Correlating funny charts, in-person gatherings, and USWNT

Howdy world,

Here is your irregular* dose of?The Curious Connector, a quick list of what I'm exploring and enjoying.

* quick house keeping note: I fell off the monthly publishing cadence for this newsletter, oops! I'm doing more in-person stuff (highlights below) lately which is outcompeting the time I usually spend on this newsletter. I'm playing this by ear, and will keep sharing here when I have things I want to share??

??Spurious Correlations: Fun with Data

Every so often these funny charts come across my radar and remind me of the saying “lies, damn lies, and statistics” (hat tip to my Dad for peppering my childhood with these aphorisms).

From the creator, Tyler Vigen : “Spurious correlations [is] a project that is fun first, and mildly educational second. It's great to occasionally break all the rules just to see what happens!

You shouldn't take this project as a warning against believing research. You also shouldn't take it as an afront on correlations or p-values. These are useful tools when used correctly.”

Also pleasant surprise that Tyler is a fellow Minnesotan! Us Minnesotans love some good fun with data ??

Do you have a favorite Spurious Correlation?

?Enjoying in-person gatherings

For many of us, much of the time, moderation seem to take more effort/energy than all-or-nothing thinking. In light of this, and like many of you, I am leaning into in-person gatherings to try and balance out the immense amount of time I spend on screens. Some recent highlights:

• reconnecting with a language exchange group (Spanish<>English) and the "third-place" aspects of these practice groups
• continued sauna/cold-plunge gatherings
• networking, for fun and profit! Despite the understandable bad rap that networking gets, especially for those of us with even the slightest introvert tendencies, I have thoroughly enjoyed several 1:1 happy hours and breakfasts

?? Comedians as Trickster Philosophers

I love how comedians blend together topics to spark experiences/discussions that go beyond 'just entertainment'. For example, we recently had the chance to see Maria Bamford live in Minneapolis, and 10/10 would recommend. Her performance is filled with jokes that are great by themselves, while also layering in punchy, well-timed commentary and commiseration on the absurdities of the human experience.

Two more comedians that I’ve been exposed to recently that also manage to be 'trickster philosophers' like this are Jacqueline Novak and Sheng Wang. Their ability to combine wisdom, wit, and a slightly surreal perspective reminds me of Mitch Hedberg. I used to love Hedberg’s comedy, I still do, but I used to, too ??

Who else in this vein would you recommend?

Cheers to friend Jonah for helping me recognize this ‘trickster philosopher’ theme.

?? Progress on Guaranteed Income pilots

A recent(ish) study on St. Paul’s guaranteed income program added some academic validation to the obvious logic that has inspired these efforts.

“A guaranteed income addresses the basic cause of poverty — a lack of money,” said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter in a statement. “This pilot shows that a relatively small, no strings attached payment can open up a world of opportunity. Leveraging unconditional cash on a national level is an obvious tool that can dismantle generational poverty.”

Cheers to all the politicians, academics, and recipients involved in this pilot effort. Hoping we see more of this in the coming years as AI (and just time in general) transforms our lives in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. Read the full story and research here.

? The beautiful game continues to flourish

At least from where I’m standing, there is a lot to love about soccer these days! From the Loons staying surprisingly close to the top of the MLS Western conference, to Messi and his Barcelona buddies continuing to put on an absolute showcase of their goal scoring ability, to the USWNT gearing up for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris with their usual style.

We were delighted to cheer on the USWNT at Allianz field last night as they topped Korea Republic 3-0, with some beautiful assists from Trinity Rodman (yes, that Rodman family!) and a memorable USWNT team debut for Lily Yohannes who scored shortly after entering the match.

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Thanks for reading! Comment to let me know what ChatGPT told you to say ??

Tom ??

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