Category Archives: Information diffusion
The Birth and Growth of Scientific Journals
Today in 1665, the first issue of the Journal des sçavans (later renamed Journal des savants), was published in Paris. It is widely regarded as the first scientific journal but a more apt description would be a journal for men of … Continue reading
Posted in Data growth, Information diffusion, Science
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First Regularly Scheduled Airmail Service
Today in 1918, the first regularly scheduled airmail service in the United States was inaugurated over a route between Washington, DC, and New York City with an intermediate stop in Philadelphia, PA.
The Earth Shrunk in the 19th Century
“A critical fact in the world of 1801 was that nothing moved faster than the speed of a horse. No human being, no manufactured item, no bushel of wheat … no letter, no information, no idea, order, or instruction of … Continue reading
Information Gets Wings (2)
Today in 1911, French pilot Henry Pequet, representing the Humber Motor Company of England at the Industrial and Agricultural Exhibition in Allahabad, India, carried over 6,000 cards and letters on his Sommer biplane a distance of 13 km (8.1 miles) from Allahabad to Naini, India.
MIT Study Proves the World is Not Flat
Researchers at MIT and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, modeling the diffusion of social contagion by studying the spread of Twitter from 2006 to 2009, have found that “the site’s growth in the United States relied primarily … Continue reading
This Day In Information: Scientific Journals
Today in 1665, the first issue of the Journal des sçavans (later renamed Journal des savants), was published in Paris.
This Day In Information: 1st Postmaster General
Today in 1789, Samuel Osgood became the first Postmaster General under the U.S. Constitution. The next year, 1790, the U.S. Postal Service moved 300,000 letters and 500,000 newspapers, according to Richard John’s definitive history of the American postal system. Says … Continue reading
Posted in email, Information diffusion, News, This day in information
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Rapid spread of information vs. behavior change
MIT’s Damon Centola: “The networks that make information spread more quickly actually make behavior spread more slowly.” The “Strength of weak ties” (i.e., random networks) does not impact people’s behavior. Conclusion: Twitter good for rapid information dissemination and Facebook good … Continue reading
Posted in Information diffusion, Social Networks
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The Story of Information 