Tag Archives: opera

Things I Learned this Week

Among the things I learned this week:
* Dropbox is a hot destination for Valley talent these days. Perplexing. (Courtesy: Valley insiders, let’s say)

* In India, deities can own property, but they are treated as minorities. (Courtesy: The New Yorker)

* La Muette de Portici‘s role in the formation, and fear of its role in the deformation, of Belgium. (Courtesy: The New Yorker)

Things I Learned this Week

Among the things I learned this week:
* Spotify audio quality isn’t as good as I expected, despite knowing the format. I suspect it is a non-issue for most people. (Courtesy: Spotify)

* Weddings benefit from having Baltimore-based attendees: They know how to dance and they play good music. (Courtesy: MLs)

* According to excellent, interesting, insightful, and important research by Byers, Mitzenmacher, and Zervas, daily deals carry a reputational cost to the sponsoring establishment. Specifically, Yelp reviewers who went to an establishment due to a Groupon or LivingSocial coupon, reviewed the establishment 10 percent lower than non-daily deals reviewers. The paper also sheds light and raises questions about the sales dynamics of daily deals and social network effects on these types of sales. I only wish they had better controlled for the Yelp reviews by comparing daily deal establishments with non-daily deal establishments across the same time; not only is this relevant methodologically, but it is also something of interest to me. (Courtesy: Business Insider)

* Reading Rainbow returns as an iOS app! (Courtesy: TUAW)

* Chinese shadow play is cool, but lacks the unmatchable brilliance of gamelan, the music that accompanies Indonesia’s shadow play–wayang kulit. (Courtesy: Tangshan Shadow Puppet Theatre)

* Karen O, like me, is getting into opera. (Courtesy: Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

Things I Learned this Week

Among the things I learned this week:

* Unmarried Lithuanian women have last names that end in “aite”. Married Lithuanian women take their husbands’ last names but add a “iene” to it. (Courtesy: JS via ZS, confirmed by RS).

* Bosoms wrinkle. (Courtesy: NYT)

* I noticed a few companies no longer allowing customers to add tips to the credit card charge. The reason is because the company, rather than the employee being tipped, is held liable for taxes on tips. (Courtesy: SK)

* It is easier to buy season tickets for the Kennedy Center than The Met. (Courtesy: Kennedy Center and The Met)