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  1. alain

    The New iPad

    I should agree with you. However, I have been staring at displays for long periods of time since age 7. So far no headaches... except when looking at Excel spreadsheets .
  2. alain

    The New iPad

    why?
  3. alain

    http://people.orie.cornell.edu/~davidr/SDAFE/ if you search the web you might find a copy of...

    http://people.orie.cornell.edu/~davidr/SDAFE/ if you search the web you might find a copy of the book.
  4. alain

    Profile Evaluation : In a terrible situation

    Hopefully, that day will come soon. It will be great if people care more about what you know and what you can bring to the table instead of which school you went to.
  5. alain

    There is a Book called Statistics for Financial Engineering from Ruppert. The latest edition is...

    There is a Book called Statistics for Financial Engineering from Ruppert. The latest edition is all R. Subscribe to r-sig-finance as well. The rest, just code a lot in R.
  6. alain

    Travails of Wall Street workers

    This reminds me of a funny quote: "Shaq is rich. The white man who signs his check … is wealthy." - Chris Rock Remember, you want to be wealthy.
  7. alain

    The New iPad

    you guessed it. I will probably get a used iPad2 for the kids and the new iPad for me. That will be 3 ipads in the house. The only reason I want the new iPad is the display. I want to check if it is any good for reading. I basically use the iPad as a glorified eReader.
  8. alain

    Best Laptop for MFE Students

    get a Mac
  9. alain

    The New iPad

    undecided...
  10. alain

    Which course should I choose?

    Trading what?
  11. alain

    COMPARE Princeton or MIT for Master in Finance?

    I'm not against the herd, I'm against the WRONG herd. I'm against the average opinion of the applicants, not the average opinion of the people doing the hiring. Those are very different crowds. BTW, if QN is any indication, the average applicant doesn't think too rationally when it comes to...
  12. alain

    COMPARE Stanford or NYU????

    read https://www.quantnet.com/forum/threads/stanford-or-nyu.8881/#post-83483
  13. alain

    COMPARE Princeton or MIT for Master in Finance?

    I think you are basing your analysis on the wrong premises. Who gives a rat's ass what an applicant says? their opinion is not valuable because they have zero input in what your placement, your salary or your future is going to be. You will need to ask the people doing the hiring and, from my...
  14. alain

    Prop Trading firm in Chicago or Consulting firm working on model validation for a big bank.

    or it makes it highly likely you will be without a job and without salary in the very very near future.
  15. alain

    COMPARE Stanford or NYU????

    go to NYU.
  16. alain

    Travails of Wall Street workers

    They are too small for me. I have kids now and my perspective is completely different. My kids are the most important thing for me.
  17. alain

    Travails of Wall Street workers

    is this really the case or people go to Wall Street for the money and somehow peer pressure is the main driver after you are in finance?
  18. alain

    COMPARE Princeton or MIT for Master in Finance?

    JayMesa, did you go or are you going to Princeton?
  19. alain

    COMPARE Princeton or MIT for Master in Finance?

    You could argue the same thing about MIT.
  20. alain

    Tips to learn LaTeX

    OH NO!!! I'm sorry to hear that.
  21. alain

    COMPARE Princeton or MIT for Master in Finance?

    Why is Princeton the stronger program? Why not MIT? It's hard for me to rationalize how you guys come up with those answers.
  22. alain

    COMPARE Princeton or MIT for Master in Finance?

    so, that's your answer. Don't get caught up in silly comparisons.
  23. alain

    COMPARE Princeton or MIT for Master in Finance?

    Does it really matter?
  24. alain

    2011-2012 Quantnet Ranking of Financial Engineering (MFE) Programs

    Interesting, check this link too: https://www.quantnet.com/forum/threads/rotman-international-trading-competition-2012.8760/#post-82723 Baruch teams took 1st and 4th places.
  25. alain

    Rotman International Trading Competition 2012

    Congratulations!!!
  26. alain

    Are MFE programs only for rich kids?

