|
[Previous entry: "Forgetting to remember"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Do I have your coordinates?"]
"The new science of networks: pastries and other goodies"
04/05/2003 Entry
A little while back, I posted an entry on the underlying network of a scientific team whose work the New York Times discussed in a piece. I sent a note to Albert-László Barabási, one of the researchers mentioned in the piece with whom I had exchanged email before as well due to some of the overlap in our research interests on networks and the Web. He is the author of the interesting book you may have heard of: Linked - The New Science of Networks.
He kindly sent me a reply and before we knew it, we were exchanging messages on the topic of Hungarian pastry delights, not too much of a leap for anyone with any connection to Hungary. Hungarian pastries are just amazing. It turns out that one of the best pastry shops in Budapest, Ruszwurm, has a little Web site with some great pictures. What's even better, they have a full-text recipe book online as well. I'm afraid, however, that one is only available in Hungarian for now.
As for my theories about the underlying networks of that particular scientific group, Laci forwarded my message to some of the other researchers mentioned in the New York Times article. One of them got back to me and said it was actually just a coincidence that they all ended up on the project together. I sent him a reply challenging that position to which his response was: "Yes, actually, your theory is right, the coincidence wasn't really that much of a coincidence" and he went on to explain how the various people got to know each other. Networks are so interesting. Another place to read about how who you know matters in the sciences is my Dad's book on Nobel prizes.
| |
