J. Brian Houston

@jbrianhouston.bsky.social

48 followers 200 following 88 posts

Higher ed, disasters, communication, public health. Recovering Okie.

Videos

Psychology 34%

Communication & Media Studies 19%

Posts Replies Media Videos

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · 8d

Nice example for your intro to stats class about how means and medians can meaningfully differ. ritholtz.com/wp-content/u...

Average net worth shown by age by decade (20s, 30s, 40s, etc.) in means (average) and median. For all ages, the average net worth mean is much higher than the median. For example, for individuals in their 70s the average net worth is $1,462,121 while the median net worth is $232,712. The spread between average and mean increases as individuals get older, and overall net worth increases peaking in the 60s and then slowly declining slightly until the 90s.

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · 18d

Another good write-up of the Bone Temple Number of the Beast scene www.theguardian.com/music/2026/j...

Release the beast! How Iron Maiden and a naked Ralph Fiennes created the ultimate big-screen needle drop

The Number of the Beast lights up an unforgettable scene in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple thanks to director Nia DaCosta expertly blending ‘craziness and romance’

www.theguardian.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · 18d

Glad this Iron Maiden cover scene got a write up because it is great fun 🤘🏽https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/21/movies/ralph-fiennes-iron-maiden-scene-the-bone-temple.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GVA.5_1j.TRisdEl30Lah

How Ralph Fiennes Rocks Out to Iron Maiden in ‘The Bone Temple’

www.nytimes.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · 27d

'In interviews with dozens of high school seniors applying to college this fall, many said they were worried that sharing personal information — especially about their race, gender and immigration status — could hurt them." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/u...

What Seniors Are Writing About in Their College Admissions Essays

www.nytimes.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Jan 8

www.chronicle.com/article/rand...

Quote from Kennedy that reads: Academics tend to be very tough on themselves and very tough on their institutions. We get really disappointed when our colleagues or our institutions don’t live up to our highest aspirations. That’s a good tendency. Being self-critical is a good thing. But one has to be careful. Good tendencies can be taken too far. By all means be critical. But beware of losing perspective.

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Dec 10

Nursing apprenticeships are starting to fix a broken career ladder, amid national shortage hechingerreport.org/nursing-appr...

Amid a national shortage of nurses, nursing apprenticeships are beginning to offer a solution to the problem

Many healthcare workers would like to move up to become registered nurses, but costs of the degree stop them. New apprenticeship programs are offering paid hands-on training while these workers pursue...

hechingerreport.org

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Nov 24

I know short term rentals is only one of the reasons listed here, but it is such a bummer that Airbnbs can be so great for travelers and are so bad for residents www.apolloacademy.com/declining-po...

Declining Population in Paris - Apollo Academy

The number of people living in Paris continues to decline. This trend is driven by several factors, including affordability, limited...

www.apolloacademy.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Nov 21

“If you don’t have your ear glued to the left of the dial, you’re probably missing out.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/s...

College Radio Keeps Its Cool

www.nytimes.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Nov 21

“With creators no longer required to pursue artistic excellence, culture became a lowest-common-denominator battle for attention.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/b...

Pop Culture Got Stale. Counterculture Went Right-Wing.

www.nytimes.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Nov 14

Eighth grade soundtrack 🤘

WHAT A FUCKING RECORD @whatafuckingrecord.bsky.social · Nov 14

Reposted by J. Brian Houston

WHAT A FUCKING RECORD @whatafuckingrecord.bsky.social · Nov 14

Reposted by J. Brian Houston

Barry Ritholtz @ritholtz.bsky.social · Nov 11

"We live in a world where there is more and more information and less and less meaning."

-Jean Baudrillard

Reposted by J. Brian Houston

WHAT A FUCKING RECORD @whatafuckingrecord.bsky.social · Nov 11

42 (UK)

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Nov 7

REM is forever my thanksgiving band, cuz this record came out around that time in 1988.

WHAT A FUCKING RECORD @whatafuckingrecord.bsky.social · Nov 7

Reposted by J. Brian Houston

WHAT A FUCKING RECORD @whatafuckingrecord.bsky.social · Nov 7

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Oct 30

“Vagueness has long been seen as a clear divide between democracies run by laws and autocracies run by strongmen” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/m...

In the Trump Presidency, the Rules Are Vague. That Might Be the Point.

www.nytimes.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Oct 24

Go to a show! It will make you feel better! onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Oct 23

This is the one of the most frustrating aspects of disasters. Rarely is anything “new” learned in an event. The lessons learned “this time”were almost certainly there from the last disaster. Most likely the learnings from the last time were not implemented and forgotten in calm between storms.

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Oct 23

Motorolla’s emergency radio network provided spotty coverage and was overwhelmed following the Kerr County floods. (Also it was more expensive than another public utility option that offered better coverage.) www.nytimes.com/2025/10/23/u...

A Costly Radio System Faltered When Texas Needed It Most

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Peter Thorne, Kevin J. Anchukaitis, J. Brian Houston

The New York Times @nytimes.com · Oct 15

Months before catastrophic floods swept through an Alaska Native village on Sunday, the Trump administration canceled a $20 million grant meant to protect the community from extreme flooding. At the time, the EPA administrator said he was eliminating "wasteful DEI and Environmental Justice grants."

E.P.A. Canceled $20 Million Flood Protection Grant to Alaska, Parts of Which Just Flooded

The remote village of Kipnuk planned to use the money to protect against flooding. On Sunday, it was inundated.

nyti.ms

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Oct 5

“if democracies learn to articulate a more ambivalent narrative — one that acknowledges loss, confronts vulnerability, redefines progress and pursues resilience — they may paradoxically renew themselves.” www.nytimes.com/2025/10/05/o...

Opinion | The West Is Lost

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by J. Brian Houston

WHAT A FUCKING RECORD @whatafuckingrecord.bsky.social · Sep 12

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Aug 27

Beautiful essay on consciousness, existence, and attention. bigthink.com/business/bra...

What brain surgery taught me about the fragile gift of consciousness

After the trauma of brain surgery, Big Think writer Eric Markowitz discovered a kind of consciousness that lives in presence.

bigthink.com

J. Brian Houston @jbrianhouston.bsky.social · Aug 27

"Contrary to much popular opinion, college is not in the information transfer business; we are in the identity formation business." www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...