Elena Ferrante, like Thomas Pynchon, in a galaxy of admired literary stars, shines with an idiosyncratic allure of being anonymous. However, unlike Pynchon, the name “Elena Ferrante” itself is an assumed pseudonym. The identity of the author has been a source of intense speculation and prurient journalism. I found the book, My Brilliant Friend, mesmerizing and quite strange. I loved the bildungsroman aspects of lower-middle-class teens living in 1950s Naples: the dreamy aspirations, the class divide, petty squabbles contained in a neighborhood at an infinite distance to the Neapolitan Sea. Ferrante is at her best, I think when describing the complicated transition from childhood, both emotional and physical, into female adolescence. Especially the latter. I also found the text in My Brilliant Friend measured,…
Leave a CommentMonth: February 2018
I wrote about Workampers, old retirees that move around the country in search of work, in my earlier blog post that discussed the excellent book, Nomadland by Jessica Bruder. In that post I mentioned that: So, it is very likely that it was not a young person that picked, packed or shipped the gift that you bought online this Holiday season. Instead, it is very likely that it was an old retiree… Increasingly e-commerce channels rely on retirees to pick products in the warehouse, which are then shipped to customers. (Picking is the lowest entry-level job in warehouses). Much of such retirees were people who lost their savings during the 2008 recession. Recently, one of the best reporters writing on operational issues in…
Leave a CommentHow to think about the role of Artificial Intelligence in Operations? Many people talk up AI, IoT, automation, etc, as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (following steam power, electricity, and computerization). Here is an example. I am more persuaded by the counter-arguments. For example, see a post by Luke Muehlhauser arguing there was only one industrial revolution, because one of the revolutions is substantively larger than, and different from the others, as exhibited in the figure below (data from the site). The Second Machine Age, by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, which ironically, I read on paper, explores the effects of the rapid digitization and information technological advances (AI, Automation, etc) on the nature of work, wealth and society. Brynjolfsson and McAfee…
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For long time e-commerce and operations observers, it was no surprise that Amazon was opening its “shipping” business: It was as predicable as a bowling ball on the lane slowly rolling to the pins. Much earlier, in 2014, Amazon had invested in a British shipping firm, Yodel. In 2016, Amazon had purchased a 25% stake in the French parcel Delivery company Colis Prive. Through FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon), Amazon already handles “logistics and shipping” for third party sellers – currently at 51% of all sales units (in 2017 Q4). It has been at that proportion for several quarters now. So no surprise, really. However, let’s talk about who is absolutely critical for Amazon to compete with UPS and FedEx. Compared…
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Leave a CommentIt has been a quiet hiatus here on the blog (work and other commitments), as we had the pleasant interruption of Superbowl finally making its way into Philadelphia. I haven’t watched an NFL (National Football League) game in two years now (will explain why at a later point). So, I write this entire post from the position of an amateur and a long time center-city resident in the City of Brotherly Love. Like Thanksgiving, Super Bowl is perhaps a uniquely American cultural event. I am not alone in thinking that most Americans watching on TV were rooting for the Eagles, who were fighting against unforgiving odds. It is perhaps safe to say that the support for the underdogs, exceeded any previous…
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