my tollbooth

reasons why i love my thesis advisor (part 2)

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:51:00 -0400

He gives me comments like these:

magical <3

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:12:00 -0400

magical <3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3KyvlM...

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:16:50 -0400

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3KyvlMJefR4

secret life of pollsters

Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:13:52 -0500

Phrases like “The majority of Americans believe…” or “The president’s approval rating…” have become such a standard in political news that we, as news consumers, no longer even question their latent meanings. Measures of public opinion used in the news are easily accepted at face value, but who are these Americans that support assault weapons bans or that disapprove of the president’s performance? No one ever asked my opinion, so how could these numbers possibly reflect the sentiment of the entire American public?

It’s the responsibility of large polling companies like Gallup and Rasmussen to condense the ideas and opinions of the American population into easily digestible statistics. But, before the number crunching can even begin, hired pollsters must laboriously call up thousands of American families and ask them to participate in their surveys. Without their work, the concept of “public opinion” exists only in the abstract. We know that every individual has his or her own opinion, but there is no way of evaluating them all on a macro-scale without polling. Pollsters are not producers of information; they merely collect existing information. They also cannot be considered packagers of information—the process of packaging occurs later on when the raw data is distilled into facts and figures.

The work of pollsters is invisible because information consumers are only interested in the final product. We are interested in aggregate information, and each unit of data is meaningless to us on its own. For example, knowing that Bill in Ohio supports the auto bailout is much less interesting than knowing that 60% of blue collar manufacturers in Ohio support the auto bailout. Furthermore, it is very easy to overlook the work of pollsters because poll numbers are presented in the news without any information as to how the data was collected. For the curious news consumer, details about the polling process are available—but, reading about the methodology is akin to reading the fine print on a gift certificate or the terms and conditions on a contract.

History has shown us that overlooking polling methods can produce disastrous results. Just ask poor Robert Langdon who lost to FDR in the 1936 election even after Literary Digest magazine polls predicted that Langdon would win in a landslide. The error was a result of poor polling technique: Pollsters used car registrations and phone books to find respondents which produced a sample of wealthy, conservative voters.

Many information consumers rely on polling numbers to shape their own opinions and actions: Citizens may use a candidate’s popularity in the polls as a way to determine their vote. Candidates, on the other hand, use polling numbers to make strategy decisions and place boundaries on their possible policy stances. Therefore, we need to look beyond the numbers in order to fully understand their meaning.

One of the biggest advantages of using the Internet to consume news is its speed. We no longer have to wait until the 6:30 evening news broadcast to know what happened that day. Now, news hits the web almost instantaneously. The faster information flies, the less time we take to comprehend it, and it’s easy to become passive news consumers. There are many layers beneath a Gallup percentage, and peeling back those layers can help us become more knowledgeable and critical consumers.

just a thought

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 23:54:17 -0400

1. Hurricane Sandy brought the 2012 campaign to a standstill as both Obama and Romney changed their tune, speaking about unity and assisting each other in times of turmoil. In a rare moment of bipartisanship, Republican Governor Chris Christie who has endorsed Romney, praised President Obama’s leadership in the hurricane’s aftermath. It seems that this country can only speak with a collective voice when we’ve been struck with tragedy. In a campaign that has been all about personal attacks and manipulated half-truths, it was nice to hit the pause button on the negativity. But, it is truly a shame that it takes a disaster of such magnitude to bring together people from across an aisle that has slowly been growing into a chasm.

2. What does it mean to win the Nobel Peace Prize today? It used to award individuals who made noteworthy strides to promote peace including humanitarians like Mother Teresa and Aung San Suu Kyi. In 2009, however, it was awarded to President Obama barely a year into his term—a move that was criticized by many as premature. This year, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union despite the fact that it is deadlocked in one of the most heated debt crises in history. So has the Nobel Peace Price changed from an award that recognizes peace into a tool to urge people and institutions to adopt peaceful strategies?

the (invisible) line between journalism and commentary

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 18:32:20 -0400

Hard news is an endangered species, and the scariest part is that no one seems to notice.

It used to be that, if you wanted to find out what was going on in the world, your choices were limited. Either you turned on the TV and watched one of three network news stations or you opened up this antiquated object (maybe you’ve heard of it) called a newspaper. These days, we’re drowning in a sea of information. In the age of new media, there are so many outlets for information dissemination that anyone with an Internet connection can broadcast their opinions. Open a web browser, and ideas are pelted helter-skelter at you. And with the ongoing 24 hour news cycle, you literally do have to live in a cave in order to miss out. But we can have too much of a good thing, and information is no exception.

