Science

Each day trillions of emails, phone calls, comments on blogs, twitter messages, exchanges in online social networks, etc. are done. Not only the number of communications has increased, but also each of these transactions leaves a digital trace that can be recorded to reconstruct our high-frequency human activity. It is not only the amount and variety of data that is recorded what is important. Also its high-frequency character and its comprehensive nature have allowed researchers, companies and agencies to investigate individual and group dynamics at an unprecedented level of detail and applied them to client modeling, organizational analysis or epidemic spreading [1]. ...

La crisis y su efecto en los presupuestos del año 2010 han servido para poner a prueba el compromiso del gobierno de cambiar de modelo productivo y aumentar el gasto en I+D+i. En especial, sufren recortes los gastos del ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (hasta un 17%), el capítulo 7 (las subvenciones a investigadores) un 17% y los presupuestos de algunos OPIs dependientes del Ministerio con un 15% menos de media. ...

We have just published an experimental/theoretical work on the speed of information diffusion in social networks in Physical Review Letters. Specifically we have studied the impact of the heterogeneity of human activity in propagation of emails, rumors, hoaxes, etc. Tracking email marketing campaigns, executed by IBM Corporation in 11 European countries, we were able to compare their viral propagation with our theory (see below the campaigns details). The results are very simple. ...

Giving a good talk is not an easy task, but with time and practice you get to learn how to communicate (hopefully I’ve learned too!!). There are a number of places on the web with advices to give a good talk. But I like Paul N. Edwards’s short manual about how to give an academic talk. My experience as audience in many talks tell me that the most important things are (quoting Paul’s manual): ...

Our research group is looking for Ph.D. candidates. Here is the announcement  We offer contracts to work for a Ph.D. within the project MOSAICO (Modelling, Analysis and Simulations of Complex Systems). Candidates must have a degree in physics, math or related disciplines with outstanding marks. Info on the research lines is available from [http://www.gisc.es](http://www.gisc.es) and work will be carried out at Universities Complutense or Carlos III de Madrid. Work will begin on October 1st, 2009. ...

We’ve heard it: people that invest on the stock market or that gamble in lotteries, casinos, etc usually say “I’m going through a bad patch” (or bad spell). That is, they have been losing money for a while, but hey! better times are ahead and there’s no reason to quit. Are they sure? Are better times ahead? How close is “ahead” to today? Let’s work through a specific example to see how far is “ahead”. ...