Related papers: The Infinity Pool
These informal notes, initially prepared a few years ago, look at various questions related to infinite processes in several parts of mathematics, with emphasis on examples.
If a concept is not well defined, there are grounds for its abuse. This is particularly true of complexity, an inherently interdisciplinary concept that has penetrated very different fields of intellectual activity from physics to…
We present infinite extensive strategy profiles with perfect information and we show that replacing finite by infinite changes the notions and the reasoning tools. The presentation uses a formalism recently developed by logicians and…
Employees in low-skilled jobs have limited agency when it comes to professional retraining. Career transitions for low-skilled white-collar workers, despite their frequent desire to change professions, are often hindered; they prove to be…
We study the streamlines of $\infty$-harmonic functions in planar convex rings. We include convex polygons. The points where streamlines can meet are characterized: they lie on certain curves. The gradient has constant norm along…
This is a broad and in places unconventional overview of the strengths and shortcomings of our standard models of fundamental physics and of cosmology. The emphasis is on ideas that have accessible experimental consequences. It becomes…
A vast body of literature addresses the complex nature of science's reproducibility crisis. In contrast with this perceived complexity, some recent papers from the discipline of physics suggests that irreproducibility does not point to a…
Defining interdisciplinary physics today requires first a reformulation of what is physics today, which in turn calls for clarifying what makes a physicist. This assessment results from my forty year journey arguing and fighting to build…
I discuss puzzles that require thinking outside the box. I also discuss the box inside of which many people think.
A few topics beyond the standard model are reviewed.
Randomness (in the sense of being generated in an IID fashion) and exchangeability are standard assumptions in nonparametric statistics and machine learning, and relations between them have been a popular topic of research. This short paper…
We present a structural approach toward achieving equal opportunity in systems of algorithmic decision-making called algorithmic pluralism. Algorithmic pluralism describes a state of affairs in which no set of algorithms severely limits…
In many countries and institutions around the world, the hiring of workers is made through open competitions. In them, candidates take tests and are ranked based on scores in exams and other predetermined criteria. Those who satisfy some…
In many countries and at European level, research policy increasingly focuses on 'excellent' researchers. The concept of excellence however is complex and multidimensional. For individual scholars it involves talents for innovative…
AI is transforming industries, raising concerns about job displacement and decision making reliability. AI, as a universal approximation function, excels in data driven tasks but struggles with small datasets, subjective probabilities, and…
Theoretical physics is the search for simple and universal mathematical descriptions of the natural world. In contrast, much of modern biology is an exploration of the complexity and diversity of life. For many, this contrast is prima facie…
Patterns embody repeating phenomena, and, as such, they are partly but not fully detachable from their context. 'Design patterns' and 'pattern languages' are established methods for working with patterns. They have been applied in…
A diverse workforce and open culture are essential to satisfaction in the workplace, to innovation and creativity, and to the ability of an organisation to attract and retain talent. To ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, efforts can…
The diversity of patterns that emerge from complex systems motivates their use for scientific or artistic purposes. When exploring these systems, the challenges faced are the size of the parameter space and the strongly non-linear mapping…
The process of doing Science in condition of uncertainty is illustrated with a toy experiment in which the inferential and the forecasting aspects are both present. The fundamental aspects of probabilistic reasoning, also relevant in real…