Reading Project Hail Mary, which is a great “Hard SciFi” book, but Andy Weir magically wishes away politics We need a category of “Hard PoliSciFi” for books that recognize politics as a real constraint to be navigated As an example Charles Wilson’s Spin manages both hard SciFi and hard PoliSciFi

eading Project Hail Mary, which is a great “Hard SciFi” book…but Andy Weir magically wishes away politics. We need a category of “Hard PoliSciFi” for books that recognize politics as a real constraint to be navigated. As an example Charles Wilson’s Spin manages both hard SciFi and hard PoliSciFi

This was one of the plot holes in breaking bad. Why an elaborate plan to steal methlamine from a train rather than putting in an online order on Alibaba

I don’t have the energy to post these days but just go ahead and assume that I’m generally upset, troubled, put out, and otherwise pissed off about pretty much everything

I posted this 13 years ago today when I was speculating on what the release of the final book in the Wheel of Time series would do to this country. Simpler times.

Apparently your 40s are the season of life where you finally know yourself well enough that you can take stock of the life you’ve built. At which point you either patch a few things you don’t like or burn it all the fuck down and rebuild in a way that matches the person you have become. #40sTakeWork

Oh this is not good. Back up your courses and prepare for the extra work that comes when prices spike and university procurement goes elsewhere.

the amount of raw, unadulterated fear that many Americans have of even small cities is never going to stop being darkly hilarious to me

Pointing out hypocrisy is a losers strategy. Yeah, Jesus—the son of god himself—used this strategy to attack the political and religious elites, but he also got crucified and his followers scattered. Sure they eventually regrouped but it literally required devine intervention on Pentecost.

Honestly I didn’t pay super close attention in my comparative politics course work but I do remember the debate about political culture as public opinion or something deeper. I always assumed there was something deeper and durable and now we are (finally) getting a solid test of that hypothesis.

If I had a soap box I would scream that of all our first amendment rights, only freedom of assembly is beyond the power of elites to control and direct. I don’t have a soap box, but the point stands because it is manifestly obvious.

Two weeks ago I met with a publisher and got a tentative green light on a book project. I’ve added nearly 5k words since then. I’ve still got 40-60k more to write but this is not a bad pace…. But I probably need to double it 😬

what's that? you need some good news? can we interest you in some Murderbot news? "Family road trip from hell"?

Trump is a dignity wraith. The military parade and the deployment of the National Guard and the renaming of Defense to "War" are all ways of forcing institutions to bend the knee so that when the real asks for fealty come, they've already so debased themselves that they can't imagine saying no.

Scheduled a party for Saturday and learning once again that I don’t actually have any friends. The last time (2 years ago) I tried to initiate a social event, I invited 20 “friends” of 15+ years and not one showed. Only one person told me ahead of time. I’m not doing well tonight.

Sometimes I think back to my undergrad years debating the merits (or lack there of) of Daniel Goldhagen’s book “hitlers willing executioners” and I just shake my head.

Me everytime some over paid consultant tries to shove AI into my workflow.

Not sure if Im doing Chicago right but I’m not doing it wrong.

Have the vibes turned against study abroad? Discuss amongst your selves (students, faculty, parents, and administrators)

I completed my first AACSB associate deans conference. There were parts I didn’t love but the main takeaway is that political science conferences are the hunger games for social climbers while admin conferences are (comparably) about building community and support. Very weird.

We are not in a tech race with China. We are sitting down and drinking a Gatorade while China does laps around us with solar innovation and electric vehicles. Dumping everything into "NFTs the Sequel" will not help us.

Just listened to two very drunk stock traders debate if it was safe to take an uber home from the bar. The level of fear these dudes live with…man. I don’t throw the “c” word around lightly, but honestly a bunch of cowards.

Speaker: there are people who think AI is just a bubble or a fad! Crowd: *laughs uproariously* Speaker: we very smart people know better…. Crowd: *pats itself on the back for being smart* Mark me down as unconvinced.

