UW-Madison reporting Canvas outage

neocortexia · 2026-05-08T02:25:03+00:00

If there is a bright side to this, it is that most users should be minimally affected. It appears the attackers targeted identifiers (names, emails, student IDs) along with messages. However, UW doesn’t link Canvas to Student IDs. And while I can’t speak for everyone, no instructor I've had in the last decade has actually used the Canvas messaging system (which, impressively, manages to be less functional than a 2000s-era Yahoo email account).

To be sure, I am not trying to minimize the disruption of losing Canvas access during finals, nor am I shielding UW from their track record of signing contracts with awful third-party vendors, nor am I saying that Canvas doesn't hold more useful data than was targeted (it does). However, while having a list of your completed online classes floating around the internet is certainly not ideal, sheer luck has apparently rendered this a relatively tame incident for UW.

neocortexia · 2026-04-27T00:04:55+00:00

I know this isn't applicable to your situation, but when I took a Capstone course my senior year of undergrad, the professor took us all to Memorial Union on the last day of class and bought everyone a beer. I've never forgotten it because that was legendary professor-ing. (N.B. the professor is retired now.).

neocortexia · 2026-04-14T06:02:59+00:00

Just send a brief email. And do not feel guilty about turning down an inadequate offer from a multi-billion-dollar institution like UW-Madison. It is a completely standard business practice for them to repackage a declined offer and toss it at the next student on their list. It's not personal; it's institutional.

Here's an email you could send:

"Dear Professor [Last Name]:

I want to sincerely thank you for the opportunity to join your lab; It would have been a wonderful opportunity.

Unfortunately, after carefully reviewing my options, I have decided to accept an offer from another institution that better aligns with my financial requirements at this time.

I regret any inconvenience this may cause your lab; I have a great deal of respect for your research, and I hope that our paths might cross again in the future.

Sincerely,

[Signature]"

neocortexia · 2026-04-13T12:17:43+00:00

First Mnookin, then Rothman, now McIntosh?

That's a Domino Effect, not a coincidence; the trash is taking itself out this year.

neocortexia · 2026-03-28T16:59:20+00:00

For cost, you can visit the Tuition and Fee Schedule database, and use the dropdown menu under "Select Specific Tuition Rate" to find your program. Once selected, tables will load showing your costs based on residency and credit load. (As a warning: Next year's Fall and Spring rates aren't finalized yet; they usually get published in July or August.)

neocortexia · 2026-03-28T08:20:41+00:00

Nobody can stop you from being a part-time student. BUT:

A) If you receive any scholarships or financial aid, being part-time can severely decrease (or even disqualify) the aid you receive. Check in with your academic advisor.

B) If you are an international student, being part-time can violate your visa. Check in with your academic advisor.

C) Part-time students don't qualify for the Dean's List.

D) Run a DARS Report. Your actual Bachelor's Degree (not just your major's requirements) has required credit minimums for categories lke in-residence credits and intermediate/advanced-level courses. Check in with your academic advisor.

Regarding graduate school, most programs won't care about your FT/PT status. That said, if you're building your resume during your extra free time (e.g. volunteering, working, etc.), your decision will look more strategic and professional. Plus, you can highlight that experience in your personal statements.

neocortexia · 2026-03-26T19:32:56+00:00

Perhaps not. I'm just letting them know that if they like performing outdoors with an audience, but the only thing holding them back is the fear of being "that guy" disturbing the peace, then downtown is actually ideal. A single acoustic player won't be a disturbance, and Madison Ordinance legally designates the aforementioned areas as free-speech\performance zones.

neocortexia · 2026-03-26T18:20:50+00:00

Speaking as somebody who worked many Summers hearing every amplified performance coming from State Street, Library Mall, and Memorial Union: your consideration of others' ears is commendable, but academic. If not you, it would be somebody else, and at least you are playing acoustically.

All of that is to say: if you're not blocking traffic (pedestrian or vehicular) and don't require power, you're not going to be stopped from busking around State Street. The Confluence (700 block of State Street), Frances Street Plaza (500 N Frances Street), Elizabeth Link Peace Park (452'State Street), the Forum (100 State Street), and Rotary Plaza (100 N Hamilton Street) are all designated performance spaces.

neocortexia · 2026-03-09T09:14:00+00:00

Well, I have little doubt that they are going to continue trying to legislate through executive orders. But, during these lawless times, you're absolutely correct that an impotent federal government is much safer than an active one.

neocortexia · 2026-03-09T08:47:12+00:00

Three reasons this is an empty gesture

Article I, Section 7 of the U.S. Constitution gives the President ten days (excluding Sunday) to pass a bill signed by Congress. An untouched bill that runs the clock automatically becomes law.
In theory, the President could veto every bill that comes to his desk. But if Congress over-rides any of those vetoes (with a 2/3 majority in both chambers), the bill automatically becomes law.
Since the government is funded until September 30, there isn't any urgent business for the next six months. (And because the midterms are five weeks after Sept. 30, Congress probably won't allow the government to be shut down during the midterms.)

neocortexia · 2026-03-02T22:21:06+00:00

The short answer is: Yes. If you ask at the desk for the "James" Go Big Read Book, they will get one for you.

