No, seriously — There’s a certain story that conservatives like to tell about the Constitution and the role of judges in our system of government. It goes like this: Constitutional cases are decided by looking at the objective facts, finding the relevant section of the Constitution, reading its plain meaning, and then applying…

A poem about evolution, truth, and identity — The Sum I am the sum of an infinite series, always converging, never arrived. I am most certainly no Revelation, squeezed from the flesh of some low-hanging fruit; simple… seductive… corrupt. Like my ancestors, like my descendants, I am the sum of an infinite series. I am emphatically not some Minerva, sprung fully-armed from the…

A definitive answer for your stoner friends — “Duuuude, have you ever wondered if, like, what looks green to me looks green to you, too?” he asked as he passed me the joint. If you’ve ever gotten high in a college dorm, you’ve probably been on at least one end of this exchange. College and cannabis both have…

Ethnic studies courses and social-emotional learning improve student achievement, so why do conservatives want to ban them? — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in the news again recently. This time, for rejecting a proposed AP African-American studies elective for Florida high school students. In a letter, DeSantis’ administration claimed the proposed course is “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”

For some reason, the algorithm seems to be hampering its hardest workers — Jason Provencio has a new piece arguing that Medium may be deliberately “throttling” certain writers, impeding them from achieving the views and reads they would otherwise earn organically. Provencio says he’s noticed a considerable slowdown in traffic to his articles in the second half of the month, even though he…

I have a forty-day streak. Here’s what you need to know — As of this writing, I have a forty-three day streak solving the New York Times crossword. Let me share with you some tips and tricks that will help you become an expert crossword puzzle solver. Tip #1: Understand the degrees of difficulty Not every crossword is as difficult as every other. In the New York Times, crosswords…

Why you’re not finding tactics in your games — Have you noticed that finding tactics in your games is a lot harder than finding them in puzzles? You might be a tactics puzzle whiz, but when it comes to finding them in actual games, you’re missing them left and right. Even basic ones. What gives? Well, obviously part of…

Performative politics is the real reason we can’t have sensible immigration reform — Stop saying “Democrats are for open borders.” It’s nonsense. I’m a progressive liberal. I’ll tell you exactly what I want out of immigration reform, and though not all progressives have the same immigration wish list, I haven’t met anyone yet who wants total chaos at the border. So, what do…

Ballot initiatives are the only real check on GOP power, so naturally, they must go — Missouri is a weird state, politically speaking. If you’re a relative youngster, you might not realize that the Show-me state used to be a presidential bellwether. With one exception (in 1956), it voted for the winner in every presidential contest from 1904 through 2004. For many years, we alternated between…