U of Toronto University Professor Emeritus Stephen A. Cook won NSERC $1 million Herzberg Medal – with interview by Kempton

Congratulations to University of Toronto Computer Science professor Stephen Cook, best known for formulating the P v. NP problem, for winning the $1M 2012 Gerhard Herzberg medal!

After all these years, I still remember the thrill in taking my first year UT Comp. Sci class in 1987 with prof. Cook! And it remains an honour (and bragging right) to have taken the famous third year CSC364 Computability and Complexity class with prof. Cook and seeing him proved to us 3-satisfiability and taught us P v. NP, etc. I am truly excited for prof. Cook!

Check out my 15 minutes interview with Prof. Cook this morning: Interview with Dr. Stephen A. Cook, 2012 Winner of NSERC’s $1m Herzberg Medal

By the way, as prof. cook mentioned in the interview, he came to the idea of the NP complete problem about 6 months after he came to Toronto in 1970. If you read the detailed & insightful oral history interview with Stephen Cook (courtesy of University of Minnesota), you will realize professor Cook could have easily stayed at UC Berkeley (if they had not denied him tenure) instead of joining us at University of Toronto! Lucky us!

Last week, I asked prof. Kelly Gotlieb “Father of Computing in Canada” for his thoughts about some giants in computer science, here is what Kelly has to say about Steve (video clip).

Here is “NSERC Presents 2 Minutes With Stephen Cook“

Here is an excerpt from a great Q&A from U of Toronto.

“What drew you to this field – and to this particular focus?
I enrolled as a mathematics graduate student at Harvard in 1961, thinking I’d concentrate in algebra. Computer Science did not yet exist as a discipline. After taking a course in `logic and computation’ from Hao Wang, my future advisor, I switched fields. My PhD thesis was inspired by a question posed by a pioneer in the field named Alan Cobham: Is multiplication (of large numbers) intrinsically harder than addition? Part of the challenge was to formulate this as a precise mathematical question.

Why U of T?
I joined the faculty of the computer science department at U of T in 1970. This was one of the world’s first CS departments, and Tom Hull, the department chair, had a powerful vision for its future. He already had recruited some aspiring young faculty, including my close colleague Allan Borodin, who continues to be a pillar of the department. It helped that Toronto is a good sailing venue on Lake Ontario, and sailing was (and is) a major hobby for my wife and me.

What advice would you give to a student just starting out in this field?
You’ve made a good choice. The possibilities are boundless.“

Via this UT page, see more media coverage about the 2012 Herzberg Prize at these links below:

“- Globe & Mail

- Canada.com

- Calgary Herald

- CBC News“

Nobel Laureate professor Ronald Coase on China’s One-Child Policy

Photo credit: by Zhaofeng Xue (薛兆丰) 2009

Yesterday, in our bilingual Google+ Hangout LIVE YouTube show Wallace and I talked about “Little Emperors: Behavioral Impacts of China’s One-Child Policy” (with LIVE recorded video).

Last night, I reached out to professor Ning Wang (co-author of “How China Became Capitalist” with professor Coase) to ask him about his take on China’s One-Child Policy. Ning mentioned that a 2013 Jan video had been filmed in part to promote the launch of the Chinese edition of their book where professor Coase shared his critique of China’s One-Child Policy. I was so excited and immediately watched it twice. Here is the China’s One-Child Policy segment. (full transcript of interview here and full unedited interview video here)

Nobel Laureate Ronald Coase on China’s One-Child Policy

Belated Happy 102nd Birthday to Prof. Ronald Coase with special #PDFtribute

Happy belated 102nd Birthday to Nobel Economics Laureate Professor Ronald Coase. Wishing professor Coase good health and all the best in 2013!

In 2009, I took the initiative to spend a few days to download, process, upload, transcribe (small part of), and time-code professor Coase‘s 2003 Coase Lecture (a massive .mov file) to share on YouTube (6 clips in a playlist) to allow interested people from around the world to watch and learn as a way to celebrate professor Coase‘s 99th birthday.

Here is the 2003 Coase Lecture by Ronald Coase – Part 1. Watch the other 5 parts via this YouTube playlist.

For the last few birthdays of professor Coase, I mainly reshare the above video clips (with a new text interview in 2011). This time around, I’ve taken a new initiative to honour professor Coase‘s 102nd birthday. You see, a few years ago I went to the University of Calgary Law Library to conduct some US patent research for a client. As a bonus/treat for myself, I spent some time to download quite a few academic papers by professor Coase.

To celebrate professor Coase‘s 102nd birthday, I’ve uploaded the following three important papers plus a bonus paper as a special gift to readers of professor Coase‘s ideas.

