* “My dirty little secret: I’ve been writing erotic novels to fund my PhD: Don’t breathe a word, my mentor advised me. They were right – I’ve had some odd reactions from the few colleagues I’ve told.”

* “We Are Reading Less Literature,” maybe. But: “The Internet Has Not Killed the Printed Book. Most People Still Prefer Them.” I wish printed books used better-quality paper.

* “The Art of Advice-Giving;” I’m somewhat baffled by the popularity of advice columns, since most of the people with problems seem to have obvious solutions to those problems. They’re like drop-dead dumb crime novels. Dan Savage is an exception, though.

* The literary fiction of investor letters. “Philosophy” may be a more appropriate genre.

* “Nicholson Baker, Substitute Teacher,” about what I think I’d feel if I taught K – 12. I also work for a lot of superintendents and school administrators in a grant writing capacity, and the experience has not given me great optimism about the quality of American education. It is striking how often promises to teach reading and writing effectively are themselves poorly written and argued.

* “The Campus Left and the Alt-Right Are Natural Allies: It’s unlikely that either movement has the cultural power or breadth of appeal to take down liberalism on its own. But taken together, they make a fearsome foe.” Too few people are standing up for freedom of thought and inquiry.

* “Flooding of Coast, Caused by Global Warming, Has Already Begun;” important and underappreciated news.

* “People in Los Angeles are getting rid of their cars.” I’m not sure I believe it.

* Even the New York Times editorial board has figured out that police unions impede justice and let bad cops proliferate. A rare victory for reason over politics.

* “Tesla envy grips Germany’s giants: But Porsche, Audi, BMW and Mercedes are ready to respond.” Good news.

* “A Return to Print? Not Exactly.” Or, don’t necessarily trust the headlines.