Another Quora question that caught my attention. This one struck a nerve: Is it tacky for honorary doctorates to use the title before their name? This may seem like a biased answer (because it is), but IMO an honorary doctorate is the university equivalent of a participation trophy. A Ph.D is intended to represent a unique contribution to the field, …
Written Exceptionalism
How do you know when something is truly exceptional?
Nothing To Hide: Redux
The specter of secret recordings of university professors once again opens the door to the loss of individual rights and freedoms.
Quora Question: How Do Contextual Clues Help The Communication Process?
A Quora question asks about how context affects communication.
Why do people brag about being bipolar like its something to be proud of?
How people contort themselves into wanting to be seen as damaged goods… because it gives them immunity from criticism
Data Centers Under Water in 15 Years! EVERYBODY PANIC!! – Oh, wait…
Yet another article that threatens alarmist consequences of Global Warming with pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo.
Hard Truths Not Taught In Schools
Quora question: What are some hard truths teachers never tell students about after school life?
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forums
It looks like an analysis of an old debate is popular once more; me… not so much.
On Straight As and Salaries
(Fair warning: this is a personal account.) The systems were designed well, I think. When we were in school or college, passing was supposed to mean you knew the material, basically. A B showed you were pretty good, and an A was only for the smartest students. Not relatively the smartest, but objectively the smartest. Most people could at least …
Understanding Metacommunication
If you are trying to make sense of what’s going on in the world today, this is probably the most important, and horribly misunderstood, concept in Communication.
Plagiarism Isn’t an Old-Fashioned Notion
In a world of personal brands and reputations, plagiarism is more than just wrong – it’s damaging.
Transcript: 2027 Ph.D Graduation Commencement Speech
The following is a transcript of the graduation speech of the 2027 Graduating Class. It was delivered by one of the 457 valedictorians of the College.
The Truth About Autoethnographies: Sum Ergo Veritas
The academic trend for teaching autoethnographies in universities isn’t just dumb, it’s cruel and dangerous.
Academia and the Chinese Fallacy
Not everyone thinks that there is enough evidence to be worried about Academia yet.
The Coming of the Second Dark Ages
The death bells of Academia are ringing. Can you hear them?