Matt Shipman (he/him)

A picture of PEW poll on global attitude survey, saying the % who rate the morality and ethics of people in their country as good vs bad, where the US has the worst rankings and Canada the best

Americans: we live in a fallen state—embroiled by sin, cheating, lying, and evil. You cannot trust anyone, not even those who claim to know you best

Canadians: I love my neighbors and my friends!

Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous ‘Stop Cop City’ Protester A court record reviewed by 404 Media shows privacy-focused email provider Proton Mail handed over payment data related to a Stop Cop City email account to the Swiss government, which handed it to the ...

Reporters and sources: if you’re relying on Proton Mail to protect confidentiality, think twice.

www.404media.co/proton-mail-...

I am marginally curious about whether the deeply toxic "prediction market" betting apps have already got people placing bets on what the heck the "Shield of the Americas" will turn out to be.

But not curious enough to actually look. I find them too depressing.

"The Shield of the Americas" has real "Hail Hydra" energy.

"Loaches likely love loafing" -- lol

Populism, cultural tightness, and informal venture entry This article examines how populist rhetoric and cultural tightness shape informal venture entry. We argue that populist rhetoric by national leaders, …

A reminder that every story can be a science story. Truly.

Also, here's the journal article if you're curious.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

When Populist Rhetoric is High, Entrepreneurs Are More Likely to Dodge Taxes A new study finds that the greater the amount of populist rhetoric in a nation, the less likely entrepreneurs are to register their businesses – dodging both taxes and government regulations.

A study of 13 nations in Europe, Asia and Latin America found that the greater the amount of populist rhetoric, the more likely entrepreneurs were to dodge taxes and government regulations. And it's not necessarily why you think.

I thought this study was interesting.

news.ncsu.edu/2026/03/popu...

Evergreen post.

God, I hope he’s right. 🤞

Agree with this take 100%.

It is so damning of US news media that so many outlets refuse to just straight up say that Senator Tim Sheehy assaulted an activist.

He did not "help" Capitol police. They did not need his help. He wanted to assault the guy and did. He should resign.

Many things over the years. But the jobs they held the longest were: working in a printing press (on one side), and working in a grocery warehouse on the other.

Also, I almost knocked Margaret Thatcher down a flight of stairs (by accident).

I almost became a speechwriter for the South Korean ambassador to the United States before becoming a reporter.

A war that isn't a war, documented with videos that may or may not be real, funded by elected leaders who are neither for nor against it, is the most dystopian thing that's happened in my lifetime

The ultimate in throwing good money after bad. It’s like realizing you took a wrong turn and deciding to drive off a cliff.

Imagine serving as a Marine and then being injured at home, on purpose, by a sitting Senator while exercising your constitutionally-protected rights.

If the Trump administration had intentionally made every policy decision to maximize the amount of pain it inflicted on farmers, it could not have done a better job than what it did over the past 14 months. From tariffs to shuttering US AID, they've given US agriculture a beating.

So, since we're at war with Iran, kidnapped the president of Venezuela, and are now engaged in military action in Ecuador -- does that mean we're still threatening to go to war with Denmark? Or no?

Mentioned Gordon Parks last week, and just saw a write-up of his work in The Guardian. So, thought I'd share it.
www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

Yeah. This.

I get quite a few unsolicited pitches for various PR tools, tech and services. Every once in a while I get one that uses a variation of PR lingo that I can't even understand.

For folks who are, theoretically, professional communicators, they sure are bad at communicating clearly.

At the BARE MINIMUM anyone who works with privileged information *OR* with personal information subject to privacy laws should be barred from wearing these while on the job.

Zooming out to broader privacy questions is a whole other mess.

These things are a nightmare.

With regard to Meta smart glasses, I say: nope.

Nope nope nopety nope nope nope.

That last part doesn't sound creepy at all.

US Medical Prices and Health Insurance Premiums, 1999-2024 This economic evaluation describes changes in US workers’ contributions to health insurance premiums and medical costs compared with wages from 1999 to 2024.

PS: between 1999 and 2024, healthcare premiums have gone up by more than 300% in the US. (Premiums are what one pays just to have insurance each month.)
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Also worth noting: between 1999 and 2024, healthcare premiums have gone up by more than 300% in the US. (Premiums are what one pays just to have insurance each month.)
jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

I have been encouraging my kids to really focus on language skills and, if at all possible, to move out of the U.S.

Other countries are also imperfect -- there are no perfect nations -- but the game is rigged in the U.S. And it's gotten substantially worse during my lifetime.

This works in reverse too. When I lived abroad with my kids, I:

1. was relieved/horrified to realize the full extent of the burden we carry in the US, recognized only as it lifted

2. didn't believe how healthcare worked there. We got a refund check from our insurance bc they made too much profit!