El Libro de Job

Tal como mencionabamos Apple debe ser en la actualidad la compañia mas innovadora del mundo. El editorial de esta semana de The Economist coincide. Quizas llamarla seminal device sea demasiado, pero los tipos saben lo que hacen.

Leonardo

Si creian que resaltar adecuadamente las cualidades propias en un CV era una mera complicacion contemporanea, miren el Resume de Da Vinci. Bravo!

Andes Teletransporter

De MDZ para el mundo. No dejan de sorprenderme estos mendocinos.

iPad

Llego finalmente al mercado. Indudablemente los muchachos estos saben lo que hacen. Puedo decir con absoluta seguridad que no existe otra compañia que genere este tipo innovaciones tecnologicas junto con un diseño extremadamente estetico, user friendly, integracion global, estabilidad y a un precio accesible. Google, quien diria que le sigue en la linea, carece de la integracion estetica y simpleza funcional de Apple.

Aca algunas predicciones by Tyler Cowen.

Update: Mas observaciones.

Ajedrez: Hombre vs Computadoras

Excelente articulo del maestro Garry Kasparov sobre el ajedrez y la inteligencia artificial. Algunos pasajes que me gustaron,

"In 1985, in Hamburg, I played against thirty-two different chess computers at the same time in what is known as a simultaneous exhibition.

[...] It illustrates the state of computer chess at the time that it didn't come as much of a surprise when I achieved a perfect 32–0 score, [...]

[...] Eleven years later I narrowly defeated the supercomputer Deep Blue in a match. Then, in 1997, IBM redoubled its efforts—and doubled Deep Blue's processing power—and I lost the rematch in an event that made headlines around the world. The result was met with astonishment and grief by those who took it as a symbol of mankind's submission before the almighty computer.

[...] Today, for $50 you can buy a home PC program that will crush most grandmasters.

[...] The number of legal chess positions is 1040, the number of different possible games, 10120. Authors have attempted various ways to convey this immensity, usually based on one of the few fields to regularly employ such exponents, astronomy. In his book Chess Metaphors, Diego Rasskin-Gutman points out that a player looking eight moves ahead is already presented with as many possible games as there are stars in the galaxy. Another staple, a variation of which is also used by Rasskin-Gutman, is to say there are more possible chess games than the number of atoms in the universe. All of these comparisons impress upon the casual observer why brute-force computer calculation can't solve this ancient board game.

[...] Excelling at chess has long been considered a symbol of more general intelligence. That is an incorrect assumption in my view, as pleasant as it might be. But for the purposes of argument and investigation, chess is, in Russkin-Gutman's words, "an unparalleled laboratory, since both the learning process and the degree of ability obtained can be objectified and quantified, providing an excellent comparative framework on which to use rigorous analytical techniques."

[...] Having a computer partner also meant never having to worry about making a tactical blunder. The computer could project the consequences of each move we considered, pointing out possible outcomes and countermoves we might otherwise have missed. With that taken care of for us, we could concentrate on strategic planning instead of spending so much time on calculations."

BTW, el ajedrez es un juego dinamico de informacion completa (Kasparov lo describe en una parte de su articulo) y por tanto tiene una solucion, ie., una forma optima de jugarlo mediante la cual gana siempre el que tiene blancas o el que tiene negras o hay empate. Pero por los numeros de arriba aun no existe la tecnologia capaz de calcularlo.

Si les gusto el articulo y aun no lo vieron, les recomiendo el documental Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine (2003) sobre las partidas de ajedrez de Kasparov contra Deep Blue.

Desigualdad mundial

La pobreza y desigualdad mundial han caido fenomenalmente en los ultimos años,

"Although world population has increased by about 80% over this time (World Bank 2009), the number of people below the $1 a day poverty line has shrunk by nearly 64%, from 967 million in 1970 to 350 million in 2006. In the past 36 years, there has never been a moment with more than 1 billion people in poverty, and barring a catastrophe, there will never be such a moment in the future history of the world."

