In Defense of LAX-it

LAX-it is the name of the Los Angeles International Airport’s method for managing taxi and ride share traffic for travelers leaving the airport. If you live here, you are supposed to complain about it. I am here to defend it. LAX-it refers to the relegation of taxis and ride share vehicles to a surface parking […]

2026 NBA Trade Deadline Hot Takes

It’s the second most exciting time of the NBA season, the trade deadline. While I hate how much time podcasts spend discussing hypothetical trades – just analyze basketball – I always enjoy seeing how the league is reconfigured into the back 30% of the season. I enjoy even more yelling at GMs and wondering what […]

Cash is Widely Accepted in China

I have just returned from a work trip to China. In preparation, I purchased a new used Android phone and acquired a local SIM as soon as I landed. A main motivator for this configuration was to be able to pay for items. Though I was with a conference and most transportation and meals were […]

In Defense of Government Services

Since, approximately, the Articles of Confederation, Americans love to bemoan government services, especially federal ones. They are slow, inefficient, bloated, blahblahblah. Well, I have had plenty of positive interactions with government, whether that is calling emergency services, non-emergency police, 311, contacting a representative, and so on. So, to remind everyone that government is good, I […]

Trying to Do Research at a Research University, or What Happens When You Order a Rack Server

When I was a graduate student, my advisor needed an AWS server. Wanting the experience to improve my computer knowledge, I volunteered. The learning curve was steep, but I got it to work, and I learned a lot about the nuts and bolts of computers. I eventually managed the infrastructure for several years, including after graduating. I appreciated the […]