Smartphone

So I finally did it - I traded my old, banged-up (but impeccably reliable, albeit struggling slightly from wear and tear) Nokia for a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. It cost me just shy of $400, but from the start it has been a terrific investment.

Where to start? I literally leap-frogged mobile evolution, going from a call-and-text phone to Androids new Jelly Bean (funny name, but that just so people know the difference) operating system. This means that simply being able to access the internet is new to me, and hence the convenience to check emails and facebook (yes, sad I know, but practical for updates of events on the go). I synchronize my calendar, I have Google Maps available (as well as navigation), and can listen to songs online. Furthermore, this means an exposure to apps. Basically free applications (some you pay for) for your phone, I can now read BBC news, check bus schedules, book work-out sessions, buy train tickets, and access my online banking over the phone. Sure many of these things are irrelevant, but the option is handy if you need it. There are apps for almost anything - recipes, live-scores, betting, video streaming - you name it. Shazam is for example a nifty app that records a song playing and finds it for you to buy. Communication apps such as Whatsapp (free texting) and Skype essentially enable you to call / text for free over the internet. Most cell phone deals have free call / texting / internet usage, so for national use it is irrelevant, but free calls to my parents in Denmark, my brother in Switzerland, or my girlfriend in Hong Kong is pretty neat. When a company does NOT have a well-functioning app it is quite a frustration: The Economist has received its first bad comment from me (ever!) - normally you can download the paper to your phone and read it off-line if you have a subscription, but its app is not compatible with newer operating systems. Disappointing.

That is like going from Stoneage to industrial revolution - now for internet revolution. Having all these functions is great - combining them is genius. Google has some pretty cool features out there (more than I can list), but Google Now and Google Play are my favourites so far. Google Play basically lets you put all your music in the cloud so you can stream it from your device, rather than having the files take up memory space - limit is 20.000 songs on your phone. Google Now is a program / feature that just makes your phone more intelligent. It reminds you that your calendar has a meeting at 10 PM, and shows you the way there on navigation. It also reminds you when to leave to reach your destination on time. It will update flight information, train schedules, traffic information on often-used routes, live scores of favourite teams; it will automatically convert text and currency to local terms when abroad; it will show places near by for coffee -and much, much more.

There are a million new things to get used to, and I am only on baby steps. My professor said that we were the first generation growing up in a digitised world of smartphones and interconnectivity. If that is a competitive advantage, I'd better get on the bandwagon.

The Pope Box

While all UNC students can get into Kenan Stadium for UNC Football games on weekends using their student ID, I spent my first home game of the 2012/13 season in the loge, centerfield at the very top, colloquially known as the Pope Box.

But more on that later. The first (real) home game was against East Carolina University last Saturday. It was pristine weather, a local rival, and we were 17-point favourites, so the expectations were high. Game day is an all-day event, starting some 3-4 hours before kick-off with "tail-gating". Basically you drive up to the stadium or some parking lot in the vicinity in your truck, pitch a small tent / folding gazebo around the rear of your vehicle, and spend the next 3-4 hours eating and drinking like only Americans know how. For home supporters, this can be done at a house, in a clearing close by the stadium, or in my case, at a frat house.

A friend of mine invited my roommate and I to his fraternity - Kappa Sigma. We bought $6 game-day T-shirts (basically a Carolina blue shirt with a big UNC logo on it) and sported a UNC cap we were given strolling there in the early afternoon sun. We were greeted by live country music, an airborne American football, a 50/50 rum and coke, and a hearty slap on the back. Not feeling like drinking myself unconscious before kick-off at 3:30 PM, I traded my drink for a pint of beer and jumped into a circle of guys tossing the football (when in Rome, right?). That, along with helping myself to the buffet of meat, pasta and dessert, as well as more beer, made 2 hours pass in no time.

I meet quite a few people in this fashion - it turns out beer and food make for great conversation topics, leading both to debates on Carlsberg and European breweries, as well as on cultural differences and the need for "desserts". When we head back towards the stadium (centrally placed on campus), it turns out that these guys are friends of my host, and that they have an extra ticket for this Pope Box which they extend my way. My roommate was MIA from his battle to meet new people (and by people I mean those which are brunette, flirtatious, and female), so I assumed he was content (somewhat tipsy I figured he could just have called) and accepted their invite. We walk into the stadium, get in an elevator, and hit the top floor.

