Losing and writing

Losers can be winners. We’re talking “incentive compatibility constraints”. An economist explains, with reference to Olympic badminton:

I don’t really understand the moral outrage over this.  

Douglas Coupland, who knows a thing or two about writing, offers some practical advice. Money quote for Steve Whitehouse:

There’s no way to erase your high school teacher’s grammar voice in your head — or your lit prof’s voice. This is good because grammar is important. But the moment you follow any rules they gave you about content, you’re lost. You and only you decide what the content is that you’re going to write. Channeling a long gone prof’s elitism or quirks is crippling.