a leader can’t ignore public opinion, but a leader can’t also be subservient to it

Higher education is on the front like of the new lost cause. Far right groups are using what they see as public concerns about the relevance and cost of higher education to wage a segregationist campaign to return the US to pre-civil rights conditions. Albeit with less freedom within universities.

The "unaccountable" NIH and NSF just produced, over the last 80 years, the greatest innovation machine the world has ever known.

By the logic today, NIH and NSF are dead in the water too, replaced by presidential direction of grants to whomever he wants — his cronies.

& for the record: I’m not a kneejerk AI hater. I’m a subscriber to ChatGPT & use it frequently. Yes it’s productivity tool but you need to quality check its output, which many people don’t seem to do.

Thx for sharing this. Paper assumes output quality is consistent. Given known issues with AI output quality & need to verify, that assumption seems naive. & yikes: “two scientists managed to produce a research paper in less than an hour with the help of ChatGPT” uh huh high quality work I’m sure

“There is an agitated hive in each person ,and the bees never stop their noise. ; “ - “Ask Baba Yaga” by Taisia Kitaiskaia

But y'know what's priceless? Having a sense of personal style and not being swayed by trends.

Good article. One microcomplaint: Generation Jones (us older Gen Xers) was NOT named after “keeping up with the Jones” (c’mon, really?) but for the 1994 Counting Crows song “Mr Jones” from our young adulthood: “help me believe in anything, cause I wanna be someone who believes…”

Yup, seen same (covid, flu, shingles, pneumo, RSV etc). None of the ppl I know who’ve skipped vaxxes consider themselves antivaxxers; they “don’t think they need it” or “didn’t get around to it” despite many of them being in high-risk demographics. Then they get sick & bemoan “bad luck.” Whatever

With age, eyes focus more slowly; they also get drier (thus blurry) & women are at higher risk (bc hormones; HRT may help). Lasik means higher dry eye risk too. My vision is definitely more variable now as older F. Regardless: get your eyes checked to make sure it’s not something worse. Good luck.

There are small vehicles called LSVs (Local Street Vehicles) or NEVs (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) that are legal on US public streets <35mph. Friend just bought one; great for nearby errands which are ~half of all car use. But these differ from the all-roads mini vehicles in other countries.

Attire is communication. All societies have gender assumptions (some relaxed, some rigid). I’m cishet F & agree w you, but it’s a privilege to dress as I like at this place/time in my life without having to worry about hostility. & there are places I travel where I conform more bc risk higher.

One thing I’ve been pondering: college students not seen as adults, but as easily misled children needing adult oversight & controls. Contradictory yes but so is letting 18yrolds join the military but can’t buy a beer, rent a car, or stay alone in a hotel (latter two often require min age 25).