grin and bare it
A blog by Matthew Dicks
Increase test scores with better busing
About 55 percent of public school students in the United States take the bus to school, and 95 percent of those buses have diesel engines. Based on analyses of the pollutant levels produced by of those…
Read MorePet Cemetery
Charlie came downstairs this morning to tell me that he dreamt that I was sad last night, so he decided to try to bring our dog, Kaleigh, back to life. “I know how much you…
Read MoreYour grandmother and vaccines
Amazing data on vaccines and boosters out of Alberta, Canada. Essentially: The hospitalization rate among people 80+ years-old who are vaccinated and boosted is lower than the hospitalization rate among people 12-29 years-old…
Read MoreThe Patriots loss stung a little less for a surprising reason
A strange thing happened on Saturday night. I watched one of the worst performances in Patriots playoff history. The Super Bowl loss against the Bears in 1986 was the worst, for sure. I cried after…
Read MoreBest super power of all
My wife, Deadspin, and many others argue that teleportation is the greatest of all the super powers. It’s admittedly a fine choice. As someone who prizes every second of his day, I would love to be…
Read MoreThe many memories of Almacs
These photos were recently posted on a Facebook page dedicated to the history of my hometown of Blackstone, Massachusetts. I was instantly transported to the past. Almacs was my childhood grocery store, located just a…
Read MoreYour most valuable assets and greatest returns on investments
For the last five years, I’ve been a serious investor in the stock market, making it my daily habit to read, analyze, and study industry trends, macroeconomics, financial legislation, and the earnings reports of hundreds…
Read MoreNatalie Merchant’s singular performance
My storytelling friend, Steve Zimmer, pointed this out to me recently: Natalie Merchant performing at TED Live 2010. I love this performance so much. The best part – first pointed out to me…
Read MoreI’ve been told that Ted Lasso is going to be great. I hope it’s true.
I’m only one episode into Ted Lasso, so excuse me if I’m way off, but after watching the first episode, my first thought was this: It’s just the 1989 film Major League, except instead of…
Read MoreThings that Kept Me Going in 2021
The past couple years have been hard on all of us. Recognizing the challenges of the past year – which included COVID-19 infections, a major surgery, political and social unrest, and some unbelievable tragedies, I…
Read More