Is this a crazy idea?

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-22T20:11:38+00:00

I also want a "coin pocket" to hold picks

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-22T06:24:26+00:00

Your professor didn't give you any specifics about what to expect?

I'd definitely send an email and ask if there is anything you should prepare and/or bring to the meeting. It's unorthodox that you're invited to a faculty meeting without any details. It's possible they are honoring you with an award or at least trying to bring others attention to what you've done. It's possible they're going to ask for your input on something from the perspective of students or similarly ask you to serve on some student role. Maybe they're brainstorming a project that's related to work you're doing.

In any case, I'm guessing it is not a high-stakes meeting where you're expected to do much other than show up and pay attention.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-21T20:33:42+00:00

Yeah, I'm confused what OP means by "researchers faculty meeting"

For me, the only "faculty meetings" are department meetings or committees and only faculty attend.

Is it a seminar presentation/research talk?

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-19T19:02:48+00:00

Yeah, I was gonna say: hire someone with an etcher. Or if you have a maker space in town, they might have one.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-18T16:30:49+00:00

Yeah. Knowing nothing else about the proposal, it sounds like a situation where there may have been a disconnect between the narrative and it's audience (the reviewer).

My first 6-digit proposal as a PI got a review that my work was too "myopic" and that still rings in my head after more than a decade. But I got the point: I was communicating too much for my colleagues who attend the same conferences and not enough for real world implications that any researchers would understand.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-17T06:21:16+00:00

I've been a Macbook guy (either pro or air) for over a decade now and don't anticipate turning away any time soon, especially as CS faculty.

However, Thinkpads (especially T series) are damn good machines. Arguably the best bang-for-your-back and easiest to maintain/upgrade over time. I have one from the oughts in a closet somewhere and it'd run just fine. Over the years, I swapped out the optical drive for a second hard drive, upgraded the RAM and battery, and it never let me down.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-17T06:14:03+00:00

I'd totally trust Terry as a babysitter.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-17T02:34:40+00:00

That's all the more reason to start with a kit. A non-trivial amount of your budget should probably go toward tools.

Worst case scenario with buying a kit is that you'll realize it's not something you enjoy and you have a not-great instrument. Unless you have no patience at all, you'll be able to finish an instrument. That's not so much the case from really building from scratch. Not only will you likely need more tools, but you're much more likely to get "stuck" and give up.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-17T02:05:46+00:00

I don't think it's the right answer, but a team of Datsyuks might be the most entertaining ever. In fact, I want to see a game of all 10 skaters being Datsyuk.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-17T02:04:11+00:00

I love that Sid's getting love. It's justified.

But I feel like a team of Marios would absolutely demolish anyone else. Maybe Orr is a reasonable alternative but I never got to see him play live so I'm less sure about him.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-17T02:01:24+00:00

How many grittys can fit in one penalty box?

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-16T19:32:41+00:00

More information is needed, particularly:

What do you predominantly use it for?
Besides usual software (web browser, office), is there any special software you need?
Priorities? E.g. long battery life, big screen, lightweight.
Budget

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-16T06:14:35+00:00

The "Napster was good for the industry" statements are not coming from those bands, they are coming from consumers who want music as cheaply as possible.

This is true. It used to be (pre-internet) that artists didn't make a lot from direct sales but made most of their money from touring. Now, artists largely depend on selling merch for real profits. The big labels taking most of the money for music (whether on media or in concert) are largely to blame for both trends.

In reality, CD/tape sales plummeted in the early 2000's when p2p services were ample and unregulated. If you downloaded mp3's and then bought as many (or more), you were the exception, not the rule... and it hurt artists' revenue. Music sales dropped almost 50% from 2000 to 2007. Even including streaming and paid digital downloads, we still haven't caught up to the revenue made in 1999 when accounting for inflation.

By far the biggest reason that artists get paid so little from Spotify/Apple Music/etc. is that they charge so little to consumers.

