Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-19

• Image Cache: A Ghastly Cloud Tsunami Creeps Up on the Beach – @Gizmodo http://t.co/oSa8NpLR #
• And the Grammy goes to Adele!!! #
• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-12 http://t.co/htNNenxZ #
• Rolling in the Deep!! #Grammy #
• Angry Katy Perry is scary… #Grammy #
• cannot wait for Adele's performance. #GRAMMYs #
• Adele is back!!! She is so pretty. #GRAMMYs #
• What a moving tribute by Jennifer Hudson. #GRAMMYs #
• RT @iPhoneAlley No words to describe this other than Nicki Minaj #Grammys #
• No surprise, indeed! The coronation of Adele continues! #GRAMMYs #
• Guess who is getting tired of giving thank you speeches? #Adele #GRAMMYs #
• The coronation of Adele is now complete. #GRAMMYs #
• This is why we all love her so much. So real. #Adele #
• RT @miguelrios: Awards for Adele, overlapped in the east and west coast feeds. This will be interesting. #
• Definitely UberSoc. The ability to put lists on the UberBar is extremely helpful. RT @UberSoc What do you think … http://t.co/NU69tM4w #
• The new Chrome 17 is indeed much faster. At least on my Cr-48. Technology makes me happy. #
• I can't decide which one is more annoying: Azarenka's grunting or Wozniacki's shrieking supporters. #WTA #Doha #Tennis #
• Why? #PengShuai #
• GSM. Lucie Safarova. #Doha #WTA #
• Amazing. "Crashing porcelain action figures by Martin Klimas": http://t.co/EUqGfLgP #

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-12

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-05 http://t.co/P4jY18j4 #
• Madonna at the Super Bowl review: A shockingly sincere, joyous performance http://t.co/6lNnzMiD via @EW #
• Björk performs 'Cosmogony' on 'The Colbert Report' http://t.co/xcCW2I1t via @PopHiss #
• Is Li Na injured? O.o Oh no… #opengdfsuez #
• Steps in making a panda bread….. http://t.co/uKmudUdD via @9GAG #
• [Book Review] 1Q84 http://t.co/SvASLQrn #
• cannot believe this… #RIPWhitney #
• I hope Adele would sing a Whitney song at tomorrow night's Grammy. #
• Adorable Downton Abbey Valentine’s Day Cards http://t.co/sInSKg7D #

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[Book Review] 1Q84

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Taking me more than a month to finish, this 1000-page-long tome by Murakami is surprisingly not a tedious read. Given the sheer length of the book, there were certainly moments when I wished the pace of the story was a tad quicker. Nevertheless, the author had managed to keep me interested from cover to cover and even drew a tear or two out of me toward the very end.

This is not a book preaching high morals or provoking deep thoughts. Instead, it is a philosophical examination into aspects of life that we often take for granted – in other words, a distinctively Murakami piece of work. With it Murakami did what he always does and did it well, mixing fantastical realities with realistic fantasies, and focusing on the existential concerns of the most common and bizarre characters. It is a tribute that Murakami pays to himself.

“Reality was utterly cool-headed and utterly lonely.”

“And the body is not the only target of rape. Violence does not always take visible form, and not all wounds gush blood.”

“If you can’t understand it without an explanation, you can’t understand it with an explanation.”

“Nobody’s easier to fool…than the person who is convinced that he is right.”

“…the kind of laugh that you could laugh forever but never end up happy.”

“The pursuer’s blind spot is that he never thinks he’s being pursued.”

“Totally isolated, yet the one place not tainted with loneliness.”

View all my reviews

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-02-05

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-29 http://t.co/6DMhXIW3 #
• [Book Review] The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good http://t.co/NOELYExK #
• Incredibly Realistic Bic-Pen Drawings of Animals http://t.co/cKFtGCBx #
• Well done, Li Na. #Fedcup #

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[Book Review] The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good

The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good by Robert H. Frank

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very intellectual book with some truly original and thought-provoking ideas about how individual interests and collective interests sometimes diverge and how such divergence could lead to wasteful outcomes especially in a competitive environment. It is definitely interesting to see the author pitting Adam Smith against Darwin Charles and arguing that Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand Principle could be viewed as a special case of Darwin Charles more general Natural Selection/Sexual Selection hypothesis. The examples cited in the book and the thought experiments suggested by the author are all very illustrative, albeit a bit repetitive.

