Charter Citizen by Tyler Coburn
In October 2012, the Supreme Court of Honduras forced closure on the latest experiment in neoliberal expansionism, ruling against the constitutionality of free cities within its borders. The ill-fated endeavor dates back to the 2009 TED conference, when liberal economist Paul Romer took the floor to pitch “charter cities”: autonomous city-states, within the territory of host countries, subject to the market-friendly jurisdiction of credible guarantor nations. Autonomous laissez-faire utopias, of course, are not new to the developing world, which has periodically served as a sketchpad for the capitalist dreamer. This talk will highlight a few cautionary tales in recent libertarian history, drawing on my firsthand experience at the conferences, in the office lobbies, and along the money trails of certain enterprises.

The Aesthetics of Pi by Evan Daniel Smith
Pi is comprised of meaningless, random numbers — so how does one go about memorizing it? It turns out that one of the most effective methods is also one of the most gratifying: breaking pi up into a series of beautiful patterns. This is a serious (but rewarding) task which involves both recognizing overt patterns as well as inventing one‘s own aesthetic associations. From simple, rhythmic patterns (0700707) to conceptual approaches, this talk will examine what it is that makes pi so memorable.

A Quick History of Typography and Fonts by Leslie Gill

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