Monthly Archives: June 2016

Student explains why College graduates are so stupid

Student explains why College graduates are so stupid

After a good four plus years in college, I’ve had enough time to evaluate the whole professor-student dynamic. And after all this time, I’d have to say that I’m walking away with the most sympathy for my instructors, and not my classmates. A lot of people say that U.S. college students are really, really dumb. […] … learn more→

The hierarchy of education fraud

The hierarchy of education fraud

There’s no doubt about higher education being a major source of illicit funds. The primary reason for this is the student loan scam, but part of why the scam works is we’re trained from a very young age that “go to school” is the trick to being a successful person. Thus, we as a people […] … learn more→

The top six dinosaur myths and how we busted them

The top six dinosaur myths and how we busted them

When the first dinosaur bone was described in 1676, it was thought to come from an elephant or perhaps a giant. Over a century later, scientists realised such fossils came from a creature they named Megalosaurus, portrayed as a sort of stocky, overgrown lizard. Then, in 1842, leading anatomist Richard Owen recognised Megalosaurus as part […] … learn more→

A tale of two campuses: US public universities recruiting more out-of-state students

A tale of two campuses: US public universities recruiting more out-of-state students

The decades-old “assault” on American public higher education – as detailed by Christopher Newfield in his book – has, among other things, often put public colleges and universities in a bind if they try to raise their undergraduate admissions standards. As institutions that in the past had virtually “open admissions” attempt to become more selective academically […] … learn more→

Buying and selling hacked passwords: How does it work?

Buying and selling hacked passwords: How does it work?

Data breaches are a regular part of the cyberthreat landscape. They generate a great deal of media attention, both because the quantity of information stolen is often large, and because so much of it is data people would prefer remained private. Dozens of high-profile breaches over the last few years have targeted national retailers, health […] … learn more→

College enrollment drops…CNN clueless

College enrollment drops…CNN clueless

Good ol’ CNN, the major news organization that’s been dying on the vine for years…am I the only one that wonders how these guys make any money? It’s almost like they have a benefactor with very deep pockets that doesn’t care about CNN profits as long as CNN continues to spout the party line, but […] … learn more→

The best candidates read the ad

The best candidates read the ad

Too often in campus meetings, I hear people accuse others, sometimes me, of “wordsmithing.” I hate that word. The notion that caring about language is somehow different from — and not as important as — attending to content confounds me. We are what we write. That lesson was reinforced for me recently when I served […] … learn more→

The importance of being interesting

The importance of being interesting

One of the hardest parts of my job here at ANU is being responsible for ANU’s participation in the Three minute thesis competition. Just in case you have just joined PhD land, the 3MT is an international competition for PhD students with only a couple of simple rules. You have to tell a non-academic audience […] … learn more→