    I was talking about the US (I made that point very clear). I don't know how it works in Canada. If it is free, great!! I can't say the same thing about the US :( My mistake, I should've specified I was talking about the US since most of the people in this forum ask questions about US schools...
  27. alain

    Are MFE programs only for rich kids?

    This is very rare in the US. PhD programs get all the money and TA jobs when it comes to stipends.
  28. alain

    Are MFE programs only for rich kids?

    AFAIK, master programs of any kind usually don't offer financial aid. That applies to MFE, CS, EE, etc. I don't know how many traditional master programs you know that offer financial aid.
  29. alain

    A Goldman Sachs programmer was found guilty

    You have been watching too many movies. Remember, you are in front of the computer to do work.
  30. alain

    Louis Dreyfus quant desk

    IIRC, I had a friend who used to work in their weather derivatives 5 or 6 years ago.
  31. alain

    Online "Financial Economics, Asset pricing and Derivative courses"

    http://www.phoenix.edu/courses/fin/fin402.html
  32. alain

    Remember that Impossible Is Nothing video?

    probably because it seems like an innocent mistake. All of us have made similar mistakes at one time or another. IIRC, couple of years ago you published your full name, address, phone and resume on this website.
  33. alain

    Engineers break into Investment Banking (IB)

    This rules has existed in everyplace I have worked since 1998.
  34. alain

    Data analysis tools

    I only use Windows in extreme circumstances. My main working environment is Linux. I threw RExcel out there just in case the OP was afraid of using R.
  35. alain

    Data analysis tools

    I do most of my data analysis in R. It has almost all the tools I need and it can be hooked up to Excel if you want with the excellent RExcel plug-in.
  36. alain

    Changes to Quantnet

    The distribution of positive to negative feedback is till skew to the positive side. We need more negative so we can make it even.
  37. alain

    Enough Quant Jobs for MFE grads????

    http://norvig.com/21-days.html Still relevant.
  38. alain

    Vassar College mistake

    were all the grades BAD?
  39. alain

    Books and certification for Fixed Income and Settlement System

    That one. I also like this one: Fixed Income Securities: Valuation, Risk, and Risk Management by Pietro Veronesi http://amzn.com/0470109106
  40. alain

    Should I go for MFE?

    If you don't apply, you won't get in. Search QN, your profile looks like any other profile posted in this site.
  41. alain

    Suggest some readings for high frequency trading

    Read about the Disruptor pattern
  42. alain

    R Programming language?

    I used mostly RPy2. Don't recall exactly why I decided on that one and not RPy.
  43. alain

    Football season

    I would love to see the Patriots lose... the earlier the better
  44. alain

    R Programming language?

    I have used RPy and RPy2. They work very well. I have a Django portfolio optimization tool that uses Rmetrics for the heavy lifting. I usually end up writing a lot of python code and calling R code when I know the solution in R right away and don't want to dig through the python libraries.
  45. alain

    R Programming language?

    This is definitely a problem. There are some packages trying to solve this but the degree of success varies.
  46. alain

    R Programming language?

    R and C++ have totally different goals. I don't disagree that R could be slower than C++ but for numerical algorithms, you can usually make R run as fast as C++... and you can usually rewrite the slow pieces of the R programs in C or C++.
  47. alain

    R Programming language?

    I have used R extensively and I have never had a problem. I really don't know what you are doing but, in my experience, R is never the problem.
  48. alain

    who needs a passing grade?

