on love rather than hate.
I am a conservative Episcopalian deeply suspicious of our church's leadership. Yet I urge conservative Episcopalians like me to read this book carefully and with an open-mind. Reverend Giles is entirely convincing as to his motivations - and at least 80% convincing as to the various plans of action and recommendations he proposes in this book.
As much as I love our traditions, liturgy, 1928 Book Of Common Prayer, architectural splendors of our past, our saints, and our martyrs; Reverend Giles presents some truly glorious and beautiful modern worship spaces full of photographs and descriptions and plans of action which I believe might just work to save our dying church. His plans of action are a radical departure from anything I've ever associated with the Episcopal Church. And yet he is convincing in his arguments for them - and his hope for our future. He roots his arguments solidly in the distant past of our Biblical foundations. He shows appreciation and love for the Anglican liturgy of the past - and most importantly he does not engage in subtle slander of the Anglican people like so many liberals do. Richard Giles appears to love the Anglican people and want the best for our future and the future of our church.
Additionally, this is a remarkable book on church architecture. If it were only that, I would still recommend it highly. But it is more. Re-Pitching The Tent is a manifesto of a man desperate to save the Episcopal Church from old fogies like me who would keep it as a museum. Reverend Giles' point is that "our churches are not museums - they are living, breathing, growing congregations. Giles is an Englishman steeped in English learning and vocabulary. His prose is nicely written and his points have sparkle.
Now to the problems I have with this book. Giles is a fundamentalist in his view that our worship spaces be re-ordered. Sometimes he is inflexible and un-reflective to the point of being scary. He gives as an exercise for the reader to identify "from what quarter in your own community is opposition to change likely to come." This question sounds to me like a Communist Party training book. Can't we at least have an intelligent discussion about the value of change before abandoning everything we have always thought of as Episcopalian? Let's not treat people who disagree as enemies.
One conservative assumption the Reverend makes implicitly is not surprising - namely no mention of dispensing with the episcopate or with the church itself. Putting the church before the people is a bias inherent in being professionally tied to a church. Yet the end of the church seems to me not an unreasonable consideration. The Body of Christ has many forms of worship - mostly arising though ancestral tradition. To the extent that the Anglican Church is the traditional church of the Anglican people, then when the Anglican people disappear, shouldn't their church as well? The real problem with the modern Christian church is that it has lost its fertility - even the pagans understand the importance of fertility. Our modern feminized Christian churches are barren - like the people inside.
The Episcopal priesthood needs to realize that a church which does not promote marriage and children among its congregants is at odds with nature and will soon be a dead church. That issue notwithstanding, read this book - it is very good.
Even traditionalists will learn a thing or two!.......2002-05-07
Richard Giles' "Re-Pitching the Tent" will be a read that is very intimidating to the traditional Anglican/Catholic/Lutheran who is used to (and attached to!) the traditional Sanctuary, Chancel, Choir, Nave arrangement of our Churches. The Parish I pastor meets in a small space, so making the most of what we have is important. Giles shows us through his insight ways of making your space count, and how to arrange for worship in such a manner that we express a theology that highlights the participation of the people of the Congregation while still having a very distinct president of the Assembly to lead the Liturgy.
Not all traditionalists will find themseves warming to his ideas at once, but I think, when they compare this book to the modes of the early Church, they may well find some use for the author's suggestions. I know our parish did!
Excellent Resource.......2002-01-30
Recently we had the opportunity to meet Richard Giles as he was in our city giving a talk about "Re-pitching the Tent". Our firm specializes in religious facility design and we were anxious to learn what Richard Giles had to offer on the subject of liturgical space. We came away from the workshop with even more enthusiasm for our opportunities to design sacred space. We ordered his book ... and have been using it as a reference in designing two new Anglican churches. This book is not just for architects but for anyone who is interested in the Chirstian Community and the future of the Church.
Lively and thought-provoking.......2001-10-27
This book is about looking at outmoded church spaces to see what can be done to meet the needs of contemporary worshippers. Written out of a British context, using British examples and pictures (these pictures are great) the book translates quite well to the American scene, where there is a similar problem. My church in Boston chose to build a series of adult education sessions around the book, and Giles has constructed his text with this use in mind. There is an appendix that acts as a "teacher's guide." What is brilliant about the book is that he discusses pragmatics, but he provides the basis for a theological reflection on the part of the congregation so that they have a faith-basis for whatever plant and programmatic renovations they decide to make.
