Quoll

Celebrating @neurotic.bsky.social today!

“Don’t ever be the first to stop applauding.”

-- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, writing about the unfortunate director of the local paper factory

mannerofspeaking.org/2010/05/12/s...

University to postgrads: It’s Spring break. With everything being much quieter around campus this week, it’s a great time to make progress on your research.

Also from the university: With everything being quiet this week, it’s a great time for us to take down the computer cluster for maintenance.

She’s shocked that people would ask this, implying that it isn’t their business and affect them. But it affects the entire world, and despite US citizens feeling that their vote doesn’t really matter, it matters a whole lot more than for the other 95% of the world who don’t get even that tiny say.

After yet another failed attempt, I have to ask…
Why does Wisconsin not know how to make an extra sharp cheddar? Sure, they make nice cheddar, and it can even have a bit of a “tangy” flavor, but despite numerous attempts, I have yet to find anything even remotely crumbly and with real “Bite”

Google search results for Nvidia Tesla H100 cards. The first 3 prices are $20,335.00 and $87,668.58, with AI suggesting a price range of $25,000 to $70,000

Google popped up a notification on my phone suggesting shopping for items for me 😵‍💫

If that’s the definition, then yes

“Cover up” implies that they try to hide what happened.
Instead, it will all be left out in the open and no one in authority will do anything

I need an axe in order to put the trash out tonight. I don’t have an axe 😞

Never thought I would need ice skates for my back yard. Snow shoes… maybe. But never ice skates

It’s almost more frustrating having the Epstein files out because now we know for certain, rather than just suspecting, all the people who the DOJ has no intention of calling to account.

Back in the USA today, and now I have to start thinking in Fahrenheit again

Second hand engines are apparently < $3k. So it looks like I’ll be finding a backyard mechanic who can help me. Sheesh.

Apparently the engine light in the car came on while I’m away for work, and I’m told that the head gasket is blown and the head needs… work (replacing? Honing? I’m not there). How does that happen without overheating the engine?

$11k. WHAT?!??

Well, I’m back in Oslo. It’s as dark as I remember from a previous November trip, but quite a bit colder. I’m glad I wasn’t here 2 weeks ago though!

I keep hearing how an adversarial US means the end of NATO, but I’m wondering if NATO is even viable today. If a NATO member were attacked, would Trump even allow the US to respond? I know the treaty says he has to, but that doesn’t mean anything.

While possible, I think it’s more likely that “mental institutions” is a generalized insult that he employs when expressing bigotry, racism, and xenophobia, all of which seem to play well to his audience

After Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a deep aversion to this

I don’t believe that is an expected outcome, but the fact that the rhetoric is out there defies reason

I didn’t have “my country of residence and my country of employment going to war” on my bingo card for 2026

It was disappointed to discover that we did not need any book at all.

All was not lost though… because I now have a copy of the Principia Mathematica!

When I became a citizen, I was under the mistaken belief that I would be making the oath of allegiance on a bible or similarly significant book.

So I brought a copy of the “Principia Mathematica”

Demonstrating ignorance of something fundamental (particularly when new in a role) always seems to cause problems down the line 🫤

This does work when I’m known to be an expert. But I always have gaps in my knowledge that occasionally raise eyebrows, even when I know an enormous amount about a different aspect of the work. As such, I appreciate a tutorial author who doesn’t make assumptions of anyone.

This is the documented frustration of a person new to the field.
Conversely, when a person with multiple STEM degrees, who has programmed since they were 12, with 35 years professional experience reads the same tutorial, if they ask, “what’s a backside Snarfus stagnator?” they lose all credibility

It’s absolutes like “must”, or “never” that lead me to fail. But I can do “better”

This is why I returned to postgrad study, and why I upgraded that to a PhD program.

I’ve also why, aside from holidays like we just had, I’ve gone from 1 or 2 drinks a week to almost never.

I’m working on myself.

To be honest…
The reason is so I don’t invest so much of myself into an artificial goal, which I abandon in frustration after a month or so.
Instead, without a specific task like this, it puts the onus on me to be “better”. To work harder at everything.

I just heard from my mother for the second time in a month! The first for my birthday, and now the second to respond to my “Happy New Year” message. She must be trying to set a new record