Author: Medecci Lineil

Don’t cage the brain either

“Obvious is the most dangerous word in mathematics.” – Eric Temple Bell (1813-1960), Scottish mathematician AFTER my May 3 column ‘Faith-based grading’ came out, the feedback has been pouring in. Of all the issues I raised, it was the humble calculator that became the focal point of debate. Some readers

Kind words mask biggest lie

“I’ve always been interested in using mathematics to make the world work better.” – Alvin E. Roth, co-recipient of the 2012 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. DESPITE changing curricula and classroom tech, the core debate over math instruction remains stubbornly unresolved. More data science, less stuffy trigonometry? Students are

Dominance by design

A local undergraduate who hopes to work at Goldman Sachs one day recently asked what sounded like a simple question: “America is the world’s largest economy, with a USD27 trillion GDP. So why would Trump disrupt the global order? We’ve studied your tariff columns and tested your model across 15

Auto forecasts going in reverse

AT the start of the year, Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA) forecasted a modest 4.5 per cent decline in 2025 vehicle sales to 780,000 units.   Following the release of February data, CIMB revised its projection lower to a 7 per cent decline (760,000 units).   Hong Leong Bank moved even faster, cutting

Faith-based grading

“Somehow it’s okay for people to chuckle about not being good at math. Yet, if I said ‘I never learned to read’, they’d say I was an illiterate dolt.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson, American astrophysicist and author AN investment bank CEO WhatsApped me yesterday with a newspaper headline (pic) that

Wages don’t rise by command

IF market forces have failed to lift wage levels adequately, the intuitive policy response is for government intervention — to compel higher wages across the board. This would not stop at merely raising minimum wages, but could extend into broader progressive wage structures, mandating sector-wide wage floors and scheduled increments

Silver’s about to steal gold’s thunder

GOLD has once again proved its mettle as a hedge against financial chaos.  If history is any guide, the gains may have room to run further.  But they could also soon be outshined by that other, less-adored precious metal.  The yellow metal is a contentious subject in the investment community,

Humanity on trial

“I still remember the moment when my gaze fell upon the mutilated face of a young woman, her features slashed through with a bayonet. Soundlessly, and without fuss, some tender thing deep inside me broke. Something that, until then, I hadn’t realised was there.” – Han Kang IN Korean, “Hello”

Refused to be either

“A smart mother makes often a better diagnosis than a poor doctor.” – August Bier (1861-1949), German surgeon I HAD originally intended to share this piece during last month’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science. But between business write-ups, responding to reader queries, model-building, running regressions, robustness checks,

Toughest trade talks yet

THE tariff war is far from over, and for Malaysia, negotiating a fair deal with Washington will not be a walk in the park. For the next 90 days or so, instead of the 24 per cent reciprocal tariff which has now been paused, Malaysian products shipped into the United