Saturday, May 13, 2006

Stochastic

Wikipedia: "A stochastic process is one whose behavior is non-deterministic in that the next state of the environment is partially but not fully determined by the previous state of the environment."

Dictionary.com: "Involving or containing a random variable or variables"

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Flock Theory

D. Rosen's blog: "Flock theory models the network evolution of human interaction via communication using a combination of self-organizing systems theory, network theory, and emergence theory. Flock theory may be viewed as an emergent theory of decentralized human interaction. The throng of collective action between flock members exemplifies the self-organizing ability of individuals that, despite their complexity, can demonstrate cooperative evolution. The coordinating ability of birds is viewed as an exemplar that is used to elucidate structure, while simultaneously establishing mechanisms of interaction that serve as a foundation for several constructs, and extended application to the small world phenomenon (i.e. six-degrees of separation)."