The Wire … less

“The rise and fall of crime in the late 20th century (and into the 21st) is one of the great mysteries of social science. No one has come up with an explanation that fully—and incontestably—accounts for the falling crime rates. Many have tried, and shown substantial initial results, only to have their findings disputed.” A pair of researchers think they’ve found a possible cause for the decline. From The Atlantic: The Collapsing Crime Rates of the ’90s Might Have Been Driven by Cellphones. (Maybe criminals were afraid their phone would flip?) You can make your own call as to whether cell phones really reduced violent crime. It’s nice to imagine they had some positive impact. If nothing else, the escalating price of iPhones made me aspire to upgrade to white collar crimes.