Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Aaron Schnoor
Why Is ChatGPT So Bad at Creating Book Titles?
I love a compelling book title. If you’re an avid reader, or even if reading isn’t really your thing, you probably know what I mean. Certain book titles draw us in. They invite us to embark upon a journey with the characters who dwell within the pages of the book. A few of my favorite book titles include the following: East of Eden. Fahrenheit 451. To Kill a Mockingbird. The Great Gatsby. Of Mice and Men. A Farewell to Arms. A Tale of Two Cities. The Grapes of Wrath.
How Do Billionaires Avoid Income Taxes?
Elon Musk has made national headlines multiple times by avoiding income taxes despite his billionaire status and high net worth. Now, I know the majority of Americans might say that billionaires should pay more in taxes. I certainly understand the argument, but whether or not billionaires should pay more in taxes is not what I’m here to dispute. I’m merely trying to pinpoint some of the tax strategies billionaires are using.
Most CEOs Aren’t Paid Enough
That’s a hot take, and one that you might disagree with, but I’ll stand by it. I didn’t set out to write this article to tell you why CEOs should be paid more. In fact, I originally begin researching this article to tell you why CEOs should be paid less. Now, before I tell you why most CEOs aren’t paid enough, let me explain why I carefully used the word “most” to begin this article. Some CEOs are overpaid. Some are paid the correct amount for the value they provide. But most CEOs aren’t paid enough.
Bryan Niccol, Starbucks’ New CEO, Did Well at Chipotle. But It Wasn’t Perfect.
Starbucks made waves through the business world a few weeks ago when it announced that Bryan Niccol, then-CEO at Chipotle, would become the coffee giant’s new leader. The decision was met with wide acclaim, with many financial experts saying that it was the best decision Starbucks has made in a long, long time. Niccol will get Starbucks back on track, experts claimed. He’ll restore the struggling company. It’s true that Niccol does have a history of turning companies around.
How Will AI Impact Our Country’s GDP? Experts Can’t Agree.
To paraphrase a quote from the entrepreneur Pieter Levels, there are currently two types of people: those who are afraid of AI and those who are getting rich from AI. Like much of the population, economists fall into two similar camps when it comes to AI. Some economists believe that AI is overstated and will not replace human labor. Other economists believe that AI will lead to a productivity boom, boosting global economies through advancements in efficiency and technology.
Is Google a Monopoly?
Well, it’s official. Google is a monopoly. That’s at least what a U.S. judge ruled on August 5th, stating that the tech giant has illegally maintained a monopoly through its search engine services. Google, the judge determined, has used its influence and lobbying to squash competition among search engine providers and unfairly raise ad prices. The judge’s proposed solution? Google needs to break up into separate companies. If you feel like you’ve been in the dark on this issue, you’re not alone.
This Researcher Used ChatGPT to Write a Peer-Reviewed Paper
It is widely known that students have relied on ChatGPT, OpenAI's large language model (LLM), to write essays and academic papers. The issue became so pervasive that universities made headlines in 2023 when they began cracking down on AI-generated essays, forcing many students to turn away from ChatGPT. But universities should have done more than crack down on student use of AI-generated writing.
The Economics of Telehealth in Rural Areas
Author's note: this piece was originally written as an academic essay. Although it is not in the same format as a typical Medium article, I sincerely hope it is helpful and insightful for readers. In February of 2020, as the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread...
Gap's $100 Million Marketing Mistake
By Aaron Schnoor It took only 6 days for the mistake to be reversed. Photo by lan deng on Unsplash Few logos are as iconic as that of Gap, the popular clothing retailer. The company's white-lettered "G A P" against a dark blue background has become a recognizable favorite since the company's inception since 1969.
Tropicana's $50 Million Marketing Mistake
By Aaron Schnoor What happens when a recognizable brand changes their look? Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash Innovation can be costly. It can also be detrimental. Don't believe me? Just take a look at Tropicana, the famous fruit juice company. In 2009, Tropicana marketing executives decided that the brand's familiar logo needed an upgrade. And not just...
Is AI Heading in the Right Direction?
By Aaron Schnoor Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash I've been thinking a lot recently about the future of artificial intelligence (AI). And, although what you're thinking about is totally up to you, I encourage you to pause and take a moment to reflect upon the future of AI. What prompted these thoughts? Recent quotes by Larry Summers, the previous U.S. Treasury secretary and a board member of OpenAI.
9 Economic Theories You've Never Heard Of
By Aaron Schnoor Photo by rupixen on Unsplash Economics, as a field, is rich with diverse theories that span across various schools of thought. Beyond the mainstream theories widely taught and discussed, there are several obscure or less known theories that offer unique perspectives on economic behavior, decision-making, and policy. Let's take a look at some of those theories:
Stop Clapping. Start Responding.
