Our reading group covered this paper today: Local hedging approximately solves Pandora’s box problems with nonobligatory inspection Ziv Scully and Laura Doval (2025) | Link: https://arxiv.org/pdf/2410.19011 Abstract: We consider search problems with nonobligatory inspection and single-item or combinatorial selection. A decision maker is presented with a number of items, each of which contains an unknown price, and can pay an inspection cost to observe the item’s price before selecting it. Under single-item selection, the decision maker must select one item; under combinatorial selection, the decision maker must select a set of items that satisfies certain constraints. In our nonobligatory inspection setting, the decision maker can select items without first inspecting them. It is well-known that search with nonobligatory inspection is harder than the well-studied obligatory inspection case, for which the optimal policy for single-item selection (Weitzman, 1979) and approximation algorithms for combinatorial selection (Singla, 2018) are known. ...

The Economist has a really interesting July 24 story and relevant articles about AI and its effect on (main macro) economics: The economics of superintelligence | If Silicon Valley’s predictions are even close to being accurate, expect unprecedented upheaval https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/07/24/the-economics-of-superintelligence (The cover is very adorable, click the above link and check it out) The article says, it is believed that superintelligence that outwits (at least average) humanity AI would soon emerge. And the article did a really refreshing thought experiment: ...

I’m practicing the adapted flute solo piece for Lensky’s Aria from Tchaivkosky’s Opera Eugene Onegin. Here’s the background check for this piece: The opera has three acts and Lensky’s aria takes place near the end of Act II: Act I: Tatyana, a bookish and romantic young woman, falls in love with the dashing but aloof Eugene Onegin, a friend of the poet Vladimir Lensky. She writes Onegin a heartfelt letter confessing her feelings. He coldly rejects her, advising her to control her emotions. Act II: At Tatyana’s name-day party, Onegin flirts with Olga, Lensky’s fiancée, partly out of boredom and partly to spite Lensky. Lensky, deeply hurt, challenges Onegin to a duel. Before the duel, Lensky sings his aria (“Kuda, kuda vï udalilis…”), reflecting on his life, his love, and the possibility of death. Onegin kills Lensky in the duel. He is devastated by his own actions and begins a life of guilt and wandering. Act III: Years later, Onegin returns to society and meets a transformed Tatyana—now elegant and composed, married to Prince Gremin. He falls in love with her, but she rejects him, though she confesses she still loves him. She stays loyal to her husband. Lensky’s Aria remorse on his memories of youth, quiet acceptance of possible death and a mixture of sorrow, nostalgia, and peace. This website organized the OG Russian poem (which was directly applied in Tchaikovsky’s opera) with pronunciation and English translation: https://classicalmusicandmusicians.com/2018/03/21/lenskys-aria-from-eugene-onegin-act-ii-sergei-lemishev-at-age-35/. ...

I first encountered matrix completion duing undergrad in Advance Operations course. So I thought it was history well-solved problem. Turns out well, amazing papers still emerge over the past years: Matrix Estimation by Universal Singular Value Thresholding (USVT) Sourav Chatterjee The Annals of Statistics (2015) Consider the problem of estimating the entries of a large matrix, when the observed entries are noisy versions of a small random fraction of the original entries. This problem has received widespread attention in recent times, especially after the pioneering works of Emmanuel Cand`es and collaborators. ...

This piece comes from Chuai Lam’s casual writings, likely penned between 2020 and 2022. Reading his reflections from that turbulent period evokes a strong sense of déjà vu — a vivid reminder of the time when I often looked skyward, longing for travel and the wonders of the world beyond. Chuai Lam reminisces about journeys, people, and — naturally — unforgettable meals. There were countless places he hoped to revisit: Barcelona and Gaudí among them. ...

Flute shines brightest in chamber music — not that the ethereal flute solo in Carmen Intermezzo isn’t already fantastic — but orchestral solos are still somewhat constrained, where the flute serves as one beautiful component within a larger structure. Chamber music, on the other hand, gives the instrument the full freedom to express, flex, dance. And Pahud elevates the entire performance with his charisma, precision, and deep musical understanding. If you ever get the chance, don’t miss him live. Whether it’s orchestral or chamber, it’s worth it. If nothing else, the fact that he’s involved usually signals that the program is something special. ...

The concert hall hosted a public workshop featuring the Berlin Philharmonic Quartet. I hadn’t realized they were inviting students and young musicians from local conservatories to perform live. What a rare and generous and scary opportunity to play for world-class artists. And who would pass up a free masterclass? Especially one led by musicians who live and breathe chamber music. The joy of deep musical conversation was more than enough to offset the… shall we say, colorful distractions of the event’s host — whose long-winded, self-important commentary made many of us long for the mute button. Let’s just say: not every question needs to be asked, and not every moment needs a monologue. ...

Emmanuel Pahud, in my eyes, is the greatest flutist in the world. He’s the principal flute of the Berlin Philharmonic — a position that speaks volumes — and this summer, he’s on tour in China. Two concerts and one workshop. I’m attending all three. As a flutist, I can’t help but reflect a little on his influence on me. I started listening to Pahud’s recordings back in high school, during the pandemic. I was bored, like most people, but suddenly, even Bach and Beethoven didn’t sound boring anymore. His recording of Beethoven’s Sonata for Flute in B-flat Major (Anh. 4) and Bach’s Partita in A minor (BWV 1013) completely captivated 17-year-old me — his tone sounded otherworldly, like the flute had become something transcendent. ...

My Shostakovich-fan friend got really excited recently cause, the composer is about to enter public domain — 50 years after he passed away (August 9 1975). He was like “all his scores are going public, and I can’t wait to see the original manuscript of his Waltz No. 2”. Huh? Well not exactly. Cause first, in most countries, copyright protection lasts for 70 years after the death of the author. Second, most jurisdictions apply public domain changes on January 1st of the year following the 70th anniversary of the death. So even though enter died in August 1975, his works won’t become public domain earliest until January 1, 2026. Lastly, when we say Shostakovich’s works enter the public domain, that means his OG composition (eg. melody, harmonies, structure) are no longer protected. Yet special editions of his scores might still be under copyright — eg. B & H publishes a special 50-anniversary version has editorial rights. ...

Recently I noticed a weirdly popular TikTok trend: It’s gone viral internationally The original choreography is by 不齐舞团: Watch on YouTube, based on a Chinese-Cantonese rap song: Its rise to fame isn’t just algorithmic luck. The song taps into the mindset of a generation of young people in China today — caught in between. They’re not fully grounded in traditional culture, yet feel unable to move upward either. There’s a great article that explores this cultural moment: ...