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Web Game Helps Predict Spread of Epidemics

Posted by samzenpus on from the follow-the-money dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Using data from the web game wheresgeorge.com, which traces the travels of dollar bills, scientists have unveiled statistical laws of human travel and developed a mathematical description that can be used to model the spread of infectious disease."

4 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. The real reports by MonkeyBoyo · · Score: 4, Informative

    Here is the blurb in Nature, Nature's Editor's Summary
    and here is the PDF research paper The scaling laws of human travel.

  2. Woohoo! by NathanBFH · · Score: 4, Informative

    I remember coming across this site several years ago (2001? 2002?) and just for fun entered a couple bills to see how it worked. Since then, I totally forgot about it until this Slashdot reminded me! I'm very curious to find out how 'my' bills are doing these days. I do remember, however, reading somewhere that the average lifespan of a one dollar bill is less than a year or two, so the chances my bills made it past the few months I handled them may be slim.

  3. Re:Business model by OfficialWheresGeorge · · Score: 5, Informative


    The is no "business model". The site DOES NOT SELL RUBBER STAMPS. It stopped selling rubber stamps in 2000 at the request of the U.S. Secret Service.

    It's also not "these guys"... it's "this guy".

    Please stop spreading this disinformation.

  4. Re:erm? is the data even legit? Yes, it is. by OfficialWheresGeorge · · Score: 5, Informative


    I spend a significant amount of time EVERY DAY to ferret out fake data. I have several automated processes that search for and remove any data that does not fit certain criteria. I take this site, and the data integrity very seriously, so I take personal offense to your offhand, unfounded, and ignorant comments.

    -Hank