Brian Gongol
June 14, 2015

A writer who is at least in his mid-50s and who has published five books thinks it isn't his job to pay his student loans. And he "is writing a memoir about money", according to his New York Times biography. This is not an individual who has anything constructive to add to the discussion about student loans. He's simply taking pride in his own irresponsibility.



Hotel guests' tastes have changed; one wonders why this has taken so long


Those who have fallen all over themselves for a long time to praise the Nordic social economies might want to reconsider. There are certain specific circumstances under which a strongly socialized economy can be sustained, but when important elements go missing, the system falls apart.

June 13, 2015


A former security chief is going to prison for the rest of his life. Never be surprised when there's a purge under an authoritarian regime.

The silly-looking proposal for Two World Trade Center really begs the question whether skyscraper architects are even serious anymore

They're going from 140 characters to 10,000 (which is effectively unlimited, for all intents and purposes). This positions them to potentially provide a sort of trusted alternative to email.

June 12, 2015

Bad luck hasn't done much to help them

No sensible person wants it to happen, but what's the roadmap to keep it from happening? Nobody seems to know, and that's a big problem. And what happens if they manage to make it permanent?

Right in the middle of the Midwest, someone is working on a precursor to vertical farming. That might suggest that the future of vertical farming is much more likely than it may at first appear.

We don't have to be allies and we don't have to be rivals, but we shouldn't ignore where they're investing heavily

Adidas is walking away from its relationship with the league in 2017
June 11, 2015



He claims breach of contract over the sale of the Colt 45 line


June 9, 2015

It was the wettest May on record for a not-unsubstantial portion of the US

Getting back to manufacturing, in part because of the pain caused to the company back in 2008/2009. But de-conglomeratizing isn't always a great idea. If your company is run by people who are really good at allocating capital, then it's highly efficient to be in lots of different businesses that have different economic cycles, so the capital-allocators can take advantage of good opportunities when they arise.

$10 a month to stream. Supposedly they'll have some channels that will be "curated" by people, rather than picked by algorithm.
June 8, 2015

Or, as the title of an Atlantic Monthly article puts it, "Being a go-getter is no fun".

Condoleezza Rice: "Free trade is no substitute for military strength or for giving voice to those who still seek liberty", but "trade is an essential element" of peace

