Prof Colin
@owtytrof.bsky.social
Tennis / baseball / travel / movies / academia
Shambolic Rube
Shambolic Rube
I'm confident that if Democrats regain power they'll give us the usual schtick about "Time to look forward" rather than putting these guys on trial, but I hope Hegseth et al are stupid enough to one day take a vacation in a country where a principled prosecutor will issue a warrant for their arrest
November 29, 2025 at 4:12 PM
I'm confident that if Democrats regain power they'll give us the usual schtick about "Time to look forward" rather than putting these guys on trial, but I hope Hegseth et al are stupid enough to one day take a vacation in a country where a principled prosecutor will issue a warrant for their arrest
And while I can't speak for how Republicans view him now, Pence was not a popular governor. He won his first term without a majority of votes in a state easily won by Romney the same election, and was trailing in polls for re-election when Trump rescued him for cred with the evangelicals
November 29, 2025 at 4:06 PM
And while I can't speak for how Republicans view him now, Pence was not a popular governor. He won his first term without a majority of votes in a state easily won by Romney the same election, and was trailing in polls for re-election when Trump rescued him for cred with the evangelicals
But I think the calculus for most is that they don't think this is an issue that MAGA cares all that much about. There was a pro-gerrymander rally recently at the statehouse and it drew just a few dozen people. Polls show redistricting is not popular here, and that sentiment crosses party lines
November 29, 2025 at 4:04 PM
But I think the calculus for most is that they don't think this is an issue that MAGA cares all that much about. There was a pro-gerrymander rally recently at the statehouse and it drew just a few dozen people. Polls show redistricting is not popular here, and that sentiment crosses party lines
I do believe some are operating on principle - my state senator is one, I believe. He came out opposed and now has a MAGA lunatic primary challenger for next year. His district is gerrymandered to remove voting influence from the university town where I live
November 29, 2025 at 4:02 PM
I do believe some are operating on principle - my state senator is one, I believe. He came out opposed and now has a MAGA lunatic primary challenger for next year. His district is gerrymandered to remove voting influence from the university town where I live
Indiana is already a highly gerrymandered state, and it's possible some of these guys are just afraid of losing their own gerrymandered district in the process, or afraid their district will become sufficiently less gerrymandered that they'd be vulnerable in a blue wave year
November 29, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Indiana is already a highly gerrymandered state, and it's possible some of these guys are just afraid of losing their own gerrymandered district in the process, or afraid their district will become sufficiently less gerrymandered that they'd be vulnerable in a blue wave year
I wrote this last year, and I think it still holds true. As someone who educates in volume (1100 students this semester over 4 classes) I have to keep reminding myself of this
www.drcolin.net/your-student...
www.drcolin.net/your-student...
drcolin.net - Your Students Do Not Deserve Your Cynicism
It's that time of the semester. In mid-November we all get a bit frazzled - the semester's been running forever and yet the end still feels far away. For students reality is setting in - the stakes ar...
www.drcolin.net
November 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I wrote this last year, and I think it still holds true. As someone who educates in volume (1100 students this semester over 4 classes) I have to keep reminding myself of this
www.drcolin.net/your-student...
www.drcolin.net/your-student...
As someone who's worked only in public sector higher ed, and who for years naively assumed these elite privates must be rolling in $ because of their huge price tags, it's been astonishing to learn how poorly managed and led they are, and so not surprising when they cave like this
November 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
As someone who's worked only in public sector higher ed, and who for years naively assumed these elite privates must be rolling in $ because of their huge price tags, it's been astonishing to learn how poorly managed and led they are, and so not surprising when they cave like this
Board members from business consistently fail in creating a university business model that can respond to the unexpected challenges, except to screw the employees when the budget goes south
November 29, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Board members from business consistently fail in creating a university business model that can respond to the unexpected challenges, except to screw the employees when the budget goes south
One thing we've learned from the slashing of grant money is just how many seemingly rich unis are basically living paycheck-to-paycheck, with their mammoth endowments tied up in illiquid assets or restricted by donors
November 29, 2025 at 1:53 PM
One thing we've learned from the slashing of grant money is just how many seemingly rich unis are basically living paycheck-to-paycheck, with their mammoth endowments tied up in illiquid assets or restricted by donors
Was the Yugo "well-made"? My recollection at the time was that the Hyundai Excel - at $4995 vs. $3995 for the Yugo - was regarded as the far more reliable option
November 28, 2025 at 12:30 AM
Was the Yugo "well-made"? My recollection at the time was that the Hyundai Excel - at $4995 vs. $3995 for the Yugo - was regarded as the far more reliable option
I've spent decades creating my own teaching materials because I found those created by publishers to be sub-par. But at least those were created by humans. Now if I were to consider using those I'd have to set aside time just to go through everything and fact-check it for hallucinations
November 27, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I've spent decades creating my own teaching materials because I found those created by publishers to be sub-par. But at least those were created by humans. Now if I were to consider using those I'd have to set aside time just to go through everything and fact-check it for hallucinations
I don't use it for work because the domains where I could use it are the parts of my work I actually like and it can't do the parts I hate
November 27, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I don't use it for work because the domains where I could use it are the parts of my work I actually like and it can't do the parts I hate
GOP is helped by the fact that no matter his badly they fuck up to lose power the voters will forget two years later and start giving it back
November 26, 2025 at 4:30 PM
GOP is helped by the fact that no matter his badly they fuck up to lose power the voters will forget two years later and start giving it back
(They also specialize in "Thanks for electing us, still can't do anything because filibuster, sorry but whatchagonnado?")
