math as a language

'To Cinlar, the language of mathematics was English. Mathematics does have it’s own nomenclature, the use of symbols and using specific meanings for some words is part of using mathematics in communication. But, even Greek symbols used in mathematics is part of the English language. There is nothing about mathematics or the use of mathematics in communication that makes it a separate language. The rules of grammar used in mathematical communication are the rules of English grammar.'

Thanks to Jörgen for mentioning professor Cindar. Hopefully I can take his course next fall.

Mini course day 1

Richard Rogerson gives a mini course on macro labor at SSE. The materials covered are different from my expectation but I really like his presentation. Today is an overview about the stylized facts of unemployment and working hours in OECD countries. Basically he lets data talk. As he stressed, thinking quatatitively is a key feature of modern macroeconometrists. A theory should not only account for why unemployment rate increases or decreases, but also for why it increases 3 points not .3 points. Another point I took from his talk is how to think a bit deeper: taking into account time-series. This reminds me of 'comparative advantage' argument of Lin Yifu. If comparative advantage accounts for the economic miracle of China after 1980s, we should also see this advantage before 1980s...

I guess professor Rogerson is not a fan of thinking differences in labor participation in terms of gender differences. It seems labor participation is gender-neutral from time-series data.

Went to a seminar on ethnic identity given by Alberto Bisin from nyu. The idea is very simple but the test is nice.

Not sure whether I should return to my idea about ethnic identification...

Bought a an alarm clock radio.

1. Ordered 'Contract Theory' online. Hopefully the price (500 SEK) can provide me incentives to read it line by line.

2. Had the last class of recursive macro:( Lars said he would look at my 'environment' first before giving me any suggestion. I am happy yet feel a bit worried about my story. btw, environment=preferences+endowment+technology.

3. I heard someone calling my name when I was leaving SSE. I can hardly recognize my name when it is pronounced by foreigners...I was lucky this time.

1. Try to record what I hear randomly in daily life.

2. Did homework on Stata. The software is so advanced nowadays that it incorporates most things people want to do. I drank three cups of tea when it was bootstrapping.

3. Read Acemoglu's notes on search and unemployment.

I am having a difficult time.

I sat next to a Polish girl in the Swedish class. She is studying German. Unfortunately she is not familiar with Kieslowski, Wajda, Milosz or Szymborska. Kind of funny to think that I was once so interested in Polish culture.

I have been reflecting upon why I have educated myself with so much 'useless knowledge'. This reminds me of Kong yiji, who is proud of knowing four different ways of writing a Chinese word, HUI.

Anyhow, here is my homework 2.

En sevärdhet: Gotland

Jag har varit på Gotland en gång, som var en oförglömlig resa. Jag tänker åka dit igen om jag har tid i sommar.

Gotland är en ö, som ligger i Östersjön. Man kan resa från Nynäshamn med en restiden på tre timmar. Gotland har många vackra plaster, t.ex. Visby, Fårö, osv.

Visby är en idyllisk småstad och samtidigt Gotlands största tätort. Det kallas för ’ruinernas och rosornas stad’. Många kyrkor har funnits under medeltiden men idag är endast en av dessa i bruk, och 11 andra finns som ruiner. Rosorna växer kraftigt runt ruinerna, som är vackert men sorgligt. I botaniska trädgården visste jag att visby är en typ av rosor.

Fårö är känd för Ingmar Bergman och hans filmer. På kyrkogården ligger Bergman begraven. På Fårö har han gjort fyra spelfilmer på Fårö, som är Såsom i en spegel, Persona, Skammen och En passion. Landskapet är mycket tyst och ensam. På juni börjar årets Bergmanvecka. Dessutom Ingmar Bergmans filmer, Tarkovskijs Offret var också inspelad på Fårö.

Det finns naturligtvis andra intressanta platser att besöka, t.ex. Holmhällar på södra Gotland. Jag tycker att du ska ha en fantastisk tid vart du än går på ön.