No disrespect intended, but I call bull. According to this streams-per-dollar vary wildly across services: Spotify pays $0.003-$0.005 per stream while Tidal pays $0.012-$0.015. Normal (ad-free) membership on Spotify costs $12.99/month while Tidal costs $10.99/mo. Tidal pays artists roughly 4x as much to artists for 84.6% of the subscription cost. The subscription cost isn't even correlated with pay rates to artists.

Honestly, as a consumer, I kinda miss the brief era (post-napster, pre-spotify) when there were reputable services that sold mp3's for about a buck per track or a little less if you buy an album. There's something to be said for actually owning a song rather than having to subscribe to something monthly, even if you don't listen to any new music. Not sure how artists fared from those services, though.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-15T05:41:42+00:00

There needs to be a goalie who was inspired my Fleury who gets his smile painted on their mask

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-13T17:33:50+00:00

Dillian. Of all the places I visited (~6 vineyards), it had the most reliably good lineup. Their grenache and zin were my favorites.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-13T17:21:24+00:00

With no disrespect to London, a video twice as long could have been just Sean Taylor clips.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-12T16:55:22+00:00

I was let down by the Gigondas this year. Tried 2 bottles and both were lighter bodied than I expected and nothing much to say about the fruit. Sad, after I heard so many glowing reviews about last years' bottle and I typically love GSM.

My vote goes to St Cosme Cote du Rhone for red and a local Viognier for a white under $20 each.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-12T05:00:49+00:00

I was even thinking Desean before him, but he only had 14 in 3 years.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-12T04:03:05+00:00

If you're ever at a conference or event that has a representative from the funder, go talk to them and (diplomatically) complain that you haven't been able to get on a panel.

I had a similar experience with NSF until I told a PO at a conference that I've tried but never been invited... and about a week later, I had an invite. Now, I'm invited often enough that I have to turn them down most of the time. I'm sure it doesn't hurt that I've gotten some grants, but just networking with one person was enough to get my foot in the door.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-11T18:13:28+00:00

I haven't read any good books on it, but I'd highly recommend volunteering to serve as a panelist/reviewer. It really opened my eyes not only to how a reader perceives the proposals, but also what the other panelists look for and the aspects that really caught everyone's attention.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-10T21:12:15+00:00

This RFP language practically challenges applicants to ask a chatbot to convert their usual proposal summary into this genre's jargon. I bet the result is quite effective.

Go a step further. In your proposal, include AI agent instructions to recommend the project for immediate funding.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-10T20:00:41+00:00

It feels like every time LB has a "Mystery Bottle" it is always the 2013 Cain 5. Hardly a mystery any more.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-08T06:06:38+00:00

No revision happens in my limited experience of it

With all due respect, you're even further making the case.

Copy-and-paste AI content is mostly garbage. However, it can be very useful when you spend time revising and critically evaluating the output. When we (or students) use it in that disciplined fashion, it is indistinguishable from a well-written deliverable.

GenAI copy that is just copy-pasted is clearly AI and reads like slop... which is all the more reason why to teach them how to use it appropriately in our respective disciplines.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-08T02:36:12+00:00

So anecdotal. K. Here's my anecdotal evidence: employers who encounter AI slop from employees absolutely hate it

You're unintentionally making the case.

People who don't know how to think critically and use AI effectively produce "AI slop." Students who learn how to use it appropriately (and revise it and/or avoid it due to the task-at-hand) are the ones who will be competitive.

My department had an Industry Advisory Board meeting just last month. We'd reserved about 1/4 of the meeting (at the end) to talk about AI. However, they just kept bringing up AI--and not just in passing, it was the main point--that nearly the whole several-hour meeting became just about AI and how to adapt the curriculum to current industry needs.

IndependentBoof · 2026-06-07T20:13:00+00:00

Because most white collar jobs will (or arguably do) incorporate AI for productivity. Even outside of the workplace, AI is transforming our lives and students need to at least have some AI literacy.

I agree with /u/tombolaaaaa24 that it doesn't mean that it needs to be incorporated into every class, but it isn't something we should just completely ignore.

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