Archive for the tag 'Humor'

Science comes to the rescue of the “leading academics” suffering lapses of memory —those who, on Monday, signed on to be on the board of the Prediction Market Industry Association, which is supposed to lobby for the legalization of InTrade’s real-money prediction markets in the United States of America —and, on the next Tuesday, signed Bob’s puritan and sterile petition.

Chris F. Masse July 17th, 2008

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CX717 = “memory pills”

US scientists have invented a pill that can boost memory.

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Invented by Dr Gary Lynch from the University of California.

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John Delaney (CEO of InTrade) - (InTrade PDF file - CFTC PDF file):

Nearly all leading academics, not known for their attraction to unanimity, have publicly supported event markets. A great majority of these academics have been supplied with Intrade market data in the past, a service that Intrade intends to continue, for all study leads to an increase in transparency and understanding of event markets. It seems that the leading event market academics make no distinction between the benefits derived from academic owned markets like Iowa Electronic Markets and commercial market platforms like Intrade.

Yet many academics, with some notable exceptions, do temper their policy prescription to suggest a “safe harbor” for academic sites where research might be more generally available. As noted above Intrade has gladly supplied its event market data, typically free of charge to most of the leading prediction market academics and their students, and we are committed to encouraging the future study of event markets by continuing to supply our event market data free of charge or at very deep discounts. The academics that study event markets do a great service in developing our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of event markets. Some commentators suggest that market liquidity and breadth typically benefit all event market stakeholders. Thus far commercial platforms like Intrade seem to be providing the greatest depth and breadth in event markets.

As Intrade has been a staunch supporter of event market academic study, and supplies greater depth and liquidity in its event markets than any other platform, it seems strange not to be a preferred purveyor. Perhaps the predominant reason many academics have held back from advocating and treating all event markets alike is a sense that initiatives to clarify or unwind the legislation restraining the optimal development of event markets is unlikely to be achievable. It seems many academics and commentators suggest a slow bureaucratic and pragmatic caution rather than focus on the optimal result. While the optimal result may be more challenging to achieve, for consistency, for better price discovery for the benefit of all, as well as for the development of Intrade, we encourage CFTC to apply common goals, objectives and standards for all participants.

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Prediction Market Industry Association - (PMIA)

4) Lobby for a clear legal and regulatory environment conducive to the productive adoption of prediction markets by individuals, firms, and governments, and ensuring free access to these markets by traders.

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The PMIA’s first board is comprised of:

[...]
Robin Hanson (George Mason University)
Justin Wolfers (Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania)

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Pssttt… Did I tell you that I like InTrade CEO John Delaney’s comment to the CFTC about “event markets” (prediction markets)? I can’t remember whether I did tell you that already. (I do suffer memory lapses, sometimes. I know it’s a common affliction, because I see that Robin Hanson and Justin Wolfers, just before they signed Bob’s puritan and sterile petition, completely forgot that they were on the board of the Prediction Market Industry Association, which is supposed to lobby for the legalization of InTrade’s real-money prediction markets in the United States of America. A lapse in memory, probably.)

Chris F. Masse July 17th, 2008

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John Delaney (CEO of InTrade) - (InTrade PDF file - CFTC PDF file):

Nearly all leading academics, not known for their attraction to unanimity, have publicly supported event markets. A great majority of these academics have been supplied with Intrade market data in the past, a service that Intrade intends to continue, for all study leads to an increase in transparency and understanding of event markets. It seems that the leading event market academics make no distinction between the benefits derived from academic owned markets like Iowa Electronic Markets and commercial market platforms like Intrade.

Yet many academics, with some notable exceptions, do temper their policy prescription to suggest a “safe harbor” for academic sites where research might be more generally available. As noted above Intrade has gladly supplied its event market data, typically free of charge to most of the leading prediction market academics and their students, and we are committed to encouraging the future study of event markets by continuing to supply our event market data free of charge or at very deep discounts. The academics that study event markets do a great service in developing our understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of event markets. Some commentators suggest that market liquidity and breadth typically benefit all event market stakeholders. Thus far commercial platforms like Intrade seem to be providing the greatest depth and breadth in event markets.

As Intrade has been a staunch supporter of event market academic study, and supplies greater depth and liquidity in its event markets than any other platform, it seems strange not to be a preferred purveyor. Perhaps the predominant reason many academics have held back from advocating and treating all event markets alike is a sense that initiatives to clarify or unwind the legislation restraining the optimal development of event markets is unlikely to be achievable. It seems many academics and commentators suggest a slow bureaucratic and pragmatic caution rather than focus on the optimal result. While the optimal result may be more challenging to achieve, for consistency, for better price discovery for the benefit of all, as well as for the development of Intrade, we encourage CFTC to apply common goals, objectives and standards for all participants.