Doors open and the scene is changed completely. From a rowdy student crowd, we are now in a plush setting, filled with people aged 45 and up, more like a jockey club that a football stadium. There is a HUGE buffet of food, drinks, ice cream, popcorn, chocolate - pretty much anything - which is all free. Waiters dressed in black and white are handing out programs, and the majority of chequered shirts and blazers makes my Carolina blue outfit look completely out of place. I grab a Mars Bar, a cup of lemonade, a box of popcorn and pile a plate as high I can with corn dogs, pulled pork, and mac and cheese. We march down to our seats, some 5 rows up, but since the first to rows are completely empty, we snag those and prop ourselves back for a good day in the sun.

A couple of key take-aways: 1) Football is a loooong game. Tailgate at 1 and in the stadium at 3:30, we weren't out till 7, so it is more a social event than a sports game. Not a problem if you are in good company. 2) Lemonade is amazing - they served it on ice, it wasn't too sweet, it was immensely refreshing, and I must have had 1½ liters of it. 3) The bathrooms have complementary sunscreen - ingenious for a "gweilo" such as myself! 4) I really enjoyed myself. Game day is a tradition that seems here to stay! :D

Business fashion

After attending social events, networking events, a case competition, GLOBE alumni events and formal class excursions, I have had a chance to get a glimpse of what male American business students deem acceptable attire for the various occasions, and how that fundamentally clashes with most European norms.

Fashion is just different here. In general clothing is looser, but other than that there really doesn't seem to be that many rules. Different social groups wear different pieces of clothing - most notably the slightly sporty girls wear short gym-shorts, running shoes, and loose T-shirts; fraternity boys wear sunglass straps; and curiously any Asian guy at the gym has spotless basketball shoes. Wearing Carolina blue is always acceptable, but then again, most things are: Walking into a business school in tracksuit-bottoms, red sneakers and a plain white shirt some 10 minutes after stumbling out of bed, the first comment from a classmate was that I looked like an American.

My main qualm with American fashion is the role of the undershirt. Basically it is a T-shirt used as a vest (in the British sense of the word - a vest to Americans is waistcoat to Brits), under a buttoned-down shirt. Imagine any flashy young chap, neatly shaven, wearing newly-polished shoes, pressed khaki trousers, a smart shirt (probably pink) and a darker blazer. He is casually dressed up, but all I see is the glare protruding from under his shirt; the crispy-white undershirt constricted around his neck. In America, flashing a undershirt signals casualness. I think it looks retarded - you are wearing a hundred-dollar Ralph Lauren shirt, but desperately feel the need to improve the look with a 4-buck shirt from GAP? Now all I can think of is your ability to breathe normally as the shirt nears your adams apple, as well as trying unsuccessfully to find some visual harmony from your quadruple-colour outfit. In Europe, this is solved by the V-neck. Basically the neck is cut in a V-shape, so undoing the top button of your shirt doesn't reveal it. Comfort, without destroying the style of the shirt. Ingenious.

Perhaps this stems from another peculiar American theme, the role of business professional. If one is going to visit significant institutions (such as the European Counsel or the Federal Reserve), then they might require certain attire. However, business professional is used in anything from MBA networking events (MBA students around the school are constantly sporting ties) to case competition presentations. I personally have no problem with business professional; it still makes all men look awesome, even though it is somewhat anachronistic. My annoyance is the requirement for me to wear a suit and tie even though no-one else is - at the case competition presentation, if my judges are all sporting shirts with rolled up sleeves and an unbuttoned collar, why am supposed to wear business professional when it is 30 degrees in the shade?

The feedback from the European delegation seems clear: American everyday-fashion is an oxymoron. This is naturally only a generalisation - loads of Americans are well-dressed. Many times it is just a difference in style - for example, I am starting to like the basketball style of baggy shorts, big basketball shoes, socks pulled halfway up your calf, and a loose T-shirt of some sort. But I think I might be alone on that one.

It mainly just seems to boil down to making an effort.  Perhaps we Europeans are more vain about our everyday clothing? Maybe, but Americans can, and do, put in an effort when it counts. I will not speak for women's fashion, but male Americans will dress well for cocktails, social gatherings, and business professional meetings. As a European, I would make some tweaks, but hey, that's just me. Overall, they come through in style. Except for those nasty undershirts. 

