Reading Material While Snowed In

We had a record (21 inch) snowfall on Friday night, if you consider the 4th biggest snowfall of all time (since the 1860s) a record. Since then, our city seems to be trying to turn this into our own little Katrina, showing very little planning or execution in getting the city back in working order. City schools are closed and our street has yet to see a plow. Once a car is painfully extracted from its snow cocoon, a curious Pittsburgh rite begins: the placement of the kitchen chair. Since the city is unable to actually remove any snow (it only pushes it around a bit), no on-street parking spaces are cleared except laboriously by hand. Since it would be manifestly unfair for someone else to use the vacated spot, a kitchen chair is the accepted marker for “If you take this spot, I will curse you and your children and let the air out of your tires”. Coincidentally, I have my property tax check waiting to go in the mail. What exactly am I getting for this high charge?

Anyhow, enough of the rant. Being snowed in (for three days and counting, and furthermore…. OK, …calm) allows me to read my favorite issue of my favorite journal. The January-February 2010 Interfaces is now available, and we all know what that means: the Edelman Papers! The Edelman, of course, is...

Read full blogpost on Michael Trick’s Operations Research Blog