The world in a grain of sand

We live in a world of ever increasing complexity.  Our economy, our social networks, the very fabric of our lives seem at times random and unfathomable. Yet if we look carefully we find that complex behaviors can often be defined by simple rules. If we understand this truth, perhaps we can better manage the chaos around us. Patterns of "self organization" are everywhere. And if we understand these patterns, physicist and science writer Dr. Len Fisher explains in his new book The Perfect Swarm: The Science of Complexity in Everyday Life, we will understand the ideas of complexity theory that he believe underpins some of the most confounding mysteries in life and provides simples answers to why they occur.  My conversation with Dr. Len Fisher: