Pennsylvania kills IBM project

by | Aug 3, 2013 | Uncategorized

Via Business Insider: The state of Pennsylvania is killing a contract with IBM because, as of July, the project was $60 million over budget and a whopping 42 months behind schedule, state officials said. That’s three and a half years late. Pennsylvania kills IBM...

Let’s Shake Up the Social Sciences

by | Jul 22, 2013 | Uncategorized

Via New York Times: …the social sciences have stagnated. They offer essentially the same set of academic departments and disciplines that they have for nearly 100 years: sociology, economics, anthropology, psychology and political science. This is not only boring but...

Automation Anxiety

by | Jul 21, 2013 | Uncategorized

Via Wilson Quarterly: …technological advances have not reduced overall employment, though they have certainly cost many people their jobs. But now, with the advent of machines that are infinitely more intelligent and powerful than most people could have imagined a...

Unhappy Truckers and Other Algorithmic Problems

by | Jul 21, 2013 | Uncategorized

Via Nautilus: modeling the real world, with constraints like melting ice cream and idiosyncratic human behavior, is often where the real challenge lies. As mathematicians, operations research specialists, and corporate executives set out to mathematize and optimize...