Daryl Morey, MIT graduate:
"Bill [Simmons] famously coined the conference name of “Dorkapalooza” and sadly then called me Dork Elvis, which has stuck with me and is a little frustrating. You don’t get to pick your nickname." www.theringer.com/2026/03/06/n...
This visualization tool for urban land value is pretty neat, though the Azure data feed for some cities are presently disrupted (maybe a temporary cyberattack I heard mentioned this morning).
open.substack.com/pub/progress...
"The goal, according to Matter Neuroscience, the company that set up the phone connection, is simply to get younger and older people to talk to each other ... to provide a connection between two groups that studies show are the loneliest in the United States."
www.bostonglobe.com/2026/03/11/m...
My students know that I still teach using his 2008 book! statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2008/12/04/s...
Nice to see this 10th anniversary conference for David MacKay's untimely death. I generally do not believe that anyone remembers our work after we die, but it also helps to be a "smart, generous, and committed person". statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2026/03/01/r...
This photo essay (by bicycle!) has everything you probably wanted to know about energy infrastructure in Everett, MA: histecon.fas.harvard.edu/climate-hist...
Locally yes, but my point is that this may shape how policymakers in DC and financial institutions in NY think about response elsewhere to sea level rise through mechanisms like property losses, damage estimates, insurance costs, coastal defenses, migration, and abandonment.
Striking illustration showing that the *only* coast on earth that has accurate measurements of sea level rise is the Atlantic coast in North America. Is this why decision-makers in Washington DC and New York City don't feel the same urgency as everywhere else? www.nytimes.com/2026/03/04/c...
I quite enjoyed “North Woods” by Daniel Mason. A celebration of Western Massachusetts history, forests, and birds.
The definition of corruption: "noun: dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery."
If proficiency cannot be effectively measured, then maybe we should not be teaching it either.
That's probably why grade deflation or standards have to get monitored and enforced from the top, as I think Princeton is doing.
A Harvard colleague calls grading there: "Fifty Shades of A". www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/12/b...
Just another perfect day, I love MA.
Within 18 months all white collar workers could be replaced by a 1km sphere of flesh in Central Park
I'm seeing this eight years after the fact and I still think it's pretty great. www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...
"HERE COMES DIGGINS! HERE COMES DIGGINS!".
What a great call. youtu.be/IVuIoS7HolE?...
Today I received what I found to be a remarkably entertaining sale notice from an online bike shop I've ordered from before. It's just goofy and funny, two aspects that I really need more in my life more than anything AI can do.
No, not at all!
If you want the useful article, usefully near, as is everything the US EIA does: www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/f...
TIL that 1 MCF ~= 1.038 MMBTU based on 2023 average heat content, so convert gas volumes to energy all you want (within +/-4%!)
Love this.
I would argue that knowing how to achieve the goal; deciding if it is worth it compared to other goals; and thinking about the pathway are all important gateways to building support and overcoming that resistance.
As someone who used to work in the City of New York and at a muni (Seattle City Light), I don't think that NYC has the capacity to run a utility rn. I've heard the critique that CCAs are a half measure, but municipalization is and always will be hard. We can aim that way but there are so many steps.
So, I don't know anyone in this admin but I did talk CCA with some NYC staffers 4-5 yrs ago. Some bitterness then over Westchester County excluding Yonkers. CCA could get a higher renewable content or even RECs attached even to gas, but it depends on whether PPAs and RECs are additional in NYS.
I've thought about analyzing that, but my first guess is no. Then again, my thinking could be shaped by Northeast, where a lot of spending has to do with old existing pipes and relatively little new exurban growth.
Here's the slide I use when I talk about rising costs in BOTH gas and electricity systems. Capital expended on distribution poles, wires, and pipes is the main cost for utilities and are the main driver of your rapidly growing energy bills. Gas 4X and electricity 2X inflation between 2003 and 2023.
