For a while now, I’ve wanted to learn photography. I figure that I have editors who might be willing to buy some photos from me, depending on the story, and that the experience of a visual practice would be a good contrast with writing. I have a fancy camera (bought second-hand from Adorama), and I… [Read More]
Blog
Singing in Bars
In Asia,people sing in bars, and not just karaoke. Yes, I’m generalizing broadly, but I’ve decided that it’s a good idea to have a song ready to go when my hosts expect me to take a turn. It is: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”. which is easy to sing and is a traditional… [Read More]
Intellectual Property in Emerging Markets
I’m teaching in China now, which is an intellectual property free-for-all. My students are using photocopied textbooks, and bootleg DVDs are for sale everywhere – one of my colleagues found Men in Black 3 already, which is a little disturbing. A few years ago, I attended a conference on investing in India, held at the… [Read More]
In China on the 4th of July
July 4 has always been a huge holiday in my family. It’s big for Americans in general, of course, but my grandfather was born on July 4 in England. He always said that he had to emigrate because no one celebrated his birthday back in Durham. He used to tell us that the fireworks were… [Read More]
Paying for College: What Are You Buying, Anyway?
The big story in higher education circles last week was the firing and rehiring of Teresa Sullivan, the president of the University of Virginia. The ostensible reason for the firing was that she was not reacting quickly enough to the changing educational marketplace. But, of course, it’s hard to say what the right course of… [Read More]
