My canine companions decided that the bed was their territory this morning, and after getting pushed off the premises I listened to talks for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

First was an interesting talk by Emmanuel Abbe on approaches for improving large model reasoning at the Harvard Center of Mathematical Sciences and Applications https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSzPzkDnhZ8

Next was a fantastic talk by Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh on the financing behind the massive AI data center buildout at the Princeton Bendheim Center for Finance. Van Nieuwerbugh nicely breaks down why new data centers are necessary for new GPUs, the concerning capex trends of the hyperscalers, and different scenarios moving forward. Obviously I subscribe very much to some of the uglier scenarios he sketches out. Highly recommend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUhXWjkoFag

Next was a great talk by Nikhil Garg on designing recommendation systems in high-stakes settings at the Princeton Center for Information Technology Policy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlSrFEFh200

Last was "Economics in America" by Angus Deaton. This book is undeniably entertaining, with Deaton reflecting on his career and some of the most important economics research over that period. The most insightful sections are when he turns his eye on the field itself and its failings around publication processes, research topics, and participation. The rest of the book, however, is well-informed but fairly off-the-cuff musings about different topics, with many personal anecdotes thrown in. These sections will be familiar to anyone with a background in economics, offering very little in the way of new analyses or conclusions. If you're looking for an enjoyable academic autobiography, though, this would be a good book to pick up https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691247625/economics-in-america