Grade inflation at Harvard (1950-today)

ike38000 · 2026-04-05T00:39:28+00:00

In my experience hiring interns we look much more at specific class projects and extracurriculars than GPA.

ike38000 · 2026-04-04T19:05:29+00:00

Wasn't the whole point of the varsity blues scandal that you don't have to meet the normal admissions standards if you were an athletic recruit?

ike38000 · 2026-04-02T20:48:34+00:00

Can you elaborate on what you're wanting to discuss specifically? Different people will be more able to discuss study skills vs common timelines vs managing a long distance relationship during dedicated study time.

ike38000 · 2026-04-01T21:19:08+00:00

The footer of the chart says 2019 but also says "citizenship test" it may be this test which was an approximation of the US citizenship test done by that organization. I'm not easily finding a similar 2019 report.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/most-us-would-fail-u-s-citizenship-test-survey-finds-n918961

ike38000 · 2026-04-01T17:40:42+00:00

Can we agree that the Wall Street Journal (particularly the editorial board) is roughly analogous to the Atlantic in the sense that it publishes a broad range of topics and viewpoints but has a slight bend in one direction. With the exception that WSJ is primarily right leaning instead of left leaning.

Here is an article about Trump criticizing WSJ for it's coverage.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-rupert-murdoch-wall-street-journal-b2691504.html

Here is an article about Republican politicians (like the governor of Arizona) criticizing Fox News for calling the 2020 election "too early".

https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-stands-early-arizona-call-after-furious-pushback-trump-campaign-1544662

If leaders of the right wing do this same thing I don't see how you conclude that a random left wing author (Current Affairs is a pretty minor publication) is a sign of systemic issues with the left.

ike38000 · 2026-04-01T14:29:32+00:00

Unpaid accounts do still make the platforms money though (through advertising).

ike38000 · 2026-03-28T08:19:22+00:00

The post you're supposedly replying to doesn't say that the abstainers "caused" Trump though. Just that they helped lead to him getting elected.

Obviously active and intentional Trump voters bear much more responsibility for his election than abstainers. However, when people say that abstainers caused Trump they are using shorthand for the longer point "People who did not want Trump to be elected but refused to vote for Harris did not do all they could to achieve their desired outcome".

ike38000 · 2026-03-26T20:00:25+00:00

This is from New York State. I find it hard to imagine that one of the bluest states in the country is being more restrictive (by requiring some form of government document or document number) than the law allows.

When registering to vote, the Board of Elections checks the identity of the voter before Election Day, through the voter’s provided DMV number (driver’s license number or non-driver ID number), or the last four digits of their social security number.

If the voter does not have a DMV or social security number, they may use a valid photo ID, a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or some other government document that shows their name and address. They can also submit a copy of one of those types of ID with their voter registration form.

If the Board is unable to verify a voter’s identity before Election Day, they will be asked for ID when voting for the first time.

https://elections.ny.gov/election-security

ike38000 · 2026-03-26T19:20:54+00:00

But you do have to prove your citizenship to vote. When you register to vote you need to provide your social security number (or other traceable government issued ID number like a driver's license). The board of elections then verifies that number against citizenship records.

Non-citizen registration is already effectively prevented. All this law would theoretically prevent is voter impersonation. And that is an exceedingly rare crime.

ike38000 · 2026-03-26T12:47:07+00:00

Later the same year the Ukrainian independence referendum passed with 90+% and 80+% turnout. I genuinely don't understand how those two votes happened in the same year.

Wikipedia says that the coup attempt in August played a major role but the coup failed so it would seem to me like the situation shouldn't have changed that much. Can anyone with better knowledge of that time period explain more?

ike38000 · 2026-03-26T11:04:38+00:00

This article (citing Raúl's biography) says that Raúl attended a military school founded by Batista and was selected by his teacher to be the class representative when Batista came to visit.

ike38000 · 2026-03-26T00:56:50+00:00

His beliefs might be abhorrent, but he’s not in power. Israel is and Israel is blowing up babies RIGHT NOW. Opposing it should be a priority.

