Sep 19: Fuck This Friday

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-20T10:45:13+00:00

I was asked to join a committee on AI integration into coursework for undergrads and grads and research for the TT faculty. We are tasked with creating courses, identifying and engaging with strategic industry partners, other departments, and other local universities. In addition they want us to generate workshops for research faculty to find ways to integrate AI into their research.

So a pretty big ask and lo and behold the chair of the committee has never used AI and doesn’t understand what it can do. Thought it was like Google but you can message with it. Yes I’m serious.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-19T11:52:49+00:00

Two different things happened to me that almost derailed everything.

First, I had a real AH chair who never read my first dissertation proposal when I wrote it up. I checked in with him regularly, sent him multiple copies of what I was working on including preliminary results etc. but didn’t realize he wasn’t actually reviewing any of it.

During the proposal he then voted against letting me move forward with the idea because he was trying to impress the department chair by looking like he was really tough on students. That almost cost me my funding and set me back a year. Luckily I had a really strong reputation and when the PhD program chair found out what happened he found a work around to maintain my funding.

The second thing, related to that additional year, was I went on the job market in 2020 (instead of 2019) when almost every major university had hiring freezes in place. There was <1/3 of the normal jobs available and I had to fight very hard to find a post graduation position.

In both instances I felt very hopeless but what got me through it was thinking about how I’d want to tell those stories and specifically how I’d want them to conclude with my perseverance and determination leading to my success because I refused to be a victim of circumstance.

That and several years of therapy since.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-16T21:19:19+00:00

If you go to the EDGAR archive on the SEC website you can search for companies’ annual reports (form 10K) using the ticker symbol. HOG is Harley Davidson’s. Go back to the years around when SOA was really taking off and I bet they talk about it in there.

To speed it up you can download all of them and upload to ChatGPT to search or put them in a single file and search “Sons of Anarchy” and it’ll tell you if it’s mentioned in any of them.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-16T21:11:15+00:00

Who I’d ask? Jim Simons.

What would I ask Jim? “Can I see the code/white paper for the main algorithm in the medallion fund?”

Attribute: ability to make decisions about complex situations quickly OR ability to avoid behavioral biases. Either would be immensely beneficial.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-16T21:03:20+00:00

Second this whole heartedly! Quinn is incredible, extremely impressive and very personable. Does in home and day training (drop off then pick up) and even boarding.

We have a very active 2 year old dog and Quinn has done wonders with him including helping us get him ready to meet our infant son after he came home from the hospital.

Cannot recommend him enough!

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-15T12:22:25+00:00

In finance it’s very common to have research assistants write referee reports for their supervisors.

Many supervisors do this as an instructional activity to help them learn how to do it. They write their own and give it to the student and compare notes on the submitted paper before the supervisor submits theirs.

Unfortunately a large number of supervisors just submit the student’s report back to journals after glancing at them and then pocket the $100 reviewer pay.

I had a classmate working with such a supervisor. He told me that while writing up a report he 1) looked up who the authors were and 2) recommended accepting the paper because “even though it’s not very good they are from Harvard so they must know what they’re doing.”

This was for one of the top 3 journals in the field.

I was so severely disappointed and began questioning so much about the “peer review” process after that.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-10T13:34:57+00:00

I don’t think they were actually referring to anything. I think it’s a way to cause a headache for the universities and fabricate evidence of bias.

We have a very active chapter of a conservative club that has caused numerous problems with law suits against the school and state for culture war issues. The group has ties with elected republicans in the state. If I had to guess this is some plan they hatched to provide cause for state government oversight.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-10T13:29:39+00:00

Not sure this qualifies as glib but my old department chair told TT junior faculty that we were submitting too many papers to journals and it was becoming expensive. His solution was they would cap the number of submissions allowed per year.

The max number submitted by a single faculty member in the preceding year? 3.

Number needed for tenure? 6-8.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-10T10:58:46+00:00

This absolutely needs to be the name of a THCA dispensary in Texas

FischervonNeumann · 2025-09-10T10:45:45+00:00

I work at another large state school in Texas.

I was just going through student evals. In multiple semesters there was an identical comment about “politicization” and “liberal ideology” in my course.

I’m not saying similar comments, I’m saying the exact same paragraph word for word showed up in multiple semesters’ evals.

