The latest episode of Freakonomics podcast titled Is Google Getting Worse? (Update) covered a topic (sponsored search) that I thought I was familiar with, but after listening, found myself to be pondering with new thoughts. To begin with, the guest list of this episode is already unimaginably fantastic: SOURCES Marissa Mayer, co-founder of Sunshine; former C.E.O. of Yahoo! and vice president at Google. Ryan McDevitt; professor of economics at Duke University. Tim Hwang, media researcher and author; former Google employee. Elizabeth Reid, vice president of Search at Google. Aravind Srinivas, C.E.O. and co-founder of Perplexity. Jeremy Stoppelman, C.E.O. and co-founder of Yelp. And it mentioned several interesting new facts. Particularly, the process of how PageRank was integrated as Google Search’s core algorithm. I used to took it as granted, but well, idea don’t just grow on chips: ...

I got my driver’s license today! Yet it still feels strange to pass a test I once failed. I still don’t really like driving; would rather sit in the passenger seat to be in control of the music, snacks, and conversations. The driving academy where I used to practice is next to a garbage dump, so the air smells real bad. My coach had a strong accent and cursed a lot, like all those driving instructors. The worst is that the air conditioner barely worked, making it really hot, stuffy and sweaty in the summer. Overall, it wasn’t the most pleasant place to be learning heavy machinary. ...

“I know that all the shits’ fabricated” – breathin Ariana Grande’s “breathin,” the ninth track from her 2018 album Sweetener, stands as a quintessential pop anthem. Despite its conventional ABABCB song structure and the use of familiar chord progressions and motifs, the track has resonated deeply with a broad audience, many of whom regard it as a highlight of the album. While the song’s pop sensibilities might seem overly straightforward to some, its lyrical depth and the uplifting nature of its theme offer a surprising layer of relatability. Ariana Grande herself described “breathin” as an intimate reflection on her personal struggles with anxiety. I was surprised at how reflective it is just to feel being seen out of a vexed situation. This aspect of the song has, on occasion, provided me with a sense of encouragement during moments of anxiety. ...

Music exists at the sublime confluence of mathematics and artistry, embodying a synergy that elevates both disciplines. The essence of music theory, particularly in the analysis of chords, mirrors an advanced form of modular arithmetic, showcasing a mathematical elegance. Musical scores serve as encoded scripts of melodies, awaiting decryption and performance. Particularly, Johann Sebastian Bach epitomizes this blend of mathematical intricacy and artistic beauty, standing as a paragon of the fusion between the two realms. ...

I prefer writing in all lowercases–especially devoid of conventional capitalizations of the first letters. First learnt this in Ariana Grande’s Sweetener album tracks’ all-lowercase namings and initially trying just for fun, I found this way of styled writing extremely comfortable so that it eventually forms into a habit. This seemingly personal preference however, coincides with a latest trend of writing style, especially among Gen Z. Ariana Grande’s iconic, abusive use of all-lowercase writings in her social media posts, do do her fans. Mariah Carey though (see her reply in the lower left corner), still uses the gramatically correct way of typing, even on Instagram. ...

categorized and re-organized list of tags. hurray to my OCD…

what to look forward

Make the AI dance in certain ways, they would eventually stumble. Here’s a new story from the economist about fake-news new: Many AI researchers think fakes will become undetectable AI created contents that are indetectably mixed within genuine ’natural’ human products are causing a lot of troubles. Deep-fake videos and news are generating misleading information towards public. For AI developers who relies on internet-based text corpus to train new AI versions, they are finding their relied sources being polluted by AI generations. Hence, how to detect such trickery is a live topic among ai researchers. There are two primary ways of detection: some firms offer software that aims to spot machine-generated media; others, like the makers of big ai models, meanwhile, are searching for ways of “watermarking” their output so that real pictures, video or text can be readily distinguished from the machine-generated sort. ...

The Spring Festival in-cinema movie market is a compelling subject for analysis. From a macro perspective, its structure transcends the basic two-sided model of buyers and sellers. This market encompasses multiple stakeholders: cinemas, filmmakers (including actors and directors) and their production companies, ticketing platforms, rating agencies, social media, and, crucially, the consumers themselves. These Spring-Festical films are typically produced months in advance, with release dates often aligned with the Spring Festival holidays. They are usually family-friendly comedies, are specifically designed for holiday viewing and might not hold the same appeal outside this context. This creates a marketplace with diverse goods (of small variance), almost invariable supply, and flexible pricing mechanisms—ticket prices can fluctuate, and cinemas have the autonomy to schedule screenings. ...

With Valentine’s Day colliding with the fifth day of the Spring Festival, love is in the air, and economics is on the mind. Here are two tales where romance meets rationality. The Economist’s cost-of-loving index Love, they say, is priceless. But let’s face it, showing off one’s financial prowess can be quite the love language in today’s material world. Valentine’s Day, in particular, turns into a veritable showcase of affection-measured-in-dollars. According to the National Retail Federation, the average American is expected to shell out $186 to woo their Valentine this year. ...