Book Description
Before The Red Tent won her international literary acclaim, Anita Diamant was a columnist in Boston. Over the course of twenty years, she wrote essays that reflected the shape and evoution of her life, as well as the trends of her generation. In the end, her musings about love and marriage, birth and death, nature versus nurture, politics and religion -- and everything from female friendships to quitting smoking -- have created a public diary of the progress of her life that resonated deeply with her readers. Now, Pitching My Tent collects the finest columns of a writer who is a reporter by training and a storyteller by heart, all revised and enriched with new material. Personal, inspiring, and often funny, Pitching My Tent displays the warmth, humor, and wisdom that Diamant's legions of fans have come to cherish.
Download Description
Following the enormous success of her two bestselling novels, The Red Tent and Good Harbor, award-winning author Anita Diamant delivers a book of intimate reflections on the milestones, revelations, and balancing acts of life as a wife, mother, friend, and member of a religious community. Before The Red Tent, before Good Harbor, before and during six books on contemporary Jewish life, Anita Diamant was a columnist. Over the course of two decades, she wrote essays about friendship and family, work and religion, ultimately creating something of a public diary reflecting the shape and evolution of her life -- as well as the trends of her generation. Pitching My Tent collects the finest of these essays, all freshly revised, updated, and enriched with new material, forming a cohesive and compelling narrative. Organized into six parts, the shape of the book reflects the general shape of adult life, chronicling its emotional and practical milestones. There are sections on marriage and the nature of family ("Love, Marriage, Baby Carriage"); on the ties that bind mother and child ("My One and Only"); on the demands and rewards of friendship ("The Good Ship"); on the challenges of balancing Jewish and secular calendars ("Time Wise"); on midlife ("In the Middle"); and on what it means to embrace Judaism in today's culture ("Home for the Soul").
Customer Reviews:
dissapointed.......2007-04-02
I've ordered this book on December 22, 2006, and I am still waiting for my order. I am very dissapointed...
Delightful - Learned more about Judaism than I have ever known before..........2006-01-01
I picked up this collection of essays after reading "The Red Tent" which absolutely adored.
Half-way through the book I thought, "Converting to Judaism might be a good idea!" I don't mean to jest about a serious subject...and it is Diamont's friendly, heartful, down to Earth tone (and the fact that she shares her being vis a vis her judaism)that makes me want to adopt some of her ways.
I zipped through this book in record time, and I know I will read and re-read and give copies to many friends.
Almost not worth reading.......2004-02-13
Coming off the total fabrication of the 'Red Tent' this collection of essays is simply a dirty mirror of the far more organized book they were made into. Capitlizing on interest in feminism and the Bible these essays serve up a cold plat eof fabrication and misinformation, mostly detailing the life of Dinah and her relations with other women of the tribe of Joseph, unfortunatly Dinah comes off as a harlot, and her friends as Pagans and idolworshipers full of a mishmash of psuedo-pagan religions, none of which actually existed at the time of Jacob but this book simply fakes these other religions pretending that the women in the Red Tent would have resorted to heathen barbarism when not in the presence of Jacob and his sons. The reality is that no acts of human sacrifice or the bleeding of cats took place among the women of Jacobs family and since none took place this read is mere conjecture.
Perfect Pitch!.......2003-11-10
As a long time fan of Anita Diamant's work - THE RED TENT and then GOOD HARBOR, I was thrilled to see that a new one from Ms. Diamant was on the shelves! I bought it right away!
PITCHING MY TENT was a fast read but one that I can see revisiting from time to time. In this compilation of articles and musings, the reader will get a real sense of what it was like for a woman who had choices and took chances - while her faith in Judaism and living a Jewish life blossomed!
Written in such an honest and personal way, this book stirred many thoughts and emotions and really made me think about life.
This is a book to give to the women in your life, messages that we will all identify with. It may even enourage you to pick up a pen and jot down some of your own memories!
A Perfect Book for Fans of Diamant.......2003-10-18
PITCHING MY TENT by Anita Diamant, author of THE RED TENT, is a collection of short and personal essays on family, friends and religion. Arranged by topic, the essays are, for the most part, light and enjoyable reading. Gathering many essays from her days as a columnist, PITCHING MY TENT reflects the things that are most important in the author's life, and they are things that will resonate with many readers.
Diamant begins by exploring "Love, Marriage, Baby Carriage." In this section she shares personal and general thoughts on marriage and partnership. These thoughts, like those in the rest of the collection, in many ways center not just on marriage, but on a life lived within a particular religious tradition. She shares how she and her husband celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, and his conversion to Judaism. While this section of the book is actually dedicated to her husband, she does discuss her first marriage in frank emotional terms. From pet peeves to health issues, from mutual friends to the birth of their child, Diamant is candid about her marriage; the specifics she shares point to universals.
Next, Diamant dives into the topic of motherhood and her focus is on her daughter Emilia. She writes loving essays about parenthood as both "an adventure and an education." Two essays in this section stand out. The first is entitled "One" and discusses Diamant and her husband's decision to have only one child, despite the pressure to give Emilia siblings. The other is "The Mother's Bat Mitzvah Speech." This speech is a touching and tender tribute to her daughter on a very special occasion.