Here are the PDFs of the academic papers
- 1937 – Nature of the Firm
– 1959 – The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
– 1974 – The Lighthouse in Economics

Bonus academic papers
- 1947 – The Origin of the Monopoly of Broadcasting in Great Britain

In the wise words of professor Coase,

“The only support I got was from my contemporaries. […] If this tale has any general significance, it is that new ideas are most likely to come from the young who are also the group most likely to recognize the significance of those ideas.”

I was inspired to upload these academics papers by the #PDFtribute movement to honour the 26 years young Aaron Swartz (1986 – 2013) who died partly as a result from his fight with the outdated and outmoded JSTOR system to make academic papers available for free for all.

For me personally, I received these important papers for free from the Law Library. And I see them (Firm, FCC, Lighthouse) deserve to be read by as many people as possible instead of under the messed up limited JSTOR manner. The bottom line, to me, by having these papers available by a single click here is that this save people’s physical travel time to go down to their local university libraries where these papers can be downloaded for free anyway!

It has not escaped my attention and noticed the paradox that The Lighthouse in Economics is a paper that disprove, with facts, the incorrect belief by many people (including my former MBA classmate who has a B.A. degree in Economics) that Lighthouse services cannot be charged thus has to be made freely available by the governments!

*** Concluding thoughts ***

I want to emphasize that I totally agree with the many academics in the #PDFtribute movement and Aaron that it is about time we in Canada and US require academic papers to be made publicly downloadable for FREE in perpetuity if any part (or whole) of their research funding come from any level of government (thus tax payers’ money, our money)!

Happy 102nd birthday professor Coase!

Goodbye Aaron, you left us far too soon!

Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything – First Look

Forty-two months! Thats how long I’ve been eagerly awaiting for Carol Loomis‘ new book ”Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything, 1966-2012: A Fortune Magazine Book” (368 pages, on sale Nov 26th and online amazon.com & indigo.ca). Carol is Fortune magazine senior editor-at-large and a long time (40+ years) close friend of Warren Buffett! I am thrilled to see Carol’s book published and in my hands as it feels like having an insightful person who knows Warren really well to guide me through some important and insightful articles. It will take me some time to read & review the book, please stay tune for my detailed review. Until then, my first impression of the book is it looks awesome!

Long time readers of Warren‘s news and insights will be familiar with some of key articles in this collection and also see many (for me) new articles that are important but less well known. Carol has added many insightful commentaries before the articles to give us context and share with us her views. For example, the article “The Inside Story of Warren Buffet” (April 11, 1988) is Fortune’s first profile of Warren and Carol’s preamble explains what lead her to finally wrote the first profile about Warren after knowing him for 20+ years at that point! And then the afterword for articles like “Buffett Hits $200 million Downdraft” (Nov 17, 1994) reminds readers that Warren actually made money on the USAir investment (which many people may have an impression of it being a money losing investment).

P.S. Now, let me explain my wait of almost forty-two months in this postscript. You see, in April 2009, shareholders of Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway NOT physically presented at the annual shareholders’ meeting in Omaha were given opportunities to ask Warren & Charlie remotely in advance via email for the first time. And I jumped at the chance by emailing my question to Carol! Along with my question, I told Carol that,

“I am a big fan of your Fortune articles about Warren and BRK. (I have taken the time to look up some of your older articles and really enjoy reading them.)”

In Carol’s email reply was where I first read of the mention of a possible book (the book that I am finally holding in my hands)! So, yes, I’ve been eagerly awaiting the book since Apr 2009, and that is about forty-two months! :)

P.P.S. Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed there is a stack of five books in the above picture. Can you guess the titles of the Warren related books in the stack? Find out how many you guess correctly by clicking here to see this picture.

P.P.P.S. If you have read this far, you might as well check out my review of Warren’s biography “Snowball” by Alice.

note: this article is cross-posted by me at examiner.com

Another Malcolm Gladwell video interview

This Malcolm Gladwell video interview may not have the best production quality but there are some interesting questions and answers in it. Check it out.

Ronald Coase, 101, Nobel Laureate: ‘I’ve Been Wrong So Often, I Don’t Find It Extraordinary At All’

Have a listen to this precious 3:41 radio interview, “Nobel Laureate: ‘I’ve Been Wrong So Often, I Don’t Find It Extraordinary At All’“. One has to deeply admire the humility in professor’s Coase‘s answers.

Note: I had a great video interview with Ning Wang (co-author with Coase) to talk about their new book How China Became Capitalist. (Sample Chapter: You can download a free sample book chapter from Palgrave.)

Bill Cunningham – Great minds of our time

I’ve only “known” the great photographer Bill Cunningham for a few days from watching the documentary “Bill Cunning New York”. From this one documentary alone and the testimonies from many people in the doc, I believe his visual contributions and the examples he set (ethics as a reporter and his work over the years) has taught me personally a lot. See also NYT “Bill on Bill” and also “The Picture Subjects Talk Back”.

