Trending Socks
@machineecon.bsky.social
I teach economics at a small, private college.
Originally from Somewhere in Middle America. I like fun socks.
Originally from Somewhere in Middle America. I like fun socks.
TIL that people are actually on Threads
January 17, 2026 at 2:25 PM
TIL that people are actually on Threads
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Also, when you defy Trump, you’re kind of implicitly making fools of the elite law firms and universities and media companies and billionaires and Congress, which is fun.
January 17, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Also, when you defy Trump, you’re kind of implicitly making fools of the elite law firms and universities and media companies and billionaires and Congress, which is fun.
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Trump is not omnipotent. He exists within a web of institutions. His authority is not unlimited. It appears that way largely because his allies occupy key places — Congress — that could provide a meaningful check. Important to understand his actual reach and the limits of that reach. (14/14)
January 15, 2026 at 10:17 PM
Trump is not omnipotent. He exists within a web of institutions. His authority is not unlimited. It appears that way largely because his allies occupy key places — Congress — that could provide a meaningful check. Important to understand his actual reach and the limits of that reach. (14/14)
Today's selection.
January 15, 2026 at 2:10 PM
Today's selection.
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A video of ICE agents conducting door-to-door searches today in Minneapolis
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
January 12, 2026 at 1:42 AM
A video of ICE agents conducting door-to-door searches today in Minneapolis
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
The homeowner requests a warrant repeatedly, is told they don't require one, then is told they're getting it, then the agents storm in anyway
They also point a taser at her to try and disrupt filming
Reposted by Trending Socks
BERNANKE/YELLEN/GREENSPAN JOINT STATEMENT:
“.. this is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets ..”
(via @apnews.com)
“.. this is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets ..”
(via @apnews.com)
January 12, 2026 at 3:27 PM
BERNANKE/YELLEN/GREENSPAN JOINT STATEMENT:
“.. this is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets ..”
(via @apnews.com)
“.. this is how monetary policy is made in emerging markets ..”
(via @apnews.com)
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Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
Statement by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell
YouTube video by Federal Reserve
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 12:35 AM
Video message from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KckG...
www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
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Attempting to criminalize the actions of an independent public servant, Fed Chair Jay Powell, for the sin of acting independently is an outrage. It's bad economics, bad politics, bad for the rule of law, bad for the public sector, bad for American credibility and bad for Americans.
January 12, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Attempting to criminalize the actions of an independent public servant, Fed Chair Jay Powell, for the sin of acting independently is an outrage. It's bad economics, bad politics, bad for the rule of law, bad for the public sector, bad for American credibility and bad for Americans.
Illinois 🏀 making sushi tonight!
January 9, 2026 at 2:21 AM
Illinois 🏀 making sushi tonight!
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Syllabi review policies at Texas A&M introduce censorship on discussions of race & gender in 200 courses.
Restrictions include banning Plato's writings, who "founded Academy, the very first university," Martin Peterson says.
"If we cannot freely discuss Plato, we no longer have a university."
Restrictions include banning Plato's writings, who "founded Academy, the very first university," Martin Peterson says.
"If we cannot freely discuss Plato, we no longer have a university."
Texas A&M restrictions on race, gender could affect 200 courses
With the semester set to begin next week, professors have been directed to alter courses, and some classes have been removed or reassigned from the core curriculum at the College Station campus.
www.texastribune.org
January 8, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Syllabi review policies at Texas A&M introduce censorship on discussions of race & gender in 200 courses.
Restrictions include banning Plato's writings, who "founded Academy, the very first university," Martin Peterson says.
"If we cannot freely discuss Plato, we no longer have a university."
Restrictions include banning Plato's writings, who "founded Academy, the very first university," Martin Peterson says.
"If we cannot freely discuss Plato, we no longer have a university."
Hmmm maybe I should check to see if I accidentally "deactivated" my account.
Deactivating for a few days is the BlueSky equivalent of making your account private on Twitter. I’d do it for a few days when I was being attacked by trolls until things blew over. Wish we had the option here!
January 6, 2026 at 3:27 PM
Hmmm maybe I should check to see if I accidentally "deactivated" my account.
I guess the logical conclusion is that at my age I should be on LinkedIn.
update
January 1, 2026 at 6:17 AM
I guess the logical conclusion is that at my age I should be on LinkedIn.
