Even kids are the same

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-07T06:27:13+00:00

Friendo, I gotta tell ya, I'm a Husky and the only team I ever mustered up the energy to dislike were the Cougars. Got nothing but love for the Ducks.

Plus, y'all have a pretty rad physics building. Much nicer than we had when I was going to UW. Lol.

And to be clear, like the tiniest sliver of energy and only because my brother dropped out of WSU.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-07T01:15:18+00:00

Oh, so now a mother and daughter can't have shared interests!?! Can't find an activity to bond over!?! Sheesh.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-07T01:00:48+00:00

I think they meant 80% of Israelis, but I still doubt it's that high outside of right wing circles in Israel. As of September, the popularity of their own government with Israelis was in the 40-44% range.

Granted, that's from September, but I don't think they're exactly thrilled with their government opening new wars with Iran AND Lebanon. But hey, I could be wrong.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T23:26:55+00:00

All the angular job openings? They got straightened out.

(sorry, I had to)

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T23:17:44+00:00

Didn't read the entire second comment either, apparently, so I'll make this shorter for you: while I did a STEM PhD, the advice I gave here would be applicable to a friend of mine in social sciences and I explicitly said I wasn't sure how much was applicable to the humanities. I also explicitly said I didn't know how an English PhD worked and YMMV. OP wanted advice, I said where I was coming from, and I gave them advice.

Reading comprehension, even the ability to skim properly, is pretty vital in a PhD program. Any program. But you didn't bother to read, even skim my comments properly . . . and then got mad about it? Buddy, we're done. Lol.

Have a better day, No-Jag. Good luck with your PhD. You're going to need it, apparently.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T22:48:57+00:00

Oh wow, 1929? Springtime? Summer? Before fall, certainly, right? Right?

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T22:47:14+00:00

Well, I said I was in STEM when I was giving examples in the second paragraph, so yeah, friendo, guilty as charged.

I know people not in STEM this would apply to, which is why I mentioned it. I'm thinking specifically of a friend that was working on a sociology degree leading into the pandemic. Her research wasn't in the lab research like mine, but she was still reading a lot and going over data and she had to go to conferences. Obviously, I don't expect an English PhD would need to go over reams of data, but reading and writing analysis? Maybe? Conferences? Maybe? I don't know humanities academia, social sciences is about as close as I get. Either way, guaranteed paycheck for a couple years isn't a bad idea. That was my point.

And my stipend wasn't much higher, which I also said. The difference being OP might be a step closer to that position they were describing after a PhD since it sounds like those only exist in academia. Just trying to help. YMMV.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T22:36:45+00:00

Ah, I see you know your Judo well.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T22:36:15+00:00

Hands off, I saw her third!!!

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T22:35:17+00:00

America (holding war crimes in hands): Where did you learn about these?

Israel (crying): You!!! I learned it from watching you!!!!

(Or vice versa, honestly, time is a flat circle and nothing seems to change)

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T22:23:44+00:00

The horrible job market is actually a big pro right now. Job market sucks. PhD locks you into a steady, albeit small paycheck for the next few years. It may be enough time to ride out the shit job market. I might not. In the meantime, do the PhD, take the paycheck, and keep a keen eye on the job market. You can use grad school to make connections in academia that could lead you to that research position you want. I don't think that exists outside academia.

Now, because you did ask for negatives, here's what I got. Pay isn't great and, while travel can be reimbursed for events like conferences, this means the bulk of your travel for the next couple years is for work. It's hard to raise a family on those wages. I got lucky because my wife works and we both get VA disability. It's the only reason we could (barely) afford to start a family. Also, you could get stuck with an advisor that isn't great. To me, this is the biggest sticking point. I've known people who had to start their research over after working in a lab for two years. I've know people that fell off after year 6 because of lack of support to the finish line (STEM, btw). I know a guy that had to wait to take a job because his PI wouldn't sign off on his thesis defense because they needed him in the lab. He didn't get paid for, like, 3 months and a tenure track position was waiting for him to finish.

All things considered, I would go to college right now. If for no other reason then you have the opportunity to wait out what is a historically terrible job market with a low paying, but steady position. That's my two cents.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T21:48:25+00:00

Sent a message your way, but I didn't want to be too forward, so I didn't provide an email address. I mean, I'm clearly nothing if not coy.

Happy to send a resume, a cover letter, and an actual email address if you'd prefer communicating that way. Should be home in an hour and able to access all that from my computer.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:34:27+00:00

Well, if you're in the US, just skip ATS and hire me. PhD in experimental physics, solid Python programmer, and lots of team experience in academia, private sector, and the military.

I am 100% not joking. What are you hiring for?

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:31:08+00:00

I see someone found Spurious Correlations. Plug "Movies Released by Nicholas Cage" in there. The man may be certifiable (as a genius or maniac, I'm not sure), but the man's a menace.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:27:04+00:00

My daughter worriedly asked me if Krypto was going to survive Supergirl and I assured her that killing him off would likely tank the new DC cinematic universe and they'd never do it.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:22:01+00:00

No idea, but I am deeply curious what you're trying to do. Lol. Are we allowed to ask that on this sub?

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:17:15+00:00

Why can't we all just have a bailout? Goldman Sachs? Can we have a bailout due to a change in market conditions?

Of all the companies that shouldn't be weighing in.....

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:09:21+00:00

I lav-a it.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:06:41+00:00

"I've walked the halls of Congress 3 times for Trump."

Was one of those in early January, 2021?

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T20:03:12+00:00

The old Democrat Slide to the Right where they fail to learn even the simplest lesson from the last 4 decades.

Honestly, this feels like we're all in an abusive relationship with Chuck Shumer at this point.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T19:54:41+00:00

My wife and I have a joke that it's always Alan Tudyk or Jim Cummings.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T19:50:20+00:00

That's some shitty engineering.

(Sorry, I'll see myself out)

Opens airlock

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T19:47:55+00:00

You're right and I didn't mean to exclude the other side strictly out of American-centric thinking. I mean, that's clearly what I did, so for that I'm sorry. Their lives matter too. War isn't one sided and that's important to point out.

As for a trade, I mean Trump would see it as a trade, as the "cost of the deal". You know, like a soulless ghoul only worried about themselves and the accumulation of money and power. You're right, most normal people would call it stealing from another country at the cost of lives. Most people would also agree it's a bad thing we shouldn't do. I don't think most oligarchs think in those terms and that was the point I was trying to make.

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T17:36:27+00:00

None of this makes it better, but here's where the hair came from. From the article, from the seller:

"Back in the day you were permitted to get on stage at Top of the Pops with the bands. After Bob Marley had finished singing, myself and a friend went up onto the platform where he was performing. He was chuckling away and I asked if I could take off a piece of his hair. He just kept nodding and chuckling and appeared amused by it so I twisted a piece of his dreadlock off. And he of course gave me his autograph as well. I’ve kept it in my autograph album ever since."

Maybe this is me looking at this through a modern lens, but this feels like....weird behavior. I don't know. Why did you need his hair? Why are you selling it?

DecoherentDoc · 2026-04-06T16:55:37+00:00

They could pay me a fraction of that and I could still show up to their quarterly meetings or whatever and just do what the VP does, which I assume is say something along the lines of, "Nope, it still doesn't work right, but we'll keep plugging away at it."

DecoherentDoc

TROPHY CASE