I am delighted to add Bill to my list of Great minds of our time along the likes of Richard Feynman, Ronald Coase & Steve Cheung, Bill Buxton, and Warren Buffett.

Have a watch of “Bill Cunning New York” and you will see why. The film is on Netflex (US),  iTune, Amazon, and on DVD. Here is the Bill Cunningham New York Trailer

Additional Links:

March 7, 2012 Guardian, “Bill Cunningham – New York’s king of street style“

Check out Bill’s NYT Video “On the Street”

Movie reviews: Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Roger Ebert

Want to know How China Became Capitalist? – Free sample book chapter

Curious about How China Became Capitalist in general and not just the book or have an interesting question/puzzle related to the Chinese economy? Share it in the comment and I will see if I can work it into my interview with Ning Wang (co-author with Ronald Coase (Nobel Laureate in Economics)) about How China Became Capitalist tomorrow (Mar 28) morning.

Sample Chapter: You can download a free sample book chapter from Palgrave.

March 28, 2012, 2pm Update: I had a most insightful 70+ minutes Skype interview with Ning Wang this morning. It will take me some time to edit & post the video and write the article. Stay tune.

How China Became Capitalist by Ronald Coase (Nobel Laureate in Economics) & Ning Wang (pub date: Mar 23)

Just received the new book How China Became Capitalist (pub date: March 23) by Ronald Coase (Nobel Laureate in Economics) and Ning Wang. (download a sample chapter from Palgrave) I am reading the book and have planned a video interview with professor Wang. Stay tune for more updates in the near future. (see also Amazon)

*** Reviews of How China Became Capitalist ***

(note: emphasis added)

‘This is a major contribution to the whole literature on economic change as well as on China. Nowhere in all of the literature on economic change and development that I know is there such a detailed study of the fumbling efforts of a society to evolve and particularly one that had as long and as far to go as China did.’ – Douglass C. North, 1993 Nobel laureate in Economics

‘This book is one of the greatest works in economics and in studies of China, not only for today, but for the future.’ – Chenggang Xu, University of Hong Kong

‘Ronald Coase, now 100 years plus, and Ning Wang have written a compelling and exhaustive commentary about China’s fitful transition from Socialism under Mao to today’s distinctive capitalist economy. No student of China or socialism can afford to miss this volume.’ – Richard Epstein, University of Chicago Law School

‘Coase finds a nation whose philosophy and policy have reflected the same simple principle – “seeking truth from facts” – that has inspired his own path-breaking analyses of firms, markets and law. A fascinating and exceptionally thought-provoking account of how China, repeatedly seeking more efficient socialism, found itself turning capitalist.‘ – Stephen Littlechild, Emeritus Professor, University of Birmingham, and Fellow, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge

Creativity is the ability to see … – New Quote I Love

A new addition to my collection of Quotes I Love,

“Creativity is the ability to see something obvious before it is obvious.” – Bill Buxton

New Quote I Love and early 101th birthday wish to professor Ronald Coase

Here is a new addition to Quotes I Love,

“New ideas are most likely to come from the young who are also the group who are most likely to recognize the significance of those ideas.” - Ronald Coase in his 2003 Coase Lecture

Photo credit: by Zhaofeng Xue (薛兆丰) 2009

And I like to send an early Happy Birthday and All the Best wish to Professor Coase, for his up coming 101th birthday on 29th December, 2011! And I am looking forward to the upcoming (Feb 2012) book “How China Became Capitalist” co-authored by Prof. Coase and Ning Wang. Yes, Prof. Coase is going to be 101 years old and he is still working and writing!

The following is an insightful 2003 talk by Prof. Coase when he was _only_ 93 years old! :) (See this entry for all six video clips and time codes plus descriptions.)

2003 Coase Lecture by Ronald Coase – Part 1/6

TEDxCaltech – more about Richard Feynman

TEDxCaltech – Michelle Feynman and Christopher Sykes – Fun to Imagine

TEDxCaltech – Danny Hillis – Reminiscing about Richard Feynman

TEDxCaltech – Tony Hey – Feynman and Computation

TEDxCaltech – Adam Cochran – The Electronic “Feynman Lectures on Physics” (kinda neat)

Richard Feynman is one of the people I tagged with Great Minds of Our Time. The following is a stack of Feynman books I have and treasure. And Christopher Sykes’ “No Ordinary Genius: The Illustrated Richard Feynman” is definitely one of my favourite.

Here are clips from the three films Skyes mentioned in the TEDx talk.

