iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Question for you: do these inflow figures also include tuition from int’l students?

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Possibly the forecast is based on historical modelling, which would include the period before tuition was jacked up and the debt burden comparatively lighter which means repayment would be correspondingly higher. Hiding bad news behind anodyne forecasts using questionable models is an old trick...

120

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

When you say "utterly baffled" do you mean "cynically unsurprised"?

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

What happens when everyone around you only tells you what you want to hear? Things like the Iran debacle, that's what. Check out my post on the sycophancy-industrial complex that produced Operation Epic Fury. rolfstromolsen.substack.com/p/flattery-g...

rolfstromolsen.substack.com

When Flattery gets you Everything

The current debacle in the Gulf reminds us that the right kind of advice is important.

000

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

True that last I checked the biochemistry, physics, math etc. folks didn’t seem in much of a tizzy about it. I suspect in part it’s because they don’t see (care about?) the effects in classroom as much.

111

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

That they do and those two are essentially guaranteed Liberal victories. I think they win Terrebonne as well, so likely majority of 2 by next month.

000

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Hard to call an election to shore up your minority government if you don’t have a minority government.

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

I wonder if it may also be that he wants to keep PP as opp leader, who’d likely come under a lot of pressure to resign if he lost a second election.

010

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

In other words, Carney seems to be in a position to lead his liberals to a historic victory and put his government in a very strong position for the remainder of Trump’s second term. So (if Chantal Hebert’s analysis is correct) why are we not heading to the polls anytime soon? 8/n

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Further, based on current polling, the projected Liberal majority would be unprecedented in modern Canadian electoral history. You have to go back to Mulroney in 1984 to see something similar, and that was before the rise of the Bloc in Quebec! 7/n

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

So by that logic, it would seem Carney would be foolish not to go to the polls, get his majority, and have a clear mandate for his policy priorities. 6/n

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

A majority changes the mandate, facilitates the government’s business in parliament, and strengthens its position. This is especially relevant ahead of the upcoming CUSMA negotiations and the various efforts by Carney to build out his “middle powers” strategy he outlined at Davos. 5/n

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Basic electoral math says if you are a minority government and have the opportunity to garner a clear majority, you should call an election. I can’t imagine there are many precedents of minority governments in Canada or elsewhere choosing to forego the option to gain a majority. 4/n

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

They are showing electoral strength across the country, including in conservative strongholds SK and AB. Additionally, they are holding on to their substantial lead over the BQ in Quebec. 3/n

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Let’s walk through the logic of whether an election would be advantageous for Carney’s Liberals. According to the data aggregation from @canadianpolling.bsky.social and @338canada.bsky.social the Liberals are in solid majority territory. 2/n

000

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 08/03/2026

Mark Carney today announced by-election dates for mid-April. According to the perspective of the always insightful @chebert18.bsku.social, this means the Liberals are not planning a spring election, despite opinion polls showing near record support for the LPC. www.cbc.ca/news/politic... 1/n

cbc.ca

Carney calls byelections in Quebec riding of Terrebonne, 2 Toronto ridings | CBC News

Prime Minister Mark Carney has called byelections in the Toronto ridings of University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest and the Quebec riding of Terrebonne — races the Liberals will want to win to s...

000

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

@reedvanschenck.bsky.social and I popped another red pill and suffered mild neurological damage by reading more Curtis Yarvin. This time, we look at his views on climate change, Keynesianism, and race - and how they are surfacing as policy. rolfstromolsen.substack.com/p/ep-06-curt...

rolfstromolsen.substack.com

Ep. 06 Curtis Yarvin Knows a Thing or Two about Race (among other things)

While Our Students Are Sleeping: a Podcast about Theory and Politics

043

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Thank God you don't like curling...

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Did you know the American Revolution was a bad thing, or that the US Civil War was about distinct but legitimate moral orders? @reedvanschenck.bsky.social and I explore Curtis Yarvin’s take on history. Also: Cyndi Lauper makes a surprise appearance. rolfstromolsen.substack.com/p/ep-05-curt...

rolfstromolsen.substack.com

Ep. 05 Curtis Yarvin's History Lesson

While Our Students Are Sleeping: a Podcast about Theory and Politics

010

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Reed @reedvanschenck.bsky.social and I have been reading Curtis Yarvin for our podcast so you don't have to. The first part looks at all the reasons why you should be thankful for that. rolfstromolsen.substack.com/p/ep-04-curt...

rolfstromolsen.substack.com

Ep. 04 Curtis Yarvin Takes a Red Pill

While Our Students Are Sleeping: a Podcast about Theory and Politics

022

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

My day started with a lecture on Carl Schmitt, followed by a 2 hr romp through the Italian Renaissance, and now I’m ending it with a nice table wine, listening to Strauss and reading a bit of Bunin. #MiddleAgeFriday

000

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

In our latest podcast episode, @reedvanschenck.bsky.social and I look at Shmitt's "The Concept of the Political" and explore how his idea of the Friend/Enemy dynamic is increasingly relevant to the volatile polarization in our modern democracies. rolfstromolsen.substack.com/p/179403645?

rolfstromolsen.substack.com

Carl Schmitt's Concept of the Political

While Our Students Are Sleeping: a Podcast about Theory and Politics

042

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

I've written up some thoughts about a curious story that reveals the economics of late-stage capitalism. rolfstromolsen.substack.com/p/climbing-i...

rolfstromolsen.substack.com

Climbing into the 1% in the Age of Capitalist Excess

You can steal millions of dollars if you work for the right people, apparently.

010

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 30/05/2025

Probably easier than watching a movie, since that requires some cognitive effort of interpretation and judgment.

100

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

From a Canadian perspective, America seems to be really working hard to cast itself, inexplicably, as a bad-faith actor. Cui bono?

280

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 31/01/2025

Appropriate that this dog-catches-car asshattery is 5 years to the day (+1) since the UK showed how to self-own by leaving the EU.

000

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 24/01/2025

Mark Carney est le meilleur candidat pour chef d'un parti - quel qu'il soit - que nous ayons vu depuis une génération.

000

Rolf Strom-Olsen @rstromolsen.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

I started doing this last semester. I require students to fill out a statement that asks them to specify if they have used AI, and if so how. In my experience, students are honest and forthright, and the information is helpful in assessing their work. In short, highly recommended practice!

010