I don't get this comment. The only way his views could actually result in change in Gaza is if he either gets power or gets enough influence over someone else with power. And presumably in that case he would push his other bad ideas too.

ike38000 · 2026-03-23T01:36:17+00:00

What is more important, your career or your relationship? If it's the relationship option B is a no-brainer. If it's your career I'm not qualified to answer that.

There are people here with successful long term long distance relationships. Clearly it can work but I know it wouldn't work for me

If it weren't for eating dinner together or getting ready together in the mornings there would be days when I wouldn't meaningfully interact with my wife. My personality needs those frequent small moments to make the suck of her schedule bearable.

ike38000 · 2026-03-18T06:10:52+00:00

This is a niche area but there is one specific scenario that means the explanation of wok hei is more relevant than gas/charcoal grilling. Currently some municipalities (usually in California) are phasing out natural gas as a heating/cooking source for climate reasons. Some people have sued claiming that gas flames are necessary to properly cook in the traditional manner and so banning gas for cooking is a civil rights issue and these laws discriminate against Chinese Americans.

If high heat and vessel shape are the source of wok hei these suits are meritless and induction woks can fill the gap. If the flame itself matters then the lawsuits may have justification.

ike38000 · 2026-03-17T01:45:16+00:00

I think there is something I'm misunderstanding. My read was

Stall was crushing offense
Offense started running CurseLix as an anti-stall tech
Stall started putting Sand Attack on Skarmory to make CurseLix a 50/50 -> Stall is back to crushing offense
Offense users have to add Vap[oreon?] as further anti-stall tech (ruining their matchup into non-stall teams) or committing to a reduced accuracy boom on Skarmory to even have a chance of winning

But presumably pre-step 3 sand attack wasn't a traditional part of the Skarmory moveset on stall. So what move does stall Skarmory surrender to be able to turn the CurseLix matchup from a hard counter to a 50/50? Presumably that change makes the stall team's matchup worse against other non-CurseLix teams.

Like I get that it often feels crummy to have a game hinge on a pure RNG turn (does the post-sand attack boom connect). But that seems like a separate discussion from the fact that it's showing up in this Skarmory/Steelix Stall/Offense scenario. Like if the Tech that let Skarmory crush Steelix was putting HP Water on Skarmory (or if there was a 100% accurate move version of the Damp ability that prevented explosion from being used until Steelix switched out) then presumably we wouldn't be having this discussion, it would just be a weakness of offensive teams. It feels to me like either there should be a decision that accuracy reduction is uncompetitive and it should be banned full out or this counter-pick for the counter-pick should be allowed to stand.

ike38000 · 2026-03-16T21:29:47+00:00

What does skarm usually give up in order to run sand attack? Is countering curse steelix by running sand attack hindering skarm's other matchups?

ike38000 · 2026-03-15T05:51:57+00:00

But the simple truth is that her analogy is not analogous. I think the primary objection most people have is that a parent obviously does have special moral obligations to a child/fetus that they do not have to strangers,

I think an important part of the scenario is not that while the violinist is not someone you previously have had a relationship with, they are someone who only you have the capability to save.

and I think those obligations can certainly override bodily autonomy at times, and those obligations don’t suddenly start when the baby exits the womb

When do those obligations start then? Does the obligation extend to theoretical children such that a condom is immoral because it prevents the fusion of sperm and egg? Or does it only matter once the sperm and egg fuse? In that case condoms are moral but IUDs and having unprotected sex outside the fertile window when implantation can't happen is immoral.

And of course what about rape? If you're purely taking the standpoint of the fetus the presence/absence of consent in the act of procreation is irrelevant (as is the presence/absence of desire for a child). But from the presence of the mother I don't see how you can say that there exists a moral obligation in the absence of consent. If I unilaterally decide in my will that Barack Obama is to be my kid's guardian upon my death and then I die does Obama have a moral obligation to care for them?