    I like your answer but that was not the question.
  49. alain

    MIT MFin 2011 MIT MFin Placement Report

    Very simple, they don't have to. OTOH, the students are the ones who need to justify it. BTW, the MIT program doesn't lack applicants willing to pay.
  50. alain

    Help!! Stuck with my Career

    Pradhu, What do you do in Kuwait? Is there a market for the things you want to do? How much clout do you have in your current job?
  51. alain

    Couple of questions regarding masters in computer science

    Was your original Master in CS? why do you want a second Master in CS? Believe me, it's not going to be that different. CS hasn't changed that much since you got your degree. IMHO, I think you will be wasting your money is this is the case.
  52. alain

    Couple of questions regarding masters in computer science

    Still, I don't understand the relationship or how that could impact your admission. You will need to be more explicit if you want a better explanation.
  53. alain

    Couple of questions regarding masters in computer science

    1) I was 28 when I did a Master in Computer Science 2) Usually universities don't offer financial aid for Master programs. You will have to do your own research here. If you apply you will probably get in since there is not a high demand for this degree. 3) How could this be a problem? What was...
  54. alain

    Algorithmic Trading as an individual

    It is realistic but you have to keep in mind few things if you don't have enough assets to play.
  55. alain

    2012 Resolution: Start Coding Again

    This is good. I didn't see it before. I signed to check it out but I was discouraged after I saw only JavaScript.
  56. alain

    2012 Resolution: Start Coding Again

    learn to code JavaScript... that's a good start but I think that is going to be a disaster.
  57. alain

    MSSQL vs Oracle SQL

    Which features? I need some examples. Most of the big (and famous) technology companies use free databases. So, I don't know which features "expensives" RDBMS(s) provide that are not needed by hi-tech companies.
  58. alain

    MSSQL vs Oracle SQL

    from the document: Enterprise/ Data Center Premium high availability Scalability High-end management tools Enterprise security No CPU and memory limit Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise Edition and Data Center Edition Oracle Enterprise Edition DB2 Enterprise Edition $27,000–$55,000 per CPU...
  59. alain

    MSSQL vs Oracle SQL

    How do you know this? How hard? Any experiences or comments? BTW, I've been running Postgres 9.0 currently and it seems as hard/easy as any other database. MySQL is completely free. If you want paid support you can pay for it. Using the database is still free if you want to do it yourself.
  60. alain

    A film about var?

    nobody is perfect
  61. alain

    Opinions about some R books

    This book seems good. I have it and it covers a lot of R programming (real programming). The author of this book wrote another book with one of Baruch's MFE Alumni, Peter Salzman.
  62. alain

    Obtaining Stock Betas

    write some code and get it from there.
  63. alain

    MSSQL vs Oracle SQL

    PostgreSql is free. MySQL is free as well.
  64. alain

    Why Java would be used over C++

    There are some advantages. What exactly are you trying to accomplish? what kind of answer are you looking for?
  65. alain

    Why Java would be used over C++

    Although this is completely true, in real life you end up using only a subset of the language because of the level of complexity you have to deal with.
  66. alain

    Why is C++ good for Quantitative Finance? Top 3 reasons

    Do you have concrete examples? would you care to share them with us?
  67. alain

    Why is C++ good for Quantitative Finance? Top 3 reasons

    I doubt I ever said the change to .NET was inevitable. I don't use .NET and I'm not a fan.
  68. alain

    Factor Model to forecast stock market return

    Read Grinold and Khan
  69. alain

    C++ compiler for Mac

    Yes and you won't be sorry. That's the best compiler + IDE you can get for the Mac.
  70. alain

    FX trader in investment bank/hedge fund, what do they do?

    Couple of articles that proved discretionary FX trading is dead when competing with automated agents.
  71. alain

    Wow! A lot of new laptops have come out!

    you couldn't get a Z for 1K 6 months ago. Now, I have an air. I'm really happy with it but I rather have a computer with linux, 8 GB of memory and a Delete key.
  72. alain

    Wow! A lot of new laptops have come out!

    none of these existed 6 months ago.
  73. alain

    Wow! A lot of new laptops have come out!

