Economist Thomas J. Holmes studies the diffusion of Wal-Mart across the US (here's a video showing the retailer's spread). Here's Holmes discussing how density considerations affect where Wal-Mart places their stores.
College football and network theory meet at last. In a recent paper, a pair of researchers have devised a ranking system based on network theory (with teams that didn't directly play each other, the theory determines who's the better team based on games played versus a mutual foe) that is more accurate than the current polling system used to choose a college football national champion. (via cd)
Interview with Josh On, creator of They Rule. I hadn't realized he was quite so socialist.
Why do you get stuck at O'Hare for hours?. The major airlines' hubs are too "hubby"; that is, to make all the connecting flights work, they overload the airports with takeoffs at peak times, making several flights a day chronically (and purposely) late.