The third section in PITCHING MY TENT gathers essays about friends and friendship. These are short yet sweet.
"Time Zones" is the fourth section and one of the most interesting topics of the book. Here, Diamant examines sacred time and ordinary time by looking at the Jewish year and some of its holidays and commemorations. In essays about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, the holidays of Sukkot, Chanukah and Purim, as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas, Diamant writes about being Jewish in a culture both Christian and secular and how she celebrates and understands Jewish (and non-Jewish) holidays. The essays are quite short but are full of insight and honesty. As a daughter of Holocaust survivors, she writes about Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the idea of memory as a sacred trust. Both this essay and the brief one in tribute to her father are poignant and nicely written.
Diamant also has collected essays on middle age but she ends the book with more discussion about religion in her life. She writes that Judaism is her "journey" and her "home" and that it is an "essential lens" through which she understands herself and her place in the world. But these final essays are not as solemn as the introduction to the section would have you believe. Here, Diamant addresses serious issues such as congregation politics and the expectancy that all Jews read Hebrew --- but she does so with a light and witty touch.
PITCHING MY TENT is not exactly a book about religion or family in general but about Diamant's family and her religious life. Her essays are insightful if not challenging or academic. This collection is a great gift idea for fans of Diamant, those who enjoy easy yet interesting reading, and especially for Jewish mothers. A personal look at contemporary Jewish life, PITCHING MY TENT will not generate controversy or create the kind of following that THE RED TENT had, but it won't disappoint those who are looking to learn more about this author.
--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman
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- John Stuart Mill in Small-Town Texas
- It's never too late to fall in love!
- Current Day Hippies
- laugh til you cry
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Pitching Tents
Gail Mount
Manufacturer: Texas Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Comic
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ASIN: 1881515761 |
Customer Reviews:
John Stuart Mill in Small-Town Texas.......2006-01-08
Gail Mount clearly and consistently portrays an elderly man and woman who do what they want to do without violating the right of others to do what they want to do. Against community standards in central Texas, the man is much younger than the woman; they ardently make love (in their own way); and they want no place to call home. Nevertheless, they contribute to the social good, wherever they pitch their tent, through their artistic talents and human decency. They are more than aged hippies; they are exemplars of Mill's "Essay on Liberty."
It's never too late to fall in love!.......2006-01-01
I recently read and was thoroughly captivated by a fast moving and enjoyable story by Gail Mount, called PITCHING TENTS. It's about two hippies who become reacquainted and fall in love in their later years in small town Texas. Mr. Mount weaves a wonderful portrait of the two main characters, Vida Singer and Wayman (don't call me Ezekiel) Scott describing with clarity and humor how they meet life's continuing challenges, including getting to know each other, while maintaining their integrity. Each additional character introduced in this story is quite memorable. Some are likeable and some not very likeable, but all very real. The story has a nice ending. I was unable to put the book down until I had finished it. A second reading a few days later was just as rewarding as the first.
Joseph Erwin
Current Day Hippies.......2005-12-07
I found Pitching Tents by Gail Mount to be very entertaining and easy to read. Having lived my whole life in Texas, I related to the surroundings and the people. The main characters show a lot of the 1960's spirit. They are very humorous and really seem real. When you think about the book, the people become real and the morals become real.
laugh til you cry.......2005-11-18
I picked this book up on a Sunday evening and did not put it down until I was done. It was a page-turner. My husband had to leave our bedroom and seek silence elsewhere because of my laughter. By page 40, I had been laughing so much I was crying and my diaphragm ached. It was a real joy to read. Write more Gail Mount. Write more.
Product Description
World War II era military manual. Supersedes the manual of 1937.
Average customer rating:
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Pitching the tent toward Sodom
Theodore Dwight Weld
Manufacturer: Evangelical Tract Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
United States
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ASIN: B0006AIDU8 |
Books:
- What Makes Airplanes Fly?
- What's Wrong With Microphysicalism? (International Library of Philosophy)
- Wigner the Collected Works Part B Mehra: Historical, Philosophical, and Socio-Political Papers Socio-Political Reflections and Civil Defense (Collected Works, 8)
- Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
- XV Summer School and International Symposium on the Physics of Ionized Gases September 3-7, 1990, Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia: Invited Lectures
- 50 Years Progress in Crystal Growth: A Reprint Collection
- A Journey into Christian Art
- A Theory of /Cloud: Toward a History of Painting (Cultural Memory in the Present)
- Acoustic Waves: Devices, Imaging, and Analog Signal Processing (Prentice-Hall Signal Processing Series)
- Acrylics: The Watercolor Alternative
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