News

Game theory in the popular press.

 

Game theory and economics in the news

March 6, 2006 BusinessWeek, The Secret To Google's Success
Describes Google's and Yahoo's online auctions for ad space, delving into the theory of first- and second-price auctions, and the winner's curse.
May 18, 2005 Engadget, Interview: Steve Ballmer, CEO Microsoft
Steve Ballmer mentions "In the game theory of things, we assumed there was some probability" in analyzing entry decisions.
January 31, 2005 Newsweek, Does your iPod play favorites?
People see patterns even when none exist, such as in IPod's randomization feature. This presents a behavioral challenge for mixed strategies. (by Steven Levy)
January 28, 2004 New York Times, In Online Auctions, Misspelling in Ads Often Spells Cash
Amusing article about how misspelled auction listings are less likely to be found and thus create an arbitrage opportunity. (by Diana Jean Schemo)
October 17, 2003 LinuxWorld, The powerful economic underpinnings of OSS
Argues that open source software does not cause a tragedy of the commons but in fact turns the tragedy "into a Tragedy into a Cornucopia."
October 16, 2003 IT Web, Warmed-over Bayesian ham and spam
Bayesian probabilistic spam filters work better than static checking against keywords or address lists.
October 1, 2003 eWeek, Zeroing in on site and security flaws
Computer system security is not simply a probabilistic exercise since hackers are strategic actors. Game theoretic thought is required.
June 1, 2003 CIO Magazine, Forward thinking about reverse auctions
Points out that online auctions are not a panacea, and warns against concentrating solely on price.
January 27, 2003 Dallas Morning News, Physicists play games with quantum mysteries
Quantum computing holds a solution to the prisoner's dilemma, physicists show.
January 8, 2003 Tech Central Station, The cyberspace commons?
Since many Web resources are public, the tragedy of the commons occurs, diminishing their usefulness.
2003 Wall Street Journal Europe, A primer for government auctions
The winner's curse impacts auctions for telecom licenses. Effects could be reduced through transparency and information-sharing. (by Bhaskar Chakravorti)
December 1, 2002 paulgraham.com, Will filters kill spam?
Describes a Bayesian approach to filtering spam from users' mailboxes.
November 18, 2002 Seattle Times, Data-storage field learning to cooperate
Compatibility of hardware and software is a prisoner's dilemma, resolved by the adoption of standards.
October 31, 2002 Government Computer News, U.S. should fund R&D for secure Internet protocols
Since security is a public good, developing secure protocols is a tragedy of the commons. (by William Jackson)
October 9, 2002 Slate, TiVo, we hardly knew ye
The demise of the digital video technology demonstrates the first mover disadvantage in technology.
October 1, 2002 Dr. Dobb's Journal, The science of complexity
Provides algorithms for modeling complexity: boundedly rational agents playing repeated congestion games
October 1, 2002 Physics World, Let the quantum games begin
Quantum computing holds a solution to the prisoner's dilemma and other games, physicists show. (by Chiu Fan Lee and Neil F Johnson)
April 3, 2002 Nature, Physicists play by quantum rules
Quantum computing holds a solution to the prisoner's dilemma, physicists show.
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January 23, 2002 ZDNet, PGP creator: Snooping must be curbed
Encryption: the web is a one-shot, not an iterated prisoner's dilemma
December 15, 2001 Software Development Times, Does obscurity equal security
Open-source software and network security represent hawk-dove games
December 4, 2001 CNet News.com, Blunders aplenty in AT&T, @Home talks
Excite loses in game of chicken against AT&T by underestimating its opponent
November 15, 2001 Nature, Playing by quantum rules
Quantum computing holds a solution to the prisoner's dilemma, physicists show. (by Erica Klarreich)
October 8, 2001 eWeek, Not just dumb bugs anymore
Information technology: the need for game theory, since opponents are rational
September 10, 2001 Forbes, The tragedy of the commons
Discusses web-based business plans in light of the tragedy of the commons and the need to privatize Web resources.
April 28, 2001 New York Times, Adding art to the rigor of statistical science
Bayesian probability analysis gains popularity in uses ranging from effectiveness of medical procedures to email screeners.
April 10, 2001 DevX Press, DevX.com and Microsoft launch prisoner's dilemma game...
The prisoner's dilemma as an educational tool for developers.
March 22, 2001 The Economist, Son of paperclip
Microsoft applies Bayesian probability analysis to decide when a user needs help or advice.
January 28, 2001 Traffick, Market forces may solve search engines' "tragedy of the commons"
Submission charges may improve search results, diminishing the tragedy of the commons
December 1, 2000 Server World, B2B: Keep it complex - stupid
Electronic commerce: automated negotiation requires understanding of game theory
October 4, 2000 Business World, The unbearable lightness of ad revenue
Electronic commerce: constant-sum games in online advertising
June 1, 2000 New York Times, Managing online security risks
Proper assignment of liability creates the incentives for those best able to manage risk to do so.
March 20, 2000 BusinessWeek, Online Auctions: Going, Going, Gone...Sucker!
Despite the popularity of online auction sites, auctions suffer from several shortcomings including the winner's curse and design issues. (by Peter Coy)
January 1, 2000 Scientific American, For quantum prisoners, there may be no dilemma
Quantum computing holds a solution to the prisoner's dilemma
October 23, 1999 New York Times, Selling Fashion Models' Eggs Online Raises Ethics Issues
Internet auctions take a strange turn in allocating ova to highest bidders.
August 23, 1999 New York Times, Multimedia Transmissions Drive Net Toward Gridlock
Lack of Internet pricing schemes leads to a tragedy of the commons and high congestion.
March 19, 1999 Slate, The agony of victory
How online auctions worsen the winner's curse by introducing more and more irrational bidders.
February 4, 1999 The Economist, Quantum computing: playing games
Quantum computing can revolutionize game theory with a new breed of mixed strategies
October 28, 1996 Los Angeles Times, Improbable inspiration
Bayesian networks underly many of Microsoft's technologies, from diagnosing problems to knowing when a user needs advice.