http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/Strogatz-and-Ratti-video-conversation-tp1503065p1509546.html
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
[hidden email] [mailto:
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> 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
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> Australia
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