Archive for December, 2007

spring semester

Lefty December 26th, 2007

I just got my course schedule for the spring semester at NYU. I’m taking classes on Business Communication, the Entertainment & Media Industry, and the one I’m most excited about: Game Theory. I think this class will finally position me to take my rightful place as Lefty Leibowitz, Math Genius.

B65.3323 Game Theory and Business Strategy (3 credits)
Course Description: Game theory studies competitive and cooperative behavior in strategic environments, where the fortunes of several players are intertwined. It provides methods for identifying optimal strategies and predicting the outcome of strategic interactions. The field of game theory began around 1900 when mathematicians began asking whether there were optimal strategies for parlor games such as chess and poker, and, if so, what these strategies might look like. The first comprehensive formulation of the subject came in 1944, with the publication of the book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by famous mathematician John von Neumann and eminent economist Oskar Morgenstern. As its title indicates, this book also marked the beginning of the application of game theory to economics. Since then, game theory has been applied to many other fields, including political science, military strategy, law, computer science, and biology, among other areas. In 1994, three pioneers in game theory were awarded a Nobel Prize, marking the ‘arrival’ of the field. In 2005, two other prominent researchers in game theory were awarded a Nobel Prize. Among the other applications, game theory today is finding its way into the world of business. (Pick up a business magazine or book and there is a good chance that it will use some game-theory jargon such as zero-sum game, Prisoner’s Dilemma, win-win game, etc.). As well as learning the underlying theory in the course, we’ll be looking at how game theory can indeed be applied to business.

Looking ahead to 2008

Lefty December 9th, 2007

I’ve been a bit neglectful of posting here over the last month, as I’ve been focused on getting a huge project out the door at work. Lately, though, I’ve been thinking about the upcoming year and all the big decisions that need to be made. There are a lot of things happening next year, and all of them are going to require some thinking:

1. In February the aforementioned project will launch, so I’ll need to figure out what to do afterwards. I can stay the course, or I can more seriously pursue the online video project that most of my posts lately have been hinting at. We’re also going to take a vacation in March and I need to decide where to go. The contenders right now are: snowboarding in upstate NY or VT, snowboarding and visiting friends in Portland, visiting the state of Michoacan in Mexico, or perhaps just finding a nice tropical beach to surf in Costa Rica.

2. I’ll be graduating from Stern, most likely in the August. The program has been taking up pretty much all my free time over the last two years, and finishing will be a real transition point. It will free up a lot of time and mental energy for me, and I think also open some opportunities to go in different directions.

3. Related to both the above, I need to decide where to live. I’ve been back in NYC for 13 years now (after spending my childhood here), and the pace can take a toll. My wife and I have been talking a lot lately about moving out to the Pacific Northwest, and now that my school obligations are wrapping up, we’ll have the opportunity to do so. But leaving NYC won’t be an easy decision - I’ve got a lifetime of friends, relationships, family, and experiences here. At the same time, the call of life in a more manageable city, and the adventure of new surroundings, is very strong.