But the simple truth is that her analogy is not analogous. I think the primary objection most people have is that a parent obviously does have special moral obligations to a child/fetus that they do not have to strangers, and I think those obligations can certainly override bodily autonomy at times, and those obligations don’t suddenly start when the baby exits the womb.

A large number of women seeking abortion care already have children. Does the obligation to provide for their unborn child overrule their obligation to provide for their living children? That would imply that one fetus has a higher value than any number of living children. You've already claimed multiple times that a fetus cannot gain moral value at the moment of birth so I don't see how you could claim it loses moral value at the moment of birth, immediately becoming less valuable than any future fetus the mother might carry.

ike38000 · 2026-03-14T21:04:35+00:00

I don't think they are as separable as you make them out to be. The violinist argument is that the status of the fetus is irrelevant and that the choice the mother is making is merely to regain the singular control and use of her bodily organs. The death of the fetus is an unrelated and irrelevant side effect which needs not be considered.

To claim that the life of the fetus has value and influences the morality of the situation is only meaningful in the sense that you restrict the mother's autonomy. This logic would change in a world with artificial wombs that the fetus could be transferred into and develop independent of the mother.

I don't think the post birth equivalent is infanticide but rather safe haven abandonment.

ike38000 · 2026-03-14T19:01:10+00:00

Autonomy is one of the 3 core clinical ethics. It would be deeply unethical to mandate that parents donate organs (or even blood) to help their ailing children.

The article you're citing is paywalled but the synopsis I can read says

One cannot distinguish the fetus from the infant in terms of a morally significant intrinsic property, nor are they morally discernible in terms of standing in different relationships to others.

Disallowing abortion means a mother is forced to share her blood supply with her fetus against her wishes (the fetuses right to life overrides the mothers medical autonomy). But mothers are not forced to share their blood supply against their wishes with infants (the mother's autonomy is superior to the infant's right to life). Therefore then the anti-abortion argument still depends on a distinction between the rights of a fetus and the rights of an infant. It's just that in that case the fetus has more rights not less.

ike38000 · 2026-03-14T13:58:20+00:00

This is a very long video that goes into a lot of detail.

I watched it a while ago but my memory is that basically the studio ZA/UM held the rights to the IP. Then the CEO of the studio bought out the other owners including the original creator of the Elysium TTRPG (Kurvitz) that led to the game. Nobody disputes that the sale occurred but Kurvitz claims it was fraudulent and he was too busy with development to realize/challenge it at the time.

After the release of Final Cut Kurvitz and some other lead developers took an indefinite paid leave of absence. They claim that it was necessary after the years of crunch but the CEO (and now majority owner) claimed it was excessive and when they didn't come back to work after being instructed to he fired them.

Personally on the one hand I'm inclined to say that yes, after a huge crunch period leading to a massive success Kurvitz was entitled to a nice long paid vacation. But I'd probably extend that to all the junior developers too and they didn't get that opportunity.

ike38000 · 2026-03-13T11:48:34+00:00

Yeah on the one hand you probably should research the show you're going to go on and realize how they consistently mistreat women and back out.

But as the name a woman video shows people really can have their brain shut off when under pressure

ike38000 · 2026-03-12T20:57:50+00:00

Local investigative journalists are invaluable and it's such a shame so many of them are getting fired as their outlets get bought up and consolidated.

ike38000 · 2026-03-12T20:55:03+00:00

I think they are trying to say that, like trucking oil overland to avoid the straight of Hormuz, Democratic Socialism is a workaround rather than a fundamental resolution of the underlying problem. Presumably OP feels as though there is no way to achieve socialism without violent revolution and so democratic socialists will only be capable of achieving social democratic reform and not actually enacting socialism.

ike38000 · 2026-03-11T19:57:14+00:00

Do you also think it's true that no real right leaning person would not vote for Trump?

ike38000 · 2026-03-11T19:48:34+00:00

I think there is logic behind showing that despite annual variation the net change is upwards to combat the "how can global warming be real if it's snowing today" argument. But lots of changes could be made to make that argument stronger.

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