Regular readers will know I geek out about this stuff — the way different metrics within an industry can give radically different pictures of what is going on.  And so, with the recent focus on completion and attainment rates, it’s helpful to note that one does not imply the other. Here’s Arthur Hauptman on the subject: In Continue reading

I was looking at an older NY Times article about student debt, and noted this paragraph: The report found that student debt loads vary substantially from state to state: New Hampshire students topped the list, owing an average of $31,048, while Utah’s students averaged half that. Students borrow more in the Northeast and Midwest, where Continue reading

What follows is an example COMPARABLE analysis of the beginning of an article. You’ll notice that although the comparison in the article is really just a comparison between last year’s debt and this year’s debt it is sort of a structured examination of the number used and its implications. The COMPARABLE framework is the framework Continue reading

Today I came across this on the web: why is everyone quitting gluten now? There are a number of very valid reasons for the growing number of people having to pass on the pizza. The short form: gluten is a poison (see below). We tolerate it, and tolerate it, like cigarettes in the lungs. And Continue reading

This is brilliant. You should watch it. Added note: I was just thinking of my endorsement up there, and realizing everyone probably clicks the link expecting a TED style video that will wrap everything up for you in a nice metaphor wrapped in a story of humanity and triumph. Nope, it’s just an old dude Continue reading

This is new today:   This seems pretty straightforward at first. Seniors, in a survey-based study, report better sleep than young adults. But we hit the same problem here as we do in happiness research. How people define things varies both with age and with the cultural norms of your generation. It’s hard to get Continue reading