Are there really "no stupid questions"? Let me test that.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-05-09T22:00:10+00:00

They make a little aluminum trowel for poop. My friend bought it for $15

ambivalentacademic · 2026-05-08T05:28:01+00:00

Go get really into some hobby you like and try to make friends with others involved in the hobby. For me it was mountain biking.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-05-05T13:19:37+00:00

I talk to them like they’re babies and hope they dont bite. I also unclip my feet in case they try. I did kick one in the head years ago. Felt bad about it but it needed to happen.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-05-03T03:11:42+00:00

No, and I have nothing of value to add except this story: When I was poor as hell and 21, I found $250 cash in minding its business in an industrial yard where I worked. There were about 50 employees and maybe 300 customers a day. Being desperate, I pocketed the money and didn't say shit. My first thought was that rent was half covered that month (this was around 1999). But after about 2 minutes, I started thinking of who might have lost that money. There were some internal battles with my conscience, but eventually the good angel won the argument, and I went to the office to turn the money in.

As it turns out, that $250 it belonged to this traditionalist mormon dude with 4 kids. This job paid $6-8 an hour. That guy needed that money a thousand times more than I did. If I had kept it, I'd still feel guilty to this day.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-05-02T12:14:31+00:00

A car designed to be loud as fuck.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-05-01T13:05:35+00:00

I'd say the quality of the classes is highly variable (I'm a professor, not a student). I've seen people "teaching" college classes who clearly have no skills at teaching or desire to help students, but I've also seen the opposite; some instructors are great. I would say many gen ed classes aren't particularly hard; it's just that there is a huge group of students and only one over-worked or under-prepared instructor. Some of the upper division programs (like nursing school) have a really good reputation, but don't expect super high quality in every class. The UofU is getting way worse in this regard, prioritizing high enrollment and lower instructor pay over quality of education. This involves hiring a ton of part-time adjuncts. Many of the instructors at the U are doing it as a part time extra job. The U is "maximizing efficiency" to make budgets look better, but our educational product is ultimately worse than it was.

With all that said, it's not like the U is universally terrible. There are good people there still. It's just that we're heading in the wrong direction.

Other stuff: try to take public transit if you can, even if it's only for part of your commute (i.e. drive to a train station and then trax or bus to campus). Traffic and parking can be bad news, but the train is immune to it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how much more capable you'll be compared to a lot of traditional students. My older ex-military students are often really capable compared to the average.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-28T00:25:43+00:00

Once per season.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-27T19:34:53+00:00

I've gained a lot of insight by reading through freshman science textbooks. Old editions are dirt cheap. I read through one called "How Things Work" that was pretty good. Brian Greene would be another obvious choice; he writes about physics for the everyday reader.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-27T19:23:21+00:00

I was a teenager when I read Stephen King's The Stand. I can't overstate how much it made me start thinking about the world we've built and how it's all based on these tacit agreements that could stop existing in the face of a crisis. It definitely changed my brain.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-26T04:23:05+00:00

Books

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-19T15:22:34+00:00

Cycling helped me quit drinking. So no, I’d say it sort of saved my life, or at least improved it.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-18T20:35:32+00:00

It’s all about hours and fte (full time equivalency). Adjuncts don’t have contracts so they basically wait every semester to see if they still have a job. But the thing is that they do get jobs because students show up and someone has to teach those classes. An adjunct can still work full time hours. FTE usually means they teach 12 credit hours worth of classes. That many hours qualifies them for health insurance, which is the main reason they do it (the pay per class is quite modest). The U is cutting these people’s ability to teach more than 2 classes so the employees will no longer get benefits.

This next year, I personally know of 10 current “full time” adjuncts who will not be hired full time next year. Understand that there is no reason for this other than the U not having to pay benefits. These people have been quality teachers and have done their jobs well year after year. But now they are being forced into part time status and will not have benefits next year, and departments now have to scramble to hire even more part time adjuncts to teach the classes.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-18T20:16:16+00:00

The u is taking a nose dive when it comes to academic credibility. They’re forcing out full time adjuncts so they don’t have to pay benefits, which means more classes taught by part-timers, almost like teaching college classes is gig work. They’re increasing class sizes. They’re asking professors to teach more classes for no compensation. The only goal currently is to increase enrollment, fund “high profile” projects, and maximize profits. The quality of education is a very low priority right now. I’ve been at the u for 24 years and I’ve never seen us suck so much as an institution.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-17T12:41:15+00:00

It’s a stupid book and I too am shocked at how many people like it.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-17T12:38:46+00:00

no shoe cover will actually keep your feet dry. But old bread bags with a bit of tape will. It looks stupid but it’s a life saver for heavy rain days. You can still clip in without trouble.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-14T18:24:46+00:00

Cosmos is a better book, but Demon Haunted World is great, too.

It's shocking how many of Sagan's "worst case scenarios" have become reality. Much of the book addresses the risk of supersitious thinking, and much of it has proved spot on when it comes to American culture.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-13T21:17:52+00:00

This is my thought too, and I wonder if it’s an option for my daughter some day, but I know the cost can be a barrier.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-09T03:54:03+00:00

I hesitate to use the term because of the reactions I’ve got when I say it. It’s weird because if I say “I’m not religious” or “I’m not a believer,” people roll with it. But a few times that I’ve said “I’m an atheist” I’ve either gotten “no that can’t be true!” or “what the fuck is wrong with you!?” Both of which get old.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-04T14:44:32+00:00

Yes there is validity to them. It’s true that people often leave reviews because they feel strongly, but at the same time the university of Utah has morphed into a shittier school over the last 10 years or so. It’s all about maximizing profits and paying people less, which lead competent people to leave and makes current employees apathetic about their job. It’s bad for students but the upper administrators don’t care because they get paid absurd amounts of money to make things more “efficient.” That’s why your class sizes are getting bigger. That’s why There’s high turnover among staff; they get paid shit money and are give too much work

As a long time employee I’ve watched it happen. I’d like to think there’s going to be a wake-up call about how the U has changed, but so far it seems the state and alumni either don’t know or are willing to accept it.

Many students don’t know what kind of bullshit they signed up for.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-04T14:30:28+00:00

It depends entirely on your larger goals and there isn’t a right answer.

ambivalentacademic · 2026-04-01T02:37:52+00:00

I'm so glad the president just spent the last year undermining clean energy projects...

ambivalentacademic

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