oh, chicago

Illinois’ finances improved after Covid-19

While it’s technically true, don’t forget the $144 billion of unfunded pension liabilities. “Vendors are being paid at a faster pace than at any point in the past 20 years. And a $42 billion state budget soon headed to Democratic […]

fun facts

How do Star Trek stardates work?

“On Star Trek, we hear a lot of “stardates,” meant to mark some futuristic date. An example is stardate 47457.1, which is Captain Picard’s birthday… Let’s go deep-nerd on this.“ | learn more

fun facts

Farewell, millennial lifestyle subsidy

“These companies’ investors didn’t set out to bankroll our decadence. They were just trying to get traction for their start-ups, all of which needed to attract customers quickly to establish a dominant market position, elbow out competitors and justify their […]

big ideas

Founding vs inheriting institutions

Inside this post Balaji describes a concept of read-only culture: “the ability to repeat what an ancestor has handed down – but not recreate it from first principles.” It reminds me of cargo cults a bit. | learn more

teaching the kids

The history of homework

“Homework is long-standing education staple, one that many students hate with a fiery passion. We can’t really blame them, especially if it’s a primary source of stress that can result in headaches, exhaustion, and lack of sleep. … It makes […]

teaching the kids

Bill Maher and Mike Rowe share a view on higher ed.

Maher recently included a segment on his show that overlaps with many of Rowe’s ideas. “I want people to radically rethink higher education. Toward that end, I’ve always maintained that making a four-year degree “less expensive” is a great symptom, but a […]