Have you noticed the Quick Clappers on Medium? I call them Quick Clappers because they jump from article to article, staying for only a few seconds, leaving a handful of claps behind like a trail of crumbs in their wake. They clap quickly. They clap quietly. Don’t get me wrong — I’m often guilty of this. I’ll skim through an article, hopping from paragraph to paragraph, and then I’ll leave an arbitrary number of claps. Sometimes I’ll clap 10 times, but only if I’m feeling generous.
The Long Way Home
It was 3:00am Greenwich Mean Time, and I sat on a cold bench in a drafty train station in Wolverhampton, England. I had no idea where I was. Except that I was in Wolverhampton, of course. The big black letters on the white-tiled wall of the train station told me that…
Stop Traveling to Escape
Start searching within instead I love to travel. There’s a thrill in exploring a new place, an excitement that is unrivaled by any other life experience. Going to a new country or region is like unveiling a different perspective on life, full of different foods, dialects, sights, sounds, smells. Traveling makes us feel alive. It makes us embark on new adventures, step outside of our comfort zone, and form long-lasting memories. But what if we’re traveling for all of the wrong reasons?
Ernest Shackleton: A Lesson in Optimism
Ernest Shackleton knew what courage looked like. The British-Irish explorer, who led three British expeditions to Antarctica in the early 1900s, certainly encountered a fair share of danger during his lifetime. One attempt to cross Antarctica nearly proved fatal for Shackleton and his crew of 27 men. After their ship, Endurance, was crushed in ice floes in 1915, Shackleton spent two years leading his team of 27 men to safety. Yes, you read that right.
Should You Publish Every Day on Medium?
How often should you publish articles on Medium? I’ve recently been asking myself that question, and I don’t think I’ve found the answer yet. I’m talking about publishing — not just writing. All writers should write every day. But what is an optimal frequency for publishing your writing? When I look at successful writers on Medium, I see a variety of answers. Some writers only publish their articles one to two times per week. Others publish three to four times.
What’s Keeping You From Writing?
Understanding the barriers to publishing Why are you not writing? You’re reading this article right now, which means you must be interested in writing. Perhaps you do write often. Perhaps you have not started writing but want to start soon. Perhaps you write infrequently, wishing you could write more often. Depending on the day, I usually have myriad answers when I ask myself the question of why am I not writing? I have a long list of reasons why I often don’t write as much as I’d like.
Are You Taking Risks?
Are You Taking Risks? Or are you avoiding them? Photo by janilson furtado on Unsplash How often do you take risks? It’s a question I ask myself often. And if I’m being completely transparent, the answer is always not enough. Most people don’t like to take risks. We like to remain within our own comfort zone, staying in an area that feels safe.
Is Economics Doomed?
Analyzing the future of the field What does the future of economics hold? It’s a question I’ve been asking myself recently. Economics is a broad field, encompassing resources and consumption, behaviors and interactions in markets, the rise and fall of global economies, and much more. I think economics is a field of unlimited potential. I think it’s a field with a potentially bright future. But recently, I’m wondering if economics’ future isn’t as bright as I thought.
Why is Fiction Not Popular on Medium?
Why is Fiction Not Popular on Medium? Photo by Fallon Michael on Unsplash I love reading fiction. Given the choice, I will nearly always pick fiction over non-fiction. I love reading the works of Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Bradbury, Dickens. I love reading the works of modern authors too, like Amor Towles and Barbara Kingsolver. I love finding new fiction authors. I love exploring new works, finding unsung gems full of wonder and…
Why Do You Write?
Writing is not easy. It might seem like an obvious statement, and anyone who has tried their luck at writing knows just how true of a statement it is. There — I just ended a sentence with “is” — a good writer should never do that. Do you see what I mean? My writing is plagued with mistakes. It’s messy. It’s often long-winded. I make errors, press the wrong keys, fail to proofread, split an infinitive, let my participles dangle, and I struggle to put my thoughts onto paper. As I said, it’s not easy.
Learning from Warren Buffett’s Mentor
The story of Benjamin Graham and value investing In the spring of 1951, a young student by the name of Warren Buffett entered a classroom at Columbia Business School.
11 Economics Books Everyone Should Read
Economics is a broad field of study, and it can be daunting to know where to start if you’re stepping into the field for the first time. Where does one begin if they want to read about economics? I’ve put together a list of my top 11 books on economics. This isn’t an all-inclusive list, and I’m missing some great books, but I think these are the best books to begin studying economics.
