Rethinking Markets

I’ve been reading Karen Pryor’s Don’t Shoot the Dog, about positive reinforcement and dog people training. I’m going to try out a new thing for my class this fall, what I am calling the League of Discussion Awesomeness. One of my biggest issues is how to balance discussion and lecture, and more specifically (given the …

Summertime is when the Galia Melons are in season: If you haven’t been doing it already, you should be taking this opportunity to eat your favorite melons, stone fruits, or fresh figs, brie & prosciutto. Eat watermelon! Save the apples and oranges for October and December. Live in the hot.

Internet blah blah blah killing newspapers blah blah blah standards of journalism blah blah decline of democracy. Seriously, I read this NYT article on the defeat of the Small-business bill by Senate Republicans via filibuster twice, and I’m still trying to figure it out. Republicans filibustered it because they weren’t allowed to offer as many …

Things I love today, or at least appreciate today. I’m feeling a little out of place and time, a common feature of my wife’s being out of town. Suddenly I’m working at 1am, up until 3am. So I’m looking for a little groundedness and goodness: A good story, well told. You should read Patrick Rothfuss’ …

For most people this means nothing. And for the small number of people who actually come to the site, it will probably look funny for a while. That magazine theme was becoming insufferable.

So, when August comes around, I try to spend a month on a news diet. No politics, no news, nothing. A couple years ago, I came back to find that Russia invaded Georgia. Usually, I just miss the Olympics. This year, I suspect I’ll just miss out on a ton of freaked out Democrats, outraged …

Ok, if any administrative letter you’ve received can top this one, I want to come work where you work.

Aside from non-fiction related to work, I’m reading some fiction. Currently, I am (like a gajillion others) loving The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and I am now on the second in the series. The original title of the first one is Men who Hate Women, and that sure applies. I’m also looking forward to …

I haven’t published much on the blog of late, and since the semester is over, I am taking it back. You’ll hear from me, not my students, and the pace of things should pick up quite soon. Although the pace of things could not slow down much more than it has already, so it’s a …

Don’t be afraid of black people, HP. (via Waxy)

Congratulations, Jessie and Buck. More evidence that this column will persist even as the American Era comes to a sweet, languorous end.

We love our UPS driver, Frank. Since we moved to NYC, while most services that we dealt with were kind of a hassle, our UPS service was wonderful. I was thinking this all week, especially with the extra holiday traffic. UPS does its shit well. But this past week I went to change a delivery …

Another Thanksgiving in the books, and this year there is lots to be thankful for. And not: The flights. Generally ok, though we got caught by Thanksgiving rush/weather craziness over Charlotte, NC (we left on Thurs at dawn, due to insane price-gouging on Wed-Sun airline ticket pricing). Apparently, it was nice up the entire Eastern …