Preconditions for CIvilization

How did civilization emerge? Let us take the case of Mesopotamia. The soil of Mesopotamia led to a surplus of food. With a food surplus people could settle. As cities developed interactions between people developed. With an unpredictable food supply, civilization cannot flourish.

Primarni

The Primarni Effect
What's seen on the catwalk is replicated so quickly in stores. The term Primarni is giving a nod to the roots. primark or top shop.

One Country, Two systems

Diplomacy: Knowing how far you can go, how much the bridge will carry
realpolitik (ray-arl-politeek)

From: "Getting our Way"

Immortal Beloved (1994)

The life and love story of Ludwig van Beethoven. Vienna 1827. "If we could be united we would feel this pain no longer".

"he's a genius"
"but in the last year he has not played or published a single note"

Cool Magazines

What are your favourite magazines?

National Geographic Magazine - Mar2010 issue is on Wolf Wars.
Discover Magazine - running a feature on the technology of the Winter Olympics
Science et Vie
Scientific American
BBC Focus Magazine
Communications of the ACM
CNET TV

What are Rum Balls?

Rum balls are like truffles made with chocolate and rum. They can be coated in chocolate sprinkles, dessicated coconut or cocoa. They are a popular Christmas snack in parts of Europe (Austria, Hungary, Denmark) as well as Australia and New Zealand.

Meet Robert Solow (Nobel Prize Winner 1987)

Robert Solow was a Brooklyn-born American economist known for his work on economic growth.

The model he conceived was called the Solow-Swan neo-classical growth model. He was famously quoted as saying: "You can see the computer age everywhere but in the productivity statistics".

He also had some amusing things to say about statistics teaching at Harvard, where he studied (though he spent most time teaching at MIT afterward): "In those days, the teaching of statistics at Harvard was, to put it kindly, eccentric".

He taught statistics and econometrics (time series) at MIT. In doing so, his interests admirably shifted to macroeconomics. He is currently an Institute Professor (highest Professor title) at MIT.