George
George
@dzop.bsky.social
On the internet, nobody knows you’re a wiener dog.
2 of the 9 starters are using them.
March 30, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Yes, that’s the counter argument.
January 24, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Whether or not that thesis is right or wrong, what you’re complaining about isn’t a side effect, it’s the whole purpose of what they’re trying to do.
January 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
but that’s exactly the point. The idea is that universities are grossly inefficient users of grants, using then to subsidize a large segment of the economy that isn’t “research” and is mostly rent seeking. By snuffing it out, private sector alternatives may sprout.
January 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Jeez, how many degrees and you never learned what an appeal to authority is? This is another example of CA’s catering to the fantasies of its urban elite at the expense of meaningful environmental reform. God forbid there should be cows on your hike.
January 14, 2025 at 2:11 AM
For what it’s worth, the aggregate cost of the wildfires and Helene still is substantially lower than the rough estimated cost of true mitigation and adaptation (around 2% of GDP, which is north of 500 billion).
January 13, 2025 at 11:23 PM
Yes forgive me if I find the appeal to authority, when that authority is the State of California, less than compelling. California is the archetypal example of how not to conserve and how to waste resources. This should be seen as a small tragedy.
January 13, 2025 at 10:25 PM
But this is terrible! The agricultural use of Point Reyes was what made it unique, and it eve. predated its use as a place for recreation. There is this bizarre US obsession with returning all these places to a state of nature as if that’s better than waving at the cows on the way to a hike.
January 12, 2025 at 1:31 PM
Why doesn’t CalTech draw down its endowment to provide support? Surely this is the metaphorical “rainy day” they were saving for? If not this, then what could ever qualify?
January 11, 2025 at 12:50 PM
The Golden Age for every person is whatever years they were 14-16, though.
January 10, 2025 at 9:09 PM
Isn’t this just a glorified compliance job for ESG reporting? 90% of the scope in the job description is just generating (vaguely credible-seeming) metrics; there’s no actual decision-making. For a role like this one, you want a spreadsheet monkey.
December 29, 2024 at 2:35 PM
Just stay away from their LaLas
December 28, 2024 at 11:00 PM
Right, but in the short term it could benefit humanity by increasing supply of certain metals, no? If you take a degrowth view then all development is bad, but that’s not a rigorous answer to the question.
December 24, 2024 at 11:27 AM
For the low low price of ….. $8,800???
December 14, 2024 at 12:16 PM
For what it’s worth, virtually all drones are programmed to lower to the ground slowly when the battery gets low. “Dropping out of the sky” requires a catastrophic failure. But yes, my confidence that the drones are just as safe is a comment on how dangerous the roads are.
November 30, 2024 at 7:41 PM
I mean, unless you have data, you’re just speculating. If we’re wild-ass-guessing, I suspect drones are no more likely to drop out of the sky than a van is to hit a car or pedestrian, and more importantly, nearly all failures will only injure bushes or a patch of dirt.
November 30, 2024 at 6:58 PM
If an Amazon van ran into you, you would also be dead.
November 30, 2024 at 6:37 PM
You mean the same Rick Fairbanks who ghosted my oral quals, despite agreeing to participate, causing about 30 minutes of panic before S.H. agreed to cover his portion and then-relevant-admin PdM agreed to a one time examination by two? That Rick Fairbanks?
November 27, 2024 at 3:02 PM
You can buy a 2D version of this as an excellent desk toy.
November 25, 2024 at 12:25 AM
This is very well written.
November 23, 2024 at 12:56 PM
Oooo a chance for some enterprising seismo student to finally figure out why Moodus has a history of shallow minor quakes…
November 21, 2024 at 2:50 AM
Washington isn’t particularly expensive - if anything it runs slightly cheaper than other US cities that could hold a global conference.
November 20, 2024 at 12:28 PM
Isn’t it entirely consistent with Loper Bright? I mean it was no secret that the CEQs rule making authority was a pure executive branch creation and doomed as soon as Chevron went down. Hard to call a decision “bananas” when it follows binding SCOTUS precedent.
November 13, 2024 at 12:44 PM
If it’s dull, brown, and indestructible, then you know it’s chrysoberyl
November 12, 2024 at 12:29 PM
They also are the absolute kings of cider fruit - both sweet and hard. They may not match some of the winesaps for sugar, but in terms of flavor and texture they produce dense, applely, balanced ciders with more tannic complexity than any other common sweets.

But man are they ugly.
November 3, 2024 at 3:13 AM