Partisan discourse can’t sink much lower. Now is the time to resurrect a format that was made for political debates. The third and final “debate” between presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is now mercifully in the rearview mirror, but like a direct hit from an aggrieved skunk, it might take weeks for the stink to fully die down. This trifecta
Read moreIt’s World Teachers Day. And I’m a little distressed by how little mention I have seen of it flying around on my Facebook feed. But then, what do I expect? Once upon a time we celebrated teachers for their wisdom and commitment to making their communities better places. Now, in addition, we celebrate them for their superhuman perseverance in the
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It’s now clear that democracy, as practiced in an anti-intellectual society like ours, doesn’t work. Let’s give elitism (properly understood) a try. Many of you probably read Andrew Sullivan’s New York Magazine piece back in April. If not, you should do so as soon as possible – it’s among the most important and insightful political essays we have seen in a generation and
Read moreApril 20, 1999. I remember exactly where I was, exactly what I was doing. My co-worker at US West, Joe Lopez, turned to me and said “hey Sammy, there’s been a shooting at a school down in Littleton.” “Find out everything you can,” I said. I’ll go tell Marti. Marti was Marti Smith, our VP, and thus began some of
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The four stages of critical thinking: Critical thinking is something you make yourself do. Critical thinking is something you do automatically. Critical thinking is something you can’t stop doing. Critical thinking is who you are. Hopefully you’re on the spectrum somewhere, preferably at four or working your way to it. I noted this because I’ve been thinking about Facebook memes.
Read moreIs José Mourinho an all-time great, or merely the greatest of a generation? Imagine the following scenario. After last year’s Super Bowl win the New England Patriots enter the 2015-16 season as strong contenders to repeat. However, for reasons that aren’t immediately clear, they come out of the gate slowly, losing a series of games they’d be expected to win.
Read moreI’ve been wrestling a bit with my career situation lately. Like a lot of folks, I feel like I’m not being compensated very well, and that suspicion is validated by some basic salary research – and also by the CEO, who admits that the company needs to normalize a lot of salaries with the broader market. Of course, the people I work with
Read moreWhen “political correctness” and bad journalism collide… I appreciate the fact that we live in an age where finally – finally – we have grown more sensitive on issues like race, gender, sexual orientation and privilege. (I wish I could add class to that list, but so far I can’t.) I’m sincere about this. The language we use can do more
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US culture is like a zombie apocalypse. Andy Borowitz nails it: Scientists: Earth Endangered by New Strain of Fact-Resistant Humans MINNEAPOLIS (The Borowitz Report) – Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports.
Read moreThere’s a new list out ranking the 20 most beautiful college campuses in America. These things are always subjective, and they can start more arguments than they settle, but I have to admit that this is a not-bad list. I haven’t been to all the honored campuses, but I am familiar with several of them. Heck, I hold degrees from
Read moreA friend of mine has been using Facebook to solicit contributions for his son’s school fundraiser. He’s not alone – I’ve seen more and more of this lately, and perhaps you have, too. Last night he exploded – apparently despite all his pleas, he got no response. As in, zero. He went off on his FB friends in ways that
Read moreAmerica has gotten to the point where anytime I say something intelligent, I feel like I’m trolling. Jesus is coming, and he’s bringing a sock puppet….
Read moreIt may seem like a small thing, but if you write for one of America’s premier tech magazines, you have a responsibility to understand how probability works. Earlier today Wired published an article on how a new Quantum theory could explain the flow of time. Great stuff, and really interesting. Definitely give it a read. But in the course of
Read moreAcademic performance by K12 Inc. somehow fails to measure up to rigorous big-money sports cartel standards. The NCAA has announced it will no longer accept coursework from two dozen online charter high schools around the country. These schools employ a curriculum from a for-profit company called K12 Inc. The move is understandable, I suppose. K12 has been heavily criticized for
Read moreDear Parents: if your son goes to college, joins a fraternity and screws up, you could lose your home. Do I have your attention yet? How many times in my adult life have I heard this? YOU were in a fraternity? Yes I was. Theta Chi, Gamma Omicron chapter, Wake Forest University. I know, I don’t fit the stereotype. Neither
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lullaby pit 