Complexes

Cybernetics and Systems Research (CSR) were developed in the mid-twentieth century, offering the possibility of describing and comparing different phenomena using the same language. The concepts which originated in CSR have spread to practically all disciplines, many now used within the scientific study of complex systems. CSR has the potential to contribute to the solution of relevant problems, but the path towards this goal is not straightforward. This paper summarizes the ideas presented by the authors during a round table in 2012 on the past, present and future of CSR. The Past, Present and Future of Cybernetics and Systems Research Carlos Gershenson, Peter Csermely, Peter Erdi, Helena Knyazeva, Alexander Laszlo http://arxiv.org/abs/1308.6317

The  MIT Center for Collective Intelligence  has developed a collaborative platform, the Climate CoLab , where thousands of people seek collectively solutions for problems related to climate change. The CoLab is running 18 contests  for different categories. We are finalists in the Transportation Efficiency contest with the project " Self-organizing traffic lights ". Being this a collective platform, people have to vote on the projects they prefer. Teams with the most votes for each contest will be invited to present at the  Crowds and Climate Conference at MIT in November. Key implementers will be there. If you would like traffic lights to work better, please share and  vote for our proposal, " Self-organizing traffic lights " (quick registration required). Summary The optimal coordination of traffic lights is an extremely complex problem. Moreover, traffic situations change constantly, demanding everchanging solutions. Most traffic lights ar...