Podcast Episodes

How I've shared the holidays with my family thousands of miles away

My father once said that at the 1939 World’s Fair he saw an exhibit about the future featuring “picture phones” that allowed people to talk and see e…

4 years, 9 months ago

How to overcome the tyranny of stuff

‘Tis the time to cash in gift certificates, shop for post-Christmas bargains, and fill shelves and closets with more stuff.

I for one don’t want anyt…

4 years, 9 months ago

How to stay hopeful in a time of despair

Friends,

The reason I write this newsletter is not just to inform (and occasionally amuse) you, but also to arm you with the truth so you can fight m…

4 years, 9 months ago

You want to know a really dirty secret? Here's why Democrats are protecting private equity's "carried interest" loophole

Democrats still hope they can salvage pieces of their ambitious tax agenda even after Sen. Joe Manchin blew up the legislation that included it. I’m …

4 years, 9 months ago

Help! What will Omicron do to my holiday plans?

When it comes to the surging Omicron variant of COVID, just about all I’m hearing is advice about holiday planning. Should one attend a holiday party…

4 years, 9 months ago

When Congress returns: Its first priority must be to save American democracy from the big lie, big anger, and big money (plus an end-note on Joe Manchin)

With the Senate now adjourned for the holidays and Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” social and climate package stalled if not dead (Senator Joe Manchi…

4 years, 9 months ago

Why I love teaching (but hate teaching remotely)

Rumor has it that I’ll be teaching remotely again this spring because of the Omicron variant. No official word from Berkeley yet, but the variant see…

4 years, 9 months ago

Office Hours: Who would you select as person of the year (other than Elon Musk)?

Time magazine has named Elon Musk as its 2021 “Person of the Year,” calling him “the man who aspires to save our planet and get us a new one to inhab…

4 years, 9 months ago

Why I don't trust the mainstream media

I’m often asked how I keep up with the news. Obviously, I avoid the unhinged rightwing outlets pushing misinformation, disinformation, and poisonous …

4 years, 9 months ago

How to talk to people who are 50 years younger

It turns out that most of the people I deal with daily – the people I talk with, meet with, collaborate with, teach, zoom with, and have lunch and co…

4 years, 9 months ago