Midas Oracle .ORG » prediction market conferences

Let’s boycott the $400 vendor conference on prediction markets.

Chris F. Masse — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:23:14 +0000

I renew my boycott on the $400 vendor conference on prediction markets.

As I said many times, do not pay anything (not even $4) to listen to vendors’ marketing message —and to illuminated academics bought by these vendors.

They all exaggerate the usefulness of the prediction markets.

And beware that phone-booth conference organizer who hides under a female account and a “legal assistant” account on that e-mailing list.

Robin Hanson should blog more about prediction markets, and spend less time going to moronic vendor conferences.

Chris F. Masse — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:10:09 +0000

The general argument is here.

Previously.

People, don’t pay real money to attend the San Francisco vendor mini-conference on prediction markets.

Chris F. Masse — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:54:40 +0000

I have gotten many e-mails from business people asking me whether they should attend the San Francisco vendor mini-conference on prediction markets in January 2009. My advice: Don’t go. Don’t pay a single cent for it.

It is basically a vendor fair. Four software vendors are lined up. (I am told they have to fork over about $800 to take the stage.) They will over-sell the prediction markets and feed you with promotional material.
The conference organizer is commissioned by some of those vendors. He is biased from the toes to the hair.
Only an idiot would pay $300+ to listen to promotional material. Don’t. Never pay to listen to salesmen.
One scholar will feed you with highly theoretical material, which you can get for free on Midas Oracle —99% of which you don’t need anyway.
One scholar has never published anything on prediction markets —as far as I know (I could be wrong).
One Robin Hanson fanboy and prediction market enthusiast will pump up the enterprise prediction markets. Never trust the overly enthusiast people. Never trust people who belong to one school of thought. Do trust, instead, the independent minds who use the scientific approach.
Do listen, instead, to the thinkers who have nothing to sell you.

Beware the “Sarah V. Jones”?

Chris F. Masse — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 07:34:28 +0000

I have received e-mails from some business people interested in prediction market conferences. All told me that they suspect that the e-mail account of a “Sarah V. Jones” [*] is in fact operated by John M. —so as to create the illusion of a team. They base their hypothesis on the similitudes between the vocabularies and writing styles used by both persons.

I am neutral. What do you think?

[*] The “Sarah V. Jones” might well be a real human being. The hypothesis, here, is that she is not the one who operates her e-mail account and sends all those commercial messages to that e-mailing list —pumping up some second-tier conference.