Dec 18, 2022Welcome to the Prose Slushie MachineThoughts on Chat GPT The democratization of access to calculators must have been scary for teachers. “Are my students cheating? I guess I’ll have to do more in-class testing to make sure they know what they’re doing. Do I really have to teach long division with decimals any more? Maybe it’s OK if the…Generative Ai2 min readGenerative Ai2 min read
Mar 16, 2022Unaskable QuestionsSome questions shouldn’t be asked. For example, it would not be right to ask “Is slavery moral?” or “Should we exterminate this ethnic group?” Any question that denies someone else’s humanity isn’t open for debate. Even asking the question is offensive. What questions are unaskable? “Unaskable questions” are a category…Social Media3 min readSocial Media3 min read
Sep 23, 2021I hate recording class, but I’m doing it from now on.Have you ever sent this email? I’m sorry to hear that you’re not feeling well. We’ll mark you as present. Please get notes from a classmate. Hope you feel better soon! I must have sent it hundreds of times over 24 years of teaching. But I think that approach is…Academia4 min readAcademia4 min read
Mar 4, 2021Advice for Faculty: Learning When to Say NoI’ve seen multiple posts on social media this week from faculty members struggling with the question: when is it OK to say no to a request for my time? It’s a central challenge of an academic job. College professors get asked to do lots of things. Consider this list of…Academia3 min readAcademia3 min read
Dec 20, 2020New technology isn’t making us any happier. What would?Fifteen years ago, I bought a shower radio. I thought it would be nice to listen to music in the shower. It got terrible reception, and I was forever adjusting the antenna and trying to tune it better to the station I wanted. The suction cups that were supposed to…Technology2 min readTechnology2 min read
Sep 25, 2020Politically Neutral TeachingIn the first meeting of my class “Computing, Society, and Professionalism” each fall, I ask my students to consider The Stop Sign. You are driving in the desert. You can see as far as the horizon in all directions. You haven’t seen another car in hours. You come to an…Teaching4 min readTeaching4 min read
Jun 8, 2020A Case for Restructuring Law EnforcementWhat I’ve learned from three years of building software to help combat human trafficking — I never set out to design software for police. But a few years ago, there was a smart grad student working on software to combat human trafficking, and she needed a new PhD advisor. I said I’d advise her. Sex trafficking generates terabytes of data — prostitution ads and sex…Human Trafficking3 min readHuman Trafficking3 min read
Jan 21, 2019How the Internet is Broken: Big Questions and Bad AnswersI’ve always admired people who ask big questions. Who don’t just see the world with received wisdom, but interrogate it. The internet is helping people ask big questions by connecting them with others who question, who wonder. Is our water really safe to drink? Do kids from different ethnic and…Truth5 min readTruth5 min read
May 22, 2017People with Your Politics are Not Welcome HereThis past week, there was an altercation at a gym. A woman began loudly criticizing a man because of his political views. She recognized him as a public figure, and exercised her free speech rights to let him know what she thinks about his views. I admire that. We have…Free Speech2 min readFree Speech2 min read
