Welcome to synchrono.us - a blog that makes connections between the worlds of globalization and modeling to bring a different perspective to current events and issues.

My name is Jonathan Tobin and I am student at the UCLA International Institute where I am working on a degree in Global Studies with a minor in Human Complex Systems.

In plain English that means that I study issues involved with globalization, but put them in a practical context by developing models that can hopefully capture the nuances and range of forces involved.

My goal here - at least for the time being - is to be able to add another level of context to issues that come up in the news and in our daily lives. I am not an expert by any means, but I am figuring out who the experts are and hopefully presenting their ideas in a way that is helpful to the readers of this site.

My personal interests lately have focused on issues of privacy, urbanization, social networks, languages, migration and whole host of others. One of my selfish interests for starting this blog is help myself to pinpoint the area that I will focus on as I continue into graduate school and hopefully a position of influence where I will be able to make some sort of impact.

I also want to hear from you. I enjoy learning from other people, especially those who can help me to better understand what I am learning. So please, feel free to contact me if you see a place where I can improve in my analysis of the issues.