technology · Uncategorized

My Personal Journey with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)

Last year, I started teaching a high school computing foundations class that is very focused on AI. In working through things for that course and doing my own tinkering with tech that I am always up to, I learned about retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). RAG is a simple functionality that turns generative AI’s (genAI) sloppy intelligence from its large language model (LLM) into expert-level intelligence in whatever subject area you wish.

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Economics · Essays

Did a Hedge Fund Buyout Finally Go Right?

A hedge fund buys out a struggling retailer on the verge of bankruptcy. It’s a story told so much it has become a cliché. Naturally, one would expect that the next step is to gut the corporation, rob the employees of their pensions, and sell off whatever tangible and intangible assets they can get a few bucks for. But in 2019 when Elliott Management purchased Barnes & Noble Booksellers for $638 million, something different happened.

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