I'm starting a band that mimics the vibe of millennium-era pop. Our name will be Third-Chorus Key Change.

I finally did a TCU list. I've seen 32 bird species at my place of employment. (Saw 24 yesterday, and then went through old phone photos)

The ones that cut deepest are the compliments with subtextual insults. A few years ago, a great student finishing his first of 4 classes from me said, "your reputation is unfair. I really enjoyed this class."

No quality control 😡

I married Becky Schiffer 20 years ago today! All told, that day still stands as the bright line between the sad and happy phases of my life.

Crazy-late foliage peak this year. Our campus looks like this, and no one is on it.

Me: *logs into institutional website* Site: want me to stamp your hand Me: what? Site: stamp your hand. So you can get back in. Me: sure Site: ok confirm it’s your actual hand and that I stamped it Me: k ~ 10 mins later~ Me: hi I’m back, here’s my stamp Site: the fuck is that, I don’t know you

Hard Mode -- aka Easy Mode if you were a weirdo in grad school.

Another robot malfunction

This is excellent. He even discusses the base-rate fallacy, one of my favorite concepts.

Agreed. And actually, that's evolved into my general approach to teaching. Once I let go of "avoid being a sucker at all costs," it saved a lot of work on my part and a lot of trouble for students facing various challenges.

Michelle Branch (8) Duran Duran (5) Tame Impala (3) The Cure (3) Alanis Morissette (3)

I went to high school with someone who ended up producing/directing some of the top comedy TV shows of the past 20 years. I recently found a note from her in a scrapbook, given after a play we were in, that said she admired my sense of humor.

My wife tells me how to vote in local elections. E.g., we had 17 constitutional amendments on the last ballot and I walked in w/ a piece of paper in her handwriting. I don’t care if my students know this. Reliable heuristics are a virtue.

The bot that posts content from the local paper is malfunctioning.

You can tell which hot-shot posters never read comments nor interact with normal people. How could you possibly get dragged for that on Bluesky?

I lived life as an autistic person for 41 years, and frankly it's wild to see someone who views your existence as a blight elevated to a position of such consequence. I generally see no reason to discuss being on the spectrum publicly, but I'll make an exception for this vile eugenicist. 1/x

A cool study. But a part of me dies -- or at least a part of my career dies -- every time a published paper calls mainstream outlets "left leaning" without even a sentence of justification.

Has anyone ever studied the Republican Smirk? I’m generally not a fan of trying to divine meaning from facial expressions — but seriously, what’s with the ubiquity of that distinctive smirk, going back at least to Gingrich?

I get why millennials are crying over this. But think about how I feel - I was alive during the reference year.

"Fight fight fight!" Yeah, I get it. But your theory of the case goes something like: 1) "Fight! Don't cave!" 2) "FIGHT! DON'T CAVE!" 3) ???? 4) Victory! I'd love to hear a story that at least tries to account for Democrats' structural constraints.

Did Women Ruin the Lilith Fair Scene? My interview with John Mayer and Ben Shapiro.

If the existence of billionaires is a “policy failure,” then do we even have a term for the existence of a trillionaire?

I genuinely want to get into British soccer. But every time I turn on a game, it’s like, “hmm which petro-state airline should I root for?” and then I get bored.

The blue jays are being extra loud on campus this morning. Seems a bit incongruous.

Amazing day for new music yesterday. The Charlatans released their first album in 8 years, and it's their best in 25 years. And my favorite singer/songwriter/producer put out this gorgeous harmonic soundscape. kathleenbr.bandcamp.com/track/back-d...

Man, I’m just 2 letters away from a presidential callout.

This is worth a read. The scale of data-center spending and energy consumption is insane.

Good morning! Hey, how about more crowd pics and fewer AI videos of planes dumping their cargo?

Fox with an uncanny ability to capture the news hook.

Happy Tame Impala Release Day to all who celebrate.

Welcome aboard. I’ve hated that song since 1991.

I don’t need an orange iPhone. I have no affinity for Trump, Syracuse, or millennium-era Abercrombie shirts.

Looking for some good news from Washington DC? The parks between the Capitol and Union Station are teeming with warblers right now. In a brief period this morning, I saw Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Black and White, Magnolia, and only my second Palm ever.

Hello. The president pulled me away from my family so I could watch people go up and down escalators.

"Lighten up, we're just having a little fun." --The least fun people in America

My favorite singer is releasing new music tomorrow. She missed my birthday by one day - but it’s worth the wait.

Here's my most recent birding blog - the first of a two-part series documenting my August trip to the Southeast Arizona Birding Festival. www.dailykos.com/stories/2025...

Dua Lipa, on a school night. . .because I’m a good husband.

Growing up in Tucson, a common bumper sticker was “my two favorite teams are Arizona and whoever is playing ASU.” That’s never been truer than tonight, as my Horned Frogs play the Sun Devils.

Wanna feel old? The remake that replaced "Deadhead" with "Black Flag" is 22 years old.

One of the smartest things I've read in a while. We must thread the needle carefully, though, between shame and humiliation. The latter -- as Jessica Stern and other scholars have documented thoroughly -- is a leading catalyst for violence.

Wow, the car dealership really really really really really really really really really really wanted me to buy the warranty.

RIP. Also, I’m never gonna stop ranting about this stupid obit format (also heard frequently on NPR). Just say he died and then put the bio info below.

Are you freakin' kidding me?

Why isn’t a lack of understanding called “overstanding”?

If Friends ever does a reboot, they should use the second verse of I'll Be There for You as the theme song.

I frequently make fun of this lede style (“[name], [long bio sentence], has died”] - but this is the worst yet. “Let’s just throw ‘died’ between 2 commas in the middle of a long sentence and see if anyone notices.”