Category: Social World

Intelligence Squared: The Killer Apps of Western Civilization

Naill Ferguson gives a provocative talk about his thesis that there are six “Killer Apps” that made western civilization so successful over the last five centuries.

The killer apps he suggests are:

  • Political and economic competition
  • The scientific method
  • Property rights (linked to voting)
  • Modern Medicine
  • Consumer based economies
  • Protestant work ethic

There’s a PBS series about it as well.

The Intelligence2 podcast, recommended by Mr. Schmidt, is a great resource for talks like this one. They have a nice archive.

Global Shipping Patterns Then and Now

Ships tracks in black, plotted on a white background, show the outlines of the continents and the predominant tracks on the trade winds. Image and caption from Sapping Attention.
Ships tracks in black, plotted on a white background, show the outlines of the continents and the predominant tracks on the trade winds. Image and caption from Sapping Attention.

For an interesting historical contrast — that highlights the change from wind to engine powered ships and the opening of the Panama and Suez canals — above is Ben Schmidt’s image created from the log books of U.S. ships in the 19th century, while below is a figure by Ben Halpern showing modern shipping patterns.

This map shows the frequency of shipping traffic along shipping routes around the world, ranging from low (blue) to high (red). Image and caption from SeaWeb.
This map shows the frequency of shipping traffic along shipping routes around the world, ranging from low (blue) to high (red). Image and caption from SeaWeb.

The first image also clearly shows the triangular trade routes between the Americas, Europe and Africa.

Schmidt also has some wonderful videos showing, among other things, the routes of whaling ships that are pushed farther and farther out as they drive whale populations toward extinction.

Global Warming and the War in Syria

Reds and oranges highlight lands around the Mediterranean that experienced significantly drier winters during 1971-2010 than the comparison period of 1902-2010. Credit NOAA.
Reds and oranges highlight lands around the Mediterranean that experienced significantly drier winters during 1971-2010 than the comparison period of 1902-2010. Credit NOAA.

A 2011 article from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration linked recent severe droughts in the Mediterranean to anthropogenic climate change. Now Francesco Femia and Caitlin Werrell assert that the drought (and agricultural mismanagement) lead to the displacement of a million and a half people in Syria, which helped spark the current civil war.

Additional links:

ᔥ The Dish

Imagining Geography

Making the figurative a little more literal: using the soccer field as a map.

One of the games Dr. A. plays with the middle school geography class is to have them use the soccer field as a large map. They chose a place and someone runs to its location on the field. What I like is that he insists that the map be all in their heads. They might have one or two control points, but they have to visualize the map mentally.

I saw them out on the soccer field today, and I thought I’d make their imaginary map a little more literal in Gimp.

UPDATE: Dr. A[ustin] clarifies the rules of the competitive game they were playing in the comments below, in case anyone wants to try it.

Update 2: Move your mouse over the image below to see the picture with or without the map (larger version here).

Conflict over water

One of the articles my students brought to our Environmental Science discussion was about the growing fears about wars over water. Even within the U.S.A. there are significant conflicts, as demonstrated by this NPR article.

Texas has tried to buy Oklahoma water from the state, its cities and towns, and its Native American tribes. But Oklahoma lawmakers have blocked those efforts with a string of laws restricting out-of-state water exports.

The view in Texas is that Oklahoma isn’t even using its full allocation of Red River water. Oklahomans respond that Texas hasn’t gotten serious enough about conservation.

“Our poor, poor thirsty people in Dallas, Texas,” muses state Sen. Jerry Ellis, a Democrat who represents southeastern Oklahoma. “There’s nobody thirsty in Dallas, Texas.”

— Wertz,J., 2013: Thirsty States Take Water Battle To Supreme Court on NPR.

The full article:

P.S. Lauren Markham has an article about environmental “refugees” forced to leave Ethiopia because of the changing rainfall patterns over the last eight years.