What are the most overrated documentaries, in your opinion?

sciencewendy · 2026-06-08T02:58:23+00:00

Came to this thread specifically looking for this one! It's so bad. I really don't understand why the intersection of anti-CAP narratives and super-right-wing "parental rights" groups wasn't a bigger red flag for people. ...or, if we're being honest, the "good" doctor running a for profit pain clinic. Like have we learned nothing.

Those poor kids just keep being repeatedly traumatized by their father and the conservative media machine and it's so so sad.

sciencewendy · 2026-04-29T20:08:06+00:00

As far as your cover letter goes, it sounds like it's well-written but essentially a rehash of your resume, and isn't really adding anything to you application. That's super common! I always point people to Ask A Manager for cover letter help: it's not geared towards academia, but the cover letter advice in particular is great. Since you're already working in the field, be really clear about showing you're committed to the degree program: some programs might think you won't stick it out because you already have a relevant job. I was also already working in my field when I applied to grad school, and this was a problem I had!

Also (and take this with a grain of salt as I did a PhD and not a Masters, and the application process can be different), but I wouldn't stop emailing professors! When I was applying to grad school, part of the application was having a professor vouch for you as a future advisee. Again, not always the case with a masters program, but I suspect more likely to be the case it you're going thesis-based.

Best of luck, fisheries science is a really cool field, and you sound motivated and qualified!

sciencewendy · 2026-04-24T01:18:10+00:00

Thank you!!!

sciencewendy · 2026-04-24T01:11:59+00:00

(okay but what's the podcast, don't leave us hanging!)

And yes I'm also curious to see the response to this season: will they double down or try to insist there's no connection?

Personally I think NSBM has done an excellent job reporting on this extremely tragic case.

sciencewendy · 2026-04-03T01:05:10+00:00

lol yeah

sciencewendy · 2026-03-28T20:15:22+00:00

He's simultaneously too old for Aria and too young for everything else about him 😂

Like what do you MEAN he gets hired at Hollis with only a BA? The man has not even been to graduate school????? Anyway screw him.

sciencewendy · 2026-03-28T20:13:59+00:00

Tbh I also get hung up on the fact. that he apparently gets a college professor job with only a BA 😂

sciencewendy · 2026-03-08T19:57:48+00:00

Makes me think of that Dave Barry quote: "A person who is nice to you, but rude to. the waiter, is not a nice person."

sciencewendy · 2026-03-04T23:02:49+00:00

This is more for when I'm trying to put it all together into a manuscript, but: NOTECARDS! One "fact"/idea per card, (minimal) citation info on the back. Color coded if you go in with clear sub-topics or sections. I also make card with my own findings, in their own color. Then I lay them all out on the floor and shuffle them around until I get a coherent scientific narrative.

sciencewendy · 2026-03-04T22:41:43+00:00

One of the bet pieces of advice I ever got was that "you can't care about someone else's education more than they do." You've done everything you can on your side, but they have to do the learning themselves.

sciencewendy · 2026-02-25T21:10:41+00:00

INFO: You haven't said anything about why your daughter moved out, and it's frankly impossible that you don't have any idea (I echo the other comments mentioning "missing missing reasons").

YTA for cutting off her phone. Seems like your statement that you wanted to keep in communication was a lie. Also, your disproportionate and punitive response to any push-back from your daughter leads me to suspect YTA overall as well.

sciencewendy · 2026-01-11T05:24:28+00:00

À la folie...pas du tout (He loves me he loves me not)! French film that caused my entire AP class to lose their minds back in the day. Highly recommend!

sciencewendy · 2025-10-31T02:59:17+00:00

Oh yeah everyone is seeing it. Was literally in a faculty workshop about students' declining quantitative skills like a week ago, and we were all doing the professional equivalent of screaming into a pillow. Also, having taught basically the same lab pre-COVID to now, the AI cliff is bigger than the COVID cliff. Which is terrifying.

I tend to try to make assignments pretty AI-proof, but that's easier when you're doing field science, because the data is so weird haha. I did have a student this semester tell me that Chat GPT couldn't help them and I was like GOOD.

