AttractiveHubs

ThoughtStorms Wiki

(ReadWith) MarketsAndCities Places at the centre of a series of forces which attract.

Name	Moves	Currency	Spatial	Connections / Media	More
City	People, goods	Money, work	Yes	Roads	OnCities, CreativeClass/FlightThereof, InnovationClusters
Market	Money, goods, information	Money	No (1)	Negotiations	OnMarkets
Web-communities	Information	Attention, links	No	http
Brains	signals	chemicals	Yes	Axons / Neurons
Schools	Knowledge	Educational techniques??	Traditionally, yes	Traditionally, teachers

Any system which consists of :

a type of connection / media
some kind of wealth which flows along the connection
some-kind of feed-back mechanism where more succesful nodes gain more of the connections / more of the flow (PowerLaws) This is why I use the word attractive

More importantly, both Cities and Web-Communities (the clue's in the name) move Sociality, or something equally vague. That biological need for other real people. "Attention" may be one word, but doesn't quite grasp the complexity of the human sense of self/others. – GrahamLally

: I like that word sociality? I wonder whether we can make it catch on by using it enough. (See also : GoogleJuice, egoboo, whuffie, NetoCracy, AboutReputation) – PhilJones

More importantly (?), what are the differences between these systems? In particular, I'd say that the brain doesn't fit quite the same model as the rest, because it's complex functionality has some quality other than free-flowing feedback. Admittedly, we tend towards a particular way of thinking such as an "artistic" approach vs a "scientific" approach, but on the whole, the layout of the brain is "stable", as a partially-segregated processing unit - each area doing its own thing, and feedback-clustering effects being kept to a minimum, as otherwise it wouldn't work.

In markets, I think (this is all pretty unsubstantiated... :) we see a series of particularly strong trends, as market interest flocks to already-popular (albeit in a cult kind of way) moneymaking schemes. In cities, popular places are more likely to see more people as a result, and popular roads are more likely to see more use. Google self-fulfils.

All of the above have been either brought about or re-inforced by technology - to run stock markets, to process cashflow through financial institutions, to allow more journeys to be made (especially by individuals), and to track the links between pages.

But the brain doesn't seem to do this, and is (IMHO) somewhat more "autonomous" - anarchistic, if you like. So are the other systems destined to follow their own, wave-like feedback patterns, or can they be made to act more autonomously somehow? Only I think many "leftist" or "disruptive" projects want to head towards the latter.

Hmm, Monday morning. Brain need coffee before think more. May make no sense. – GrahamLally

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