One of my favorite characters from 20th century pop fiction is Roderick Spode, also known as Lord Sidcup, from the 1930s series Jeeves and Wooster by P.G. Wodehouse, and hilariously portrayed in the 1990s TV adaptation starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. He perfectly captures the...

I was amazed and thrilled to wake to a fascinating and in-depth NPR story on the brilliant Charlie Shrem, an early mover in the Bitcoin space who did time in federal prison for his innovations. The story is actually fair and even affectionate, as it should be. Shrem was the first to...

The enduring power of Essentials of Economics is due to the persuasive power of economic logic itself. If it is done well, it applies in all times and places. And this book does economics extremely well. In times when economics is subject to vast political manipulation, when people have...

In our fast-changing world of seemingly infinite choice, unrelenting upheaval in technology, and growing demands on our time and attention, it can be a source of blessed solace to discover, as I have, a path towards stability and predictability, to cling to an object that imparts the...

The wildly contentious election of 2016 seems to have inculcated certain habits of mind. We are tempted to believe that our role as citizens is like that of a sports fan. We need to choose a team and stick with it, no matter what. Our team needs us. If we lend our voices in support of the...

It’s like clockwork. When the price of Bitcoin (the dollar exchange rate) goes up, my inbox lights up. “What is Bitcoin and how can I buy it?” Then the price goes down, and it’s radio silence again, but for people who complain that their investment hasn’t panned out. What’s going on here...

There are several passages in Gustav Mahler’s first symphony that are surprisingly dramatic but extremely difficult to perform. They occur right at the end of sections when the tempo picks up quickly and rushes to a sudden ending. Timing is the problem. It can’t be done by the conductor...

It came out in passing last night, in discussions with a smart 17-year old, that he got in deep trouble in middle school. He was accused of loan sharking, and forced to do detention. See if you think there is anything wrong with what he did. They condemn what they do not understand. The...

Free speech is one of the most settled principles of law and public policy, or so you might think. We recoil at censorships of the past. We acknowledge the freedom to speak as an essential human right. We are taught the legend and lore of the struggle for it in all our years in school...

Brand new Cole-Haan leather shoes, just my size: $5. Four matching framed prints of old Roman coins: $4. Ralph Lauren windowpane-checked three-button suit: $20. Waist-length mink coat: $32. Real pearl and rare stone necklace: $3.50. Hand-painted wine carafe imported from Israel: $2...