The Antikythera Mechanism may be the most fascinating and improbable artifact in human history. This is my talk on the subject at East Bay Nerd Nite, July 2019. Watch on youtube (click link) for the best viewing experience....
Artists — There are still hundreds of tons (yes, tons) of Bay Bridge steel available, for free, for projects intended for public spaces within California. Other than those guidelines, they are fairly flexible. The next application deadline is coming up...
Donald Trump has, without doubt, wrongfooted the old guard and confounded the punditocracy, but these are still early days. It only seems as if the election should be around the corner because the current cycle started two months after the...
have always appreciated the long view and unhurried pace of the Catholic Church. The time that the Inquisition condemned Galileo for teaching that the earth went around the sun, for instance, in 1633. Even in 1820, long after the Vatican...
The ‘magic asterisk’ was imagined into being in 1981, by then CBO Director David Stockman. In order to account for a $44B deficit in Reagan’s proposed budget, he offset the shortfall with a revenue followed by an asterisk and a...
My first real game, four against four, at the Palo Alto Polo Club in Argentina, Feb 2015....
I've been thinking about Coach Charles Schmitter lately. He was a true man of the world - he spoke five languages fluently, traveled all seven continents, stayed married for five decades, and taught me a great deal about fencing and...
Since the late 1970s, pork consumption has increased nearly sevenfold in China. Half a billion pigs are birthed, raised in metal sheds, killed and eaten each year. The Chinese government subsidizes the industry to the tune of $47 per pig. Each...
Reuters consistently beats out every other news outlet for intelligent, in-depth coverage of the Syria conflict. Why do the others, including the NYT and the BBC, give the topic such short shrift? Also - what gives with the BBC constantly...
My latest article for the Argentina Independent, on the inner workings of the underground market for US currency in Argentina. Huge thanks to Marc Rogers, at the Indy, for his editorial acumen, reportage, and incredible patience on the long journey from...
A beautiful piece on the intersection of war, empathy and memory, by my friend Kristin Deasy. (Special for USA TODAY. November 10, 2014) (Photo: Bulent Kilic, AFP/Getty Images) The other night I was lying stretched out on my apartment floor, trying to...
To my American friends: There is an election next Tuesday, November 4th. Vote. I'll say it aloud: our political system is corrupt. Vote anyway. Though your ballot is outgunned by billionaires and their funded campaigns, vote. The candidates are disappointing, discussion of...
This one gets the nod for bending the rules of the universe, no small matter. In a cavern in Italy, an international team of researchers have created the coldest cubic meter in the universe, only a fraction of a degree above...
My recent article for the Argentina Independent regarding recent developments in the default crisis. Greg Palast's recent proposal to end Argentina's default crisis has gone viral in some circles. President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner mentioned it in a televised speech and...
AFTER EIGHT MONTHS, I find Buenos Aires as entrancing and enchanting as the day that I arrived. For the record: I first typed "After seven months...
My article on the Aurora festival for the Argentina Independent. ...
Fifteen former presidents of the American Foreign Service Association - not a bunch of wild-eyed radicals - have sent a letter to the US Senate opposing the appointment of Noah Mamet as Ambassador to Argentina, along with two other obviously...
Roger Cohen recently wrote a column in the New York Times about Peronism. I do not agree with the statement politically, but if you add dancing and an obsession with food, it may serve as a description of the national...
Past rulers of Castilia include Ferdinand, Isabella, and Alfonso the Wise. "I am off to Argentina to learn Spanish," I say. "Spanish is easy," they say, "you'll pick it up in no time. Have fun." Those people are wrong. Spanish hasa remarkably low...
A fascinating experiment in technology-enabled participatory democracy is happening, right now, in Argentina. They are called the Partido de la Red, and the Argentina Independent did a quality, thoughtful interview (in English) with their founders. The basic idea is as follows: (1)...
Arriving in some cities is like returning to a home that you never knew that you had. You walk off the plane and, unexpectedly, you are no longer traveling. For me, there have been four: San Francisco, New Orleans, Prague, and...
And the bombshells keep dropping! The peso fell 11% against the US dollar yesterday, the single steepest daily devaluation since the 2002 financial crisis. In response, the government announced that they would relax currency controls implemented in late 2011 to stem...
For those who did not live here, the Argentine economic saga is as gripping as the run-up to the Super Bowl and World Cup combined, with much more happening on a daily basis. Another edge case milestone occurred recently (see...
Puerto Deseado, where Darwin once walked. At 47S, the air is thin and cool, even in full sun. The town is at sea level - the sea is just outside my hotel window - but the air feels like the...
[vc_row row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" css_animation=""][vc_column][vc_column_text]The wonders of Tim Minchin.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...
50 People On ‘The Most Intellectual Joke I Know’ Oct. 15, 2013, from an article in Thought Catalog by Chrissy Stockton Mine: “Descartes walks into a bar and the bartender asks him what he wants to drink. Descartes says ‘hmmm, I don’t...
Last night, people from all over the country joined together for a Keith Jackson's Living Wake. It was a last jam and heartfelt sendoff for our friend. Terrapin Station graciously donated their fantastic show room for the night. No talking, we...
The amount of caffeine in various brands of coffee. Easily the most critical information I've seen today. ...
This incredible evening was part of the Sunset Piano 2013 series: http://sunsetpiano.com/...
This elegant graph documents party swings and shifts from 1788 to 2012. The darker the color, the further from the center. To add an extra frisson, this was created by Randall Munroe, the mastermind behind xkcd. Edward Tufte would approve....
Today's relevant quotes are from Sun Tzu (c. 5th Century BCE): Can you imagine what I would do if I could do all that I can? Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before...
The passenger pigeon was once the most numerous large bird in North America. Flocks a mile wide, and hundreds of miles long, filled the sky and blocked the sun as they passed overhead. Then Europeans happened. By 1907, teeming billions had...
In 2008, I went to Denver to work for the Obama campaign. Below is the second of two reports that I sent to California, describing the experience. Fellow Citizens -- Colorado revels in an unexpected grace. It is an article of faith...
In 2008, I went to Denver to work for the Obama campaign. Below is the first of two reports that I sent to California, describing the experience. Fellow citizens, This communique comes at you from America, which I reached via aeroplane from...