Edinburgh Fringe fame for a one woman show is proof of the randomness of celebrity

The Edinburgh Festival is in full swing and the number of performers is almost incredible: the overall total this year is estimated to be around 50,000. A small fraction are already established names; an even smaller fraction may become famous as the festival unfolds. But most will return home just as unknown as when they […]

Thomas Schelling – a true polymath of genius

Thomas Schelling

Thomas Schelling is probably best known in economics for his contributions to game theory. Indeed the citation for his 2005 Nobel Prize states it was for “having enhanced our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game theory analysis”. In the early, tense years of the Cold War between America and the Soviet Union in the […]