“Biden is like the protagonist in a horror movie who defeats the villain but doesn’t finish him off, congratulates himself, and turns his back on his foe and starts walking off into the sunset. All the while, with the audience screaming, “Finish him off! He’s getting back up! Turn around! Oh god, I can’t watch…”… Continue reading

This is a good argument for installing solar panels closer to ground level, at least in the snow zone. The snow fell yesterday, and today is sunny and I thought warm enough that the snow on the panels would melt enough to slide off. Or are there solar panels designed for snow, with built-in warming… Continue reading

At emptywheel, Ed Walker posted an interesting essay about why so many people voted for “a revolting bag of guts [who] has no integrity, no loyalty to the Nation or anyone besides himself, and no reason to want to be president other that personal gratification and staying out of jail.” He turned to Rousseau, who… Continue reading

Kevin Drum summarizes Republican taxation plans: cut taxes for the rich and pay for it by cutting benefits for people in the middle-class and lower economic tiers. This seems to have been the only idea Republicans have had for the last half-century. Maybe longer; I’m not an historian; I’m just old enough to remember Reagan… Continue reading

I never heard of the MIT center for constructive communication before today. It’s associated with the Media Lab, and has a “commitment to reach both within and beyond academia to work closely with locally based organizations to launch pilot programs focused on building a culture of listening and dialogue that promotes a sense of shared… Continue reading

From Seth Godin:“Marketing puffery: • Burns trust• Puts strain on your customer service team• Often causes users to make bad choices• Teaches your loyal customers not to believe you• Generates negative word of mouth• and it can even lead to lawsuits“ Seth Godin definitely qualifies as a “marketing guru!” Continue reading

The Shkreli Awards are handed out each year by the Lown Institute, a “nonpartisan think tank advocating bold ideas for a just a caring system for health.” The awards are a lot like the igNobel Prizes; you probably do not want to be on this list, which is the worst ten examples of “profiteering and… Continue reading

From Duke University law school, a list of the best works that as of 2025 are in the public domain. Continue reading