    Not really, still waiting for 13'' laptop with the same resolution or better than the Macbook Air.
  74. alain

    Value at Risk on the buyside

    If it's your own money, it's up to you. If it's somebody else's money, you might have a problem
  75. alain

    MSSQL vs Oracle SQL

    I have worked with both (not recently though). I agree with Dominic about Oracle's salesforce, they will try to suck your blood from everything. However their database is beyond solid. I experienced a lot of pains with MSSQL including corruption. When that happened, it was beyond painful to fix...
  76. alain

    Black Friday wishlist

    ah... the magic of commercials :)
  77. alain

    Black Friday wishlist

    (this is my really humble opinion) I'm not a car junkie but I have huge problems with Mercedes and BMW. They are great... if everything is perfect outside, or you are short, or ... a lot of things. Here is my laundry list: - Mercedes: They suck in the snow... really bad. Also, they are like...
  78. alain

    Black Friday wishlist

    wait until the BMW computer tells you the tires are low in pressure and they look fine and you go nuts... or the mouse thingie goes bonkers on you.
  79. alain

    Black Friday wishlist

    after you drive a Mercedes in the snow, the fanaticism will go down the toilette.
  80. alain

    Black Friday wishlist

    I need CA$H... lots of it
  81. alain

    Calling C++ from VBA

    Doesn't it look cumbersome to you? Why are you jumping through so many hoops? I don't know but there must be an easier way.
  82. alain

    Quant Finance is Dead!!

    it's not dead. It's shifting. So, you adapt or you die. It's like evolution...
  83. alain

    Curriculum of the Future?

    how is that better?
  84. alain

    Translate GAUSS code to R code

    the OSX version of R is already optimized.
  85. alain

    The World according to Americans

    This is just the beginning. You are using it. You will show it to somebody. He/she will find value and start using it. In no time, your colleagues are using it and their boss has an idea to make visible and sell this service... you get the drill, right?
  86. alain

    The World according to Americans

    I think these are 2 very different tasks. IMHO, using LU to solve a problem without knowing the ins and outs is ok since you know what the goal is and LU it's a very specific solution. OTOH, putting a webserver up might be fine in a short run but it usually leads to greater issues later on...
  87. alain

    John McCarthy has passed away

    Steve Jobs didn't do anything for Computer Science
  88. alain

    RIP Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

    he also stopped Apple from making any kind of charitable donations... maybe there is a vision there too.
  89. alain

    C++: Instantiating Objects Within Switch Loops

    It's not too clear what you are trying to do but you probably want to read about design patterns. It seems you want to create different objects based on some user input. Check the abstract Factory pattern or the Factory method pattern. They are somewhat similar but have different objectives...
  90. alain

    Occupy Wall St.

    I listened to NPR reports about OWS. Even though their message is not well defined, it seems all of them have a common concerned. lack of jobs. They complained they have been unemployed for some time and want a solution. In the same news program, Alabama tomato growers complained nobody wants...
  91. alain

    "MFE program profile evaluation" master thread

    If you are doing it for the money, you might have a better chance to get to $$$$ by joining a start up.
  92. alain

    Occupy Wall St.

    I'm on the same boat with you regarding the draft. It is mandatory in Cuba too.
  93. alain

    Occupy Wall St.

    South Korea has mandatory draft. Israel has mandatory draft for men and women. Both countries are doing Ok. I'm not for mandatory draft but this item doesn't support your point.
  94. alain

    PHD in Econ; Thoughts?

    maybe, but by the time you are done with the PhD, things could be a lot different.
  95. alain

    Java (Eclipse) and R - JRI/rJava

    You need to get the zoo version that is compatible with 2.9. zoo has been around for a while. We used zoo with R 2.6 and 2.7 so that is not a problem. If what you are trying to use is R and Java, you are set for a great deal of pain. It works but it's not that simple. You will need to find the...
  96. alain

    Dennis Ritchie passed away

    RIP. Let's see if this news gets as much attention
  97. alain

    Java (Eclipse) and R - JRI/rJava

    I run it all the time. I don't use rJava but Rterm. What exactly do you want to do? are you using StatET?
  98. alain

    Amanda Knox - Is she guilty ?

    does it really matter?
  99. alain

    Quant Fund Strategies?