Hipnotizandose

Los peligros de practicar hipnotismo frente al espejo.

Que fotos tienen mas levante?

Conviene sonreir? Mirada a la camara o mirada misteriosa? Mostrar los abdominales? Las respuestas en este muy buen articulo sobre dating profile photos. Altamente recomendable para fanticos/as de FB (y demases) y behavioral analysts.

Misa

Misa presento su guitarra digital. Leeenda nene...



Todavia no tiene precio.

Israel and Iran

The gathering storm from The Economist.

Haiti, 6 dias despues

38 fotos impresionantes.

Por que es Haiti tan pobre?

Aca un pequeño essay contestando. Algunos highlights,

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere because of her history, her present social structures which grew out of her history and because she is caught in the impossible competition of modern economics.

The root causes are the political and economic systems which have dominated Haiti for the whole of her 182 years. These oppressive factors have come from the international community, especially France and the United States. However, the Haitian elite, comprising only 3% of the Haitian people has also been a major factor in creating and continuing these oppressive conditions.

French is the official language of the country. All state business is carried on in French, the schools educate mainly in French. Social prestige is related to the ability to speak French. Yet only about 10% of the people can even get along in French, with less than 5% knowing the language fluently. Creole is the language of the masses. 100% of the Haitians speak and understand Creole as their mother tongue.

One of the results of this oppression of language is a national illiteracy rate which is very close to 90% in the cities, and higher in rural areas.

Legally, education is free and open to all. Actually, state-sponsored education is limited and most secondary or university education goes to the children of the elite. Only about 30% of Haitian children ever begin school, and of the 30%, only 2% stay in school beyond the 5th grade.

Nearly everyone has heard about Haiti's disastrous soil erosion. Haiti is a mountainous country.

Ironically, Haiti, a primarily agricultural land, is a net importer of food.

Electricity is not available except for a tiny percent of the populace.

Haiti suffers many many ills which I've tried to catalogue above. Ironically, one often hears that Voodoo is the major cause of Haiti's misery. I want to address this claim because I believe it is a complete myth.

Aca 118 paginas de indicadores sociales y politicos de Haiti segun el World Bank.

Mas tatuajes/piercings, mas problemas

En este paper los autores reportan una correlacion positiva y significativa entre el numero de tatuajes/piercings y una conducta problematica (tal como el uso de substancias ilegales, haber sido arrestado por algun crimen o hacer trampa en la universidad),

"Results indicate that respondents with four or more tattoos, seven or more body piercings, or piercings located in their nipples or genitals, were substantively and significantly morelikely to report regular marijuana use, occasional use of other illegal drugs, and a history of being arrested for a crime. Less pronounced, but still significant in many cases, was an increased propensity for those with higher incidence of body art to cheat on college work, binge drink, and report having had multiple sex partners in the course of their life time."

Como asegurarse que no te pierdan o roben el equipaje

Muy sencillo, tomando ventaja de la paranoia antiterrorista,

"I have a starter pistol for all my cases. All I have to do upon check-in is tell the airline ticket agent that I have a weapon to declare...I'm given a little card to sign, the card is put in the case, the case is given to a TSA official who takes my key and locks the case, and gives my key back to me.

That's the procedure. The case is extra-tracked...TSA does not want to lose a weapons case. This reduces the chance of the case being lost to virtually zero.

It's a great way to travel with camera gear...I've been doing this since Dec 2001 and have had no problems whatsoever."

Assorted links

• La novela del Banco Central
• El riesgo de un deslizamiento de la democracia al autoritarismo
• Cual es el liquido mas caro?
  

Viva la pirateria

Blockbuster se fue definitivamente de Mendoza luego de 15 años.

Como comer sushi

Clic sobre la imagen para agrandarla,

HT to Tyler Cowen.