The major drawback is the way that the book is structured – or unstructured, for that matter. The entire book, when read from front to back, seems very fragmented. Ideas do not flow naturally and smoothly from one chapter to the next. The middle section of the book is devoted almost exclusively to the framework suggested by Ronald Coase, but it is not immediately clear how Coase’s framework fits with rest of the book. The best way to read this book, on hindsight, might be starting from the last chapter, picking out the points that are of most interest to the reader and flipping back to the chapters that elaborate on these points.



View all my reviews

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-29

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-22 http://t.co/W6Vk9SJY #
• London Potholes Transformed into Incredible, Tiny Gardens http://t.co/GR8vWFcL #
• The 10 “Shit _____ Say” Videos You Actually Need to Watch http://t.co/2UxwGOb8 #
• FAQ: Google’s new privacy policy http://t.co/Gm2FY0dh #
• Is This the World’s Most Pristine Subway System? http://t.co/WQtVlQNJ #
• Google Thinks I Have an Old Soul http://t.co/kBQrqupS #
• Great video from @AustralianOpen . Ballkid Classic Catch: http://t.co/jVlskgNc via @youtube #
• [Book Review] Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning … http://t.co/Gzkkjpm9 #
• Nole!!!!!! #AusOpen #

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[Book Review] Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More

Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More by Derek Bok

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book represents a courageous effort by Harvard University’s former president Derek Bok who offers a critical examination of America’s underachieving colleges. Drawing from his own experience and supported by concrete (albeit occasionally dubious) empirical research, Bok goes to great lengths to explain why he thinks America’s undergraduate education is not living up to its reputation and potential, and offers his own recommendations on what he believes the goals of undergraduate education should be and the necessary steps required to achieve these goals. Rather than championing a systematical revolution in undergraduate education, Dok offers his manifesto for a pedagogical evolution.

There are two things, however, that I disliked about the book.

One, the writing is unbearably long-winded and repetitive. The three main theses of the book (1. colleges need to ascertain their goals, 2. colleges need a way to evaluate students’ performance with regard to these goals, 3. pedagogy is important ) can be convincingly conveyed in much fewer pages.

Two, the author’s criticism of the educational system is too contained (maybe due to his own extensive involvement with the system). While reading the book, I couldn’t help feeling that every comment was made with measured honesty and subdued frankness. As a result, Bok’s passion – and this is a subject that he and his readers should be impassioned about – becomes lost in the dreary passages.

The highlight of the book, in fact, comes in the afterword where Bok illustrates his philosophy in the book by recounting a personal case study. He was invited back to Harvard one month after the publication of this book to act as an interim president due to Larry Summers’ departure and was charged with the task to lead an undergraduate curriculum review. The description of his effort (and the efforts of the various committees he formed) in the review process is lively and intimate, and an enjoyable read in and of itself.

View all my reviews

Google Thinks I Have an Old Soul

Many of my friends have told me that I have an old soul. Apparently, Google thinks the same way.

(P.S. I am in my early 20s.)

You can check what Google thinks of you at Google Ads Preferences.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-22

• Watching Saturday Night Live: You Can Do Anything on @hulu: http://t.co/xlJ27HUA #
• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-15 http://t.co/c5Zfz80S #
• really likes Li Na's new outfit. #AO2012 #
• Unforgiving heat. The players look so languid on court. #AO2012 #
• Li Na took the first set 6-3 in 40 minutes. Not too shabby a performance, given the heat and that it's the first round at a GS. #AO2012 #
• Let's hope that Peng Shuai will take advantage of the Pennetta upset… #AO2012 #
• Until Arrested Development returns. RT @HuffingtonPost Is 'Modern Family' unstoppable? http://t.co/OvWqxDBU #
• Li Na took the 2nd set 6-1. That's more like it. Time to focus on that comical match between Tomic and Verdasco now. #AO2012 #
• Peng Shuai's outfit looks delectable… #AO2012 #
• Peng Shuai's delectable outfit. #2012 http://t.co/auNypzjX #
• Oh gosh… Verdasco… #AO2012 #
• The way that Cirstea is playing against Stosur now is quite impressive and scary. #AO2012 #
• Oh Stosur…..one of those upsets that don't really surprise that many people. #AO2012 #
• @AustralianOpen Agreed. Too much pressure for Sam. Not easy being a GS champ. Just ask Li Na and Kvitova. in reply to AustralianOpen #
• AA Meeting http://t.co/EFcxZCgY via @9GAG #
• Does God like this function? http://t.co/w2lQh43t via @9GAG #
• Foursquare: Foursquare Adds Menus as It Looks to Eat Yelp For Lunch – @Gizmodo http://t.co/iEBKpvIY #
• Zheng Jie finally finished the match on MP #8 (?)! That last game alone was better than the rest of the match combined. Tough lady. #AO2012 #
• Is Kvitova gonna cry? #AO2012 Please don't. Hold on!! #
• @SI_BTBaseline Or Zheng Jie. Just saying… my wishful thinking. in reply to SI_BTBaseline #
• Amusing Accidental Tweets from Popular Twitter Accounts http://t.co/hcqdX1J5 #
• The 10 Most Expensive Books in the World http://t.co/wJgtr0XT #
• Would hate to hurt myself in a match but would hate even more to play a hurt opponent. Not easy to harden one's heart. #AO2012 #
• All the speculations about Joe Paterno…. #
• What interests and baffles me as a psychology major is how Li Na stopped playing her best tennis after her OPPONENT got the injury. #AO2012 #
• This match… too intense. #
• How could you NOT win that point? Li Na? #
• No need to watch this match any more. Time to sleep. Bye bye, Li Na. #AO2012 #
• And awake i am again! RT @AustralianOpen @z_l_z Maybe not yet! Li breaks back… #
• RT @linzsports How did we get through these matches before twitter? #grouphug #
• Going to sleep with tears of sorrow and confusion now. But what a fighter Kim is! RT @AustralianOpen GSM #Clijsters 4-6 7-6 6-4 v #Li #

