Month: October 2026

OpenAI’s October 6 release of hundreds of mathematical results has produced another round of headlines: AI Solved One Math Problem and Everyone Freaked Out. It Just Cracked Hundreds More. — The Wall Street Journal OpenAI drops another batch of mathematical breakthroughs — The Verge OpenAI’s math breakthrough points beyond math — Axios [Note: The initial… Continue reading The proof is in the prompt: why math is not going away

There is a lot going on this week: bond yields continue to rise, and OpenAI published proofs to 400 outstanding math problems. I want to focus the discussion on the debate over “strivers”. Consider the tweet below: Seeing the striver discourse, one difference with Western obsessives is that a parent notices genuine talent in the… Continue reading Smart People Cram Too.

“Fisher King” and “Coddled Affluent Professional” are unimpressed by the intellectual caliber of Ivy League grads: I spent a large amount of my life among the well-educated who attended the ivies. I have less contact with them today – and I don’t notice any loss at all. That is a group of strivers and box… Continue reading Elite Grads Aren’t Impressive. Compared to What?

I saw this going viral about the apparent lack of preparedness among today’s college students: I'm not sure if others in higher ed are noticing a decline in student achievement this semester, but it's been pronounced in my courses–particularly freshmen. I have a 101 course where, for the first time in my 12 years teaching… Continue reading What the College Preparedness Debate Misses

The contrast between the well-educated “Right” and the “dirtbag”/prole Right is interesting. Fuentes is one of those guys like BAP where the man himself can be interesting and correct on certain points. But when you encounter their larger fan base, it's often quite different, the fan base isn't necessarily picking up what the big guy… Continue reading Book Smarts vs. “Streamer Smarts”: Who Called Tariffs, Iran, and Maduro Right?