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Ted Talks: Sean Gourley on the Mathematics of War
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By pulling raw data from the news and plotting it onto a graph, Sean Gourley and his team have come up with a stunning conclusion about the nature of modern war -- and perhaps a model for resolving conflicts.
May 4, 2009 2:30 PM
Re: Ted Talks: Sean Gourley on the Mathematics of War
Very useful. I remember during the war in Sarajevo, recognizing patterns of random shelling of the city saved my life many times.
For instance, I would hear 1st shell exploding nearby, and then wait for the 2nd one to determine direction of correction. Next one would either be closer or farther away. 3rd would confirm direction frequency, and spacing between shells. Then I would determine if it’s “safe” to leave the shelter or not. Also, from 1992 to 1994 shelling occurrences decreased, but number of victims per single occurrence increased due to longer periods of “calm”, and consequently, people would relax, and public places would be more crowded, thus increasing mortality per single attack.
For instance, I would hear 1st shell exploding nearby, and then wait for the 2nd one to determine direction of correction. Next one would either be closer or farther away. 3rd would confirm direction frequency, and spacing between shells. Then I would determine if it’s “safe” to leave the shelter or not. Also, from 1992 to 1994 shelling occurrences decreased, but number of victims per single occurrence increased due to longer periods of “calm”, and consequently, people would relax, and public places would be more crowded, thus increasing mortality per single attack.
By: flopnik
Re: Ted Talks: Sean Gourley on the Mathematics of War
At one point, media coverage reached critical point in Bosnia and resulted in NATO action.
Increase in mortality would be directly proportional to media coverage, which resulted in critical point for action. From that data, we may determine which races/ethnic groups have higher political/media factor. I assume 1 single life in developed world is equal to 1000 mid- east lives, 100 000 Asians, and 100 000 000 Africans.
Increase in mortality would be directly proportional to media coverage, which resulted in critical point for action. From that data, we may determine which races/ethnic groups have higher political/media factor. I assume 1 single life in developed world is equal to 1000 mid- east lives, 100 000 Asians, and 100 000 000 Africans.
By: flopnik
Re: Ted Talks: Sean Gourley on the Mathematics of War
No, Asians are definitely worth a lot less. I would figure 1 Westerner is about equal to 250 million Asians, judging by our media. The Africans get a lot of powdered milk, remember? Also, the African warlords are on the payroll of the UN and Amnesty International, so, again, the Asians are definitely ranking lower ...
Re: Ted Talks: Sean Gourley on the Mathematics of War
You are correct. I will keep that in mind next time I take political/media factor into consideration.
By: flopnik
Re: Ted Talks: Sean Gourley on the Mathematics of War
Wow, thats some serious McGuyver stuff! Respect!
By: spongebathe