El peor Diego

La IFFHS publico el ranking con los mejores entrenadores de selecciones de 2009. Maradona quedo numero 22 con solo 5 votitos a la par de Nigeria, Paraguay y Nueva Zelanda (clic sobre la imagen para agrandarla),

No importa, este año lo unico que cuenta es el mundial... lo que me deja con un poco de miedo.

US esta aprendiendo de Europa

En este articulo de Paul Krugman en el NY Times,

"As health care reform nears the finish line, there is much wailing and rending of garments among conservatives. And I’m not just talking about the tea partiers. Even calmer conservatives have been issuing dire warnings that Obamacare will turn America into a European-style social democracy. And everyone knows that Europe has lost all its economic dynamism."

Aca va el GDP per capita ajustado por el nivel de precios (PPP) segun el IMF para US, algunos paises de Europa y Latinoamerica,

United States 47,440
United Kingdom 36,358
Germany 35,539
France 34,205
Greece 30,681
Italy 30,631
Spain 30,589
Mexico 14,534
Chile 14,529
Argentina 14,408
Venezuela 12,806
Uruguay 12,785
Brazil 10,466
World 10,433

Update 1: Aca otra critica al argumento de que US debe aprender de Europa. HT to Greg Mankiw.
Update 2: The rise of european leisure.

La cultura narco

En concordancia con lo que deciamos aca sobre la despenalizacion, Tomas Eloy Martínez escribe para La Nacion de hoy sobre los desafios de la nueva cultura narco con enfasis en Mexico y Colombia y haciendo un paralelismo con la Ley Seca,

"Las inteligencias más lúcidas del continente insisten en que es imperioso llegar a un acuerdo de cooperación entre traficantes y consumidores. Cuando se rompan esos pactos siniestros de silencio y dinero, y los expendios de droga salgan a la luz del día, como el alcohol después de la ley seca, quizás hasta los propios traficantes descubran las ventajas de trabajar dentro de la ley y, al sentirse más seguros, irradien esa seguridad sobre las comunidades a las que comprometen."

Update: Asi de grave estan las cosas en Mexico.

Avatar y el mesias americano

Hace un par de dias fui a ver Avatar en IMAX/3D. Sali maravillado. A nivel tecnologico la peli es impresionante y, para quienes aun no la vieron, les aconsejo que lo hagan en algun cine 3D. Pero el guion es bastante pobre y trillado- otro motivo para verla en 3D-. Justamente es la critica de este articulo- BTW, si no vieron la peli no lean el articulo pues revela un par de cosas de la historia (aunque no hace falta mucha imaginacion para predecir lo obvio). Algunos highlights,

"This is the oft-repeated story about a manly young adventurer who goes into the wilderness in search of thrills and profit. But, once there, he meets the native people and finds that they are noble and spiritual and pure. And so he emerges as their Messiah, leading them on a righteous crusade against his own rotten civilization.

'Avatar' is a racial fantasy par excellence. The hero is a white former Marine who is adrift in his civilization. He ends up working with a giant corporation and flies through space to help plunder the environment of a pristine planet and displace its peace-loving natives."

Los mas felices

Los ticos. Lo que no me cierra es esto de ser tan felices y no estar en el mundial. En Argentina son eventos excluyentes (por su puesto que nosotros tenemos otras excusas para la infelicidad).

Redrado, el BCRA y los K

Otro mamarracho institucional y economico de los K.

• Espert: King Kong Kirchner
• Prat-Gay: Redrado está siendo víctima de un atropello
• Cachanosky: Delirante: lo quieren echar por cumplir con la ley
• Sanz: Otra muestra de desprecio por las instituciones
  
• Roque Fernandez: Si se va Redrado, hay vía libre para usar reservas
• El Banco Ciudad no adhiere al pedido de renuncia de Redrado
• Mecanismo de remocion del presidente del BCRA
• Por qué Redrado 'no incumple sus deberes' al negarse a renunciar a su cargo
• The Economist: The reserves, or your job
• Absurdo: Hasta la izquierda apoya a Redrado
  

Las argumentaciones K son impresentables y carentes de racionalidad y contenido. Un buen ejemplo es este articulo de Pichetto (presidente del bloque del PJ en el Senado). En mi opinion, y pese a la resistencia que mostro ayer, no creo que a Redrado le quede mucho tiempo en el BCRA.

