Officially 1 month since I switched to a flip phone.
- Everyone is more severely addicted to their smartphones than I thought. Once you have a dumbphone, you'll frequently find yourself as the only person in the room not on their phone. It's not just teenagers, it's parents and adults of all ages. It's like everyone is stuck in a trance. 75+ year olds might be the only exception.
- All the objections I previously had for getting a dumbphone have turned out to be overblown and/or solvable. My iPhone addiction had fed my brain excuses to not do this earlier. If you really want to make the switch, you can.
- I've felt embarrassed to pull out my flip phone in public at times, for fear of being different or drawing too much attention to myself. But I have learned to just own up to it. Most people end up saying something like "Oh, I probably should do that too."
- I am using my brain more. Even though my flip phone has Waze, I find myself memorizing maps and roads. I'm more bored and get lost in my thoughts. I'm using paper and pen more. Increased desire for tangible things > digital things.
Overall, it has been a great experience and I plan on never going back.
Brutally honest condemnation of Calandra's Min of Ed
"The minister has said repeatedly that financial mismanagement by trustees is behind the deficits at many Ontario school boards. To fix that, Calandra sidelined trustees, imposed supervisors at eight boards, and limited the future role of trustees.
And yet, the AG’s report obliquely offers an alternative reason for school-board shortfalls. It says that 46 of the province’s 72 school boards spend more money on special ed than the province provides. The total in 2023–24 was $397.9 million. That’s about double the total of school board deficits.
It’s reasonable, then, to conclude that the root cause of school-board deficits is provincial underfunding of special ed."
https://t.co/pKuHSFClGf via @nationalpost
Can confirm; much of today’s science misinformation can be debunked by high school level science.
Furthermore, compulsory science credits should focus on scientific literacy and scientific method above all else.
Students who get As spend more time on homework, hanging out in-person and reading for fun.
Students who get Ds and Fs spend more time playing video games, scrolling their phones and accessing social media.
Great Lakes ice update for January 29, 2026: Combined 40% | Lake Superior 25% | Lake Michigan 27% | Lake Huron 55% | Lake Erie 95% | Lake Ontario 23% | #GreatLakes
What’s changed with students since Covid?
Plenty.
But one thing stands out to me: stamina.
The stamina to read.
The stamina to write.
It wasn’t perfect before Covid, but it feels like it’s gotten worse.
What do you think?
Physical activity and the reduction of all-cause mortality, from 2 very large prospective cohorts
1. The relationship is non-linear, suggesting a threshold effect for many types of exercise as seen below
Despite experiencing the steepest peak-to-trough decline in more than 40 years, Canadian home prices remain the most overvalued in the OECD by multiple measures
Having your phone on your desk or in your pocket undercuts cognitive performance - even if you don't use it.
Put it in another room to maximize your working memory & fluid intelligence.
Canadian home prices are 117% out of step with wages.
To normalize: prices fall ~50% or incomes double.
There is no third option
From 1981 to 2025, Canadian real wages barely moved, while real home prices exploded—this divergence defines Economic Autumn and explains why the adjustment ahead is unavoidable.