
my work ethic | pinned post
Think Iâve kind of learned that the more authentic and genuine it is, the better it will work for you.
Tchaikovsky's Swan Coda from the Appendix
Iâm graduating tmrw :) For this coda chapter, I really want to play this music for myself: Vivacious tempo, sparkling technique, bursting with joy, somewhat hidden, and adds a little bit obsession over details and perfection â this piece really best summarize my undergrad journey. What piece would you choose as your graduation day bgm?
Approximation Algorithm for RMAB
The paper âApproximation Algorithms for Restless Bandit Problemsâ by Guha, Munagala, Shi (2009) designed a $2 + \epsilon$-approximation algorithm for a special class of RMAB (âFeedback MABâ, and generalized to âMonotone MABâ). The algorithm is fundamentally different to the classical Whittle Index. The paperâs analysis uses a duality-based algorithmic techniqueâit is vastly different compared with Weber (1988)âs proof for RMABâs asymptotic optimality, hence the $2 + \epsilon$ approximation outcome doesnât requires asymptotic....
Gattaca (1997), and Schubert's Impromptu No.3
Thereâs no gene for the human spirit. â Gattaca (1997) Vincent Freeman is born into a genetically engineered society but conceived naturally, deemed âin-validâ due to a heart condition. Determined to defy his genetic fate and reach space, Vincent assumes the identity of Jerome Morrow, a former elite athlete, to join Gattacaâs space program. Gattaca is the stunning directorial debut of Andrew Niccol, who also wrote The Truman Show (1998)....
Cool Paper | Sparse Stochastic Bandits
The visible world is no longer a reality and the unseen world no longer a dream (Kandinsky)
MAB UCB1 No-Regret Proof
This is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!
Barcarolle Battle | Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn and Offenbach
Evoking the rush of water, the stroke of oars and the motion of the ocean, the Barcarolle was a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers (the word comes from âBarcaâ meaning âboatâ). Characterised by a rocking rhythm, suggestive of the movement of the gondola, a Barcarolle is usually of moderate tempo scored in compound time (often 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8). The genre has been used by many composers to great expressive effect....
Bandits with Switching Cost
Multi-armed bandits with switching costs are a special case of the restless-bandit model. Setup Consider the infinite-horizon, discounted MAB problem with finite state space $\mathcal S$, binary action set ${0,1}$ per arm ($1$ = pull, $0$ = idle), discount factor $0\le\beta<1$, arms evolve only when pulled (i.e. âstaticâ when $a_i=0$), per-pull reward $r_i(s)$. We now add two costs for each arm $i$: switch-in cost $c_i$: paid (once) whenever we switch to arm $i$,...
How music at work can fine-tune your research
Are you listening to anything the last time you read/wrote a paper? Sounds of science: how music at work can fine-tune your research Nature | https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00984-4 Researchers describe how listening to music at work can boost (or hamper) productivity, and share the tunes that keep them focused. TLDR: music cheers you upâalmost like a mental massage, dopamine boosters. So it makes tedious, repetitive work less unenjoyable. But music also takes up the brainâs processing power, especially for people with musical training....
RMAB Survey | Niño-Mora 2023
âThe literature on the RMABP, whether on its theoretical, algorithmic, or application aspects, is currently vast to the point where it is virtually infeasible for researchers to keep up to date with the latest advances in the field.â True. Markovian Restless Bandits and Index Policies: A Review JosĂ© Niño-Mora | Mathematics, 2023 The review is organized as follows. Section 2 surveys the antecedents to the RMABP, in particular, the classic MABP and the Gittins index policy....