I would guess that ABC pays Dick Clark's estate to keep his name on New Year's Rockin Eve (as opposed to corporate naming where payments for naming rights go the other way), but it's an interesting case of property rights and bargaining over rents.
January 1, 2026 at 4:52 AM
I would guess that ABC pays Dick Clark's estate to keep his name on New Year's Rockin Eve (as opposed to corporate naming where payments for naming rights go the other way), but it's an interesting case of property rights and bargaining over rents.
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Whether it's Hillary Clinton making $100,000 in cattle futures 14 years before she became First Lady or Donald Trump making $1.7 billion from his DJT meme stock while serving as president, both sides have made money in controversial ways.
December 31, 2025 at 1:29 AM
Whether it's Hillary Clinton making $100,000 in cattle futures 14 years before she became First Lady or Donald Trump making $1.7 billion from his DJT meme stock while serving as president, both sides have made money in controversial ways.
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"Academics literally cannot make genAI go away" we also can't make underage drinking go away and we're not advocating for installing bar carts in every classroom.
December 27, 2025 at 11:46 PM
"Academics literally cannot make genAI go away" we also can't make underage drinking go away and we're not advocating for installing bar carts in every classroom.
post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden, or Alice in Chains
December 28, 2025 at 4:39 AM
post a perfect album from the 90s that isn't nirvana, pearl jam, soundgarden, or Alice in Chains
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to Bari (verb): To attempt to bury a damaging political story—only to amplify it massively by drawing attention to the act of censorship itself.
Example:
“They tried to Bari the segment, but it got Streisanded and everyone watched it twice.”
Example:
“They tried to Bari the segment, but it got Streisanded and everyone watched it twice.”
December 23, 2025 at 11:40 AM
to Bari (verb): To attempt to bury a damaging political story—only to amplify it massively by drawing attention to the act of censorship itself.
Example:
“They tried to Bari the segment, but it got Streisanded and everyone watched it twice.”
Example:
“They tried to Bari the segment, but it got Streisanded and everyone watched it twice.”
Hot take: Die Hard and Home Alone are basically the same movie.
December 20, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Hot take: Die Hard and Home Alone are basically the same movie.
We are entering the singularity....
Grading and googling hallucinated citations, as one does nowadays, and now that LLMs have been around for a while, I've discovered new horrors: hallucinated journals are now appearing in Google Scholar with dozens of citations bc so many people are citing these fake things
December 16, 2025 at 4:33 AM
We are entering the singularity....
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University Admins after they scan all of our texts, syllabi, social media posts, and our chats with university AI - then fire us.
December 15, 2025 at 7:25 PM
University Admins after they scan all of our texts, syllabi, social media posts, and our chats with university AI - then fire us.
Controlling public good allocation is a common tool used by autocrats to consolidate power and an important motive for civil conflict around the world.
Their closing message to Indiana: change your maps to artificially benefit the President's political party or 'roads will not be paved' as punishment.
They are openly saying this.
Who would want to live in a country that works like that?
They are openly saying this.
Who would want to live in a country that works like that?
December 12, 2025 at 1:28 AM
Controlling public good allocation is a common tool used by autocrats to consolidate power and an important motive for civil conflict around the world.
Reposted by Trending Socks
Their closing message to Indiana: change your maps to artificially benefit the President's political party or 'roads will not be paved' as punishment.
They are openly saying this.
Who would want to live in a country that works like that?
They are openly saying this.
Who would want to live in a country that works like that?
December 11, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Their closing message to Indiana: change your maps to artificially benefit the President's political party or 'roads will not be paved' as punishment.
They are openly saying this.
Who would want to live in a country that works like that?
They are openly saying this.
Who would want to live in a country that works like that?
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
December 9, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Movie you’ve watched more than six times with a gif. Hard mode: no Stars (Wars nor Trek), LOTR, or Marvel, Disney Animated or Pixar.
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This kind of stuff from university “leaders,” customer satisfaction surveys at the end of a course, along with growing precarity of faculty positions, are a big part of the reason there is grade inflation. Individual faculty can’t fix it.
This is how administration acts whenever faculty tries to enforce standards. It's why most people have just given up and just hand out A's.
OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:
November 30, 2025 at 11:03 PM
This kind of stuff from university “leaders,” customer satisfaction surveys at the end of a course, along with growing precarity of faculty positions, are a big part of the reason there is grade inflation. Individual faculty can’t fix it.