Our work speaks for itself.Connecting the Dots:
How data, networks, and algorithms shape our world
What is this
A non-technical journey into network science — the hidden architecture behind social media, careers, cities, and the algorithms that shape daily life. Written for curious readers, not data scientists. No code, no equations.
We live in the age of connections. Every swipe becomes a data point; every data point links into networks that quietly shape what we see, who we know, and how influence, popularity, and information spread. Connecting the Dots makes that invisible structure visible — from the digital doppelganger your apps build of you, to why some people go viral and others don't, to what networks can actually predict.
225 pages across 11 chapters. #1 Amazon bestseller.
Who is this for
Anyone curious about how the connected world actually works, without wanting a textbook. Professionals, strategists, and general readers who want to understand the forces behind recommendation systems, online popularity, viral content, and career success. It sits on the same shelf as Barabási's Linked — written by someone who builds these systems for a living.
No technical background required. No data science, statistics, or programming assumed. This is the companion to the Geospatial Data Science Essentials series for readers who want the ideas before the code — or who want to share the concepts with colleagues who don't write Python.
What you learn
How social networks form, evolve, and sometimes collapse
The network science behind Hollywood relationships and Game of Thrones characters
How influencers rise — and what network position actually predicts reach
The hidden connections shaping cities and urban infrastructure
How algorithms use your network to decide what you see next
Why some nodes matter more than others — and what that means for you
What's included
PDF and ebook version on Gumroad; hardcover and paperback editions available on Amazon.
Full outline
Part One — Our Data Selves
1 Judging by Your Profile
2 Reading Your Digital Biography
3 Temporal Activities
4 One Profile Amidst Many
Part Two — Networks Coming to Life
5 Network Anatomy
6 Building Networks from Data
7 The Rise and Fall of Networks
Part Three — Hitting the Big Time, Network Style
8 Online Popularity
9 Networks in a Successful Career
10 Going Viral
11 Networked Predictions