the alpha and omega : topic:fun

Weekend Fun: Iceland Jokes

Mahalanobis — 2010-04-18T14:24:00Z

New:

- The last wish of the Icelandic economy: Distribute my ash over Europe.

- Dear Icelanders! You misunderstood. We said: Give us cash. Not: Give us ash.

Old, but still very funny:

Q: What's the capital of Iceland?
A: About $20.

Chart of the Day: S&P 500 in EUR

Mahalanobis — 2009-09-25T14:58:00Z

I'm sure Mark Faber likes this chart:

You could also plot the SPX in EUR since 2000 and then refer to the Arcsine Distribution. Even more scarry!

1. Invest, 2. Ask

Mahalanobis — 2009-06-27T20:42:00Z

Using your browser URL history to estimate gender

Mahalanobis — 2008-08-02T17:40:00Z

With the click of a button this site estimates your gender using your browser history. Given my browser history and no further information, the likelihood of me being MALE is 93%:

via The Presurfer

Summer Reading

Teresa_Lo — 2008-06-25T18:57:00Z

The lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer are here. What's on your reading list? Here's mine:

Remember, if all else fails, playing dead is always a good option!

The Art of Asset Allocation: Principles and Investment Strategies for Any Market
This is the second edition of the textbook by Morgan Stanley's David M. Darst. Don't know if there will be anything new.
Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now
A classic by Gordon Livingston. Should be filed under "reference" rather than "self help".
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking
My first copy of Marcella Hazan's best work is sitting in the kitchen in Vienna...
A Brief History of Economic Genius
Read most of Paul Strathern's book last summer on the train to Salzburg. Need to finish it.
A Farewell to Alms: A Brief Economic History of the World (Princeton Economic History of the Western World)
Decided to take a chance on this one by Gregory Clark, chair of the economics deparment and Professor of Economics at UC-Davis.
Scaredy Squirrel
These books by Melanie Watt are the only ones my 7-year old boy has ever asked me to buy. They are hilarious.

735 HK

Mahalanobis — 2007-11-23T13:25:00Z

"China Power New Energy Development Company Limited, through its subsidiaries, operates bakery retail shops and trades electronic products. The company also invests in properties, provides consultancy services for hotel management, and develops technology in the environmental protection industy."

Scott Booth (Eastern Advisors): "So what could they possibly do, solar powered brioche toasters for 5-star hotels?"

Fox Biz Babes Versus Porn Stars

Mahalanobis — 2007-10-27T16:32:00Z

It's no secret that Fox Business News is not exactly light on the lookers. But can you tell the difference between the Foxes and porn stars? Today Radar magazine's website is putting you to the test.

via Dealbreaker

Quants

Mahalanobis — 2007-10-24T16:47:00Z

How To Tell If You Might Be A Quant (pdf)
by Andrew W. Lo

Fama Factors Out French: "I Did All The Work"

Mahalanobis — 2007-03-31T21:59:00Z

Chicago, IL: After 15 years of sharing the credit for groundbreaking research with Ken French, Eugene Fama is on a mission to expose his former colleague, and himself. The result is an alarming behind-the-scenes look at how academic careers are made and broken.

"I hired Ken French in 1990 when he was a driving instructor in Winnetka. Chicago was pressuring me to partner with another researcher; I couldn't stand the idea so I hired a stooge. The man has never contributed a single idea to my research, and yet his name is constantly mentioned in the same breath as mine."

Many of French's students are not suprised. Click here to read the whole thing.

The upfront way to a hedgie's heart

Mahalanobis — 2007-03-20T16:22:00Z

Euromoney: Peter Epstein has worked out what the hedge fund manager has missing in his/her life. "It's not a bigger jet or a rarer Picasso," he says, but a T-Shirt printed with the slogan "Fuck me, Im a hedge fund manager."

The T-shirt is part of Epstein's debut design collection, entitled American Exceptionalism. "From obnoxious hedge fund managers to strippers 'working their way through college' the collection casts a gimlet eye on the rarely applauded--but relentlessly American--people and values that keep our nation humming," says Epstein. "Hedge fund managers are a piece of Americana. And the design is playing on that 'master of universe' attitude and sense of entitlement that the hedge fund manager has," jokes Epstein. He says the initial stock sold out in just two days. [Source]

Weekend Fun :: Econometrics

Mahalanobis — 2007-02-25T21:32:00Z

[EN] A First Lesson in Econometrics (pdf)
[DE] Eine erste Einführung in die Ökonometrie (pdf)

More Fun: James Hamilton links to a couple of creative exam answers. Speaking of creative exam answers: Did you know that the famous "Is hell exothermic or endothermic" exam question is an urban legend? See here. What's true: The British Department of Education has realised that there is a slight difference between private schools and comprehensives and therefore has revised the secondary maths exam papers accordingly (pdf).

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

Mahalanobis — 2006-11-01T16:47:00Z

"No-one messes with me and gets away with it."

iq test question

Mahalanobis — 2006-07-18T13:27:00Z

Current Music: Bob Sinclar :: World, Hold On

McJobs in the US: e.g. Bush Pilot

Mahalanobis — 2006-07-05T21:44:00Z

Bush Pilot {Audio in German}
Bush Pilot {with English subtitles}

via Richard Stastny

Weekend Fun :: Science Assessment

Mahalanobis — 2006-06-03T01:48:00Z

When recently discussing with some South Tyrolean friends of mine (Livecam St. Ulrich) the NAEP Science Results we reached the conclusion that students aren't punished enough for bad grades. Therefore, we propose that students should be put in a situation as given below:

Under the constraint that walking is prohibited, the only way of getting safely from point A to point B is to jump in the right direction, namely towards point c. That way, only students with a basic knowledge of science succeed.

Here m_st (wmv, 536 KB) is a short video clip of my glorious flight! Mille Grazie a Eva G.!