NEW REVIEWS
Rain Taxi Review of Books
Leonardo Digital Reviews, MIT Press
Central Sun Journal
Yale Medicine

 

PRAISE

"I’ve completed my first reading and it was a delightful experience. As you know, I love broad syntheses, and you have carried that off in superb fashion. The result is, for me, a mature and thought-provoking exploration. It’s particularly satisfying that the illustrations have an integral role, rather than being decoration—not typical. This is a work in the grand tradition of Douglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach."
-John H. Holland, Professor of Psychology and Computer Science, Ann Arbor, MI; author of Hidden Order: How Adaptation Builds Complexity and Emergence

"One thing that came to my mind in the part of building blocks is the way martial arts work...In karate the techniques are built out of individual movements, for example a high block, low kick, etc. The katas are choreographed sequences of these techniques…The final idea is that the student learns the building or small sequences of building blocks so well that they become a part of him/her, so that in a real life situation they flow without thinking."
-Maarten Roos Serote, Observatorio Astronomico de Lisboa, Portugal

"It is already clear to me that the book isn't about cities at all but rather about what it means to be human and specifically about relationships between human beings.
-Marianne Klekacz, Circuit News, Portland, Oregon

"It is a great pleasure to see the way you have brought together so many great ideas and the broad picture of so many diverse subjects and showed how so much is inter-related!"
-George Vekinis, Professor of Materials Science, Athens, Greece

"Like listening to Jazz, every time I read your book I gain a greater sense of things going on. First time I read it with a very analytical perspective . . . Next time, I tried to feel it and spent less time trying to think through every page. Each time it makes more sense, or appeals to me in a different way, just like art I suppose. It’s been great."
-David Casey, Lieutenant Colonel, US Marines

"On many levels I benefited from reading your metaphor on Calvino's "Invisible Cities". As an instructor of urban geography at Eastern Michigan University, I read Calvino's work but understood little until I read your book. As a student of Complex Systems, your book made John Holland's theoretical presentations more real and accessible. As a scientist, I'm fascinated by your depth of knowledge about the physical world and how cas may be applied to organizing understanding of urban systems. Many thanks."
-Tom Wagner, Instructor in urban geography, Ann Arbor, MI

"What a fascinating journey! The cover is great, but what is between the cover is really amazing. It is scholarly but within grasp. It is astounding how complex, but still ordered the world is. You convinced me with your thorough examples of the universal principles."
-Anonymous, New Haven, CT

"It takes me back to the good old days when we attended sessions with Buckminster Fuller."
-Reta Beebe, Professor of astronomy, Las Cruces, NM

"I just saw a copy of your book…and I have to say I am both amazed and a bit jealous of it…when I looked through your book I thought wow! I need two of these, and as is ever the case with brilliant ideas, why did I not think of doing this?"
-Uri Hershberg, Theoretical biologist and comics writer, New Haven, CT

"I LOVE the illustrations."
-Bevil Conway, Artist and neurobiologist, Cambridge, MA

"Wow!… Thank you for producing such a wonderful little book. I really enjoyed it. It in itself is indeed a work of art. It is complex, informative, with many many layers of metaphors refer to one another and within itself. I love the design of the book, not just the physical design but also the ideas and such, with rules, slacks and novelties and all things you set to reflect. It's a representation of itself. Also very refreshing. Beautiful."
-Ah San Wong, Planetary scientist, writer, and musician, Ann Arbor, MI

"IC arrived and it has been delightfull to look through it. Its shape and variety of "page states" is very enjoyable to handlesee....and ponder what all is flowing through the page/slidesites."
-John W. Wright, Professor of English, Ann Arbor, MI

"It occurred to me that "organizational structures that we create to communicate understanding" is a contemporary way to think of the ancient concept of 'logos', a story of coming into being, told by analogy, which may be verbal or numerical."
-Steve Bass, Architect, Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America, New York, NY

PRESS, COLLECTIONS & CONNECTIONS
Complexity Digest
Santa Fe Institute
Yale Arts of the Book Collection
Princeton Alumni Weekly
Yale Alumni Magazine
Ancient Forum 2004

IC: A Metaphorical CAS has now reached at least 20 states; 7 countries; 3 continents