How Google won the PR Battle over SEO
The article begins with the claim that over the years, Google has not only changed how the search engine optimization (SEO) industry prioritizes the structure of webpages, but in doing so, has actually modified an industry to improve the quality of webpages and the robustness of search that had previously worked to outsmart search engines. […]
Campaign Donations and Network Power
The campaigns for the 2016 presidential election will be among the most expensive in history. People have estimated the spending on the presidential race to amount to $10 billion. For example, Jeb Bush alone has raised over $120 million, followed by Hilary Clinton who has raised nearly $68 for her campaign. This funding comes from […]
Game Theory Applies to Children
Last month, a study conducted by experts from Boston University, Harvard, and Yale revealed that children, specifically fifth and sixth graders, utilize game theory when it comes to playing games. In the study, players could either pull or push a tray of coins. If pulled, the player would give himself one coin. If pushed, the […]
Stricter Discipline and First-born Children
It is to many eldest children’s chagrin that parents are often more relaxed in disciplining their later kids — younger siblings seem to have later curfews, fewer responsibilities, and more privileges. However, being the eldest is not without its advantages; a 2013 study also notes that, as a result of this stricter upbringing, first-born children perform […]
The two sides of the 2011 NBA lockout
In 2011, the NBA players and owners had to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, but they were unable to reach an agreement before the season was suppose to start. The result was the season being shortened, but they averted the crisis of the entire season being lost. When a resolution was finally reached, it was evident […]
Penny Auctions
I just spent 10 minutes watching the bidding price of a pair or Ray Ban’s go up by $1, 1 cent at a time. In those 10 minutes, bidders collectively lost $60. Welcome to the world of penny auctions sites where a buyer can snag unbelievable deals at unspeakable prices, but at the cost of all the […]
Game Theory on Mixing Pitches
Game Theory Says R.A. Dickey Should Throw More Knuckleballs Baseball pitchers have always known the value of mixing up pitches to disrupt hitters’ rhythm. The article looks at the matchup between a pitcher and the opposing hitter from a game theory’s perspective. For instance, if a pitcher’s best pitch is his fastball, he may be inclined […]
Matching Markets Without Market-Clearing Prices
Venezuela, under the authority of Hugo Chávez, has had a long history of price controls, created in an attempt to both control rampant inflation and make food and other goods more affordable for the poor. This has had an unfortunate side effect of making many goods more unavailable, as fewer companies are willing to sell […]
The Neopets Team vs. Users (2015)
Some of my fondest memories back in the day stem from the amount of time I spent playing Neopets as a middle school student. My favorite website to visit (other than neopets.com) was the Neopets freebies and game tutorials webpage, where I developed a routine list of places to visit (Tombola, the Water Faerie..) to […]
Game Theory 2015 Super Bowl
Much has been made about the Seattle Seahawks’ decision to pass the ball on second down at the one yard line in the 2015 Super Bowl. Most commentators at the time (and for months afterwards) derided the decision to pass the ball instead of running it with arguably the best running back in football. This […]
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