Alumni weekend

With many of the American's who went to Chapel Hill still based around North Carolina, we spent this past weekend having a GLOBE alumni gathering. Some 8-12 GLOBE graduates took time out of their weekend to come down to UNC for social events, career advice, and networking.

We met up a GLOBE VI's house 5 minutes walk from Franklin Street, the main road just north of campus for a tailgate on Saturday afternoon. The event is basically a pre-football social get-together with a keg, food, beer pong, and Carolina blue. The UNC Tar Heels were playing the Louisville Cardinals away, so the flat screen TV was the centre of attention for most of the afternoon. I helped myself to huge portions of coleslaw, chicken, macaroni and cheese, salad and hushpuppies (tasted a bit like a dry rösti), and plotted myself in front of the TV with a full-bred American GLOBE II chap to enlighten me on the intricacies of college football. By the time I had finished my meal the first half was still under way, but Louisville were up 23-0, having scored on all their plays, as well as defending impeccably. So I lost interest (with most of the crowd), and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting outside in the sun.

The second part of the weekend was a couple of hours of networking and career advice at the business school. It was very helpful to get some advice from people who have previously been in your shoes, but I guess most of the comments were directed at the current job-seeking Americans. I spent the time eating munchkins (doughnut holes), drinking coffee, and listening to war stories of 90 hour work weeks and business class travel from the consultant-front.

A main realization is that GLOBE students consume an awful lot of alcohol. Perhaps it is the work hard, play harder mentality, the fact that somebody else is buying, or the relatively limited amount of times when one can do keg stands at 2 PM on a Saturday. So no wonder most of the people looked weary-eyed on Sunday, even though it didn't start till 1. I decided not to go out, following a brutal week of case competition and the amount of homework that is piling up. I think I have gone out enough this first month. Although at next alumni event, I am sure I'll match the GLOBE standards.

Teacher Enthusiasm

An unfortunate (but not unforeseen) effect of arriving at UNC has been the transition back to having class. UNC is extremely oriented towards group-work, so I find myself having groups in each of my classes, as well as the constant flow of group meetings and assignment. The lectures, on the other hand, are short and sweet, but often jam-packed with information. So if you haven't read, don't bother showing up. Nowhere is this more true than in my derivatives and securities class, but thankfully my professor in that class is one of the best I have ever had!

Classes are a brutal 8:00 to 9:15 AM, the readings are plentiful and condense, each lecture has a case which needs to be solved at home, as well as deliverable homework each week. The topic is counter-intuitive at times, murderously boring the rest. For any teacher this is bad odds. I have taken plenty dull courses, and had even more poor teachers. So what makes this guy stand out?

He is Spanish, always wearing a 3-buttoned suit and tie, well-polished shoes, and is impeccably clean-shaven. He is a vivid Barcelona football fan and former competitive chess player, he always has a large cup of Starbucks coffee when he teaches, and always has classical music playing before the class commences. But most importantly, he has a great sense of humour. Examples:

1) Each case is named after somebody famous, but not always obviously. Rocinante, Iniesta, Topalov, Bachelier, and Shostakovic are definitely not common names to the average American undergraduate, but Don Quixote's horse, the Barcelona midfielder, the Bulgarian chess player, the great French mathematician, and the acclaimed 20th century Russian composer reveal the professor's personal traits and his peculiar sophistication.

2) He loves Open-source, and views Microsoft as the devil. He therefore always points out his clean and custom-designed slides, and how it could never be done as well by standard PowerPoint. He naturally dislikes the school intranet, so he has his own website where he uploads our materials. I'll refrain from posting the password, but the username is "greatchess". Naturally.

3) He over-emphasizes the stories in the cases with witty puns and biased opinions. There are 3 questions, which really don't need that much information, but he makes an art out of writing interesting reads (quite an accomplishment - we are talking about derivatives here). For example Bachelier had a brownie company, which sold brownies to Europe and wanted to hedge against FX risk (Bachelier created the stochastic process known as Brownian motion). Iniesta gives up on "kicking a ball around on weekends" to utilize arbitrage opportunities in trading Barcelona stock. His troubles are on whether he thinks Barcelona will win the Double, thus increasing the stock price, or simply win one trophy, which will not have any effect, since the market has factored this victory into the price. He also tussles with Ronaldo, a "fierce, albeit weak, football competitor". Finally, Topalov Inc wants you to price a call option from Grünfeld Defence Corp. (Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening).

