Monday, November 21, 2011

Behavioral Economics & Michael Lewis

humans, at the individual level, are behaviorally inconsistent. to a certain extent, such individual inconsistencies are smoothed out when aggregated. traditional economics, whether micro or macro, seeks to explain market dynamics driven by behavior at this aggregated level. for such inconsistencies that aren't explained in classical theory, behavioral economics seeks to explain the discrepancy between actual opportunity cost and its (psychological) perception based on the framing of alternatives.

what makes michael lewis an effective writer is not his subject matter expertise, but rather his framing of the particular stories he chooses to tell. what's fascinating in moneyball, the big short, and liar's poker, namely, is that his exploration of the idea of value seeks to bring light not only to various characters and their inconsistent actions in imperfect markets, but also to the psychological motivations of the players. as such, lewis is a master chronicler of behavioral economics. to paraphrase joan didion, he writes entirely to find out what he is thinking, what he is looking at, what he sees and what it means.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Los Cabos, Mexico



In Cabo this past weekend celebrating the wedding of two of my good friends. And as I was heading out to the beach to watch the sunrise that morning, I had a thought...

The world is more beautiful than a photo can capture, but photograph we must, for it is our inherent inclination to preserve the moments that take our breath away. Just as is with a lasting relationship, a lasting image (whether digital or hard copy) most captivates us in its natural, undoctored state. Authenticity, an original state of being, is a solid foundation for a journey in both photography and love.

Friday, September 23, 2011

How to Become an "Outlier"

reading Malcolm Gladwell's 'outliers' makes me wonder if reverse-engineering success is possible by simply taking stock of one's personal and environmental 'legs up.' I suppose this is what some people equate to truly getting to know oneself. the earlier we realize that whether or not we become successful is a matter of choice and efficient preparation, the easier it is to take initiative and the sooner we find ourselves 'lucky' to take advantage of the many opportunities available (yet many fail to see).

Gladwell had the reputation to leverage promotion of this book. we, a self-selected group who were piqued by its concept, are fortunate to ponder his observations. so how does one go on to achieve success of 'outlying' proportions?

of the traditional passion + talent + hard work axiom, perhaps passion bears further decomposition:
a) passion for doing something (e.g. playing basketball), and arguably more important,
b) passion for success itself.
in other words, the level of passion (read: one's desire, determination, and innate drive) becomes, effectively, one's own competitive advantage—his or her 'secret sauce,' if you will. that can be something we're born with, choose to have, or both.

and as we (theoretically) have the capability to be in full command of our passions, we can increase our level of success simply by knowing what we're good (and not so good) at and working hard at it. bottom line, love what you do and love who you do it with. easier said than done, of course, but nonetheless a digestible roadmap to 'outlier'-land.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

My Life in Mad Libs

sometimes I imagine that we all live our lives in the context of a mad lib story... where your preset mad lib is a result of a roulette, and after the ball lands - no matter what choices you make in the allotted noun, verb, adjective, or expletive space - the ending is the same for you and every other person who also happened to get the same mad lib... the only thing making your life different from theirs being that you've chosen a different set of words to complete your story. and the specific people you meet you do because at certain somewhat similar or convergent points in their mad lib, they just so happened to choose the same word as you. yet through it all, we derive amusement from the uncanny (and often absurd) choices we ourselves and others make, all for the simple pleasure of - at the end of the day - sharing our mad libs with each other.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Unexpected Moment Mid-Air

just witnessed the most magnificent sunset by plane this evening...

a striated, volcanic horizon and fields of cream-puffed peaks and valleys - perfectly punctuated with a gleaming sliver of moon overhead. the leisurely descent through sinewy cotton blankets is an experience quite unlike any other - until the sky has faded to opaque sapphire and the dreamlike backdrop has been discreetly replaced by a robotic grid of familiarity

an unexpected, welcome respite from the everyday - one of those moments uncapturable by any photo save the thousand mental panoramas frozen in memory

sometimes, the most marvelous part of traveling (whether for work or pleasure) is simply looking out the window and taking note of what's changed. the best part is - it's absolutely free.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Bossypants, by Tina Fey

pure hilarity. snide yet self-deprecating. witty and completely charming. tina fey needs no further endorsement from me. read the book and judge for yourself. 'when it's true, it doesn't need to be said.' (TF, Bossypants)

Rating: 5/5

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Romaine-Wrapped Chicken and Sundried Tomatoes

INGREDIENTS:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes (julienne cut)
sprinkle (as desired) garlic and tomato herb spice
(optional) pinch of salt
Pam olive oil cooking spray

* Spray the pan with Pam. Once the pan is warm, add the chicken (pre-cut into small cubes) and turn until fully cooked. Add the sundried tomatoes and sprinkle the garlic and tomato herb spice liberally or as desired. Break off the romaine lettuce pieces and spoon the chicken mixture onto the leaves to self serve. Yum!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Have Faith

Everything always works out the way it's supposed to in the end.