[FRIAM] Article on Epstein

[Owen Densmore]

On Jun 27, 2007, at 9:20 AM, Douglas Roberts wrote:

> ...
> What befuddles me is how much 'complexity scientists' seem to get  
> off on how
> simple simulations can sometimes produce interesting results,  
> rather than
> getting sufficiently cranked up to write *really* big, *really*  
> complex
> societal models, and to then use them to do *really* big and complex
> simulation studies.

I'm reading one of the new spate of complexity books that are *not*  
"popular" books .. they go into more detail and have, gasp,  
*equations*.  Its Nino Boccara's "Modeling Complex Systems".

He distinguishes between simulations and models and on page 5 quotes  
from John Maynard Smith "Models in Ecology":

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> This is not meant to imply any criticism against Josh's work -- it  
> is quite
> interesting, and he is a very good presenter.  It's just that after  
> I see a
> set of simulation results for a simple simulation of a very simple
> artificial society, it makes me want to see what a more realistic,  
> higher
> resolution one can do.

I agree, its been a good year for redfish going into much more  
interesting models .. simulations by the above.  Using GIS rather  
than grids, getting into interesting 3D, even using Google Earth as a  
display .. and naturally the sandbox.

I wish it were easier, none the less, to create these critters  
without spending such a huge amount of time on them.  Not at all  
clear to me that the cost/benefit trade off is in our favor yet.

> Michael A:  I agree, this thread would make an interesting WedTech  
> topic.

Me too .. and maybe at today's Tesoro version we can chat about it a  
bit.

> --Doug

	-- Owen