I am not sure if this information has befallen everyone in the class. I only realized it after initially noticing Topalov, Iniesta and Botvinnik, and then googling the rest. I guess I am almost as nerdy as he is - but I think it is awesome that I can learn something as nerdy as derivatives AND Russian composers in the space of an hour. Shostakovich' string quartet no. 7 was playing as I wrote this blog - it is recommended.

UPDATE: A favourite game he likes to pay with his kids (aged 11 and 9) is who can first count the prime numbers between 1 and 100. He is undefeated, and proudly boasts a record of just over 15 seconds. Awesome.

Beliefs

Week of welcome, ice-cream socials, and community dinners around campus guarantee one thing for new students: Meeting new people. So I seem to have spent an awful lot of time talking to North Carolinian freshmen about where they come from, what they study, and how it is so amazing to be away from parents and finally in college. Most of these 2 minute conversations involve single sentences, routine answers, and minimum brain power, so it was a pleasant surprise when I spent an hour on Friday in the library discussing the topic of religion.

I found myself studying in the company of two freshmen who live in the same dorm as myself. After everyone implicitly agreed that studying human cell deterioration, David Hume, and options and futures pricing, (respectively, guess which one is me) was better left for another day, we picked up a more personal topic. The conversation proceeded something like this: "Are you going to church on Sunday?" - "No" - "So you are not a Christian?" - "In Denmark we are protestants; it is common not to attend church" - "So what do you believe in?". The last question hit a sore spot - I could not come up with a satisfactory answer right away. Even after I left the library later that day, I spent much of my time mulling over that statement. Among other things, I found that much confusion comes from inadequate definitions of terms, as well as a desire to create oversimplified, one-sentence punchlines such as "Christianity".

First, the definitions. The questions "Are you Christian" and "Do you believe in God" were identical to my debators, but they are very different for me. I view Christianity to a large part of the Danish culture, history and moral values with which I associate myself, but I don't believe in a personified God. "Belief" was another. I believe the sun will rise tomorrow based on a strong argument (scientific proof, personal experience). I don't believe in Hell, simply because the argument is weak. Finally, the phrase "you must experience God for yourself" instantly triggered the question in my mind: "If you experience something and call it God, what must I experience to use the same term", not to mention the fact that humans are encoded to find causal meaning from everything, even it can be ascribed to chance.

Next, the oversimplifications: I associate Christianity with the Ten Commandments, a moral codex, a part of my upbringing, church on Christmas Eve, and sanctuary for my thoughts. I also associate Christianity with the inquisition, the gospel of Judas, and one of the greatest institutions in human history. I view Jesus as a popular and influential person some 2000 years ago, the Bible as a human creation, and the prevalence of the religion as a political and military accomplishment rather than "the work of God".

So what do I believe? I believe that there is a force (call it power or energy if you wish) which exists beyond our knowledge, and which is part of the reason for life as we know it. I believe that our understanding is limited by our cognitive ability (limited to 3D) and there is a possibility of a discontinuity of time and space, contrary to what we can perceive. I believe that religion is a tool for finding peace and mindfulness for humans, as well as a set of moral values and a code of conduct, and that it can still play an important part in many peoples lives - Vipassana meditation certainly helped me. However, I believe in facts and science rather than tradition and myth, and thus I tend to take a agnostic view on most religious topics. But I cannot escape the fact that I do not have all the answers, and therefore surrender myself to the uncertainty that there is something out there which I cannot comprehend.

What does this mean for me? I am by nature curious to find a coherent meaning in life, but I seem to be quite content with ignoring the large picture such as "where does the world, the universe, come from?". Instead I like to philosophize on what is here and now, such as will a conversion of religion influence my happiness, or can a human being be taught morals and virtue without also learning the fear of doing wrong (in Christianity, you don't murder because otherwise you go to hell).

My conversation ended less fruitfully in the library. I asked whether they thought I could be a decent human being without fearing God. They responded as they had learnt - without embracing the forgiveness of God, I would be condemned for eternity. They were firm believers, based on their own experiences and their relationship with God, and I had no intention of questioning or changing their belief. I have no compelling evidence that they are mistaken, so their view is as qualified as mine. But they seemed reluctant to accept my position, so I smiled, wished them well, and thanked them for our discussion. Then I turned, left the library, and shuttled home to pack my bags - apparently the highway to Hell goes via a friend's Virginian lake house over the weekend!