Greed and Genes

1. Had the second last lecture of recursive macro. I am thinking of talking to Lars about my idea before the course is finished. I have to write down my story before coming to him. I will do it. Gooood.

2. Got an email from Madeline. Do not know how to reply her as I did not read any book or watch any new movie. Actually it is still possible to read some books if I read a few pages before I go to bed, like reading the Swedish novel.

3. Bought a new wine. Not bad.

4. Roland Benabou has a new paper along his idea about ideology formation.

1. Did macro homework with Matlab. I should be more familiar with the program...

2. Read a few pages of The Selfish Gene. He mentioned an interesting example of selfishness on page 5:

More well known is the macabre cannibalism of female praying mantises. Mantises are large carnivorous insects. They normally eat smaller insects such as flies, but they will attack almost anything that moves. When they mate, the male cautiously creeps up on the female, mounts her, and copulates. If the female gets the chance, she will eat him, beginning by biting his head off, either as the male is approaching, or immediately after he mounts, or after they separate. It might seem most sensible for her to wait until copulation is over before she starts to eat him. But the loss of the head does not seem to throw the rest of the male's body off its sexual stride. Indeed, since the insect head is the seat of some inhibitory nerve centres, it is possible that the female improves the male's sexual performance by eating his head. If so, this is an added benefit. The primary one is that she obtains a good meal.

3. I find biology very interesting these days. Look forward to Jörgen's course on evolutionary game theory.

4. Talked with a Chinese girl in our corridor who is a master student of biology. Her program is related to breast cancer and her daily work is to record the processing of RNA in a certain cell before the translation to DNA. It sounds quite labor intensive. She told me that they do not need to think while working. Then I think it is more interesting to study social sciences. As Lars once joked, 'you will get old more slowly, if you do one or two 'thinking' exercises like this every week.'

Wasted a lot of time following gossips about Eileen Chang's new novel, Xiaotuanyuan (small reunion) . It seems totally her style despite some unexpected erotic interludes.

Quote of the day

....both the New Classical and New Keynesian complete markets macroeconomic theories not only did not allow the key questions about insolvency and illiquidity to be answered. They did not allow such questions to be asked....

from http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/3210

1. Got the official admission email from Princeton. I don't have particular preference about universities. So I guess I will accept it.

2. Still struggling with a new topic to work on. A bit ashamed of myself.

3. Does respecting the individual promote propensity?

1. Finished the first 25 pages of Ondskan. Not an interesting experience as I have to look up so many words...

2. Had a Swedish class.

Swedish takes me much more time than what I imagined. I hesitated a moment today when I stepped into the classroom. Should I spend so much time on Swedish? Perhaps I should not if I only want to be a researcher. On the other hand, I enjoy learning languages.

3. Talked a little bit with David. He is my second supervisor. A bit ashamed of myself these days as I do not have a research topic to talk with him.

1. Had recursive macro lecture in the afternoon. Lars told us a slogan:

Think recursively, Become Bellmanized.

2. Watched 'Brideshead revisited' (1981) and stopped when Sebastian's story ended.

interesting puzzles about status affiliation

a complementary example: (Chinese) econ phd students always choose to major in the strong fields in a university, which may be not their genuine interest.

Quote of the day

I can't keep this day. I can only live it now. I can't save it up for another time. Another time will be another time. This is today. My gift. One life. One day.
I got up quietly, dressed and went downstairs and drank coffee standing up in a little bar. I was sleepy and happy, not because I wanted anything but because I didn't. It will be enough to go now, to wrap the day round me like a warm coat.

From Roman short story

1. Notes on dynamic games

Yesterday I talked with Weicheng. He is interested in macro and finance these days. 'But there is only one economics', he said. Dynamic games with recursive methods may be a good example to say that there is no clear cut between micro and macro. Of course we need to pin down our interest to some extent.

2. Application in political economy: Dixit, Grossman and Gul (2000)