As our media options multiply, the line between hard-hitting journalism and the opining of talking heads becomes ever blurrier. Instead of tuning into the NBC Nightly News or watching CNN, we’re more likely to listen to our favorite TV personalities whether it be Jon Stewart or Rachel Maddow. But here’s the thing: What these guys do ISN’T NEWS. They’re merely drawing upon the work of hard news reporters and offering their personal spin on the facts. It’s entertaining, but more than that, it’s cheap to produce and rakes in big bucks. Audiences would rather watch a raving mad, spittle flying Bill O’Reilly rant for an hour than a liveshot from behind enemy lines in Syria.

The news media is a tricky thing. It provides an invaluable resource for uninformed citizens, but at the same time, it’s a profit-driven machine as well. Ultimately, it’s up to the viewer to decide the fate of journalism.

"When I look into your eyes I tend to lose my thoughts Don’t forget your stare Oh what was that..."

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 18:32:15 -0400

“

When I look into your eyes
I tend to lose my thoughts
Don’t forget your stare
Oh what was that you said
Would you let me know
‘Cause I can’t read your mind
Oh can you tell
I can’t even explain

Oh baby I can’t even explain
What am I supposed to do
It’s hard to stay cool
When you smile at me
And I get nervous every time you speak

”

- Ra Ra Riot

reasons why i love my thesis advisor

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:36:39 -0400

1. During one of our thesis meetings, I introduced him to Thought Catalog. He was thoroughly intrigued.

“Ooh, 25 Things I’ve Learned In My 20s…what did I learn? (reading) ‘You’re going to puke in public. It’s fine. No one cares. Just puke.’ Hm, interesting.”

2. (in class, talking about campaign finance)

“But the thing is, these campaign finance laws are very fuzzy…like my cat.”

In his office, all the walls are bare except for a single picture of his orange tabby cat.

3. “I never liked dogs. It’s probably because I have traumatic memories of when I was a child riding my bike and getting chased by a giant pitbull…”

huffingtonpost: Artist Nina Boesch’s Metrocard Collages Are A...

Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:22:22 -0400

huffingtonpost:

Artist Nina Boesch’s Metrocard Collages Are A True Tribute To New York

The Bourne Legacy world premiere

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 22:17:00 -0400

The Bourne Legacy world premiere

Video

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:02:38 -0400

when politics gets in the way of real life

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 23:10:39 -0400

There’s a place and a time for healthy debate, but when it proves to be more destructive and divisive than thought-provoking, we know there’s a problem.

Last Friday’s Aurora shootings instilled the kind of reaction that only the greatest tragedies can. Americans across the country prayed for the victims and their families, presidential candidates paused their campaigns to pay respects, and the same messages of sorrow and shock reverberated through liberal and conservative media outlets alike. But that wouldn’t last long.

Not even a week later, the polarizing gun debate is reignited. American citizens, united in their support of the victims just moments earlier, are suddenly divided in their views on Second Amendment rights. Media coverage of the vigils and hospital visits are relegated to the third news bloc, drowned out by reports on demands for assault weapons bans and gun regulation.

To make matters worse, ABC erroneously reported that the shooter was a member of the Colorado Tea Party. Suddenly, we’re hearing about the media’s liberal agenda and ABC’s secret ploy to smear the right.

Tomorrow, the Olympics start and it’ll be a chance for all countries to put aside their differences to support their athletes. But a few weeks ago, the headlines weren’t celebrating the athletes; rather, they were trying to stir up outrage over the fact that American athletes will be wearing uniforms made in China. Harry Reid even suggested we burn all of the uniforms and start all over. If the uniforms had been made in Canada or Europe—really, any country besides China—I assure you the backlash would not have been so fiery (pun intended). At a time when we’re supposed to be embracing the idea of our global village, should we really be picking such petty fights? If our athletes must be so authentically American, do we fire all of our immigrant coaches, train our teams in American made facilities, track down which American lakes our water bottles are filled in? Where does it end?

Despite the disagreements we all have day-to-day, we should be able to revel in the best moments together and lean on one another in the worst moments.

chicagopubliclibrary: Donald Sobol: 1924 - 2012 Donald J....

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:08:34 -0400

chicagopubliclibrary:

Donald Sobol: 1924 - 2012

Donald J. Sobol, author of the “Encyclopedia Brown” series passed away. He was 87.

Thank you for the wonderful books and memories, Donald.

