La Feve

chuck, originally uploaded by eesley.

When I visited my friends Sylvain and Corine in Paris back in January they shared a traditional King Cake with me. I was lucky to get "la feve" so I was crowned king!

Wikipedia on the French King Cake

“La galette des Rois” (the cake or "wafer" of the Kings) is a cake celebrating the Epiphany and traditionally sold and consumed a few days before and after this date. In modern France, the cakes can be found in most bakeries during the month of January. The cake consists of flaky puff pastry layers with a dense center of frangipane.
Tradition holds that the cake is “to draw the kings” to the Epiphany. A figurine, “la fève”, which can represent anything from a car to a cartoon character, is hidden in the cake and the person who finds the trinket in their slice becomes king for the day and will have to offer the next cake. Originally, “la fève” was literally a broad bean (fève), but they were replaced in 1870 by a variety of figurines out of porcelain or - more recently - plastic. These figurines have become popular collectibles and can often be bought separately. Individual bakeries may offer a specialized line of fèves depicting diverse themes from great works of art to classic movie stars and popular cartoon characters. The cakes are usually sold in special bags, some of which can be used to heat the cake in a microwave without ruining the crispness of the cake. A paper crown is included with the cake to crown the "king" who finds the fève in their piece of cake. To ensure a random distribution of the cake shares, it is traditional for the youngest person to place themselves under the table and name the recipient of the share which is indicated by the person in charge of the service.

Sea Turtles

006_3A, originally uploaded by eesley.

I uploaded some underwater photos from snorkeling in Akumal and around Playa Del Carmen.

The Economics and Law of the Entrepreneur, Searle Events, Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth, Programs and Centers, Faculty & Resea

Summer conference travel:

The Economics and Law of the Entrepreneur, Searle Events, Searle Center on Law, Regulation, and Economic Growth

I was recently accepted to present at the Second Annual Research Symposium on The Economics and Law of the Entrepreneur at Northwestern June 11th-12th.

I was also accepted for the Academy of Management conference in Chicago this Aug. 7-11th.

How to call people on the iPod Touch

How to Call Your iPod Touch And Give It A Phone Number For Free!

I set this up over the weekend and it has been working well so far. Some people notice a slight lag or a more "tinny" sound, but it has been fine for me. I set it up in conjunction with Google Voice / Grandcentral.

This American Life

This American Life

I've been a big fan of This American Life for a while now. I just listened to "Act One" of "Going Big" and it's a great episode on Baby College, poverty and early childhood development.

Ahh, the beach...

IMG_0644, originally uploaded by eesley.

For the paper I'm currently writing... who is right?

"The most important thing is to have access to risk capital. Markets are in place, but you need money pools for people who just have a brilliant idea," – Eric Schmidt, CEO, Google

“Universities spin out technology companies at an ever increasing rate - but the need is for a much increased venture capital pot to get them started.” – Sir Roy Anderson, Chief Scientific Advisor, UK Ministry of Defense, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London

“Our greatest lack is not money for any undertaking, but rather ideas. If the ideas are good, cash will somehow flow to where it is needed.” - Robert H. Schuller

Quote

Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction. They may be summed up by the phrases: (1) It's completely impossible. (2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing. (3) I said it was a good idea all along.

Playa Del Carmen

IMG_0645, originally uploaded by eesley.

The beach was great! Snorkeling was a blast. Montezuma's revenge was not so fun. But overall, a great trip - definitely recommend Playa, just stay away from eating at La Carpichoriza!