linkstream2 microblog

Even Amazon, a Colossus, Has Its Limits, by @mims
https://www.WSJ.com/articles/the-limits-of-amazon-1514808002 Quote: “Imagine the data-collecting power of $FB wedded to the supply-chain empire of $WMT — that’s $AMZN.” But I thought Wal-mart was pretty good at data collection & analytics!

QT:{{”
All of these moves fit into Amazon’s core mission as a data-driven instant- gratification company. Its fanaticism for customer experience is enabled by every technology the company can get its hands on, from data centers to drones. Imagine the data-collecting power of Facebook wedded to the supply-chain empire of Wal-Mart—that’s Amazon. “}}

Interesting reading. Noted the: Durst’s, Spitzer’s, Ferries, Red Hook
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/01/realestate/how-the-ferry-is-changing-the-brooklyn-queens-waterfront.html

Yale University has completed its annual report on campus security and fire safety for 2015. This report is now available on the Public Safety website at
http://your.yale.edu/annual-safety-report-campus-crime-and-fire-incidents. The report contains three years’ worth of campus crime statistics as well as security policy statements, fire safety information, and information on how students, faculty and staff should report crimes.

Useful thoughts….

http://stephaniegosselin.com/understanding-connecticut-agency-law/

QT:{{”
The Buyer Representation Agreement is with a firm
A Buyer’s Agent…
Assists in making an offer with the buyer’s interests in mind by showing what other buyers are paying for similar properties in the area.
…
Dual agency occurs when a Buyer’s Agent shows a property to a buyer that is also represented by that Realtor’s firm, or when the Listing Agent shows real estate to a buyer who is also represented by the same firm.
“}}

http://www.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp?q=423310

QT:{{”
When you hire an agent to help you buy a home, the agent must be working for you — and only for you.
Every real estate agent’s commission is negotiable. There is no set percentage or commission to which an agent is entitled. Before signing the contract, you can ask the agent to take a smaller commission than what he or she proposed. …
The duration of your agreement with the agent is also negotiable. ….
he contract must have a beginning date, an ending date, and be signed by all parties to the contract.
“}}

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/05/11/realestate/new-law-to-change-broker-client-relationships.html

QT:{{”
”If the seller refuses to pay the commission, even though he agreed to it when the listing was taken,” Mr. Halsell said, ”the buyer is liable for it and he can bring down the price of the house by that amount. It’s not a good situation.”
“}}

http://www.ctrealtors.com/mt_consumers/selectingARealtor.shtml

https://www.thebalance.com/should-buyers-sign-exclusive-agreements-with-an-agent-1798310

QT:{{”
Should You Sign an Exclusive Agreement?
Little turns off buyers faster than an agent they’ve looked up online who emails a buyer’s broker agreement before they meet in person. …
Interviewing a real estate agent can help to ease a buyer’s
uncertainty. But many buyers are leery of signing agreements because they are concerned that the relationship might not work out. They don’t want to be stuck with a crummy agent, and that’s understandable. …

Ask for Short-Term
The term of a buyer’s broker agreement is negotiable. Although many agents might request a 90-day commitment at a minimum, you are free to ask for a 24-hour, seven-day or 30-day term; it’s whatever you can negotiate.

Request a Nonexclusive Agreement
These agreements provide compensation to the agent if you switch agents midstream but end up buying a home introduced to you by the first agent. …
Compromise
You can tell the agent that you prefer to spend a little time getting to know her before signing an exclusive buyer’s broker agreement. It’s reasonable to say, “Let’s spend an afternoon looking at homes, and if I think we can work together, I’ll sign an agreement with you before we go out again.”
“}}

https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-luxury-home-builders-consider-worth-the-splurge-1501170604

Electronics depreciates quickly!

Google tips
setting of alarms & timers looks interesting….
https://get.google.com/apptips/tips/

http://www.wsj.com/graphics/college-rankings-2016/
Some surprises: SU,MIT,CU,UPenn,Yale,Harvard,Duke,Princeton….

The Billionaire Battle in the Bahamas
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/12/peter-nygard-louis-bacon-legal-battle-bahamas v different styles of the rich, accentuating neighbors arguing over a driveway

What’s the EM #algorithm?
http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v26/n8/full/nbt1406.html Description of its essence in simple contexts (ie coin toss) & as soft version of kmeans

What is the expectation maximization algorithm? : Article : Nature Biotechnology

Primer
Nature Biotechnology 26, 897 – 899 (2008)
doi:10.1038/nbt1406

Chuong B Do & Serafim Batzoglou

Abstract
The expectation maximization algorithm arises in many computational biology applications that involve probabilistic models. What is it good for, and how does it work?

without too much math

http://www.cjr.org/the_profile/stat.php