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/1576601870/
  100. alain

    Occupy Wall St.

    demonstrate what against oil companies? It sounds to me like somebody who didn't want to keep going to school and found a very, very easy way out.
  101. alain

    Financial Engineering Phd

    Very unlikely.
  102. alain

    Dominic to Java developers: Quit NOW

    Algorithms? Sure. I reuses the same algorithms in any other language with some tweaking. Using libraries could be a little more complicated. Again, you can write wrappers and make them work with Java. My point is that what you say about the JVM applies in almost exactly the same way to .NET...
  103. alain

    Dominic to Java developers: Quit NOW

    Calling C API in C++ is harder than calling Jython in Scala. JVM language behave sort of the same way as .Net languages. Calling APIs between .Net languages is very straightforward. Now, Calling C API in C++ safer? That's a pipe dream!!
  104. alain

    Dominic to Java developers: Quit NOW

    If I were you I wouldn't bet. Reusable libraries on the Windows platform are usually not free. Java has a way to deal with foreign libraries and it comes to writing wrappers. That's the same with C and C++. Even if you want to call C APIs in C++ you have to jump some hoops. It's never that...
  105. alain

    Dominic to Java developers: Quit NOW

    These are all .Net languages. They share a common base. There is no cross language integration whatsoever. From what you say, I can claim the same easy of integration between Java, Scala, Clojure, Jython and any other language that runs on the JVM. Oh, and I can do this sort of integration in...
  106. alain

    Dominic to Java developers: Quit NOW

    That is not only java's problem. Almost all languages have this sort of issue. They solve them using a lot of different mechanisms. Java might have issues but what you said is as much a java problem as it is any other programming language problem.
  107. alain

    Dominic to Java developers: Quit NOW

    How so? I don't know what you mean.
  108. alain

    Red Sox collapse statistically

    you guys like to rub it in. Poor Sanket... is he alive? did he cry last night?
  109. alain

    Dominic to Java developers: Quit NOW

    This actually not true. Let's forget about Java for now. Companies are always looking for good engineers. Knowing how to code a hello world program is one thing. Knowing how to code a complex algorithm to solve a specific task is something totally different.
  110. alain

    More mathematical finance

    I just want a Kindle version. That will be enough for me. I don't like to carry books anymore.
  111. alain

    More mathematical finance

    Is there an electronic version of the book? If not, will there ever be one?
  112. alain

    Matlab vs Mathematica Eigenvectors Calculation

    why should they match?
  113. alain

    2011-2012 Quantnet Ranking of Financial Engineering (MFE) Programs

    I don't care a bit about the ranking but this way of thinking reveals something totally different.
  114. alain

    When Model Risk becomes Model Fraud

    I think it's called just MSCI nowadays.
  115. alain

    When Model Risk becomes Model Fraud

    Barr Rosenberg was the founder of BARRA.
  116. alain

    NYU student with 100K loan

    Very simple, if you want an education from NYU, they think it's worth 50k a year. If you don't think it's worth that much, you don't need to apply at NYU. As you might know, NYU denies a lot of people so there plenty of people willing to pay.
  117. alain

    Any good book on Machine Learning?

    you will like this: http://www.amazon.com/Data-Mining-Learning-Knowledge-Discovery/dp/1439810184/ also check this: http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Learning-Algorithmic-Perspective-Recognition/dp/1420067184/ You can still download Hastie from here http://www-stat.stanford.edu/~tibs/ElemStatLearn/
  118. alain

    Amazon Kindle for Academia

    I have a Kindle DX and an IPad. I thought I was going to be using the Kindle DX more becuase the IPad taxes your eyes. I don't use it as much as I thought I was going to use it. It's better than the iPad for reading and the battery lasts forever but I use the ipad to do a lot of things and...
  119. alain

    Amazon Kindle for Academia

    I have a Kindle DX if somebody wants it, I'm selling it. PM me.
  120. alain

    Developing a quant resume during a Neuroscience PhD

    the school name is just because there are 3 people in this fund from the same school and the same department. It might make things easier. The school is not famous for any ranking (it's not in the Ivy league or what recruiters will call top 10).
  121. alain

