For the suppose-to-be-continuous series of online algorithm’s seminar course note (see a pervious note here), here’s a latest one. Today’s theme is introduction to online learning. the so-called “expert setting” There is a decision maker who makes decisions over time horizon $t = 1, 2, \ldots, T$. We expect $T\to \infty$ to be asymptotic in our analysis. There is a set of “actions” — $\lbrace L, H\rbrace$ (assume two for now)....

The Easiest Solution: Follow along when everyone else starts clapping. This rule works surprisingly well! In any audience, there are usually seasoned aficionados who know the piece well enough to clap at just the right moments. Following their lead generally does the trick. By Genre: Concert In classical concerts, it’s customary not to clap between movements of a single piece—especially in large, serious works like symphonies, concertos, or sonatas. These pieces are designed to flow uninterrupted, creating a cohesive experience for the listener....

A small piece for midnight metropolitan, messed with rain and blurred neons.

The famous Abbado-Agerich 1974 recording includes one Prokofiev and two Ravels. All three are splendid piano works. Argerich performed Ravel Piano Concerto in G at Nobel Prize Concert 2009: “a snippet of the concerto that shows a lot of an incredible ability to create dialogue, with herself on the piano, if not with the orchestra” (YouTube comment)

“This piece was recorded between 1930 and 1935 and this isn’t a scamm, it really is Prokofiev who is playing the piano!!”

Mariinsky Ballet at Shanghai, Oct. 23 2024. Ballet Gala. Don Quixote Act II pas de deux. One nice thing about ballet is that you can cheer and applause during the performance—so it’s worthwhile to watch it live (even from the third floor)—to be among the audience and enjoy the awe. The ballerina wasn’t technically 100% perfect—you can observe a tiny trip at 11s. Yet the audience was ignited and she got thundering applause....

La Bayadère is a three-act ballet. It was premiered by the Imperial Ballet at Bolshoi Kamenny, St. Petersburg, Russia in 1877. Music by Ludwig Minkus. Synopsis Set in the Royal India of the past, La Bayadère is a story of eternal love, mystery, fate, vengeance, and justice. The ballet relates the drama of a temple dancer (bayadère), Nikiya, who is loved by Solor, a noble warrior. She is also loved by the High Brahmin, but does not love him in return, as she does Solor....

Here are two interesting pieces: both are from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream—overture or the incidental music suit, arranged for solo/duet piano. 1. Martha Argerich and Cristina Marton play Ouverture and Scherzo Summernight Dream: 2. the famous Scherzo, paraphrased by Rachmaninov ester egg: the flute solo of the Scherzo is a very difficult solo

This is from the Game Changer podcast:Behind the Stars: Uncovering the Biases in Online Reviews | with Tommaso Bondi. Link to the podcast website. The podcast features Tommaso Bondi (link to his webpage) and his paper Alone, Together: A Model of Social (Mis)Learning from Consumer Reviews. The problem roots in cultural markets, like movies, music, books where consumers discover and experience the product without knowing their exact utilities ex-ante. To decide which product to consume, we might utilitze reviews to gauge the unknown utility....

Three miscellaneous for the weekend: the procrastinator Did you know Felix Mendelssohn composed music for Shakespeare’s comedy, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, not once, but twice? At the tender age of 17, he crafted the overture (Op. 21, 1826). Later in his career, in 1842—just five years before his demise—he completed a full suite of incidental music (Op. 61) for the play’s production. Btw, the beloved Wedding March we all know is from this very suite!...