As Tom Lehrer famously said, “the reason most reviews on Amazon are so atrocious is that they were written by the people.” Actually, that’s not quite what he said. He actually said “the reason most folk songs are so atrocious is… Read More ›
Life
Rationality vs. Intelligence
What do IQ tests measure? Intelligence? Something else? Some of us think they measure how well you do on IQ tests… …and nothing else. Is that the same as intelligence? And how does intelligence differ from rationality? Read this article,… Read More ›
An outstanding vocal recital by a Weston student
Five years from now, when she’s nationally known, I’ll be able to say “I knew her when.” Yesterday I had the privilege of attending an outstanding vocal recital by Weston junior Kayla Silverman, one of my former geometry students. For… Read More ›
Is it even possible to have an intergenerational dialogue? Is that really what we had on Wednesday?
So, finally, it’s Wednesday, the last day of the reunion. (Well, the last day for me. I just don’t have the stamina to go to the afternoon session today or to hear Angela Merkel tomorrow.) Today’s symposium is an “intergenerational… Read More ›
Do we have fair elections? Can we? Do we have equal representation? Can we?
Continuing with my 50th reunion, check out this map of Pennsylvania’s second Congressional district, which is actually not the most gerrymandered in the country, although it’s in the running. It illustrates what I had expected when I decided to go… Read More ›
Still more about the reunion. (Will it ever end? Yes, it really will… but not yet.)
“True-blue American Yalie George Bush versus pinko-Crimson Harvard Mike Dukakis.” That‘s what some Republicans were saying back in 1988 when George H.W. Bush was running against Michael Dukakis. The color prejudices are understandable, and maybe even the college prejudices, but… Read More ›
“We were going to change the world. What went wrong?”
Not everything went wrong. In many ways we did change the world. Continuing to describe my 50th reunion of the Harvard Class, let’s move on to a Tuesday symposium titled “We were going to change the world. What went right?… Read More ›
“Vote early and often,” he said; “support whoever the Democratic nominee is.”
No, it wasn’t a political rally. It was a reunion: the 50th reunion of the Harvard Class of 1969. One speaker, Bob Hughes, exemplified a running theme of the entire reunion by pointing out what we can do: “Vote early… Read More ›
Vietnam War legacy, Al Gore, and more: The first 24 hours of the reunion
Exhausting and overwhelming! That’s what the first day of my 50th Reunion was like. Not so much for the usual reason that exhausts and overwhelms us introverts — too many people — but because of the intensity of the experiences… Read More ›
Arabic numerals? Oh, no!
Did you hear that they’re teaching Arabic numerals in public schools? I’m shocked, shocked. In America, no less! What is this world coming to? A recent poll showed that 56% of Americans don’t want public schools to teach Arabic numerals…. Read More ›
Writings by a former Weston student
My former student Julia Metraux is a staff writer for The Tempest, an online magazine that describes itself like this: The Tempest is the guide for diverse women to share, feel, and claim their voices – and power. We’re the… Read More ›
William’s iPad
William is helping with the iPad:
Puzzle of the Week
It’s a dark panel in a dark elevator, so I’m not sure how well you can see the details, but this is the elevator panel in the hotel where Barbara and I have been staying in NYC. The puzzle is… Read More ›
Some other favorite podcasts
Two days ago I wrote about my favorite linguistics podcasts. Now check out my five favorite non-linguistic ones, especially the first two: Pod Save America Stay Tuned with Preet Hidden Brain Serious Eats Unorthodox
An upcoming reunion — words and all
Yikes! My 50th college reunion is coming up! (You already know this if you happen to have read a certain post that I wrote a couple of months ago.) What was the famous class of 1969 like? “All happy graduating… Read More ›
The Israeli election, consciousness-raising, a potential Nobel Peace Prize winner, the college admissions scandal, the U.S. constitution, and mostly a Sierpinskitasch — all in one post
Six topics in a single blog post? How can that be? Well, it’s all because those are six of the topics discussed in a single blog post in Scott Aaronson’s interesting blog, Shtetl-Optimized — all being examples of things that make… Read More ›
Excellent carpentry, Verizon!
Coleman Road, Arlington (corner of Wildwood Ave). That looks like a first-rate job, safe and secure, doesn’t it? Excellent carpentry, Verizon!
Over the cliff
Douglas peers down over the edge of a scary cliff:
Friends of Dorothy
In my naive youth, I had no idea what a “friend of Dorothy” was; in-group descriptors, after all, are always known to members of the in group (and allies) long before they are known to the general public. “Friend of… Read More ›
Mollie on her kitty couch
That tiny little Mollie doesn’t look quite so tiny when she’s stretched out on her kitty couch:
Learning Strategies 