    WSJ interview with Roubini

    Doubt it. I read "Das Capital". It was a really tough read but we had to do it. Remember this book was written for the working class of the XIX century. The running joke at school was that the working class of the XIX century was better prepare to read and understand that book than the students...
  122. alain

    Rogue Trader Lost $2B at UBS

    couple of yards...
  123. alain

    OUTSOURCING: GOOD or BAD

    This is all subjective. Have you dealt with outsourcing? What's your experience?
  124. alain

    Rogue Trader Lost $2B at UBS

    whatever it is, let me know.
  125. alain

    OUTSOURCING: GOOD or BAD

    Good: As long as the task is trivial and you clearly detail what needs to be done for every case. It was great. We figure this out after we ran into problems when they didn't know what to do in different situations. I thought they could diagnose a problem but I was sadly mistaken so we used them...
  126. alain

    Developing a quant resume during a Neuroscience PhD

    Which school are you going to? I know of a place that might give you an interview on the spot.
  127. alain

    OUTSOURCING: GOOD or BAD

    what kind of outsourcing? I have had good and bad experiences with IT outsourcing
  128. alain

    Rogue Trader Lost $2B at UBS

    Unless they are high on the totem pole, these guys are usually fall guys.
  129. alain

    2009 Quantnet Ranking of Financial Engineering (MFE), Quantitative Finance Programs

    I don't think the price should reflect any fellowship award. If I want to go to CGU, how much am I going to be charged? That's what he is looking for. Andy probably is stating the published price.
  130. alain

    Aerospace Engineer To Quantitative Analyst?

    if you think that's better for you, it probably is. Just go for it.
  131. alain

    CFA or CHP

    what's a CHP?
  132. alain

    Do you think it's a good idea?

    next year in fall = Fall 2012 3-2 = Spring 2017 +3 (if you are able to cut PhD in half) = 2020. +5 (if you do a PhD in normal time) = 2022 By that time Finance might be completely different. My advice, don't think about finance until (if) you need it. Concentrate on the greater good.
  133. alain

    Option returns with mathlab

    exp(0) = 1, so you have a row of initial prices So
  134. alain

    The Worlds First Ultraportable 15.6" Laptop!!??

    Stop drinking (or smoking or whatever you are doing that is clouding your vision) and read again.
  135. alain

    The Worlds First Ultraportable 15.6" Laptop!!??

    Ah, the irony... not as easy to work with. I remember when one of my old professors in Cuba was able to debug FORTRAN code by reading a tape...take that!!!
  136. alain

    The Worlds First Ultraportable 15.6" Laptop!!??

    I have to reboot that too much and it's not as easy to use :(
  137. alain

    The Worlds First Ultraportable 15.6" Laptop!!??

    What kind of IT do you do? Let's get that out of the way first.
  138. alain

    The Worlds First Ultraportable 15.6" Laptop!!??

    Ah... the old days. :)
  139. alain

    The Worlds First Ultraportable 15.6" Laptop!!??

    Easy of use, no Windows and no need to reboot.
  140. alain

    The Worlds First Ultraportable 15.6" Laptop!!??

    I could never justified the cost to buy a Mac and I put up with all the warts of Windows. That was ok until my friends convinced me to buy a Mac (now I own 3 of them). That was it. Unix with a nice user interface and very easy to use to boot. I still do most of my coding in Linux but nothing...
  141. alain

    US regulators ask for HF algo data + code

    competent coders in the financial industry? there are not as many as you might think.
  142. alain

    Teen Programmer Hopes To Make A Million From A.I. App

    you shouldn't. He implemented an algorithm to solve a problem. He probably doesn't understand the intrincacies of the problem but he came up with a solution. That's very admirable.
  143. alain

    God's laptop

    ah... Ok. That will change in the future.
  144. alain

    God's laptop

    again, don't come crying later...
  145. alain

    God's laptop

    why do you need dedicated graphics? Just wondering.
  146. alain

    God's laptop

    Don't come crying when you need to do real work and windows goes bonkers on you.
  147. alain

    mathy shows

    mathy shows? NFL football and Major League Baseball.
  148. alain

    Explain Low GPA in Essay?