TikTok Mastered Marketing But Can’t Escape a Ban
What does the future hold for the Chinese app? It might not be this round of legislation. It might still be a year from now, or maybe two years from now. But TikTok will eventually be banned. If you haven’t heard, the US House of Representatives passed a bill on March 13th that will effectively ban TikTok from US app stores—unless the social media app is spun off from ByteDance, its China-based parent company. The legislation now goes to the US Senate, where its future remains uncertain.
13 Economists Everyone Should Know
When we think of economics, it’s easy to think of a few famous names that have shaped the field. Smith. Marx. Hayek. But who else deserves recognition for their work in economics? Let’s take a look at 13 economists everyone should know: As mentioned above, no list of economists is complete without Adam Smith.
What is a Hedge Fund?
If you spend enough time in finance, or even just turn on CNBC on your television and listen for a few minutes, you’ll probably find yourself hearing the term “hedge fund” repeatedly. It’s a popular topic. People like to talk about hedge fund managers, the performance of hedge funds, the exclusivity of hedge funds — but few people actually know what hedge funds are. So what are hedge funds?
Start Writing On Your Phone
I never like to write on my phone. I know, “never” is a strong word. But it’s true. For years, I’ve only been able to write on a laptop. Articles, stories, essays — you name it — have exclusively been written on a laptop. I’ve never written them on my phone. It’s the same with emails, too. If I’m writing an email, I almost always write it on my laptop. It’s only out of necessity that I force myself to draft an email on a cell phone.
What Does the Future of Medium Look Like?
March marks four years since I became a member of Medium, this wonderful platform of ideas, stories, lessons, reflections, and essays. In the past four years, I’ve seen this platform change and evolve. It’s gone through many iterations — some good and some bad — but, for the most part, it’s still the same platform I joined four years ago. But now, as I consider renewing my membership for another year, I’m left with a question. What does the future of Medium look like?
I Used AI to Clone Ernest Hemingway
“Artificial Intelligence will never be able to replace writers.” That’s what I’ve been reading, and that’s what I’ve come to believe. Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot replace a good writer. But is that really true? After years of development and improvement, will AI be able to replace human authors? Using ChatGPT, I decided to put those questions to the test by pitting AI against one of my favorite writers: Ernest Hemingway.
You’re Not Wrong Enough
How often do you get things wrong? Probably not enough. We love to be right. We love to know what we’re talking about. We shy away from getting it wrong. It makes us feel vulnerable — and weak — to get things wrong. We don’t want to ask the wrong questions. We don’t want to make the wrong decisions. We don’t want to have the wrong opinions, sing the wrong lyrics, or incorrectly state the wrong facts. It’s okay. We all hate being wrong. But what are we missing by being afraid to be wrong?
ChatGPT: Your Next Investment Advisor?
ChatGPT, OpenAI’s large language-model based chatbot, has gained impressive popularity over the past year as a valuable tool that can answer written questions, create images, generate code, and write quality content. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform can wear a variety of hats, serving as a writer, a coder, a teacher, and an artist. Recently, though, some researchers have tried to test ChatGPT’s ability to wear a new hat: that of an investment advisor.
Is ChatGPT Doomed?
OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, has just announced breaking news: Sam Altman, the renowned entrepreneur and CEO of OpenAI, has been fired. "Fired" might not technically be the correct terminology, but it seems the most fitting; Altman has been ousted by the company's board and forced to step down from his post. That news might not be shocking in itself, but what is surprising is the reason for the decision.
Can Artificial Intelligence Predict Recessions?
Economists are notoriously terrible at predicting recessions. Even when warning signs show that a recession is imminent, economists have previously been wrong on many occasions. According to an article by FiveThirtyEight: "A 2018 study conducted by Loungani and others looked at 153 recessions in 63 countries between 1992 and 2014 and found that the vast majority were missed by economists in both the public and private sector.
Living an Undistracted Life
You've been scrolling on your phone for an hour, swiping through meaningless Instagram photos. You've been watching video after video on YouTube, caught in an endless loop and not looking for anything in particular. You've been binging Netflix shows after work, drowning in episode after episode with no end in sight. You set your cellphone down and then pick it up automatically just a moment later, although you have no reason to be back on your cellphone.
On War and Remembrance
Today, November 11th, 2023, marks 105 years since the end of World War I. The Great War, or the "war to end all wars," as it was known at the time, ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. 11/11/1918. Armistice Day. Remembrance Day. Or, as we now know it in the United States, Veterans Day. A day that was initially chosen to serve as a day of remembrance for World War I is now a federal holiday to recognize the military veterans of the United States Armed Forces.
Our Souls Yearn For Silence
C.S. Lewis, one of my favorite authors and theologians, once wrote that "We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private." It sounds like a quote that could be from 2023, doesn't it? But Lewis, who died in 1963, actually wrote the words in his book The Weight of Glory, first published in 1942. Think of all that has changed in our world since 1942. Lewis wrote those words during a time when the radio was the main form of media.
