tech, startups, internet
Nextdoor is quietly replacing the small town paper
“While Facebook and Twitter get the scrutiny, Nextdoor is reshaping politics one neighborhood at a time.” | learn more
Tag: politics
fun facts
The faces of liberals and conservatives consistently differ
Machine learning is at it again… “Political orientation was correctly classified in 72% of liberal–conservative face pairs, remarkably better than chance (50%), human accuracy (55%), or one afforded by a 100-item personality questionnaire (66%).” | learn more
tech, startups, internet
Palantir: on business, cults and politics
“Normally when a company files its S-1, we have the standard debates: is this a good business, or a bad one? Are they going public to get capital or provide liquidity to employees, or is it a money grab? Occasionally, […]
oh, chicago
How the Chicago Teachers Union spends its money
The Chicago Sun Times reports: “We examined how the CTU uses its considerable financial muscle and found nearly $1.5 million from its dues-funded budget went to politics and lobbying over 15 months. And a union foundation cut back sharply on […]
book recommendations
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
Author: Walter Isaacson Popular images of Benjamin Franklin often center on three items: the bifocals, the kite, the key. Curious, I read the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin a few years back. Franklin’s honesty sparked my real interest in the U.S. […]
oh, chicago
How socialism permeated Chicago’s city council
For some reason this reminds me of Nassim Taleb’s comment about his politics: “At Fed level, libertarian; state, Republican; local, Democrat; family/friends, socialist.” | learn more
big ideas
Underlying force driving changes in commerce, education and politics
This essay by David Perell is long and interesting, and worth reading even if politics bores you. “I’ll show how the shift from information scarcity to information abundance is transforming commerce, education, and politics. The structure of each industry was […]
fun facts
Sludge – investigative journalism about money in politics.
I recently discovered this newsroom that runs on the same platform as Block Club Chicago. “We look beyond public records and disclosures to reveal the hidden networks and conflicts of interest that drive systemic corruption.” I love it! The link […]
oh, chicago
Railcar politics on Goose Island.
Railroad cars have long been a source of leverage and power over commercial adversaries. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil monopoly owned most of the tank cars in the US, which gave them power over the mighty railroads. Now, little known Iowa Pacific […]
tech, startups, internet
For the U.S., Y2K is finally over after 17 years.
I make it a point to stay away from politics here – I’m sure you get plenty of that elsewhere. But, I couldn’t resist this comical news that the U.S. government has finally been ordered to stop work on dealing […]