A little piece of my childhood died today. RIP Donald Sobol.

just another day at work

Wed, 11 Jul 2012 22:49:58 -0400

A: Hey, you busy?
Me: Nope, what's up?
A: You want to chase some turtles?
Me: Oh..kay...?
A: Great, I'll send you an email.

Savages NYC Premiere

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 23:00:51 -0400

Savages NYC Premiere

kudos

Fri, 06 Jul 2012 16:54:43 -0400

Not since John Marshall in Marbury v. Madison has a chief justice pulled off such an impressive feat of “have your cake and eat it too.”

There was a lot riding on the health care decision for Chief Justice Roberts, a relatively young justice whose legacy could very well be defined by this one landmark case. Even before the case was handed over to the Supreme Court, the health care debate was already highly politicized. The Affordable Care Act, Obama’s signature legislation, was passed without a single Republican vote. It’s the closest Democrats had gotten to the tantalizing goal of universal health care; meanwhile, Republicans condemned it as an impermissible overreach of federal power. Rule in favor of the mandate and Roberts would face sharp criticism from conservatives. Rule against the mandate and Roberts would be responsible for a permanently controversial decision that axed a historical piece of legislation. But, incredibly, he managed to turn a no-win situation into a win-win.

Roberts sided with the Court’s liberals when he ruled that the individual mandate was constitutional, handing Obama and the Democrats a huge victory. But, as the adorable George Will points out, the decision was a victory for conservatives too. By ruling that the federal government lacks the power to force individuals to purchase products, Roberts places a clear restriction on congressional power which has, in the past, used the Commerce Clause to justify all sorts of legislation. Now Congress can only use it to regulate existing markets, so the era of loosey-goosey Commerce Clause laws is over.

Miraculously, the decision is a boon for both Obama and Romney as they head into the final four months of campaigning. If the mandate had been struck down, Obama would have gotten flak from both sides for putting all of his energy into a useless health care bill during his first term while the economy went to pieces. Now, Obama has an item on his domestic policy resume that resonates as powerfully as the killing of bin Laden does for his foreign policy credentials. As for Romney, he can now use health care as a rallying point for the Republican party, arguing that a Romney administration is the only way to kill Obamacare.

Finally, Roberts’s ruling was a win for the Supreme Court. Increasing partisanship has been causing more and more bickering and gridlock in Washington the past few years. The Supreme Court is supposed to be above the fray and remain an unbiased voice in a deeply political environment. But with most recent decisions splitting 5-4 along party lines, some people aren’t so convinced that the Court is any less partisan than the rest of DC. In writing the decision with the Court’s four liberal justices, Roberts demonstrated that, even if bipartisanship is dead in DC, the legal system isn’t.

"We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will."

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:51:49 -0400

““We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will.””

- Chuck Palahniuk

why it's pretty badass to have a BA

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:23:45 -0400

The poor liberal arts graduates always seem to get the short end of the stick. After all, what employer is going to hire a twentysomething whose expertise is medieval studies or art history? While engineers and computer scientists can flaunt their bridge building skills and their programming skills, what talents can the liberal arts grad boast on his resume? Reading? Writing? Waxing poetic about humankind in Hobbes’s state of nature? I’ve even seen obnoxious memes mocking those who opt out of a BS. (Majored in philosophy…Now asks “Why do you want fries with that?”)

As a government major though, I firmly believe that there should be a greater appreciation for the liberal arts education. We’re taught to believe in specialization— that we each have one particular craft that will enrich and support us for our entire career. This concept is even more prominent at Cambridge than it is in the US. Cambridge students don’t have distribution requirements or elective courses, and they spend three years studying a single subject. Introduce yourself to one of Britain’s best and brightest, and you won’t meet a “math major” or “history major”—you’ll meet a mathematician or a historian.

There’s a problem here though. What 18 year old is ready to say that they will only do math for the rest of his life? It’s quite dishonest or even shortsighted to place restrictions on students who can barely take care of themselves, much less determine the trajectory of their lives for the next 40 years.

We shouldn’t be cornered into one area of study at such a young age because it tricks us into thinking we can only be good at one thing. I’ve heard engineers defend their lack of current affairs knowledge with the excuse that they’re not poli-sci majors, for example. And students studying humanities reach automatically for their tip calculators at restaurants because they’re “bad at math.” A liberal arts education forces you to be open-minded about all fields, and it’s the closest thing you’ll get to high school, where history, math and science were all treated equally.