November 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
(They also specialize in "Thanks for electing us, still can't do anything because filibuster, sorry but whatchagonnado?")
GOP philosophy is "Do stuff when you have power in case you lose it next election." Dem approach is "Don't do stuff or you might lose the next election". So they never do stuff, but they also lose elections
November 26, 2025 at 4:00 PM
GOP philosophy is "Do stuff when you have power in case you lose it next election." Dem approach is "Don't do stuff or you might lose the next election". So they never do stuff, but they also lose elections
Party leaders/pundits are invested in defining themselves by what they are not (MAGA/left), but they never articulate new policies they are for. They defend existing stuff, but I can't recall the last time I heard a new policy idea from Dem leaders to improve people's lives, centrist or otherwise
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Party leaders/pundits are invested in defining themselves by what they are not (MAGA/left), but they never articulate new policies they are for. They defend existing stuff, but I can't recall the last time I heard a new policy idea from Dem leaders to improve people's lives, centrist or otherwise
Since the 8th spot is a wild card I’ve wondered about the possibility of it going to Shang, especially if Fonseca/Mensik choose to not play. Unlikely, but I think there’s a good case for him
November 26, 2025 at 5:14 AM
Since the 8th spot is a wild card I’ve wondered about the possibility of it going to Shang, especially if Fonseca/Mensik choose to not play. Unlikely, but I think there’s a good case for him
And not only is this a viable strategy, it seems to me like an optimal one. Candidates who take this approach and speak in humane terms are succeeding
November 24, 2025 at 10:58 PM
And not only is this a viable strategy, it seems to me like an optimal one. Candidates who take this approach and speak in humane terms are succeeding
I think everything James Carville writes tells us more about James Carville than about what works in politics in 2025
November 24, 2025 at 10:58 PM
I think everything James Carville writes tells us more about James Carville than about what works in politics in 2025
Or: phone makers and app designers aren’t innovating in a way that makes upgrades compelling
(Looking at you, Apple Intelligence)
(Looking at you, Apple Intelligence)
November 24, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Or: phone makers and app designers aren’t innovating in a way that makes upgrades compelling
(Looking at you, Apple Intelligence)
(Looking at you, Apple Intelligence)
Oh, they believe critical thinking is a worthwhile investment, we see that when they choose colleges for their own kids. The question is whether they think other people's kids - especially kids from lower-income families - deserve the same quality education, and evidence so far suggests they do not
November 23, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Oh, they believe critical thinking is a worthwhile investment, we see that when they choose colleges for their own kids. The question is whether they think other people's kids - especially kids from lower-income families - deserve the same quality education, and evidence so far suggests they do not
Lazy and contemptuous of their critics on the left, thus they dismiss "blueskyism" and defend the bot farm
November 23, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Lazy and contemptuous of their critics on the left, thus they dismiss "blueskyism" and defend the bot farm
Yup. Easiest way to tell what the elites (including the college presidents destroying the humanities) really believe is where they send their own kids, and none of them ever send their own kids to schools that are replacing humanities with AI
November 23, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Yup. Easiest way to tell what the elites (including the college presidents destroying the humanities) really believe is where they send their own kids, and none of them ever send their own kids to schools that are replacing humanities with AI
Too many media folks are invested in their follower account on X, happy with the feedback loop they get from their peers, and too lazy to do the work of rebuilding a following elsewhere - particularly an elsewhere that doesn't kiss their ass. So, they keep pretending X isn't just a big bot farm
November 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Too many media folks are invested in their follower account on X, happy with the feedback loop they get from their peers, and too lazy to do the work of rebuilding a following elsewhere - particularly an elsewhere that doesn't kiss their ass. So, they keep pretending X isn't just a big bot farm