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-15

• Twitter Weekly Updates for 2012-01-08 http://t.co/ZXkuugtb #
• Oh…Li Na… #
• Li Na took a set back. But this is such a strange match…even for Li Na. #AIS2012 #tennis #
• Li Na won! But she needs to forget the first 2 sets and remember only the 3rd set. #AIS2012 #tennis #
• RT @Ratazana Really windy in Sydney… #
• Li Na took the first set from Safarova (6-2) on a VERY windy Court 1 @SydneyTennis . #
• The wind @SydneyTennis is making this match frustrating to play and watch. #LiNa #Tennis #
• Li Na, all you need is to convert one of the match points. Please kindly do so… #
• Oh Li Na…I blame it on the wind. #
• FOUR more match points. Come on, Li Na! #
• Finally…six-win streak for Li Na (counting Hopman singles). When was the last time this happened? I praise you, tennis god. #
• I'm watching People's Choice Awards (1413 others checked-in) http://t.co/T3aGAdRW @GetGlue @peopleschoice #
• #pca #nph #
• Jane Lynch's #PCA skit is hilarious. #
• Favorite Movie Star under 25 at this year's #PCA should have been Favorite Harry Potter Star. #
• My palms are getting sweaty from watching this. RT @Ratazana Woo!!! That's what Li Na said. Let's hold now… (someone hold my hand, please #
• GREAT serves!!! And it goes to the third set!!! Go go go, Li Na!!!! #
• @sallynyan Chirp chirp! When are you getting back to school? in reply to sallynyan #
• Li Na's challenges make me laugh so hard. Love that woman. #
• Why didn't you challenge when you should have, Li Na? And how could the linespeople and the umpire not call that serve out?!?! #
• Li Na, you are unbelievable. #Tennis #AIS2012 #
• @vyssa May I suggest an Android phone? in reply to vyssa #
• YES!!! THIS is what makes Li Na a champion! Remarkable performance. #Tennis #AIS2012 #
• And French Open nightmare for Kvitova all over again? But she did go on to win Wimbledon. So who knows… #
• And Wozniacki's inevitable dethroning will have to be postponed. #
• Great article. Welcome back! "Li Na’s journey back from the brink – Apia International Sydney Tennis" http://t.co/D2M0AQhV #
• @sallynyan yup! Think I am going back on 21st as well. #
• What is happening to Li Na's backhand? This is a bit disheartening to watch. #
• That point. Amazing. #LiNa #
• Sometimes I think Li Na purposely loses the first set to lower her opponent's guard. Lol. #
• And Li Na drew the first blood in the third set. Six games in a row. Way to go. #
• That second set must have tired Li Na out. #
• Oh Li Na… I blame it on that Chinese fan who kept shouting out during rallies. #
• @sallynyan Of course!!!! I am definitely in. Can't believe it's been three/four years. in reply to sallynyan #
• Lol. Flavorwire » A New Species of Horsefly Has Been Named After Beyoncé http://t.co/fexvixrV #
• The Stories Behind Great Iconic Logos http://t.co/IWF1IGkI #
• Faster!!! http://t.co/ATtc9zGm via @9GAG #

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