(There’s a printer- and footnote-friendly pdf version—with links still working!—here if you prefer.) This fall, I’m teaching a freshman writing course at the University of Michigan.1 I’ll be writing a lot about this course and related topics over the coming…
Monthly Archives: June 2013
Interesting Links, Journalism, Law, Science, Technology
Links: NSA, New Nobels, Marijuana Legalization, Corporations and the First Amendment, Roger Ebert, etc
by Rafe Kinsey •
A good article in Slate‘s Explainer column on what the legal repercussions would be for congressmen who revealed NSA secrets. An interesting article by Graeme Wood in New York magazine about online reputation management. Gene Weingarten, A story that could…
Literature, Movies
Reality Bites as the Source for Infinite Jest?
by Rafe Kinsey •
Robert Harrison’s recent Entitled Opinions episode about David Foster Wallace reminded me of an interesting coincidence I discovered last year.1 In 1994, two years before the publication of David Foster Wallace’s magnum opus Infinite Jest, the generation X cult classic…
Economics, Education, Interesting Links, Probability
Links: Probability and DNA Testing, 16th Century Executioners, Walmart as a Bank, Etc.
by Rafe Kinsey •
Jordan Ellenberg has an excellent article in Slate about probability and DNA testing for crimes. This is important to think about, especially as we consider the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision on such testing. (In particular, the larger…
Philosophy
A Story about Bertrand Russell’s Plane Crash
by Rafe Kinsey •
In the past few days, a video has been circulating of an interview where Bertrand Russell credits smoking with saving his life.1 Russell explains: In fact, you know, on one occasion [smoking] saved my life. I was in an airplane,…
Interesting Links, Math, Technology
Links: Number Theory, Mel Brooks, Garden Hermits, Gay Marriage, Passwords, etc
by Rafe Kinsey •
I promise to have some real posts soon—an announcement describing my freshman writing course about math, and a two-part series on the late economist Albert Hirschman, including a discussion of how his theories apply to the tech world—but for now…