David Hsu

I quite enjoyed “North Woods” by Daniel Mason. A celebration of Western Massachusetts history, forests, and birds.

The definition of corruption: "noun: dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery."

If proficiency cannot be effectively measured, then maybe we should not be teaching it either.

That's probably why grade deflation or standards have to get monitored and enforced from the top, as I think Princeton is doing.

Harvard students think it’s unfair ‘when they work hard and don’t get an A,’ internal report says - The Boston Globe Last academic year, A's made up 60 percent of all course grades given to Harvard undergraduates.

A Harvard colleague calls grading there: "Fifty Shades of A". www.bostonglobe.com/2025/11/12/b...

Just another perfect day, I love MA.

A giant sphere of flesh in Central Park towering over the city like a big gross meatball. This was made by redditor kiwi2703 to show what it would look like if you combined every human on Earth into a ball, and it’s clearly a bad idea

Within 18 months all white collar workers could be replaced by a 1km sphere of flesh in Central Park

The iconic Olympic broadcast call that almost never was: ‘Here comes Diggins!’ Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall's gold-medal race in 2018 changed U.S. cross-country skiing forever, and the TV call played a key role.

I'm seeing this eight years after the fact and I still think it's pretty great. www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

The first Olympic gold medal in U.S. cross-country skiing history YouTube video by Team USA

"HERE COMES DIGGINS! HERE COMES DIGGINS!".

What a great call. youtu.be/IVuIoS7HolE?...

People won’t stop going out on the frozen Charles River, despite the risks — and the many, many warnings - The Boston Globe Walkers, bikers, skaters, even ice-fishermen have ignored pleas to stay off the ice for generations. They do so at their peril.

I've always wanted to do this. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/11/m...

The Boston accent is disappearing. In Southie, that carries a deeper meaning. YouTube video by The Boston Globe

An enjoyable short segment. youtu.be/qLXvYmS6jPw?...

Sales announcement part 1

Sales announcement part 2

Today I received what I found to be a remarkably entertaining sale notice from an online bike shop I've ordered from before. It's just goofy and funny, two aspects that I really need more in my life more than anything AI can do.

No, not at all!

If you want the useful article, usefully near, as is everything the US EIA does: www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/f...

TIL that 1 MCF ~= 1.038 MMBTU based on 2023 average heat content, so convert gas volumes to energy all you want (within +/-4%!)

Love this.

I would argue that knowing how to achieve the goal; deciding if it is worth it compared to other goals; and thinking about the pathway are all important gateways to building support and overcoming that resistance.

As someone who used to work in the City of New York and at a muni (Seattle City Light), I don't think that NYC has the capacity to run a utility rn. I've heard the critique that CCAs are a half measure, but municipalization is and always will be hard. We can aim that way but there are so many steps.

So, I don't know anyone in this admin but I did talk CCA with some NYC staffers 4-5 yrs ago. Some bitterness then over Westchester County excluding Yonkers. CCA could get a higher renewable content or even RECs attached even to gas, but it depends on whether PPAs and RECs are additional in NYS.

I've thought about analyzing that, but my first guess is no. Then again, my thinking could be shaped by Northeast, where a lot of spending has to do with old existing pipes and relatively little new exurban growth.

Here's the slide I use when I talk about rising costs in BOTH gas and electricity systems. Capital expended on distribution poles, wires, and pipes is the main cost for utilities and are the main driver of your rapidly growing energy bills. Gas 4X and electricity 2X inflation between 2003 and 2023.

A Harvard Law professor broke the rules to let in WWII vets. They made ‘the best class there ever was.’ - The Boston Globe Refusing to reduce veterans to their test scores, Warren Seavey accepted some with questionable academic credentials— and others who hadn’t even applied.

In this season of college and graduate school admissions, I remembered this quite moving story about breaking the rules to do the right thing over enforcing selectivity. Seavey, circled, used to live in my town! www.bostonglobe.com/2022/12/22/m...

The Harvard Plan podcast The Harvard Plan is about the fight for the soul of America’s oldest and most prestigious university.

Got around to listening to this and catching up on 2024 and 2025, in preparation for this year. Does a good job of explaining academic issues in terms of real people and relationships. apps.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/mult...

Feel the cold? Offshore wind alleviates grid woes in winter, study… A sector despised by President Trump can boost grid reliability on the East Coast when people crank up the heat and gas plants are tested by extreme…

An even more specific article about electricity reliability and lower costs in winter for the East Coast. www.canarymedia.com/articles/off...

Building offshore wind, despite the federal obstacles, would benefit Massachusetts and New England. www.canarymedia.com/articles/cle...

Missed this but sounds fun.

Trump is trying to kill electric cars. A coalition is emerging to fight back. - The Boston Globe EVs still have international support and strong word of mouth. And inexpensive new models are on the way.

This op-ed is by the former NYT Detroit bureau chief, and adapted from a book I'm going to order: “The End of Detroit: How the Big Three Lost Their Grip on the American Car Market.” www.bostonglobe.com/2026/02/02/o...

The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films The attention-span crisis goes to the movies.

Oh, what a bummer. Put away your phone, "Sentimental Value" is worth it! www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

"What stayed with Amundson most, she said, was not the adrenaline of the moment but the realization that came while she was holding the agent’s head in her hands and keeping his airway open.

“I was hit so hard with the fact that this man would not do this for me,” she said.'"