Web slinger
Albert Laszlo-Barabasi's "Linked."
It takes an awfully talented writer, with a touch of mad genius, to connect
the hacker MafiaBoy to the Christian apostle Paul. It's even more
impressive when this is just part of the introduction. Albert-Laszlo
Barabasi launches his work on interconnections, "Linked: The New Science of
Networks," with this seemingly disparate pair, and then ties together
people, events and scientific theories, uncovering the deep, vast reach of
networks in our midst.
"This book has a simple aim," he writes, "to get you to think networks."
Toward this goal, Barabasi delivers his evidence in individual strands,
weaving them together to show the Web truly is web-like, that a cocktail
party can be an exercise in random graph theory, and that Vernon Jordan's
social life affects the American economy.
Although he waxes often about technology in general, the author saves his
longest riffs for computers and the Internet. And it is in these passages
that his passion for networks truly shines. The origin and technical
nuances of Google particularly fascinate him. This isn't surprising: Google
is a glittering example of Barabasi's theories of connectivity. The search
engine not only derives its power from examining links between Web pages,
but also drew its audience almost solely from social networking, eschewing
the snazzy marketing efforts that were the hallmark of so many other dot-coms.
But to merely hold Google up as an example of social and technical
networking isn't enough for Barabasi. He launches into a discussion of how
the engine demonstrates other connections as well, throwing in Einstein,
the fitness model of competition and growth, and node theory. It is a
dazzling feat, and by the time he finally moves to the next linking, the
mind is reeling.
The sparkling intellect and accessible writing style that Barabasi employs
allow even the scientifically challenged to enjoy his theories. (Meaning
that, when you go to that cocktail party, being able to chat about random
graph theory is alone worth the book's price.) The nascent science of
network theory is well advanced with this nifty little tome. With his
forays into topics like terrorist cells, biotech and even Monica Lewinsky,
Barabasi makes it easy to think networks. -- Elizabeth Millard
http://computeruser.com/articles/2109,4,41,2,0901,02.html
Other reviews...
http://www.nd.edu/~networks/linked/profile.html
