Daily Archive: December 19, 2011

Thermomixed Up, Part 2

  (Part 1 here) Megan McArdle, writing In Defense of Kitchen Gadgets: There is, of course, the joy of acquisition.  And why give that short shrift?  The high may be temporary, but the same...

Litmus Test

NYT reports House GOP members likely to reject the Senate’s overwhelming support (89-10) for the short-term extension of the payroll tax cut and the extension of unemployment benefits.

One, Two, American Dream

Tom Van Dyke’s recent post on how we’re not so good at math when it matters reminded me that we’re not so good at math when it matters. When linguists first began investigating tribal...

Newt Gingrich & the Inherent Danger of Populism

The war on drugs, I admit, is worrisome. The surveillance of American citizens without a warrant is troubling. Holding people not charged with any crime for an undetermined period of time is deeply disturbing....