Author: admin

This line from the Left Hand of Darkness struck me as particularly poignant in our current climate.

What’s a word to describe the paradigm of an individual or institution? Tyler Cowen recently uses ‘orientation’ when referring to journals, so perhaps that’s best. I’m wondering if it’s worth having a meta-level lexicon for orientations to help clarify the lens through which we input media. The NY Times – Fox News continuum is somewhat […]

For me, not for thee……… As far as adages go, this one contains the most useful and actionable investment advice of the 21st century. In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the ‘Bernanke Put’ was the driving force behind the subsequent stock market rally, and the Fed didn’t bother waiting until after the COVID-19 […]

Paddy is on his way to visit John Kahm, who is living his final hours after being diagnosed with a terminal illness last year. I’ve recently argued that part of letting go involves recognizing our own impotence. With two fierce daughters at home, I think of the times when I’m too preoccupied by the shortcomings […]

The desire for connection is a strong one for me. I seek a state of openness where I can be receptive to the connections that seem to appear as energy of some form or another. Part of this state of openness is taking action on random thoughts that bubble to the surface; thinking of someone? […]

Note: Written in response to an email from a friend that was a link to an psychiatrist’s website with ‘theories’ about COVID-19. There are plenty of things wrong with the world today.  Much of it comes down to a principal-agent problem. 5G?  Let the first two towers be outside corporate HQ and the CEO’s house.  […]

This post sounds a bit like the concept of Educational Pods below, doesn’t it? It will be fascinating to see if any large institution can pivot like this, I’m still feeling like a startup would be able to do better, if they can get through the accreditation process.

Adam Tooze’s article on the myth of central bank independence sure does make it feel like every aspect of our lives is politicized. I personally enjoyed the myth of central bank independence and find the open politicization of central banks to be great if you’re of the same political ideology but horrible otherwise. I’d imagine […]

What is the optimal size for a learning cohort that offers positive returns to social interaction but allows for distancing? Dunbar’s number is 150. Average student/teacher ratio is 16. A military squad is 8-12 people. CDC’s number for gatherings in times of COVID is 10. So, 10? Could a system of 10 people in a […]

My experience of the current state of video-conferenced classrooms is quite literally at the kindergarten level with my 6 year old daughter. There’s zero doubt that in person interactions are infinitely preferable, but having some interaction is better than none. How much of the educational experience, then, is about interaction with others? It depends, right? […]