Connecting the disjointed World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is an incredibly popular online video game, with over 9 million monthly subscribers actively playing the game currently. In 2005 with the addition of new content there was an unintended consequence. One piece of new content was a new disease called corrupted blood. This disease was intended only to be a hindrance […]
How “Gangnam Style” Went Viral
Yang Hyun Suk says, “This is only the beginning of the PSY phenomenon” http://www.allkpop.com/2012/09/yang-hyun-suk-says-this-is-only-the-beginning-of-the-psy-phenomenon The universal language of ‘Gangnam Style’ http://geekout.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/18/the-universal-language-of-gangnam-style/?hpt=hp_bn11 Yang Hyun Suk discusses his thoughts on Psy’s global success with “Gangnam Style” http://www.allkpop.com/2012/08/yang-hyun-suk-discusses-his-thoughts-on-psys-global-success-with-gangnam-style The first article features some highlights on YG Entertainment’s strategy in promoting their artists. CEO Yang Hyun Suk stated that […]
A new perspective on Google Chrome
I remember when Google Plus was first introduced everyone was quick to set up accounts, for after all, most anything Google has been a part of is wildly successful – Google search engine, YouTube, Gmail, Chrome etc. The quick popularity decline of the seemingly next step in social networking came as a surprise to me. […]
Staying tight in Fraternities/Sororities
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/nyregion/amid-hazing-at-binghamton-university-cries-for-help.html?_r=0 The linked article describes serious harassment took place in many Greek life organizations at the Binghamton University. According to the testimonies cited in the article, the new members to the fraternities or sororities have to tolerate several pledging “ceremonies” in order to be regarded as an official part of the group. The degree of […]
Braess’s Paradox in a Computerized World
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/18/tech/innovation/ieee-2040-cars/index.html?hpt=te_r1 It’s a very bold title, “You Won’t Need a Driver’s license by 2024”. But perhaps it isn’t too farfetched. As the article says, Google has already developed a driverless car, and they have even made it street legal in Nevada. Many people (myself not included) would relish the opportunity to leave driving to a […]
Graph Analysis in Journalism with Palantir
Palantir, named after the “seeing stones” in Lord of the Rings, is an eight year old company, with the goal of solving the world’s hardest problems by solving “the technical problems, so they can solve the human ones”. Specifically, Palantir provides tools to analyse disparate data, to help organizations like banks or the International Consortium of Investigative […]
Using Game Theory to Explain the Shortage of Eligible Bachelors
Those who are familiar with the concept of game theory usually think of the well-known “Prisoner’s dilemma” when real world applications of this concept are brought up. Though it is true that the situation involving two prisoners deciding whether or not they should confess to a crime well represents the basic concepts of game theory, […]
Starbucks Rewards Effects on Customer Valuation
http://www.starbucks.com/rewardsfaster Starbucks frequenters in their Rewards Program will, in the near future, experience changes in what and when they can claim their rewards. Food is now included as a choice to get free. Drinks require twelve gold stars instead of fifteen. However, one can no longer get a tall beverage with a purchase of coffee […]
The Dark Knight Plays Game Theory
In films, we often get a chance to see things from real life taken to an exaggeration. Throughout Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, game theory was utilized to dramatize the situation beyond the audience’s mental scopes. For instance, The Dark Knight’s Heath Ledger starred as a criminal mastermind called The Joker who used games to cause chaos […]
Game Theory in the Medical Field
As we discussed in class, game theory has a wide range of applications. It is used when individuals make decisions based on one or more ways of acting. The individuals, typically called players, use strategies which ultimately determine their payoff. In a payoff matrix, there is a Nash equilibrium if the matrix includes a set […]
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