Aaron Hillegass
@hillegass.bsky.social
Teaches CS at Georgia Tech. Founder of Big Nerd Ranch. Author. Executive Director of the Kontinua Foundation.
My colleague Dr. Aibek Musaev and I were wandering around Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, a castle on a mountain in Alsace, this afternoon.
Me: How would you get millions of tons of stone cut and carried up here?
Aibek: Oh. Hmm. The TAs would do it, right?
Me: How would you get millions of tons of stone cut and carried up here?
Aibek: Oh. Hmm. The TAs would do it, right?
June 14, 2025 at 5:53 PM
My colleague Dr. Aibek Musaev and I were wandering around Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, a castle on a mountain in Alsace, this afternoon.
Me: How would you get millions of tons of stone cut and carried up here?
Aibek: Oh. Hmm. The TAs would do it, right?
Me: How would you get millions of tons of stone cut and carried up here?
Aibek: Oh. Hmm. The TAs would do it, right?
Following the takeover of New College by MAGA extremists, the graduation rate has dropped to 40% and professors are concerned that the students need remedial courses not offered by the school: www.podomatic.com/podcasts/sar...
This is what happens when loyalty, not competence, gets you the job.
This is what happens when loyalty, not competence, gets you the job.
New College has a student retention problem
More than two years after the takeover by the governor, New College of Florida for the first time recognized it has a retention problem. At a special board meeting, the new provost presented to the tr...
www.podomatic.com
May 31, 2025 at 6:58 AM
Following the takeover of New College by MAGA extremists, the graduation rate has dropped to 40% and professors are concerned that the students need remedial courses not offered by the school: www.podomatic.com/podcasts/sar...
This is what happens when loyalty, not competence, gets you the job.
This is what happens when loyalty, not competence, gets you the job.
I love Bill Withers, but to me "Lovely Day" sounds like someone turned a leafblower on in the middle of the song: "Such a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
Did anyone in the studio ask, "Bill, would you consider holding that note for just a beat or two so people don't, you know, contemplate self harm?"
Did anyone in the studio ask, "Bill, would you consider holding that note for just a beat or two so people don't, you know, contemplate self harm?"
May 18, 2025 at 8:38 AM
I love Bill Withers, but to me "Lovely Day" sounds like someone turned a leafblower on in the middle of the song: "Such a lovely daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."
Did anyone in the studio ask, "Bill, would you consider holding that note for just a beat or two so people don't, you know, contemplate self harm?"
Did anyone in the studio ask, "Bill, would you consider holding that note for just a beat or two so people don't, you know, contemplate self harm?"
Quick etiquette tip: if you are going on a long flight, don't wear perfume or cologne. Your fellow travelers didn't get to choose it and probably don't want to breathe your choice for several hours.
May 11, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Quick etiquette tip: if you are going on a long flight, don't wear perfume or cologne. Your fellow travelers didn't get to choose it and probably don't want to breathe your choice for several hours.
This discussion between Scott Galloway and Anne Applebaum is worth a listen: youtu.be/qyYqJolXE_E?...
Kleptocracy, Inc. — with Anne Applebaum | Prof G Conversations
YouTube video by The Prof G Pod – Scott Galloway
youtu.be
May 8, 2025 at 10:53 PM
This discussion between Scott Galloway and Anne Applebaum is worth a listen: youtu.be/qyYqJolXE_E?...
Protesting in Bryant Park.
April 5, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Protesting in Bryant Park.
The USD and English are heavily utilized around the world. As Trump's antics quicken their path to irrelevance, could fixes to English delay its replacement?
For example, we could fix spellings: "Tair the paper" and "A teer ran down his cheek." etc.
We still have some time to make English better.
For example, we could fix spellings: "Tair the paper" and "A teer ran down his cheek." etc.
We still have some time to make English better.
April 2, 2025 at 1:32 PM
The USD and English are heavily utilized around the world. As Trump's antics quicken their path to irrelevance, could fixes to English delay its replacement?
For example, we could fix spellings: "Tair the paper" and "A teer ran down his cheek." etc.
We still have some time to make English better.
For example, we could fix spellings: "Tair the paper" and "A teer ran down his cheek." etc.
We still have some time to make English better.
All the LLMs seem to have been trained on my books, so I can prompt them with "Write ___ as Aaron Hillegass would."
