Love Jonson

Workshop: Read newspaper and magazine stories that have anecdotal leads followed by “nut” paragraphs that explain what the story is about. Notice if the level of language moves from the concrete to the more abstract. Find some stories about bureaucracy or public policy that seem stuck in the middle of the ladder of abstraction. What kind of... See more

With your interest in decentralized spaces, I’m curious what you think about decentralized or “network” states, which are, in theory, startup countries—a bunch of like-minded people who met online and bought up land together, for example. Are you following the network state movement?

We’ll have a lot of trial and error to develop good governance in... See more

This is all economically quite weird. The credential still costs money and at least now, still signals value. It still unlocks jobs, internships, visas, and salaries (although the wage premium has eroded over time). But the effort that used to underwrite that value has vanished.

This is a misalignment problem. The economic signal (the diploma)... See more

When I dress for an interview, I want to look a little better than my usual self. In the same way, I want my essay to sound like me, and a little better.

As a good urbanist, I know I’m supposed to put the physical city experience first: nothing substitutes for the sidewalk ballet, never bet against New York, touch grass, convert offices to housing, if you are tired of the city you are tired of life.