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 […]