Matt Pierce Blog

08/29/2026

I've been listening to the new Billy Strings album "So Much For Goodbyes." This album has a lot of emotional power. There is loss, longing, and belonging wrapped up in a record.

For those of us who have left home, seen the bigger world, and then came back home looking for whatever "home" was, this album is perfectly produced for us to understand. It is a masterclass in the modern existence for all of us who have grown up too soon or maybe even too late.

There is not much to say other than it is a pure, raw, and respectable work of literary art.

Pre Order the latest album release "So Much For Goodbyes" Release Date August 28, 2026

08/26/2026

What are your honest thoughts on social media?

08/20/2026

The new project is live and here is your chance to support the blunt work of calling it like it is.

A profane and blunt view of the modern Texas evolution.

08/18/2026

One of the best talks ever.

08/18/2026

Isn't it time to pull out the splinter?

American Splinters: Essays on Rural America, Class, Politics, and the People We Keep Misunderstanding

08/17/2026

The interesting part for what I have been learning about this past week is that graduate education, especially a PhD, can actually become very Montessori-like when it's done well.

Think about a strong doctoral research environment:

-You increasingly choose the questions you pursue.
-You work independently for long, uninterrupted periods.
-Your adviser doesn't ideally lecture you every day; they observe, challenge, redirect, and guide.
-More advanced doctoral students help newer students.
-You learn by doing actual research, not merely studying research.
-You eventually move from structured coursework toward almost complete intellectual independence.
-The end goal is essentially: you no longer need the teacher.

That is remarkably compatible with Montessori philosophy, even when nobody calls it Montessori.

Where academia often screws this up is that the undergraduate-to-PhD transition isn't organized that way. Undergraduates are frequently told:

Take these classes → get good grades → take the GRE if needed → fill out applications → hope somebody picks you.

That's almost the opposite philosophy.

A Montessori-style higher-education environment would instead say:

"Here's the scholarly community. Here are the tools. Here are researchers at different levels of development. Start exploring. Find questions that matter to you. Work alongside people who know more than you. Demonstrate increasing competence. Ask for guidance when you hit the limits of your current abilities."

And that's actually why I think the idea being brought up could be much broader than we are realizing.

08/17/2026

The American affordability crisis is looming despite the prosperity we see on the internet and inside of the lives of people who need social acceptance. I want to explain this to you.

08/15/2026

Why YouTube's new rules benefit large creators Meta YouTube

08/14/2026

Let’s settle this once and for all: What is the absolute worst country song ever written? I’ve got a pretty strong opinion on when things started going downhill. Do you agree with my pick, or do you have something even worse in mind?

08/14/2026

Just released: Dimensions of Time Poster
I turned one of my own San Antonio photos into something a little stranger. 😎

Dimensions of Time is part photography, part original artwork, and part psychedelic Texas fever dream.

If you’d like one hanging on your wall, I’m making prints available. Shoot me a message and I’ll get you the details.

Support independent art. Buy weird stuff from people you know. 🤘

Purchase your print: https://mattpierceblog-shop.fourthwall.com/products/streets-between-centuries