Update 1: Efectivamente, no duro mucho.
Update 2: Pero el tipo insiste y la mina le hace caso.
Update 3: Cristina, como te gusta crear idolos! Primero con la 125 y Cobitos, ahora con el Central y Redrado. Ni una pizca de Maquiavelo vos, no? Moraleja: pelearse con Cris garpa muchachos.
Update 4: Insisto en que no creo que dure mucho mas el amigo Redrado en el BCRA, pero si lo hiciese seria un avance institucional sin precedentes en la Argentina. Estariamos, en terminos de independencia de la autoridad monetaria, en el 1er mundo. Podria ser el fin de la inflacion argentina.

Por que se le viene una decada jodida a la Eurozona

"What would have happened during the financial crisis if the euro had not existed? The short answer is that there would have been currency crises among its members. The currencies of Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain would surely have fallen sharply against the old D-Mark. That is the outcome the creators of the eurozone wished to avoid. They have been successful. But, if the exchange rate cannot adjust, something else must instead. That "something else" is the economies of peripheral eurozone member countries. They are locked into competitive disinflation against Germany, the world's foremost exporter of very high-quality manufactures. I wish them luck."

Aca el articulo en el Financial Times.

Como labura Bill Gates

"On my desk I have three screens, synchronized to form a single desktop. [...] The screen on the left has my list of e-mails. On the center screen is usually the specific e-mail I'm reading and responding to. And my browser is on the right-hand screen.

Instead of having to navigate through folders to find that one document where I think a piece of information might be, I simply type search terms into a toolbar and all the e-mails and documents that contain that information are at my fingertips.

Paper is no longer a big part of my day. I get 90% of my news online, and when I go to a meeting and want to jot things down, I bring my Tablet PC. It's fully synchronized with my office machine so I have all the files I need."

Aca la nota en Fortune.

Se fue Sandro

No me considero un seguidor del Elvis Argento, pero es innegable que era un talentoso, un carismatico concluido en idolo popular y fenomeno. Un tipo que paso de sus inicios rockeros hasta llegar finalmente al Sandro romantico que dejaba las nenas a punto caramelo. Ahora nace un mito.

• De pecador a hidalgo
• El muchacho de Alsina que quería ser Elvis
• Murio Sandro, nacio un mito
• Fotogaleria
• Como se lo vio en el extranjero
• Las metamorfosis de un muchacho de barrio
• Top10: Las mejores canciones de Sandro
  

Pandora

Ultimamente he estado utilizando mucho el servicio de radio de Pandora. Uno selecciona el artista o cancion que quiere y el sitio te genera mediante un algoritmo una radio en base a eso. Uno luego va educando al programa en base a los gustos propios. Es genial. Altamente recomendable. El futuro ya llego. Mas info aca. Un detalle es que el sitio bloquea las IP extranjeras, por lo que se les va a complicar usarlo fuera de US. Los beneficios del 1er mundo muchachos...

Como viven los economistas

Milton Friedman, the late Nobel laureate, routinely returned reporters' calls collect.

Ms. Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, also of the Wharton School, gave a friend $150 to hire movers instead of helping him themselves. Harvard University economist David Laibson pays to have a driver pick up his sister from the airport rather than driving himself.

Stanford University economist Robert Hall, incoming president of the American Economic Association, values his time so highly that his wife, economist Susan Woodward, occasionally puts her foot down. "Bob doesn't see why we can't just hire people to trim the Christmas tree," she says. "I tell him that's not what it's supposed to be about."

Mas aca en el Wall Street Journal.