Grad school

Solo · Post by **Solo** » Wed Apr 14, 2010 6:51 pm

Well, I had to decide today... I was hung between U. of Wisc - Madison and U. of Wash - Seattle. I decided that since Madison has a bigger/better program, that's where I will go, even though around here Seattle gets most of the press, and personally I think Seattle is a much neater city.

So, Robthebob, you said you were going to NMU? Anyone else?

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 12:01 am

Madison has its charms. The lakes are nice.

KitemanSA · Post by **KitemanSA** » Thu Apr 15, 2010 1:18 am

Yah, an dere boat full o skandahoovians, which is guut too!

MirariNefas · Post by **MirariNefas** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 3:40 am

UW Seattle is generally considered better for biology, but I guess every program is different.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 3:47 am

Wisconsin and UIllinois Champaign are #1 and #2 in plasma physics related to fusion and rocketry. IMO.

MirariNefas · Post by **MirariNefas** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 3:57 am

Fair enough. I don't know as much about those programs. How's UCLA? They used to have their own tok. I got to see it once. The guy manning the place was delighted that anyone was interested in fusion enough to recognize a tokamak.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:05 am

MirariNefas wrote:Fair enough. I don't know as much about those programs. How's UCLA? They used to have their own tok. I got to see it once. The guy manning the place was delighted that anyone was interested in fusion enough to recognize a tokamak.

The whole California system has gone downhill. Too much PC and POMO. The Midwest (even Madison) is somewhat immune to the "nothing is real and you can just change your mind" school of epistemology.

MirariNefas · Post by **MirariNefas** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:10 am

I'm not really sure what you mean, but I'll interpret it as you prefering the conservative vibe of the Midwest. Not really something I'll agree with, but we can leave it at that.

Edit* thinking about it some more, I guess I know what you mean. I just can't imagine that sort of attitude leaking out of the humanities departments and into plasma physics.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:36 am

MirariNefas wrote:I'm not really sure what that means, but I'll interpret it as you prefering the conservative vibe of the Midwest. Not really something I'll agree with, but we can leave it at that.

Ah. I can tell you are unaware of Post Normal Science.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-normal_science

To do post normal science the first requirement is a panic. Those will be provided by the political arm. We are always trying new ones out to see which ones will have the widest and deepest effect.

We need a Republic of Fear without political oppression - which is after all so tawdry and subject to head chopping revolutions. For that the Broadcast media provide an abundance. Besides - we love disasters - when they happen to other people.

MirariNefas · Post by **MirariNefas** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:42 am

I'm not really into the conspiracy theory thing.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:48 am

MirariNefas wrote:I'm not really into the conspiracy theory thing.

It is not a conspiracy. It is the way things work. Ask H.L. Menken, Herman Goering, and a host of others. Politics is about inciting fears that require collective action.

Water is wet. Politics is about fear.

MirariNefas · Post by **MirariNefas** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:59 am

Do you have a strong need for others to believe as you do?

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:09 am

MirariNefas wrote:Do you have a strong need for others to believe as you do?

I prefer my lunch naked.

Laws are based on people's fears. Some of the fears are warranted. Some are not.

Some fear change. Some fear things will remain the same. So they form factions and duke it out politically. But at the core is fear. And individual fear is not enough. It has to be a fear requiring collective action.

MirariNefas · Post by **MirariNefas** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 6:27 am

I guess I often feel compelled to proseletyze as well. Not as much as in my youth though.

I guess I'm being mean. You want me to talk about this politics of fear thing. Really, I just had some offhand curiosity about the physics research being done at an institution where I saw an impressive piece of equipment. Okay, fear rules politics. Tokamaks are run by fear, and therefore they are run by politics, which would be a great fuel source if only materials science could handle the radiation stress and all the politics could be contained in a smaller reactor vessel.

MSimon · Post by **MSimon** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 6:58 am

MirariNefas wrote:I guess I often feel compelled to proseletyze as well. Not as much as in my youth though.

I guess I'm being mean. You want me to talk about this politics of fear thing. Really, I just had some offhand curiosity about the physics research being done at an institution where I saw an impressive piece of equipment. Okay, fear rules politics. Tokamaks are run by fear, and therefore they are run by politics, which would be a great fuel source if only materials science could handle the radiation stress and all the politics could be contained in a smaller reactor vessel.

The money for the toks came from fear. Hope too. But fear predominantly.