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Prediction Market Industry Association - (PMIA)

4) Lobby for a clear legal and regulatory environment conducive to the productive adoption of prediction markets by individuals, firms, and governments, and ensuring free access to these markets by traders.

-

The PMIA’s first board is comprised of:

[...]
Robin Hanson (George Mason University)
Justin Wolfers (Wharton School – University of Pennsylvania)

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Steve Roman, petit plaisantin, a toujours le mot pour rire.

Chris F. Masse July 16th, 2008

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Forecasting Principles should index BusinessWeek.

Chris F. Masse July 14th, 2008

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Andreas Graefe,

Please, index the BusinessWeek news article (see the page #2, too) on your IIF webpage.

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I believe it’s an Earth-shattering piece featuring major thinkers of the field of prediction markets, who were interviewed by that bright journalist —smart enough to sense who are the truly important prediction market experts who count nowadays.

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And if you need an alternative title:

BusinessWeek: The most famous and forward-thinking experts in the field of prediction markets talk about the future regulations of event derivative exchanges in the United States of America. - (page #2) - (print page)

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He is not the “Master Of All Universes”, he is low key, he blogs only once a month, his DPMM lost it to MSR (one to many thousands, and soon, one to many hundreds of thousands), his set of search engine prediction markets at InTrade is a nuclear disaster of Biblical proportions, his Yahoo! Tech Buzz Game is a hole into the ground that reaches the center of the Earth, but… so many people truly LOVE him.

Chris F. Masse July 10th, 2008

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The Greek:

…his own majesty and my very own prediction markets guru David Pennock; yes, he is such a geek but modest.

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David Pennock

David Pennock

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Maverick

Chris F. Masse July 10th, 2008

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Nial,

Happy to see you did not succumb to an overdose of Swiss chocolates. :-D

How is your wife and your dog?

Have a great Summer,

Signed: Chris “Maverick” Masse

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US presidential hopeful John McCain hates the Midas Oracle bloggers.

Chris F. Masse July 6th, 2008

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Caught on video.

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Hear it for yourself:

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PROF TOM W. BELL, PLEASE, DO SKIP THE PAGAN CELEBRATIONS, AND, PLEASE, DO RETURN TO YOUR DESK TO FINISH THE DRAFT OF YOUR COMMENT TO THE CFTC. THANKS FOR YOUR PRAGMATIC (NOT ‘ETHEREAL’) CONTRIBUTION TO “THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY”. (There is a hidden slam to Robin Hanson in this title. I wonder whether people will get the joke.)

Chris F. Masse July 4th, 2008

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TOM W. BELL: “Thanks, Chris. Thanks, too, for being such an effective gadfly. I might well have blown off the whole exercise if you had not kept blogging about how you were awaiting my comment!”

Chris F. Masse July 4th, 2008

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“Gadfly” is a term for people who upset the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or attempt to stimulate innovation by proving an irritant.

The term “gadfly” (Gk. muopa) was used by Plato in the Apology to describe Socrates‘ relationship of uncomfortable goad to the Athenian political scene, which he compared to a slow and dimwitted horse. The Bible also references the gadfly in terms of political influence; The Book of Jeremiah (46:20, Darby Bible) states “Egypt is a very fair heifer; the gad-fly cometh, it cometh from the north.” The term has been used to describe many politicians and social commentators; in modern Hebrew, which knows many more idioms than those used by Jeremiah, gadfly is “mekhapes pagam” literally “fault finder”.

During his defense when on trial for his life, Socrates, according to Plato’s writings, pointed out that dissent, like the tiny (relative to the size of a horse) gadfly, was easy to swat, but the cost to society of silencing individuals who were irritating could be very high. “If you kill a man like me, you will injure yourselves more than you will injure me,” because his role was that of a gadfly, “to sting people and whip them into a fury, all in the service of truth.”

In modern and local politics, gadfly is a term used to describe someone who persistently challenges people in positions of power, the status quo or a popular position. The word may be uttered in a pejorative sense, while at the same time be accepted as a description of honorable work or civic duty.

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I‘m a modern-day Socrates… !!!… :-D

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Previously: Let’s Tell the CFTC Where to Go. - by Tom W. Bell

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The NewsFutures sheriff takes his job too seriously.

Chris F. Masse July 2nd, 2008

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Don Reynolds, you’re in the “prediction market industry” —not in the “law enforcement industry”. :-D

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All that said in all web friendship to Don Reynolds of NewsFutures.

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Makes me think of that military joke.

- How did you get in the Army?

- Sergeant, I got 3 reasons for being in the Army:

First, I’m patriotic.

Second, I love my country.

And third, they nailed me.

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ha! ha! ha! :-D

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