    A low grade in Organic Chemistry? What's wrong with you? :)
  149. alain

    God's laptop

    Toshiba is coming with a new Portege http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/01/toshibas-portege-z830-is-an-ultraslim-ultrasexy-ultrabook/ Same problems though: no high resolution, crappy hard drive and a nightmare from microsoft.
  150. alain

    God's laptop

    No, I haven't tried or seen a capacitance screen that is better than a Wacom. None whatsoever. Apple might be the best touchscreen out there (debatable) but it is light years away from a Wacom board. The IBM Thinkpad Tablet used to come with one and that was the best thing ever, responsive...
  151. alain

    God's laptop

    Capacitive screens are not precise or acurate. The also suffer from the "hand" problem (you can't rest your hand on the display while writing). Not being able to write notes on the iPad is a real letdown :(. I was expecting a lot from Apple since I was used to the IBM Thinkpad Tablet.
  152. alain

    God's laptop

    I wouldn't say Windows is the most user friendly operating system. I would say it is the operating system people are used to. So, it makes it really hard for them to change to something new.
  153. alain

    Isn't this joke ambigious?

    Abdel these are all personal experiences. If you ever have a good teacher, you might not say the same thing.
  154. alain

    God's laptop

    In my experience, the average user usually only needs a browser, a word processor and some sort of IM software. That's the reason I can switch them to Linux at anytime. Macs are ridiculously expensive in comparison to PCs (I know, I own 3 macs). 90% of computer users in the world would have a...
  155. alain

    Isn't this joke ambigious?

    not everybody is like you. Stop and think about that for a second and you will realize some people like that interaction of sitting in a classroom.
  156. alain

    God's laptop

    After you reach certain age, you tend to stop playing games and you start doing work. I don't think the majority of people who come to this forum care about playing games on the computer anymore. That list is for the mom and pop user. Again, I would like to think readers of this forum are what...
  157. alain

    God's laptop

    windows is very present in all places but that doesn't make it better. It was a cost thing. Windows was very cheap in comparison with the alternatives. In the past it was way cheaper to buy 100 windows boxes are $1000 each instead of 100 Sun boxes at 10K+ or 100 SGI workstations and 6K+. You do...
  158. alain

    God's laptop

    what you don't like is the fact that Macs are sort of overprice in comparison with other manufacturers. Well, if people want to pay for them, that's they are own problem. In my experience, the machines are very good. Don't criticize the machine if your only issue is price. I don't swear loyalty...
  159. alain

    God's laptop

    There are alternatives but people are too ingrained with Excel and tend to criticize everything else even if it is better. They criticize excel as well but, at the end, they forgive its shortcomings.
  160. alain

    God's laptop

    and this is a major problem because it becomes central. Excel is usually the culprit and it only causes headaches. I'm dealing with that now. Hopefully, I'm having people using excel as presentation layer only. All the brain is pushed someplace else. This was a decision from Microsoft. They...
  161. alain

    God's laptop

    That's not really true. You can use Microsoft Office on Mac OSX. The full blown version, without a problem. However, why would you want to use Microsoft Office?
  162. alain

    God's laptop

    That might not be a choice. I use a HP laptop at work and do a lot of coding in Windows.
  163. alain

    God's laptop

    This is what I can see from your posts. I don't think you have ever used a laptop/computer to do real work. By real work I mean to develop a solution to a problem. Where do you keep your code or your documents? in an external HD and keep using it? or you use dropbox or something similar? do you...
  164. alain

    God's laptop

    Correction, Kapersky Anti-Virus is really good at blocking viruses.
  165. alain

    God's laptop

    Your opinion is base on what exactly?
  166. alain

    God's laptop

    why do you switch computers so often?
  167. alain

    God's laptop

    I don't think you know what you are talking about.
  168. alain

    God's laptop

    this is meaningles. I don't boot my machine (either mac or linux) once in long long while.
  169. alain

