The Fora: A Higher Education Community

I just conducted another great interview for the study. Happy weekend!

Quote from: Ruralguy on Today at 01:33:18 PMTo put it in Trumpian terms, what cards does Elon have to play? He quickly noticed that threatening to de-Space X the space program before Trump gets the chance will only serve to get him kicked out of his own company after turning its value into mush.  His best play is to STFU, get the most out of his companies, and become the first trillionaire. I don't know why he felt the need to become a Batman/Bond villain in addition to all else. He should have been smarter than to get involved in all of this. I think the ketamine is pickling his brain.

I have no sympathy for either anyway.

Elon having been high this whole time was the least surprising thing ever.

I'm low-key riding with Trump on this one. Awful as he is, Elon is truly a next-level piece of work.

I did have a student last year who insisted on being excused from TWO WEEKS of the class due to a religious holiday ("I cannot possibly do any classwork during this time").  They even sent a letter from their faith leader saying "please excuse stu".

Nope.

That is not how this works.  The letter *explains* your absence, but does not excuse you from anything.  I put all of the assignments online for stu & they failed to do them, even with >2 weeks to work on them.  They also managed to fail the class.

No idea why stu thought it was possible/practical/reasonable to miss 2 weeks of all of their classes with no consequences. 

They both think that power and money gives them the right to behave like irresponsible juveniles. More thoughtful leaders know that power and money actually force them *not* to behave in such a manner because so much is at stake.

Trump's mantra will be "I kept him when it was good, and I booted him when it was bad."

Democrats will get voters in two years (and in less than a year in Virginia) to "think back to Elon"

Problems with lawyers using AI
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/06/high-court-tells-uk-lawyers-to-urgently-stop-misuse-of-ai-in-legal-work

They are quoting phantom legal rulings and case law to build legal arguments.  Whoops.

I've either seen two rabbits on two separate recent morning walks or the same rabbit twice. Both times, the animal in question let me get to within ~10 feet of it and photograph it (with the characteristic "shutter click" sound of my iPhone not even seeming to startle it).

Are small animals in urban spaces becoming more accustomed to humans being near them? I'm not sure. What do y'all think?

Quote from: Puget on June 05, 2025, 02:45:40 PMQuick someone persuade Trump that the best way to get revenge on Elon is to undo all the DOGE cuts!

I like the way you think!
_____

On another forum, I (only half-)jokingly said that everything I really like either goes to Hell rapidly, falls apart easily, or disappears from the world entirely--certain fast-food favorites, pop-up headlights on cars, manual transmissions, the habit of reading books aloud in public, empathy, common decency, democracy . . .

Others agreed and/or said "that escalated quickly!" Well, yeah. But if you ask me right now how I'm feeling about the state of American democracy, I feel as though I'm an untrained person forced into the role of an EMT who's watching the patient die because I don't know how to prevent him/her/them from bleeding out.

To put it in Trumpian terms, what cards does Elon have to play? He quickly noticed that threatening to de-Space X the space program before Trump gets the chance will only serve to get him kicked out of his own company after turning its value into mush.  His best play is to STFU, get the most out of his companies, and become the first trillionaire. I don't know why he felt the need to become a Batman/Bond villain in addition to all else. He should have been smarter than to get involved in all of this. I think the ketamine is pickling his brain.

I have no sympathy for either anyway.

Actually, it would be good for the trainee to know that some people will say no, and you have to be able to deal.

Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on Today at 11:21:38 AM

Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on June 05, 2025, 03:24:16 PMShocking that the Trump-Elon bromance has soured - and in such a public way? Who would have thought? This is gearing up to be one saucy season of Trump's America.

I swear... half the time I think about this insanity, I have to wonder if it's scripted just to keep people distracted.

No, they are both too impulsive and egotistical to play along.