The Pleasure Of Finding Things Out (Part 1-5)

Feynman ‘Fun to Imagine’ 1: Jiggling Atoms

The Last Journey of a Genius – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Leonard Susskind: My friend Richard Feynman

Love it. Watch it! TEDxCaltech: Leonard Susskind: My friend Richard Feynman

New Quotes I Love by Bill Buxton

Here are two new “Quotes I Love” entries.

“Those of us in the Internet Age with the most access to search engines have the least knowledge about our past. We’re so obsessed with the future that we only look forwards. I’ve been collecting specifically to counter that – to show how deep the roots go.” – Bill Buxton shows off 35 years of tech devices

“Look at the [Buxton] collection and then try and convince me that our slow rate of progress is due to a lack of technology rather than a lack of imagination.” - Bill @ [Buxton] collection

Warren Buffett having some fun (CNBC videos and transcripts)

The following are links to videos and transcripts of Warren Buffett having some fun on CNBC and, in a sense, putting up a big free TV ad to attract profitable businesses to sell to him.

Part 1 “Most Berkshire Businesses ‘Inching Along”, Part 2 “The ‘Zebra’ That Got Away”, Part 3 “‘Elephant Gun’ Targets & Riding the Railroad”, Part 4″Blame Bankers, Bankers, Bankers?”, Part 5 “Cars and Bricks”, Part 6 “China and America’s Diminishing Dominance”, Part 7 “What Should Happen to CEOs of Failed Companies”.

Dr. Temple Grandin – The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow (BBC Horizon)

Dr. Temple Grandin has become my latest heroine. She is one super smart scientist. For more, see a previous entry. I’ve included Dr. Temple Grandin as one of my latest “Great Minds of Our Time“.

“The amazing story of Dr. Temple Grandin’s ability to read the animal mind, which has made her the most famous autistic woman on the planet.” – BBC

The Woman Who Thinks Like a Cow (BBC Horizon) on YouTube. Highly recommended.

Kempton’s notes & “insights” on Warren Buffett’s 2009 letter to shareholders & BRK annual report

Go ahead, download a copy of Warren Buffett’s letter to shareholders & BRK annual report and read it. I will never advise my readers of what stocks to buy or at what prices, I believe it is the readers’ job. If people want to invest their money and receive the associated gain/lose as a result, it is only fair that they are responsible for their investment actions.

But to me, reading Warren Buffett’s letter is a FREE exercise of the brain one should engage our minds once a year if we can. And I am fully aware that great investor of Warren’s success and one who is so willing to share his insights (in a way with minimum agenda) will likely not come by for a long time (or in my lifetime). So I treasure the pleasure in reading Warren’s letter every year.

The following are my notes and “insights” on Warren Buffett’s 2009 letter to shareholders & BRK annual report. This article will be updated frequently today and the next few days as I get a chance to read more. Come back often to check.

*** Page ref are based on the printed page numbers. Emphasis added. ***

Note: I am reading in a “random” manner” so you will see my comments appearing out of sequence. I will try to read both the letter (pg 1-22) and the MD&A section (pg 61-94).

*** pg 15 – When it’s raining gold ***

“We told you last year that very unusual conditions then existed in the corporate and municipal bond markets and that these securities were ridiculously cheap [...] Big opportunities come infrequently. When it’s raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble.” [Kempton: Of course, the challenge and the wisdom is in recognizing "big_and_solid" opportunities and not just "big_and_wishful_thinking" opportunities. (smile)] [HT Alex]

*** pg 16 – Risk Control ***

“Charlie and I believe that a CEO must not delegate risk control. It’s simply too important. […] If Berkshire ever gets in trouble, it will be my fault. It will not be because of misjudgments made by a Risk Committee or Chief Risk Officer.”

Saturday morning reading: Buffett’s Letter to Shareholders

Feb 27 Update: Have a read of “Kempton’s notes & “insights” on Warren Buffett’s 2009 letter to shareholders & BRK annual report“.

***

Got a new plan after tomorrow at 6am MST, “Warren Buffett’s Popular Letter to Shareholders Set for Saturday Morning Delivery“.

Download the 2009 Annual report after 6am MST, Feb 27, 2010.

Ronald Coase: “Markets, Firms and Property Rights”

I’ve been waiting for Prof. Ronald Coase‘s “Markets, Firms and Property Rights” talk (video) for over a month since the 2009 Coase Conference in early December. I am happy to say the talk is now online and very insightful as expected. Highly recommended.

If you want more of Prof. Coase, you can watch this insightful 2003 Coase Lecture (with time code).

To Norman Rockwell, With Love: Fan Mail and The Saturday Evening Post

Check out some of the fan mails, photos and covers at the end of “To Rockwell, With Love: Fan Mail and ‘The Saturday Evening Post’”.