Essays
Editorial notes on trustworthy systems, data, technology, and the human institutions around them.
This collection brings together editorial writing about the pressures that technology, data, and institutions place on human judgment. The essays keep their original voice and arguments while moving from a coursework archive into a public reading context.
Measuring the History That Did Not Happen
Written May 28, 2026 · 5 min readA thought experiment about using potential outcomes to measure historical importance.
Causal reasoningHow much does the U.S. President really affect the economy? It's complicated.
Written April 29, 2026 · 6 min readWhy complex economic outcomes resist simple presidential credit-and-blame narratives.
Civic technology and governanceAI in Government: Keep the Human in the Loop
Written March 20, 2026 · 3 min readWhy public-sector machine learning must keep authority within the purview of human operators.
Care, labor, and institutionsCare Robots and the End of the Nursing-Home Era
Written March 11, 2026 · 6 min readA case for home healthcare robotics as a force for safer care and renewed multigenerational homes.
Care, labor, and institutionsData Violence, Digital Ageism, and the Right to Age at Home
Written January 27, 2026 · 3 min readOn digital marginalization, surveillance, elder dignity, and restoring respect for senior Americans.
Trust and autonomyThe Automation of Trust
Written January 14, 2026 · 6 min readHow dispositional, situational, and learned trust shape the adoption of intelligent systems.
Civic technology and governanceAn American Entrepreneur on The EU AI Act
Written January 7, 2026 · 4 min readA builder's perspective on professional ethics, regulatory risk, provenance, and moral responsibility.