The result is often a bit of a caricature of my style, but I can hear my voice in there.
The result is often a bit of a caricature of my style, but I can hear my voice in there.
April 1, 2025 at 5:08 AM
All the LLMs seem to have been trained on my books, so I can prompt them with "Write ___ as Aaron Hillegass would."
The result is often a bit of a caricature of my style, but I can hear my voice in there.
The result is often a bit of a caricature of my style, but I can hear my voice in there.
"MacOS used to be so developer-friendly."
Said each time I explain to a user how to launch an app that wasn't downloaded from the App Store.
Murmured each time I do something like
CXXFLAGS="-I/opt/homebrew/include -L/opt/homebrew/lib" python3 -m pip install plyvel
One day soon: Linux full-time.
Said each time I explain to a user how to launch an app that wasn't downloaded from the App Store.
Murmured each time I do something like
CXXFLAGS="-I/opt/homebrew/include -L/opt/homebrew/lib" python3 -m pip install plyvel
One day soon: Linux full-time.
March 5, 2025 at 6:42 PM
"MacOS used to be so developer-friendly."
Said each time I explain to a user how to launch an app that wasn't downloaded from the App Store.
Murmured each time I do something like
CXXFLAGS="-I/opt/homebrew/include -L/opt/homebrew/lib" python3 -m pip install plyvel
One day soon: Linux full-time.
Said each time I explain to a user how to launch an app that wasn't downloaded from the App Store.
Murmured each time I do something like
CXXFLAGS="-I/opt/homebrew/include -L/opt/homebrew/lib" python3 -m pip install plyvel
One day soon: Linux full-time.
On most of the bulletin boards in Georgia Tech's CS department
February 17, 2025 at 5:17 PM
On most of the bulletin boards in Georgia Tech's CS department
Reposted by Aaron Hillegass
This chart shows how much of an outlier Trump is historically. Even Biden, who had the next highest disapproval when he took office, still had a plus-20 differential. news.gallup.com/poll/655955/...
January 29, 2025 at 11:37 PM
This chart shows how much of an outlier Trump is historically. Even Biden, who had the next highest disapproval when he took office, still had a plus-20 differential. news.gallup.com/poll/655955/...
Reposted by Aaron Hillegass
We're finally dismantling the federal government! Sure hope it doesn't serve essential functions that I've taken for granted my whole life
January 29, 2025 at 12:04 AM
We're finally dismantling the federal government! Sure hope it doesn't serve essential functions that I've taken for granted my whole life
The WSJ interviewed me about Christopher Rufo. I gave them a dozens reasons why he is a danger to our nation. I got a single sentence in the story: www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
Christopher Rufo Has Trump’s Ear and Wants to End DEI for Good
From his perch outside Seattle, the 40-year-old documentary filmmaker and writer has become one of the country’s most influential culture warriors, waging public fights against diversity, equity and i...
www.wsj.com
November 25, 2024 at 8:12 PM
The WSJ interviewed me about Christopher Rufo. I gave them a dozens reasons why he is a danger to our nation. I got a single sentence in the story: www.wsj.com/us-news/educ...
When I downsized recently, I sold many boxes of books to a local used bookstore.
The other day I was browsing in that store and thought, "Wow, they have some really terrific and unusual books here!"
And then I realized: most were tomes that used to be mine.
The other day I was browsing in that store and thought, "Wow, they have some really terrific and unusual books here!"
And then I realized: most were tomes that used to be mine.
November 22, 2024 at 11:07 PM
When I downsized recently, I sold many boxes of books to a local used bookstore.
The other day I was browsing in that store and thought, "Wow, they have some really terrific and unusual books here!"
And then I realized: most were tomes that used to be mine.
The other day I was browsing in that store and thought, "Wow, they have some really terrific and unusual books here!"
And then I realized: most were tomes that used to be mine.
I am a proud graduate of New College, and I was teaching there when Chris Rufo and the other MAGA extremists were made trustees. It breaks my heart to see what has become of my school.
It only took Ron Desantis and Chris Rufo two years to wreck this once outstanding college. It was too woke. Had too many LBGT students. So they took it over and wrecked it while enriching their cronies along the way.
November 21, 2024 at 11:24 PM
I am a proud graduate of New College, and I was teaching there when Chris Rufo and the other MAGA extremists were made trustees. It breaks my heart to see what has become of my school.