The Case for an Opt-Out System
In an age of limited supply and higher prices, there is perhaps no commodity that is more limited and valued than an organ. I'm talking about human organs, of course. Or, more specifically, I'm talking about the need for human organs through transplants. It's no secret that human organs are in high demand. According to the United States government, there are currently 104,234 men, women, and children on the national organ transplant list.
The Misery of Writing
Writing can be a thankless task. I love writing. I truly do. But, like many writers, I often find the process of putting words down on paper to be difficult. I want to call myself a writer. But when it comes down to it, I avoid writing like the plague. Instead of writing, I'll go for a walk. I'll feed the dog. I'll take out the trash. I'll fold the pile of laundry that's been sitting in the laundry basket for a week. I'll rake leaves. I'll begin house projects that should have been completed months ago.
This Date in History: August 24th
What occurred on August 24th in the past? 79: Mount Vesuvius erupts, burying the ancient Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. 1814: British forces capture Washington, D.C., and burn down many government buildings, including the White House and the Capitol. 1853: The first potato chips are prepared by chef George Crum at a restaurant in Saratoga Springs, New York. 1932: Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the United States nonstop.
5 Notable Battles of the Revolutionary War
Battle of Bunker Hill (June 17, 1775) Background: Fought near Boston, Massachusetts, this early engagement occurred when American militiamen fortified Breed's Hill. Though the British ultimately won, they suffered heavy casualties, bolstering American confidence. Casualties: American - approximately 450; British - around 1,054. Battle of Saratoga (September 19 - October 7, 1777) Background: Located in upstate New York, this battle was a pivotal turning point.
This Date in History: August 23rd
What occurred on August 23rd in the past? 1305: Scottish rebel William Wallace is captured by English forces near Glasgow. 1775: King George III declares the American colonies in open rebellion, leading to increased tensions between Britain and the colonies. 1858: The first of the series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas takes place in Ottawa, Illinois, during their U.S. Senate campaign.
The Beginner's Guide to the American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the American War of Independence, saw the revolt of the American colonies against British rule. Between 1775 to 1783, roughly 6,800 American soldiers were killed in the fight for independence. An estimated 17,000 soldiers died as the result of disease while in imprisonment. Causes: The war was primarily driven by the American colonies' desire for independence from British rule.
This Date in History: August 22nd
What occurred on August 22nd in the past? 1485: The Battle of Bosworth Field takes place in England, leading to the victory of Henry Tudor over Richard III and the start of the Tudor dynasty. 1770: Captain James Cook's expedition lands on the eastern coast of Australia, near present-day Cooktown, Queensland. 1851: The first America's Cup, a prestigious yacht race, is won by the yacht "America" in a race around the Isle of Wight.
This Date in History: August 21st
What occurred on August 21st in the past? 1680: Pueblo Indians launch the Pueblo Revolt against Spanish colonial rule in present-day New Mexico, United States. 1770: James Cook's ship HMS Endeavour reaches the eastern coast of Australia, which he names "New South Wales." 1831: Nat Turner's slave rebellion begins in Southampton County, Virginia, United States. 1911: The Mona Lisa, a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, is stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris; it is recovered in 1913.
This Date in History: August 20th
What occurred on August 20th in the past? 1858: Charles Darwin first publishes his theory of evolution through natural selection in a paper presented to the Linnean Society in London. 1914: German forces occupy Brussels, Belgium, during World War I. 1968: Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact troops invade Czechoslovakia to suppress the Prague Spring reform movement. 1975: Viking 1, an unmanned spacecraft, is launched toward Mars to explore the planet's surface and send back data.
A Brief Timeline of World War I
World War I, or the Great War, stretched from 1914 to 1918. The conflict saw the death of approximately ten million soldiers and another ten million civilians. To understand the full impact of the war, though, it's important to look at a chronological timeline of events: June 4: Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife Sophie depart for a state visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This Date in History: August 19th
What occurred on August 19th in the past? 14: Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, dies. 1812: The USS Constitution defeats the British frigate HMS Guerriere in the War of 1812, earning it the nickname "Old Ironsides." 1934: The creation of the Bundespolizei, the national police force of Germany. 1953: The Iranian coup d'état, orchestrated by the CIA and MI6, removes Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh from power.
This Date in History: August 18th
What occurred on August 18th in the past? 1587: Virginia Dare, the first English child born in the Americas, is born on Roanoke Island (present-day North Carolina, USA). 1920: The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote. 1940: The "Hardest Day" of the Battle of Britain takes place, with heavy losses on both the British and German sides.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Aaron
Contact Aaron, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack