It’s always an amusing time, the week before my birthday. Every September the little voices start whispering that some special event is coming up, some excuse for self-indulgence is almost here, until finally the hedonistic floodgates open, letting fly the unique and unbridled narcissism that is somehow socially acceptable on the anniversary of our entrance [...]

I’ve been attacked by nature this summer. If I venture outside for more than fifteen minutes, it’s like I’ve spent the last 38 hours trapped in an entomology lab, covered in grape jelly. Bugs of all shapes and sizes have feasted on my extremities, leaving behind a range of souvenirs — Texas-shaped hives on my [...]

Apologies for the impromptu hiatus – I’ve been plugging away on the newest project, slogging through the primordial cyber-ooze of HTML and various web lexicon. As reported here and here and here, Freakonomics.com has been revamped, republished and incorporated into the New York Times web site, making us an official NYTimes.com blog (and me an [...]

I eat like shit. I really do. Every day is yet another opportunity for carbs, sugars, fats and chemicals to throw garden parties in my system. Breakfast is coffee seeped in sugar and cream and a butter-soaked bread item; lunch is leftover pizza, coffee shop croissants or any number of chocolate baked goods; dinner an [...]

It’s wrong to laugh at another person’s embarrassment. Logically, I know this. I can list all the reasons why: at some point, we all commit social gaffes, hatch churlish statements, succumb to random acts of public clumsiness (I of all people should know that), and otherwise ruffle the smooth veneer of social interaction. Not to [...]

I’m fundamentally uncoordinated. It’s kind of remarkable, really. On a typical day, I’ll discover at least four ways to slam, bruise, slice, maim, gash, break or flambé myself on a wide array of inanimate objects. Once in a while I’ll bust out with some feat of grace, often involving contact sports with countless opportunities for [...]

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for yet another fun and exciting evening of Blogstravaganza For Beginners — you were a fabulous group, particularly since you didn’t band together and mutiny in the blistering sauna of our non-air-conditioned lecture room. All future classes will come complete with climate control, or I will personally [...]

I’ve posted about it before, but now it’s actually materialized and is getting ready for release: The Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 1, coming to bookstores in July and available for pre-order on Amazon. From what I’ve seem (which admittedly isn’t a ton) there are some amazing pieces in there by a diverse and talented group [...]

As reported by my former cohorts at the Huffington Post, I’ve been hired by the uber-smart authors of Freakonomics to be the editor of their soon-to-be-upgraded website, Freakonomics.com. I’ll be writing and editing posts, working on video content, recruiting other uber-smart economists, authors and journalists to guest blog, and just generally handling any and all [...]

In an unexpected departure from my mental image (which involved me droning on Ben Stein-style in front of a 3/4 empty classrom complete with snoring teens and cricket sound effects), around fifty people have registered so far for tonight’s class on blogging. While I’ll admit I’m surprised, the sheer numbers mean this could actually be [...]