    God's laptop

    That's ok. We are all learning. :) I don't like to critizise manufacturers anymore. However, when it comes to the operating system I'm sort of biased.
  170. alain

    God's laptop

    could you sustain your claim? I'm waiting to hear how Windows as an operating system is more capable than Mac OS X.
  171. alain

    God's laptop

    Son, you are forgiven since you have worked in Windows your whole life. It doesn't look you have worked with Mac OS X and you just discover Linux this past summer. I'm working to make sure you learn to use a real OS :).
  172. alain

    God's laptop

    except a higher resolution, a better hard drive and a real operating system.
  173. alain

    Hurricane Irene

    Really? I lived in Cuba for 20 years and saw countless of hurricanes.
  174. alain

    Which PhD to become algorithmic trader?

    Great, keep the good work. Now, try to be creative. Do some research, pick a topic and learn everything about it.
  175. alain

    Myron Scholes predicts 'golden age' for quants

    You might be right. However, my old boss worked at LTCM. He pretty much comfirmed what I said. If I sounded arrogant, I'm really sorry for it. I just made the comment with the best intentions. If you think that is arrogant... I don't know what to say. In this case, yes. I think a lot of...
  176. alain

    PHD in Computer Science

    I will be really sad if CS types don't know the answer to this question. Dominic, I have a question. In your dealings with recruiting, have you heard of any other(s) functional language(s) that shows prominently or plays a fundamental role in financial institutions? I'm thinking about Haskell...
  177. alain

    Myron Scholes predicts 'golden age' for quants

    Myron Scholes has fielded this question multiple times. If you google for it, you will probably find his response. Also, read the book about LTCM (When genius failed). Scholes had very little to do with the investment strategies at LTCM.
  178. alain

    PHD in Computer Science

    it all depends on how good you are.
  179. alain

    Corruption in India

    Thanks. and, what's your point?
  180. alain

    Corruption in India

    I think I have asked this question before but... What is "lac"?
  181. alain

    Do I need to take the new job?

    You will definitely learn more from were you are. Could you get a piece of the P&L?
  182. alain

    Corruption in India

    Embarrasing? definitely not. I can't tell if the content is poor but seems like an interesting discussion (although very polarising).
  183. alain

    Earthquake

    Yes. Search QN for the whole story. It's somewhere posted in this forum.
  184. alain

    Chavez - Genius or Madman?

    It is politically important to present an outward image of prosperity. The best way to achieve that goal is through arts and sports.
  185. alain

    Chavez - Genius or Madman?

    the funny thing is the cuban ballet was established before Castro came to power.
  186. alain

    Earthquake

    I bounced up and down a little but I didn't think it was that bad. It was worse when the WTC got hit.
  187. alain

    Chavez - Genius or Madman?

    Now that I see your sources I can reply. I really don't need background material. I was born and raised in Cuba until 1995. So I know exactly how it is. Firstable, it is extremely easy to become a Medical Doctor in Cuba. So easy that a lot of people use the Medical career as a safety if they...
  188. alain

    Earthquake

    did anybody feel the earthquake?
  189. alain

    Chavez - Genius or Madman?

    Yes, I would like to know what "Social Infrastructure" in Cuba really means. BTW, I said Chavez is crazy as he is a nutjob, very unpredictable.
  190. alain

    Chavez - Genius or Madman?

    don't want to hijack the thread but, unless you explain exactly what you mean but "social infrastructure", I don't think you know what you are talking about.
  191. alain

    Chavez - Genius or Madman?

    Chavez is trying to follow the Cuban model and I happen to know that very very well. Again, he is crazy. He has destroyed the Venezuelan economy.
  192. alain

    Actuarial Work

    If you like it, you will enjoy it.
  193. alain

    Singapore hedge fund vs Wall Street aspirations

    Nope, the OP was trying to make a decision between taking a job in Singapore, or taking a flier... I'm sorry, trying to get a job on Wall Street.
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