<p>Unlike, say, Tucker Max, or the guy from TMZ, Silver’s alumni status is not some kind of coincidence. It’s a little much to call him a typical University of Chicago student – not all of them have such stunning achievements in their first decade after graduation – but in many ways he sure looks like a type of student more common found at the University of Chicago, and in greater numbers, than anyplace else: an intellectually curious, math oriented nerd who cares deeply about methodology and ideas, follows data and logic more than ideology, can obsess equally about baseball and politics, writes beautifully, and is a little socially awkward in person.</p>