I'm very pleased to share that after several years of hard work, "How to Feed the World" is out now! If you’d like to purchase a copy of the book from Island Press, use the code 4FEED, which is good for a 20% discount.
Blog
Demystifying “big data” part 1: Network analysis
This piece is the first of four I will publish this spring in which I describe particular techniques used to make sense of or mine large data sets. This post covers network analysis.
Your personal news: Agenda setting in the 21st century
Where we historically saw mostly the same news stories, we do no longer. And where historically journalists set the agenda on what we saw, they no longer exclusively do. Does this matter? Is this good? Is it bad?
On biases, GMOs and embracing the boring
Food security is not the most exciting nor alluring of issues, but it is one of the most important. And technology will play a crucial role in how we feed the world. The decisions we make about technology today will carry major ramifications down the line.
Wikipedia and the wizards behind the curtain
Perhaps it behooves us to know more about the source of so much of our knowledge. As informal as we may consider our Wikipedia searches, it doesn't change the fact that most of us lean on it regularly.
The case against capital-P Passion
Taking the pressure off ourselves to find our Passion will ease unrealistic expectations that prevent us from taking advantage of opportunities around us that, if grasped, will provide value to our society. And by working on something that we identify as having value to our society, there's a good chance that passion will slowly emerge over time.
Renee
Three years ago, I was jogging on a trail sandwiched between a cornfield and a forest when a curious thought crossed my mind.
A PhD and research methods
We as humans seek patterns in the world around us. Research methods give us tools to accurately discern patterns – patterns that can improve our lives or give us insights into what appear to be impossible problems or simply fascinate and delight us.
You should know what SEO is
As a consumer of the search engine results, you should be aware that there are teams of people out there working hard to push certain links to the top of certain searches. Needless to say, it's not dumb luck.
Should you make yourself a website? Probably
While a website isn't right for everyone, in most cases I tend to encourage people to create a site for themselves. The ways in which we share about ourselves is evolving, and it's more and more common that we Google people and topics online.