![\"Jrobinson\"](\"https:\/\/ordinary-times.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/10\/Jrobinson.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nScience:<\/strong><\/p>\n [S1] It reminds me of the Grunions invasion<\/a> from Beverly Hillbillies, but Jellyfish are invading<\/a> and it looks like it could be something serious. It seems weird to me that this could be such an intractable menace.<\/p>\n [S2] The Earth isn’t flat. Maybe the universe isn’t flat<\/a>, either.<\/p>\n [S3] According to Alex Knapp, we’re good here on Earth for a while<\/a>. The article goes beyond that, though, talking about life-supporting potential elsewhere which has been a subject on which I am (a) fascinated and (b) hopelessly ignorant.<\/p>\n [S4] Like horses? Thank merchants<\/a>. Okay, that’s not quite right, but as with so many other things, people had a great deal to do with them becoming what they are.<\/p>\n Culture:<\/strong><\/p>\n [C1] I used to think that in the past, roommates were more common than they are today. Not so<\/a>? It would be helpful if the article differentiated more between premarital cohabitation and having roommates, though.<\/p>\n [C2] According to this<\/a>, money is more important than intact families when it comes to sending your kids to college, but poverty matters less than family structure in keeping your kids out of prison.<\/p>\n [C3] Nobody worries about missing<\/a> when it comes to public toilets, of course. We can always just flush with our feet<\/a>.<\/p>\n [C4] My third novel, written in 2002, is alas already dated. In part because it is steeped in music from a previous era. I may track down an excerpt for future posting. Anyway, I was thinking of that when I read this article by Steven Hyden arguing that Counting Crows’ August and Everything After is actually as relevant or more as is Nirvana’s In Utero<\/a>. As someone who was into Counting Crows but not Nirvana, I approve.<\/p>\n [C5] An organization offered inmates in solitary confinement a chance to request images from the outside world. Here are the results<\/a>. #10 is just awesome.<\/p>\n [C6] Pseudonymity is under seige<\/a>. Which is good, in many ways that they talk about (says the guy who isn’t really named Will Truman). The proposed New York law not-so-much.<\/p>\n USA! USA! USA!:<\/strong><\/p>\n [A1] The Republicans may be re-evaluating their view on taxes. Good, says Conn Carroll<\/a>.<\/p>\n [A2] Matthew O’Brien looks at which states have recovered from the Great Recession<\/a> and which ones won’t until 2018. Also, cities<\/a>.<\/p>\n [A3] USA! USA! USA!<\/a> We’re the best place in the world to be an entrepreneur, according to some metrics.<\/p>\n Work & Economics:<\/strong><\/p>\n [W1] One of the reservations I have about unlimited H1-B visas is that they will be used in lieu of training domestic personnel. According to Heather Rolfe, that isn’t the case<\/a> in the UK.<\/p>\n [W2] Some countries like to relax. Some either don’t or don’t have a choice. Here’s a map and a graph<\/a>. Check out Mexico and Greece, both often associated with laziness. Greece in particular is interesting. They retire young, but work like heck.<\/p>\n [W3] Are we going to smartphone optricians <\/a>out of the job? I suspect they will be helpful tools for deciding when we need to go to the eye doc, but I also think that we still won’t get by without our annual visits.<\/p>\n [W4] The Cranky Flier defends the unbundled airline structure<\/a> one week, then proposes how we should rebundle<\/a> the next.<\/p>\n Education:<\/strong><\/p>\n [E1] The notion of learning styles<\/a> is getting some pushback.<\/p>\n [E2] One of the advantages of having assigned schools is supposed to be that your kids are sent to a local high school. That may not be the case much longer<\/a> in NYC.<\/p>\n [E3] One of the knocks against charter schools is that they push out poor-performing students. Not so<\/a>, says a recent study.<\/p>\n [E4] Chad Alderman explains the results of a recent study suggesting that green TFA teachers are outperforming veteran College of Education products<\/a>.<\/p>\n [E5] Amanda Ripley makes the case against high school sports<\/a>. This is one of the many beauties of school choice, of course. Charter schools very often lack such distractions.<\/p>\n [E6] Some community colleges are apparently unclear on the concept of community college<\/a>. Hint: It doesn’t include posh dorms.<\/p>\n [E7] One university has had some success by paying smart students<\/a> to help struggling ones.<\/p>\n