A college education is supposed to prepare you for employment, but more importantly, it ought to mold you into an active citizen of the community. And here is where liberal arts students excel. We’re taught to understand and analyze complex arguments, challenge authority statements, and receive information with a degree of skepticism. We learn how to articulate our points of view and communicate effectively with people we may not agree with.

Engineers and programmers have the upper hand when it comes to hard skills like coding and systems operating, but these things become obsolete over time (think Java—who uses that anymore?) Liberal arts grads, however, need never fear that their writing or analytic skills will go out of fashion. These transferable skills will come in handy no matter what job they hold or what stage in their career they’re at. And it’s no wonder: They’ve spent their undergraduate years focusing not on what to learn, but how to learn.

scones scones scones

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:12:10 -0400

An in-depth look at scones around Cambridge

Tom’s Cakes (4)

The friendly husband and wife team of Tom’s Cakes only comes to the marketplace on Sundays which makes their scones that much more in demand. The fruit scones have this crunchy layer of sugar on top, and the cheese scones are peppery and slightly spicy. And to top it all off, they’re only 70 pence each! My only critique though, is that they can be a bit dry sometimes

Patisserie Valerie (1.5)

The glass bakery case at Patisserie Valerie is the highlight of a walk down Regent Street, but their fruit scones are easily the most disappointing item. They’re dry, crumbly and have more of an outer skin than an outer crust. Recently, they’ve also jacked up the price from 80 pence to 1.55.

Marks and Spencer (4)

This just goes to show that good scones need not only be found in quaint teashops. M&S’s scones are small and cheap (59 pence), and they have a variety of flavors (cheese, raisin, cherry) so you can try more than one at a time. Their scones are also baked throughout the day, so sometimes you’re lucky enough to get them hot out of the oven.

Pasty Presto (4.5)

I am obsessed with scones from Pasty Presto. In fact, they might be the one food item I will miss most from Cambridge. I go there so often that all of the employees know me. Both the fruit and cheese scones are so moist and buttery that they don’t even need jam or cream. The fruit scones are completely packed with raisins. The cheese scones have a nice golden crust to them and a plug of cheese in the center. The only reason Pasty Presto doesn’t get 5 stars is because they can be a little inconsistent with the size and texture of the scones.

The Orchard (3)

Simply stated, the scones at The Orchard are over-hyped. The Orchard is famous because it’s been visited by people like Keynes and Virginia Woolf, and it’s tucked away in the fields of Grantchester, making it seem like a hidden gem. But, don’t be fooled. The scones are expensive (2.25 each) and the clotted cream comes in plastic packages. The cheese scones aren’t nearly as flavorful as Tom’s or Pasty Presto, and the fruit scones are sorely lacking in raisins. The only redeeming quality of the scones is that they’re absolutely humongous.

Michaelhouse Cafe (2)

I only had the cheese scone at Michaelhouse, but it was dry and bland enough that I wasn’t eager to go back and try the fruit one. Michaelhouse Cafe is a pretty nice place though, and I’m sure their other food is better since when we went around lunchtime the line was stretched almost out the door. They also have a great student deal from 2:30-3:30 where you can load up on lunch leftovers for cheap.

Auntie’s Tea Shop (3)

If you want the quintessential afternoon tea experience, Auntie’s is your place. A cream tea for two comes with a pot of tea, two fruit scones with jam and cream, and egg salad and cress finger sandwiches. Auntie’s scones aren’t necessarily bad, but they don’t quite fit the description of the classic scone. Their texture is more cake-like, and they lack a nice, crusty exterior. While most scones are well-shaped and conducive to cutting in half to spread jam and cream, Auntie’s scones are huge misshapen lumps. I happen to like their scones, but I’ve heard them receive mixed reviews.

Harriet’s Cafe Tearoom (2)

With its intricate menu designs and pretty display cases, it’s easy to mistake Harriet’s for another cute, Cambridge tea house. Harriet’s is secretly a corporate monster, though, popping up new branches all across England. The scones are tiny and pricey. In fact, the containers of jam and clotted cream are the same size as the scone itself. On what planet is it okay for the ratio of spread to scone be 2:1?

Bill’s Cafe (4)

If scones could be categorized into social classes, the scones at Bill’s would be the 1%, the creme de la creme. They come to you toasted on a pretty serving plate, garnished delicately with a mint leaf and sprinkled with a dash of powdered sugar. The cream melts slightly as you spread it on since the scones are still piping hot. The whole thing is luxurious to the point of ridiculousness.

eatszoe: Rhymes With Orange

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 22:44:00 -0400

eatszoe:

Rhymes With Orange