For example, imagine a city in which the Starbucks are spread equally distant from one another. Each coffee drinker will feel the delicious-smelling pull of those cafés closest to her, but since they are equally distant, she will be frozen in indecision forever. If, however, tiny fluctuations in the coffee-brewing process mean that one café had a stronger aroma, then it would attract more customers, leading to more Starbucks being opened across the street, which attracts more customers, leading to more Starbucks being opened, etc. This feedback loop creates a cascade, and pretty soon you have
...more