
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.
Goofy and Economically Significant Intellectual Property Right Bleaches
Something fun for April 1st: Goofy (and economically spicy) IP bleachesâaka, copycats! Miu Miu vs. Zara Miu Miu is high fashion. Zara is high speed. One sells couture dreams; the other sells dreams on clearance. For trendy (and budget-aware) fashion girls, Zara is a cheat codeâyou can literally recreate an entire Miu Miu look for about 5% of the price. TikTok is full of tutorials showing how to turn YSL, Miu Miu, or Prada show into a Zara haul....
Experimentation? Online Learning?
Today at Columbia Business Schoolâs DRO PhD open house, a friend of mine from SJTU is really into something called âexperimentationââand introduced it to me. I found is somewhat echos online learning. But not entirely the same. Experimentation in OR/OM means actively exploring different actions to learn about unknown factors, rather than passively using assumed parameters to optimize a system. This concept is central to online learning problems like multi-armed bandits and reinforcement learning....
My Ex, Apple PR, and the Economics of (Not) Buying an iPhone
Last summer, my then-boyfriendânot an economist but, as it turned out, a very rational kind of assholeâdrove me to the airport to San Francisco. As I trying to connect up Apple Music in the car, I frustratingly struggled with his ancient iPhone 8. He muttered that âthe new one is already ordered.â I nodded. Fine. Weeks later, I landed back from Yale, and he was there to pick me up againâwith the same cracked iPhone 8....
Boundary of Pop | AG's New Deluxe Album
Ariana Grandeâs new album Eternal Sunshine (Deluxe) is released today, with six additional songs. Eternal Sunshine Deluxe Ariana Grande has always been my favorite pop singer. Her new album as usual, is extremely complicatedly layered and emotionally authentic. I bet for at least 8.0 in pitchfork. AG is setting the upperbound of pop music. Because, pop music, just like every other genres of art, are constrained by their definition, structure, and functionality....
Impressionism at the Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago boasts one of the worldâs finest collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. If youâre a frequent gallery visitor, one Monet wonât be too much of a surprise. But a walls of Monetâs Wheatstacks would still be impressive⊠The following is one of my favourite. One of Monetâs 25 Haystacks painting (1888-1891). Btw, really good short introduction for impressionism: The Triumph of Impressionism In the 1870s, a group of young artists, who would be known as the Impressionists, redefined what a painting should be....
A little economically inclined
I am at Chicago Boothâs PhD admits visit day. Professor Budish suggested a really useful advice in terms of how to choose where to go to âGo and read (thoroughly) the papers of the professors you want to work with at all places you want to go to. Then youâll know.â Professor Pernoud gave a hint on being successful PhD student: donât procrastinate, submit papers asap. Boothâs âwinter gardenâ And I ran into Emir Kamenica in the hallway....
Chinese tea chain Chagee files for U.S. initial public offering
Do Chinese people really drink that much milk tea? Mar 25 2025: Chinese tea chain Chagee filed for a U.S. initial public offering on Tuesday, seeking to trade on the Nasdaq using the ticker âCHA.â Since its founding in 2017, the company has grown to more than 6,400 teahouses across China, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, as of Dec. 31, according to a regulatory filing. Roughly 97% of its locations are in China....
Medical School Match Day
Match Day happens on the third Friday in March (March 21, 2025, in this yearâs case). On Monday of that week, students learn whether theyâve matched with a residency program but they donât yet find out where they have matched. This Match status notification is sent by email at 10am ET on Monday. (Students who do not match by Monday may apply for supplemental offers that concludes on Thursday, the day prior to Match Day....
Facebook Banned a Book Saying Negative Things About It
Facebookâs former Director of Public Policy Sarah Wynn-Williams published a memoir about her experience working at Facebook (Meta). The book is titled Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism. The book is officially published on March 11, 2025. On the day of the bookâs publication, Meta filed an arbitration demand. Just a day later, the book is âbannedââarbitrator temporarily ordered Sarah not to make any âdisparaging, critical or otherwise detrimental commentsâ related to Meta and to stop promoting the book....