Presenter finishes talk. Audience member with a question: “First off, thank you for your intuitive insights…” Me: damn! That is vicious! 🔪🔪🔪

I’m going to go out on a limb here with a prediction. In 5 years nearly every AI company will be bankrupt and the only “AI” companies in existence will have hyper specific use cases. The most successful AI company will be grammarly. Putting down my marker.

Screaming even louder: title 2 and digital accessibility should be your primary (professional) focus right now if you are an academic. If your institution hasn’t hammered this home they are not doing right by you or your students!

Screaming into the void: title 2 will completely change the rules for what producing a professional document will look like. We are facing a massive change in practice and no one is talking about it. In five years the way you do things now will look like using every font/color/size in a word doc.

It was 23 years ago that I first encountered the word “take aways” I think I’ve finally reached a point where putting new ideas into my head is significant enough to warrant a special name.

So it is telling to me (as I hang out among the administrator-sphere) that all the talk is about AI (which is a bubble that is already deflating) and not about title 2 and digital accessibility which will hit like a ton of bricks in April 2026 and neither faculty nor institutions are prepared.

I pulled my podcast last year and all I could think is “will there be enough podcast content? Have I done enough? Could I do more?” “Into the breach!” I screamed as I deleted the metadata file.

When in Chicago I always do Cajun cuisine. Heaven on 7 was a favorite before it closed. Storyville is very good, but when I noted the spicy warning on the jambalaya the waiter asked if I found black pepper hot (no) and assured me I would be fine. I am indeed.

Today I’m departing for a week long AACSB (business school accrediting org) conference for associate deans (and a new AD training). I am traveling to a distant city known as “Chicago” on the shores of a Great Lake. What secrets will I learn? What mysteries will be revealed? Stay tuned!

This was helpful. The sky is falling but not everywhere and it is critical to recognize when Trump’s lawlessness is thrown back because otherwise he looks invincible when in fact his entire authoritarian push is very brittle.

Today was honestly a great day. I am living the academic ideal of doing meaning full work on all three legs of the “stool” (teaching, research, and service). The only downside is working 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.

I had a moment of enlightenment today when a meeting generated 3 emails, some of which will end in a resolution but some will end in new meetings. Sustainable administration is keeping the email to meeting conversation rate below the meeting to email rate.

My shift into administration has left me conflicted. On one hand LLMs changed the job in ways I really hate. On the other hand, this kind of counter measure could be so effective not just as a LLM countermeasure but as a great teaching tool. I would love to try it!

The number of computers and corresponding displays I have between work and home is approaching levels of sci fi parody. I should be able to hack into and read the matrix with the kind of set up I have.

My sister works in a couple small town bars in SD. The talk among the farmers as we go into harvest is classic farmer: 1) We have a bumper crop this year! 2) This is terrible because: a) no capacity to bring it in...for...reasons b) no capacity to sell it...for...reasons c) no capacity to store it

Truer words have never graced the pages of any print magazine.

this iconic advertising copywriter named Kathy Hepinstall Parks died over the weekend and I wanted to share something from her website I thought Bluesky would like

After 18 years of rejection I got a tentative green light on what I hope will be a career defining book project. Now I'm racing to write 120 (more) pages in 6 months and digging through every article I've printed out over the course of a career.

Japan has just opened its first osmotic power plant 🌊⚡ This works by mixing fresh & salt water across a membrane, creating pressure that drives a turbine to make electricity. This site will generate 880,000 kWh a year...while helping run a desalination plant providing fresh water to the city 👏

Too bad that our legal and institutional safeguards only work to prevent good policies. It would be cool if they also stopped the evil stuff

So the scuttle but around town is I have been the most divorced man in town for the past three years! #winning

I'll admit, I was skeptical when they said Gemini was just like a bunch of PhDs. But I gotta admit they nailed it.

How to fix the American healthcare system in 2 steps. 1) allow people to buy into Medicare on the exchanges 2) if you don't have insurance the hospital must enroll you in the exchange and use what it would have charged you to pay your premiums (hospital then gets reimbursed by Medicare)

I don’t mute words on social media because I’m a scalpel not a machete kind of guy. But got help me “Gen Goonie” is making me into a guillotine kind of guy.