Debra Schneider

In 2020, the Yale Law Journal published an interesting essay by alum-attorney James Mooney titled “The Power of Police Officers to Give ‘Lawful Orders.’” In it, Mooney observes that an insistence on overbroad discretion “allows police to needlessly escalate confrontations due to civilian confusion or minor noncompliance.”

That’s a pretty good descri

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One of the most intelligent case studies in design is the Chinese tea cup. They’re made without handles simply because if it’s too hot to touch, it’s too hot to drink.

Humans naturally want to add more. Add a cardboard sleeve, add a warning on the outside of the cup, add a handle. The result of all these things never cools down the actual contents.

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It’s about whether or not I actually believe them, if I can give up the hopes of converting the other person (definitely in the short-term, but perhaps at any point) because I actually feel that there’s something to be gained for understanding more deeply the way others are metabolizing the world we share. And that’s hard!

What I’ll say right now, t

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