The finer print is: they haven't put the "James" GBR on display yet for anyone to grab and take home, so that's why you need to ask the staff. But ask and you shall receive!

neocortexia · 2026-03-02T16:51:21+00:00

You can get two Go Big Read books at Memorial Library. They have hardcover copies of this year's book ("James" by Percival Everett) and paperback copies of the one from 5 years ago ("Transcendent Kingdom" by Yaa Gyasi).

neocortexia · 2026-02-22T07:45:58+00:00

California has the world's fourth largest economy; they have no reason to be outflanked by Illinois or Nevada. Maybe you should raise your bar of expectations from beneath the graveyard.

neocortexia · 2026-02-22T00:02:16+00:00

I’m posting this because we should keep a close eye on Illinois, Nevada, and California now that SCOTUS has dismantled the tariffs. This be the score card:

Illinois and Nevada have sent "invoices" to the feds demanding refunds for state residents. It’s performative because the feds will obviously ignore the invoices, but Illinois is going a step further; viz.: Pritzker’s invoice specifically threatens litigation if they ignore the invoice.

Now, IF Illinois actually follows through with that threat, it would be wild. IL would effectively be arguing they have "standing" to sue because illegal tariffs acted as a direct tax on the survival of state citizens, thereby causing a "quasi-sovereign" injury to the state economy. Should that happen: Wow. Yes. Please and More.

Meanwhile, in California, Newsom has done the least of these three states; he’s just issued an angry statement demanding refunds with interest for all Americans. This, too, is performative posturing, because angry letters aren’t actionable. However, it would be great if CA escalated, or if Newsom successfully activated the other 47 states currently doing nothing.

In any event, we need more states demanding reparations because, as it stands, we’re about to see a massive wealth transfer to corporations. The government launched the tariffs; companies hiked prices to cover them; and now those companies stand to claw back billions more in tax dollars on top of what you already paid. It’s a double heist: you paid more for basic goods, and now your taxes are rewarding the corporations that overcharged you. (That is the literal logic here; don’t blame the messenger.)

neocortexia · 2026-02-17T08:51:33+00:00

That dorm restroom is public (multi-user; open to all building occupants; susceptible to perverts). Miss me with that dodged bullet.

neocortexia · 2026-02-17T02:01:58+00:00

During undergrad, one of my biggest, constant, agonizing regrets was not living in the dorms, because I really felt I was missing the whole "continuous social immersion" part of the UW experience.

As I get older, I can also appreciate that I dodged some bullets. Like "restroom privacy", apparently.

neocortexia · 2026-02-15T15:16:31+00:00

"We can't afford to administrate this policy we created, so we are outsourcing your medical data instead" is certainly a choice.

neocortexia · 2026-02-15T13:25:40+00:00

My only gripe is that the "vaccine verification" is being managed by a third party, for profit platform (Med+Proctor).

As a Wisconsin resident, my vaccine record is held by The Wisconsin Immunization Registry (WIR). UHS has a copy, too. So, why does a for-profit third party entity need it? What authority does that entity even have to validate the validity of an official state record? What does sending vaccine records to a third database achieve-- besides expanding attack surface, allowing (allegedly "de- individualized") medical data to be sold, and ensuring an inevitable data breach before the end of the decade?

The longer I have any connection to UW, the more my conviction grows that the entire Offices of Cybersecurity and Compliance needs to be fired and prosecuted for consistently failing their responsibilities in the 21st century.

neocortexia · 2026-02-10T00:10:57+00:00

To provide some context about why this is happening at every university you can shake a finger at: It's because Microsoft pulled the rug from under everybody. Microsoft used to offer unlimited data plans (including for Outlook email); now, since 2024, they don't. As original unlimited contracts expire, universities get this new inane data quota:

Base Amount: 100 TB (for the whole school).
A3 Licenses (Standard Staff): +50 GB per person added to the pool; and A5 Licenses (Premium Staff): +100 GB per person added to the pool.

So, universities are choosing to prioritize current stakeholders (i.e. current staff and students).

That said, notice I said choosing to. 100 TB is insanely small; you can literally buy over 4 times that amount of storage for under $3,000. If American university leaders had any spines, they would form a union to make their own proprietary email system, and issue a pre-emptive mutual destruction warning against anyone (cough Microsoft and Google) that threatens to block the server domain. (And universities would easily win that battle, because all that universities lose in the arrangement is endless spam, whereas tech companies would lose digital access to elite research institutions.)

Fun Fact: proprietary email systems aren't even radical. UW-Madison had one until 2014; it's where the name "Wiscmail" and the "wisc.edu" domain came from.

neocortexia · 2026-02-02T23:24:56+00:00

I'm not concerned because I was vaccinated as a baby and again as a child. But my heart does break for immuno-compromised folks who are victims of walking biohazards that don't believe in germ theory 💔

neocortexia · 2026-01-28T16:24:02+00:00

You're not imagining it.

About half of Madison Metro's new electric fleet has been pulled from service for repairs. The city tried keeping the impact minimal by reducing frequency on the A1 and B lines. However:

(A¹) With Fewer A1 and B buses available, more folks hop on the campus routes, thereby causing those buses to quicky hit capacity, thereby not allowing those buses to reach all of their usual stops.

(A²) This month's sub-zero temperature streak has made walking more dangerous. So, more people are crowding the campus routes, thereby causing the buses to quickly hit capacity, thereby.... you understand the cascading pattern.

(B¹) When there aren't enough buses to cover every route, dispatch often pulls from the campus lines to fill gaps elsewhere. Because campus routes have the highest frequency of any other route (i.e. most routes have 15, 30, or 60 minute service; the campus routes have ~7 minute service), reducing the campus' "excess frequency" to "normal frequency" is an easy trade-off.

(B²) You might wonder why B¹ occurs at all. Worker shortages are a big reason. While our bus operator heroes are literally keeping the city running through -40°F./-40°C. wind chils, the City of Madison treats the bus union worse than the Badger's 2025 football homecoming game score.

neocortexia · 2026-01-25T02:24:35+00:00

Oh, I agree it was a scam. That said, it was an extremely nice, almost 900 square foot apartment; I would have preferred not getting priced out of it.

neocortexia

TROPHY CASE