From Amazon.com
How is the human brain like the AIDS
epidemic? Ask physicist Albert-László Barabási and he'll explain them
both in terms of networks of individual nodes connected via complex but
understandable relationships. Linked: The New Science of Networks
is his bright, accessible guide to the fundamentals underlying
neurology, epidemiology, Internet traffic, and many other fields united
by complexity. Barabási's gift for concrete, nonmathematical
explanations and penchant for eccentric humor would make the book
thoroughly enjoyable even if the content weren't engaging. But the
results of Barabási's research into the behavior of networks are deeply
compelling. Not all networks are created equal, he says, and he shows
how even fairly robust systems like the Internet could be crippled by
taking out a few super-connected nodes, or hubs. His mathematical
descriptions of this behavior are helping doctors, programmers, and
security professionals design systems better suited to their needs. Linked presents the next step in complexity theory--from understanding chaos to practical applications. --Rob Lightner