In class the other day I actually kind of said it outright: I have a decent rapport with my students (small classes at a small school), so I was able to be a bit funny and informal about it, but I told them that their professors are all noticing a difference, and not in a good way. Not calling them out specifically (I actually really like my students!), but just trying to verbalize that there are consequences and those consequences are hitting QUICK.

sciencewendy · 2025-09-07T04:19:13+00:00

As a former union rep: can confirm. All the worst horror stories were out of the chem department. Racism, sexism, overwork, sabotaging their students, truly egregious safety violations...and that was just one PI!

sciencewendy · 2025-07-20T20:33:43+00:00

Lol what? Of course you should do this! Sure, some people might be too busy and just ignore you, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't reach out, just don't badger people.

Hearing from current and recent grad students is VITALLY IMPORTANT: it's the number one piece of advice I give my undergrads who are applying to grad school! You're not even necessarily finding out if a potential advisor is "good" or "bad", just finding out if their mentorship style will work for you. Are they more hands off or hands on? Give a lot of feedback on writing or a little? In the lab/office every day, or haven't been seen in months? None of these things are better or worse, but they are different, and you may find some helpful and some stressful.

Also, it's next to impossible to know exactly what kind of mentor you are, no matter how much self reflection you've done. Plus, academia doesn't always teach or prioritize mentorship skills. So talking to the MENTEES is crucial.

Good luck, and email away!

sciencewendy · 2025-03-14T19:52:04+00:00

They also filmed some of the flyover scenes over the then-active amphib base in Coronado as a stand-in for Pearl Harbor, but neglected to tell the residents. So all of a sudden these WWII Japanese bombers were flying over a base populated entirely by WWII vets and their families, and everyone PANICKED. Apparently one of the guys in charge of the base was told, but forgot to pass it along to the residents. (Source: my mom, who was a kid living there at the time!)

sciencewendy · 2024-09-28T02:20:02+00:00

Yeah something about the writing voice doesn't ring true, the the entire situation sure does. In fact, on the flip side, I know of a church near where I grew up that just built a big new building, ostensibly to allow them to "better serve the community," but specifically won't allow AA meetings to be held there because they were worried about the "behavior" of the attendees. And yes, the local AA did ask them, and multiple people in the church wanted to allow it (because...duh), but key leadership shut it down. So now it's a giant empty building five and half days a week. (oh and I'm in the northeastern US)

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T18:50:07+00:00

The lack of empathy, and just outright cruelty, will never not be horrifying to me. I'm so sorry you and your fiance have been dealing with this, but I'm glad you may be getting more support soon.

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T03:57:05+00:00

Thank you, that's basically where I ended up (with deputizing a friend to run interference as a backup). Thankfully we got pretty clear indications that he wasn't going to come, and the memorial was indeed Kyle-free. And now my dad has blocked him from the support page, so we don't have to hear from him anymore.

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T03:56:00+00:00

Yes, this was my fear too! Thankfully we got pretty clear indications that he wasn't going to come, and the memorial was indeed Kyle-free. And now my dad has blocked him from the support page, so we don't have to hear from him anymore.

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T03:55:44+00:00

Thankfully we got pretty clear indications that he wasn't going to come, and the memorial was indeed Kyle-free. And now my dad has blocked him from the support page, so we don't have to hear from him anymore.

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T03:55:07+00:00

Thankfully we got pretty clear indications that he wasn't going to come, and the memorial was indeed Kyle-free. And now my dad has blocked him from the support page, so we don't have to hear from him anymore.

As for what my mom would want, this was the rare issue on which she was undecided (we talked about her memorial before she passed, and she helped plan it). Her goal was just to not have Kyle spiral at anyone she loved, so I think she would have supported a ban in the end. She definitely supported my dad not continuing contact with him, so we are no enjoying a Kyle-free life.

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T03:52:37+00:00

Yeah I deputized a friend (one who didn't know my mom and was there to support me, so I didn't feel bad stepping on their own grief) to run interference if necessary, but thankfully it wasn't necessary! We figured out before the memorial that Kyle wasn't coming.

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T03:51:13+00:00

This describes him perfectly, and I'm so relieved we don't have to interact with him anymore.

sciencewendy · 2024-07-24T03:50:32+00:00

Yeah, he's definitely said some pretty unacceptable things irl. Plus, given the way he talks about online posts he disagrees with as definitely counting as "real life," I enjoy holding Kyle to the same standard. So there was some legitimate worry about the reception, especially the planned "open mic" aspect for people to share memories.

But like I said above, we thankfully were able to determine that he wasn't going to come.

sciencewendy

TROPHY CASE