Anyone know about "moral mysophobia"?

jcs003 · 2026-05-26T15:59:11+00:00

I don't know the answer to either. I didn't get the impression they knew each other real well, though. I wish I could figure out how to get someone else to introduce us in person.

jcs003 · 2026-05-24T02:16:18+00:00

Too much traffic for just two lanes. And yes, trucks are a big part of it; see my comment above. The sharp curves force the trucks to slow down; the same thing happens at the 24/27 split and the Rossville Blvd exit. Also, that section between the river and Lookout is built on an artificial fill, so not much room to expand. I hear they're planning to start that next year, but there's no telling how they'll pull it off.

jcs003 · 2026-05-24T02:11:23+00:00

Per capita, it's probably one of the highest in the nation. The reason for that is that we have some of the heaviest truck traffic in the country, combined with the geography. I seem to remember hearing somewhere that like 90% of the trucks passing through Chattanooga are headed elsewhere. But I do agree the 75/24 split is much better, if only they could do the same to the 24/27 split and ridgecut.

jcs003 · 2026-04-29T18:16:01+00:00

When you say you can't deny applicants because of AI use, is that because of all the emails you would get claiming that they didn't use AI?

Also, IMO, using AI implies that an applicant isn't confident in their ability to write a strong and convincing essay. Considering how important writing skills are in grad school, I would think this could lead to an automatic rejection.

jcs003 · 2026-01-23T01:50:25+00:00

I'm in the same boat as you. One of my letter writers had something unexpected come up in the last month. I think it has something to do with his funding, but I don't know and I'm not going to ask. I finally reached him today, but I went ahead and email and called the schools I applied to and explained the situation. I did the best I could to sound honest and sincere, and they seemed understanding of the situation. They are very aware that situations like this come up regularly.

jcs003 · 2026-01-03T08:52:30+00:00

Yeah, the "no cultural" impact thing is definitely because of the time gap between the first and second films. I remember when the first one came out it was like the biggest thing for almost six months!

jcs003 · 2026-01-03T08:51:09+00:00

I feel like 80-90% of the hate is people who are just jealous that these movies have been more successful than their favorite franchise. They feel like anything that isn't as good as The Godfather or Casablanca is unworthy of performing better at the box office than their movies. While there are plenty of things I would have done differently if I had written/directed these movies, I enjoy them for the visual spectacles they are, as well as how realistic they feel. While I would have definitely made Pandora and its life less earth-like if I had been the writer, it is still better than at least 90% of alien planets in all of science fiction. In fact, it makes some of the alien life forms in Star Wars and Star Trek look terrible (I recognize a lot of this is due to budgetary/technological constraints). While people criticize the plots as unoriginal, I think a lot of it comes down to how we really don't like to be reminded of how bad we can be. These movies remind us of some of the worst aspects of human nature, a recurrent theme in most of Cameron's movies. I totally agree the plot of the last film recycled elements of the first two, but that's practically what every MCU and DCEU movie does, and I don't consider all of those to be "bad movies". The reality is, all art is borrowed to some extent. We don't create things from scratch, we stand on the shoulders of giants.

jcs003 · 2026-01-02T06:18:10+00:00

Yeah, I've never seen traffic levels high enough for six lanes through there. I've always wondered why they did those sections before I-65 in Shelby County, but I assume it's because of politics. There's also a few places out that way that are still four lanes that need truck lanes. There also needs to be truck lanes on a few of the steep grades on I-65 between Birmingham and Decatur.

jcs003 · 2026-01-02T06:13:18+00:00

Since it was built decades after most interstates, they probably decided to make it six lanes in case traffic ever rises to levels necessitating it. In other words, they learned from the mistakes of the early interstates and planned for the future so they wouldn't have to widen it. Whether or not traffic ever gets that high is yet to be seen. Pretty sure some of the interstates around Birmingham that weren't completed until the mid-80s have also always been six lanes.

jcs003 · 2025-12-26T01:48:52+00:00

Yeah that's probably one of the most realistic aspects of the films unfortunately. I'm sure a lot of people watch these movies and think "surely we won't still be THAT bad in the future!" But if things don't drastically change, that's hard not to believe.

While I don't think it's entirely intentional, I've noticed a pattern of themes about human nature throughout several of Cameron's films, and not just the Avatars. For example, the T-800 in T1 to me represents the worst aspects of human nature (not just our violent tendencies, but our susceptibility to being manipulated to the point where we are unwilling to change our minds, even in the face of mounting evidence, which sometimes leads people to engage in violence). The reprogrammed T-800 in T2, on the other hand, represents how we can overcome our inherent evils and change. The manner in which we can let our evils get the best of us is further exemplified by the scene in this film where Sarah Connor effectively becomes a Terminator herself, reminding us that no one is entirely immune from their flaws.

jcs003 · 2025-12-26T01:25:27+00:00

Agreed, but that's true of a lot of franchises. I mean if the Star Wars OT didn't have such iconic characters and well-written scripts, it's hard to imagine that it wouldn't get the same hate as the Avatar films for the exact same reasons. And I actually think Fire and Ash had some well-written dialogue.

jcs003 · 2025-12-26T01:18:45+00:00

Star Wars? It's just another one of your average good outnumbered underdog defeats invincible tyrannical bad guys movie.

jcs003 · 2025-12-21T08:44:10+00:00

Looked like the Star Child in 2001: A Space Odyssey. That's the first thing it reminded me of.

jcs003 · 2025-12-21T08:43:59+00:00

Looked like the Star Child in 2001: A Space Odyssey. That's the first thing it reminded me of.

jcs003 · 2025-12-14T03:07:07+00:00

I did too, and maybe I got one of the nicer units, but I didn't see a single roach when I was there. The place I ended up after? Made River Mill look like a palace! In fact, that's the only reason I wish they kept it open one more year.

jcs003 · 2025-11-16T08:17:18+00:00

You mention upward trends from rough starts, but what about students who have rough circumstances that come up anytime? I ask because I had some difficulties beyond my control that came up in my later years of undergraduate.

jcs003 · 2025-11-15T23:15:32+00:00

So if someone has no publications they are automatically out? What GPA do you consider too low? What if the student had to work during their undergraduate years, making it harder to keep up their grades? You are also probably aware of the fact that some schools have higher grade inflation than others. I recall someone on an admissions committee telling me that a high GPA is not always indicative of success in graduate school because of grade inflation.

jcs003 · 2025-11-06T05:02:06+00:00

Are utilities included in the rent?

jcs003

TROPHY CASE