Monday, June 10, 2019

Citation Stickiness; Binging

My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.”
- Adlai Stevenson

This is a warning message as to what’s coming.” FBI documents allege that Martin Luther King Jr. was a bystander to rape. Is the evidence Credible ... »
Bennardo, Kevin and Chew, Alexa, Citation Stickiness (April 19, 2019). 20 Journal of Appellate Practice & Process, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3375050 – “This Article is an empirical study of what we call citation stickiness. 
Death is calling us, W. says, he can hear it. The waters are calling us home. Will I jump first? Will he? Will we hold hands and jump together?

But the river wouldn't want us, W.'s sure of that. We'd be pulled up from the waters, our stomachs pumped of the polluted water. They'd slap us round the face. Wake up! Wake up! And his eyes would open and see me. And he'd retch up the black river water from the bottom of his lungs.


Dying of the Truth


W. thinks of the young in Robert Bresson’s films, full of life, full of beauty, but hopelessly lost in the devil’s playground of the world.
He thinks of the young suicides of Bresson’s films, driven to death because there is nothing for them in life, choosing to die by their own hand rather than live under tyranny.
They die of the truth, W. says. They die because of what they see in themselves of the world. They die because of the sense of the corruption of their innocence, because they are angels and because they’re tarnished, W. says.

– “If entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of an economy, consider Inc.’s ranking of 5,000 companies America’s circulatory system. Our annual report looks at these fast-growing innovators–and how they made our list. The fastest-growing companies in America are a force, notching collective revenue of more than $206.2 billion in 2017 and three-year revenue growth rates that top out at 75,661 percent. Explore the list.” [Companies on the 2018 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2014 to 2017. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2014. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent–not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies–as of December 31, 2017. (Since then, some on the list have gone public or been acquired.) [“The minimum revenue required for 2014 is $100,000; the minimum for 2017 is $2 million.”] 

As incentives to take higher actions increase—due to higher stakes or more manipulable signaling technology—more information is revealed about gaming ability, and less about natural actions. We explore a new externality: showing agents’ actions to additional observers can worsen information for existing observers. Applications to credit scoring, school testing, and web searching are discussed.


 'Perhaps this will help': Lucy Brogden honoured for mental health advocacy
  • Max Koslowski



More trans-Atlantic flights, more Ipad entertainment courtesy of Netflix, Amazon Prime and iTunes.  Here are some of the shows I’ve been watching.

·        Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In
My favourite TV series from the 60’s, 140 episodes from Beautiful Downtown Burbank – first aired as a pilot on September 9, 1967 – and a celeb tribute just aired on Netflix.  I’m watching them all, show by show – a great commentary on those seminal 60’s/70’s years.  The hosts, Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Lily Tomlin, Jo Anne Worley – all produced by George Schlatter (CFG – as he was referred to on set – which stood for Crazy Fuckin’ George!).  Making me feel young again.  Thanks Amazon Prime.

·        Delhi Crime
On Netflix.  Making me feel old again.  Based on the 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case.  A fascinating look into the realities of life in a fascinating country.

·        My Brilliant Friend
iTunes.  From Fremantle.  The first of four Neapolitan novels exploring female friendships – created by Saverio Costanzo.  The second series, based on Ferrante’s second novel ‘The Story of a New Name’ has just been confirmed and commissioned.

·        Killing Eve
I guess you’ve all seen this.  Series Two is on air in the US.  Brilliant acting from both leads.

·        True Detective
Series Three on iTunes and HBO.  The best so far – amazing performances from Moonlight’s Mahershala Ali.

·        The Highwaymen
Thinking of True Detective got me thinking of Woody Harrelson.  He stole the show in Netflix’ Bonnie & Clyde movie based on the true story and seen from the viewpoint of the former Texas Rangers Frank Hamer and Maney Gault.  I liked watching the two old grizzlies Costner and Harrelson having fun.

Three Netflix international series have passed away the miles for me:
·        Carlo and Malik - A fun Italian cop/buddy series with a twist on racism.
·        Wild District – a Colombian series showing the seamy side of government corruption – interesting not least because I’m off on my second trip to Colombia in November – to Cartagena and Medellin to speak at a WOBI World Economic Forum.  I enjoyed my last visit to Bogota four/five years ago and I believe progress continues to be rapid.
And finally:
·        When Heroes Fly – set in Colombia again – but made in that edgy creative hotspot, Israel.
I love watching these international dramas with their different cultural, photographic and pacing approaches.  Production-wise, they’ve mastered doing more with less.

Finally, new series of The Bureau, Goliath, Berlin Station, The Son are all worth a go.

Can’t wait for Deutschland 86, and Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  (And a guilty pleasure – Keanu Reeves in John Wick 3.)


That is from a forthcoming JPE paper “Muddled Information,” by Alex Frankel and Navin Kartik

The Times of India – BHILAR (MAHARASHTRA): “A cosy sofa and wicker chairs overlooking a beautiful valley, the quiet of a village, and lush strawberry fields all around — what more could a romantic soul wish for? It’s the setting for a great novel, perhaps even a great travel story. But this isn’t fiction; this is the living room of Bhiku Bhilare of Bhilar village, Maharashtra. But it offers much more than a picture-perfect setting — it also doubles up as a library. Until recently, the village, just a few kilometres from the picturesque hill stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, was known for growing the best strawberries in the country. Now, it is a unique ‘village of books’ with 25 villagers having given up a part of their homes to set up open libraries. The idea was inspired by the Welsh village of Hay-on-Wye, which is informally known as the ‘town of books’, and has scores of second-hand and antiquarian bookstores. But the Maharashtra government has made the concept their own and expanded its scope. Its Marathi language department’s experts meticulously put together a collection of over 30,000 books organised under various genres. These were then distributed among the home libraries, as well as public places like temples and schools. Each home is allotted books pertaining to one genre and identified with street signs and wall paintings…”

Protecting Yourself from Amazon Violating Your Air Rights and Privacy by Drone Trespassing

In the unlikely event the Amazon drone delivery service gets to be anything other than for show, some ideas for how to protect your rights.