Barabasi+Gladwell

"Viruses and Fads" was an article that was pretty similar to another article we've read. I can see the validity at analyizing the validity of the network of how a virus like AIDS would spread throughout a given population and it's staggering to acknowledge the spread rate. One of the thigns that stood out on this topic as well was the number of sexual partners that some of these people had. To think of someone having 20,000 partners is a little too much for me to imagine. Even if this number was half, or even less, it still amounts to a crazy amount. One of the things that many sociogists do in analyzing certain trends is trying to draw a map of the network but according to the article, there is so much ambiguity and trying to have a sex map would basically be impossible. This little fact to me is frightening, especially where there are so many other suxually transmitted diseases that are not as fatal as aids and most just produce unwanted discomfort but not to be able to map the network would be a good example of a chaotic network where there really is no order.
The fad system had a pretty basic structure called the "threshhold model". This model explains how you have an innovator and that the idea or product has a certain "spreading rate" and until it surpasses the "critical threshold" the fad won't really be successful. There are the stragglers on the end that finally jump in on the fad but they're not really the ones that set the whole fad in motion. This basic structure is given a more complex light with the "The Coolhunt" article.
I couldn't help but get an image of a person who was not too inept with what is "cool" when I read this article. http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&sa=N&resnum=0&q=malcolm%20gladwell&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&tab=wi Try this link and check out the amazing Malcolm Gladwell. This man deserves regognition though because he has had several best sellers and sociological topics are only a fraction of the ones that he researches. Baysie and Dee Dee are the two main figures that he follows around to see what it is that they do to research on what is "cool" and what is in style. One of the main things that they do is they observe the younger teenage crowd and even go as far as asking theor opinions on new products and that's how they make their decision. The intuition on observing the crowd and determiining what is independant taste and what is a fad that could possibly be sold by the thousands is something that he gives credit to. I'm not sure if this system has much order if it lies on some intuition on the consumer network. There have been other similar systems where they do surveys and they have the system where they hire you to take a machine and type in everything you buy so that companies get a good idea on what is being purchased. I'm sure Baysie and Dee Dee make good money at what they do and there is definately a demand for innovation and I think this hunger for innovation could lie on the borderline of a chaotic and orderly network, which allows for progress and innovation.