Ian Underwood, Author at Granite Grok

Ian Underwood

Ian Underwood is the author of the Bare Minimum Books series (BareMinimumBooks.com).  He has been a planetary scientist and artificial intelligence researcher for NASA, the director of the renowned Ask Dr. Math service, co-founder of Bardo Farm and Shaolin Rifleworks, and a popular speaker at liberty-related events. He lives in Croydon, New Hampshire.

An Ad I’d Like to See

Over the past few weeks, I’ve had occasion to watch Robert F. Kennedy Jr. give testimony before Congress.  Most recently, he was trying to explain why a hearing on censorship should not itself be subject to censorship.

Scales of justice gavel law court

The Process is the Punishment

So, what happens if the Trump verdict in New York is overturned or if the fine is reduced to a more reasonable value? (Which — given that normal procedures were followed, and no one was harmed — would be around $10 at most.)

The Fair Share Surcharge

I recently saw a receipt from a restaurant in Los Angeles, which included a 4% surcharge labeled ‘Healthy LA’.  Presumably, it is supposed to pay for health care and other benefits for restaurant workers.

NH Dept of Education logo

Crime and [No] Punishment

Recently, I was having a conversation in which I had occasion to bring up RSA 193-H:2, which says: Schools shall ensure that all pupils are performing at the proficient level or above on the statewide assessment as established in RSA 193-C.

Sheep math bad math Photo by Michal Matlon on Unsplash

The Public School Double Standard (Part 2)

Years ago, I wrote about how traditional public schools are to be judged by their ideals and intentions — their best possible outcomes — rather than by their actual performance; while the alternatives (e.g., charter schools, private schools, Extended Learning Opportunities, the Children’s Scholarship Fund, Learn Everywhere, and now EFAs and even home education) are …

The Public School Double Standard (Part 2) Read More »

Children rain boots

It’s Not the Books That Need To Be Removed…

Here’s something that blows my mind. On the one hand, conservative parents continue to fight over the issue of pornographic books in school libraries. But on the other hand, they continue to send their children to a political institution controlled by woke progressives.

gun rifle firearm

Bruen: We May be Going About This Wrong

The Virginia state senate just passed a bill essentially outlawing the AR-15 and similar firearms. Now, anyone who’s familiar with the Bruen ruling and its two-part test knows that this bill simply ignores that ruling.