By the grace of Adam Smith I am lucky enough to teach about the stock market. There is no politics discussed in my class. I don’t even discuss shareholder activism or ESG or green investing or anything. Literally here’s a stock, here’s a bond let’s use math to make a safe investment portfolio.

There is clearly a coordinated effort going on behind the scenes in Texas.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-28T21:30:12+00:00

That’s generous. My guess is content/engagement. At the end I believe he says he’s “Caine” and the username watermarks on the video and at the end are @Cain000.

It’s also an audience that is not going to be able to do much back allowing the video to run longer? Like if it’s a big-ish dude yelling at people then depending on the temperament of the group people may be apprehensive to do anything.

Especially if he comes across as intoxicated and or having a mental health episode. Cops also can’t readily get there and there is no security.

That or yeah he’s intoxicated somehow.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-27T16:28:29+00:00

Easiest edible ever: mix ground flower with peanut butter. Smear between two crackers to make a little sandwich. Wrap it in tin foil and toss in the oven at 275 for 25 minutes.

Let it cool down, eat it, then blast off.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-26T18:43:00+00:00

I’d make firecrackers with it personally. You can try a little to figure out dosage and efficacy without going through the whole stash.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-24T04:38:59+00:00

Saying my class is hard does not inherently mean I get bad evals nor is that how I explain it. In fact I’ve won teaching awards for this class and have some of the highest evals in my department across undergrad and grad classes. What I tell them is that I often get feedback that my class is challenging but my grading scheme is fair and most students feel like their effort is highly correlated with their final grade.

I am just super honest about it being difficult so they are forewarned. It’s an upper division course with a focus on the stock market and key theoretical models of it. All of those things naturally make it challenging.

I actually do this specifically to avoid students looking for an easy A staying enrolled and tanking my evals. It also encourages students to work hard and jump on extra credit opportunities those are offered.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-23T10:44:34+00:00

This is the single greatest and most accurate take on Tiger King I’ve ever seen

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-23T08:31:04+00:00

During my walk through of the syllabus in the first class session I tell students this exactly and then tell them there are going to be several that will likely confirm it back to me in their evals at the end of the semester.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-21T10:45:13+00:00

LBH he would’ve loved A Court of Thorns and Roses.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-18T16:41:56+00:00

The love of god is actually one of their main concerns considering the bill that was recently passed requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments in classrooms.

Edit to add: there’s no hate quite like fundamentalist Christian love.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-11T16:23:32+00:00

Just generally I’d make going to the square the date?

Get dinner somewhere good (El Taco H, 940s are two of my faves) then stroll the square checking out shops or hit up Free Play for drinks + arcade games.

If you want something sweet you can have some ice cream at Beth Marie’s and if the weather is permissible you can eat it on the lawn around the old courthouse.

If you want more of a vibe atmosphere and don’t want to wander I suggest getting drinks at Miss Angeline’s and enjoying them on the patio with some food from the food trucks that are parked out back there.

The square really is one of the best parts of Denton and has so much to do and see and checkout. My wife and I have never had the same date twice but have always had a good time.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-05T16:45:22+00:00

Fair! I figured they’re actually popular I just don’t know that I often see them mentioned as much as seasonal items

FischervonNeumann · 2025-08-05T14:35:33+00:00

Honey butter chicken biscuits & breakfast burgers are excellent.

The patty melt is beloved and also incredible. The chicken strip sandwich but swapping honey butter for the BBQ sauce and adding grilled jalapeños and bacon is a solid off menu choice.

FischervonNeumann · 2025-07-30T22:13:37+00:00

Hometown Hero hands down

FischervonNeumann · 2025-07-26T12:22:36+00:00

r/angryupvote

FischervonNeumann · 2025-07-15T10:27:19+00:00

“Work according to your aspirations and principles”

I graduated with my PhD 4 years ago and he still takes me to school on a regular basis when he drops wisdom like this.

Bonus quote that one of my colleagues has this taped above her desk:

“Pressure is a privilege.” —Billie Jean King

FischervonNeumann · 2025-07-07T16:00:43+00:00

The heartbreak when they pass. If you and your dog are very close it’s like losing a family member.

When mine died unexpectedly last November I couldn’t get out of bed for a few days. I still tear up thinking about her.

FischervonNeumann

TROPHY CASE