oh, Austin

How Austin got its professional soccer team.

How Austin got its professional soccer team. Eddie Margain talks about what it feels like when rule of law breaks down (“I fled [Mexico] when the cartels threatened my family”), and how he later poured that urgency into building Austin […]

oh, Austin

A train derailed in downtown Austin.

A train derailed in downtown Austin. The tracks are near my house and we were alerted to this by a text from our school district. While it’s a 230-car cargo train that derailed in downtown Austin around 4:45 a.m., it […]

fun facts

Swappy.

Swappy. “Use your wits to get every character to their goal! Each stage has a tricky layout that can be overcome by using the character’s swapping powers. Whenever two characters are in the same row or column, their places can […]

fun facts

Autonomous cars are going to clog the roads.

Autonomous cars are going to clog the roads. “Autonomous vehicles are the centrifugal water pump of the roads.” The piece argues that self-driving will make traffic tolerable enough to overuse, unless we start charging for road access before AVs become […]

fun facts

Choppelganger.

Choppelganger. A new word, “a less attractive or worse version of something or someone.” Next time someone tells me I look like someone they know, I will bust this one out. ~ learn more

fun facts

Helium is hard to replace.

Helium is hard to replace. “Liquid helium boils at just 4.2 kelvin (-452 degrees Fahrenheit).” If you need temperatures a few degrees above absolute zero, the article argues helium is basically the only practical coolant, which is why shortages hit […]

profiles of people

Ryan Petersen (@typesfast) can also talk fast.

Ryan Petersen (@typesfast) can also talk fast. He’s a fountain of interesting comments. “The idea of a one-person company is stupid.” Ryan Petersen (Flexport) talks through why real leverage comes from coordination, not solo grind, then veers into tariffs, fraud, […]

on the blockchain

NYT writer thinks he’s found Satoshi.

NYT writer thinks he’s found Satoshi. “Having encountered my share of liars and developed something of an expertise in their tells, Mr. Back’s demeanor, his shifty eyes, his awkward chuckle, the jerky movement of his left hand, struck me as […]

big ideas

The future of fertility.

The future of fertility. “Sheila grabs her gym bag from the floor, leaves the house and closes the door with peace of mind, knowing that AR1, AR2, and AR3 will take good care of her 17 children.” Tomas Pueyo opens […]