Author Archives: Fenster

About Fenster

Gainfully employed for thirty years, including as one of those high paid college administrators faculty complain about. Earned Ph.D. late in life and converted to the faculty side. Those damn administrators are ruining everything.

Whazza Conservative?

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: As the geneticist/journalist Matt Ridley begins his review of Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s new book Antifragile: You don’t need a physics degree to ride a bicycle. Nor, Nassim Nicholas Taleb realized one day, do traders need to understand the mathematical … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Economics | 6 Comments

Reading List on Sci-Tech and Ethics

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: What ethical assumptions will need to be written into the programs for driverless cars, and who will make the decisions? Is it moral to print a gun? Is the return of eugenics in some form inevitable?

Posted in Philosophy and Religion, Science, Technology | Tagged 3d printing, driverless cars, ethics, eugenics, guns | 10 Comments

Are Graduation Important?

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Two schools of thought on the current crisis in higher education. They are not mutually exclusive by any means, but there is a definite tension between the two. On the one hand, we have Bill Gates. Here is … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Technology | 2 Comments

“Margaret”

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Critics just can’t seem to get enough of re-appraising the long form Heaven’s Gate. In yesterday’s Boston Globe, Ty Burr added to the buzz with his own long form article, the chief benefit of which was that he … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | 9 Comments

Ad o’ th’ Day

Posted on November 26, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: What do you suppose honey isn’t doing? And to whom? And who is going to do it instead? And is it being done at the time the picture was taken?

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Aoun on Higher Education

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: I am basically a higher education person, more comfortable in an institution than out on my own, and more comfortable in a non-profit, mission-based organization than in a for-profit one. I recognize this to be a matter of … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, Personal reflections | Leave a comment

Is this a trick?

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: Burial insurance from Senior Life Insurance company advertises that policyholders get lifetime coverage!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

All What Jazz

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes: To my post on the possible demise of jazz, dearieme wrote in to say that the chap to read is Larkin. Larkin being the poet Philip Larkin (subject of this recent article, link thanks to Arts & Letters Daily). … Continue reading →

Posted in Music | 12 Comments

What I like about . . .

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Fenster

Fenster writes what he likes about . . . . . . . Michel Camilo’s From Within. That an essentially acoustic trio can rip the roof off better than 99% of amped-up groups overly reliant on the volume knob. Anthony … Continue reading →