This skeet will self destruct
@pardoguerra.bsky.social
Sociologist at UC San Diego. Author of Automating Finance (2019) & The Quantified Scholar (2022) http://tinyurl.com/2p82v69n Director Latin American Studies (2023-?) and the International Institute (2024-26) at UC San Diego.
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Influencer intellectuals, a quick summary
In my newfound condition as a part-time bureaucrat, I have dropped the ball on some of my academic projects. I’ve carved out a little bit of time in between grant applications, emails, and pa…
pardoguerra.org
Ok, so I typed down some definitional thoughts on what makes an Influencer Intellectual so unique. I consider this my academic contribution of the year, thank you.
pardoguerra.org/2024/11/14/i...
pardoguerra.org/2024/11/14/i...
Reposted by This skeet will self destruct
I have a new article out reflecting on everything that has happened financially in 2025 and where we go from here.
Journal version: doi.org/10.1080/0009...
Pre-publication copy: kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Journal version: doi.org/10.1080/0009...
Pre-publication copy: kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Understanding and Responding to the Changing Financial Landscape of Higher Education
Published in Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning (Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025)
doi.org
November 26, 2025 at 7:44 PM
I have a new article out reflecting on everything that has happened financially in 2025 and where we go from here.
Journal version: doi.org/10.1080/0009...
Pre-publication copy: kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
Journal version: doi.org/10.1080/0009...
Pre-publication copy: kelchenoneducation.wordpress.com/wp-content/u...
I didn't know tacky was also spelled "grandiose aesthetic"
Exclusive: President Trump has argued with the architect he handpicked to design a White House ballroom over the size of the project, reflecting a conflict between architectural norms and Trump’s grandiose aesthetic.
Trump wants a bigger White House ballroom. His architect disagrees.
The president and James McCrery had argued in recent weeks over the project’s size, with Trump pushing him to expand the ballroom.
wapo.st
November 26, 2025 at 7:40 PM
I didn't know tacky was also spelled "grandiose aesthetic"
This is starting to feel like my discussions with Noah Smith on Twitter…
I literally had both happen to me this semester. More than once.
This guy has never run out of milk or just wanted to buy a pound of potatoes without getting anything else.
November 26, 2025 at 5:32 PM
This is starting to feel like my discussions with Noah Smith on Twitter…
This guy has never run out of milk or just wanted to buy a pound of potatoes without getting anything else.
This guy really thinks poor ppl are literally incapable of structuring purchases in increments of $35.
The bigotry of soft expectations is hitting Strom Thurmond levels here.
The bigotry of soft expectations is hitting Strom Thurmond levels here.
I’d gladly read your proposal for a zero dollar threshold for delivery which I am sure the teams at Walmart, one of the biggest distribution operations on earth with slim af margins, have never considered.
November 26, 2025 at 5:15 PM
This guy has never run out of milk or just wanted to buy a pound of potatoes without getting anything else.
I’d gladly read your proposal for a zero dollar threshold for delivery which I am sure the teams at Walmart, one of the biggest distribution operations on earth with slim af margins, have never considered.
A $35 free delivery threshold is entirely manageable. Poor ppl are capable of buying $35 of stuff at once. They have agency, you know.
And Walmart is more than 3% cheaper than most of its competitors, so you're still penciling out a win here on the subscription cost.
And Walmart is more than 3% cheaper than most of its competitors, so you're still penciling out a win here on the subscription cost.
The median household spends ~$500 a month in groceries. An additional $15 is equivalent to a 3% increase in expenses (above inflation, etc), so not negligible.
The average Walmart transaction is ~$54, which means that approx 30% of all transactions are under the $35 “free delivery” threshold.
The average Walmart transaction is ~$54, which means that approx 30% of all transactions are under the $35 “free delivery” threshold.
November 26, 2025 at 5:01 PM
I’d gladly read your proposal for a zero dollar threshold for delivery which I am sure the teams at Walmart, one of the biggest distribution operations on earth with slim af margins, have never considered.
The median household spends ~$500 a month in groceries. An additional $15 is equivalent to a 3% increase in expenses (above inflation, etc), so not negligible.
The average Walmart transaction is ~$54, which means that approx 30% of all transactions are under the $35 “free delivery” threshold.
The average Walmart transaction is ~$54, which means that approx 30% of all transactions are under the $35 “free delivery” threshold.
If you're unable to afford a carton of milk without going into debt, this becomes a problem not of 'food deserts' or logistics but of inadequate income redistribution.
And no, poor ppl are not obligated to tip for regular fucking groceries.
And no, poor ppl are not obligated to tip for regular fucking groceries.
Sweet mother of god! Try buying just a carton of milk with your Walmart+ courtesy of Amex and that $3.5 purchase suddenly becomes $10 with fees and tip because you are under the $35 threshold.
Walking to the store near you? $3.5
Walking to the store near you? $3.5
November 26, 2025 at 4:48 PM
The median household spends ~$500 a month in groceries. An additional $15 is equivalent to a 3% increase in expenses (above inflation, etc), so not negligible.
The average Walmart transaction is ~$54, which means that approx 30% of all transactions are under the $35 “free delivery” threshold.
The average Walmart transaction is ~$54, which means that approx 30% of all transactions are under the $35 “free delivery” threshold.
Sweet mother of god! Try buying just a carton of milk with your Walmart+ courtesy of Amex and that $3.5 purchase suddenly becomes $10 with fees and tip because you are under the $35 threshold.
Walking to the store near you? $3.5
Walking to the store near you? $3.5
You realize that cheap delivery just fixed this entire problem, right? There's now an economy of scale in delivering fresh produce.
Walmart+'s fresh produce section practically made *me* do this meme. And I'm not exactly rolling in money here.
Walmart+'s fresh produce section practically made *me* do this meme. And I'm not exactly rolling in money here.
November 26, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Sweet mother of god! Try buying just a carton of milk with your Walmart+ courtesy of Amex and that $3.5 purchase suddenly becomes $10 with fees and tip because you are under the $35 threshold.
Walking to the store near you? $3.5
Walking to the store near you? $3.5
Tell me you don’t understand the politics of logistics without telling me you don’t understand the politics of logistics, amirite?
The market does provide it. The reason private stores aren't selling fresh produce nearby is that not enough ppl want it (or rather, want it badly enough to pay what it actually costs to produce and deliver)--even when the federal govt is helping cover the bill via EBT.
Poor ppl have agency, too!
Poor ppl have agency, too!
People need food. Market won’t provide it. Government should. It’s literally the whole point.
November 26, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Tell me you don’t understand the politics of logistics without telling me you don’t understand the politics of logistics, amirite?
This wasn’t policymaking. It was the Regents going against Academic Senate advice, after years of expert consultation, because they wanted to look good for the cameras.
Well, place your bets now as to whether the SAT will be making a comeback in UC admissions... A case study in unintended consequences of policy-making. Academicsky
Opinion | A Math Horror Show at UC San Diego
At one of California’s top universities, many freshmen are unable to do middle-school math.
www.wsj.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:05 AM
This wasn’t policymaking. It was the Regents going against Academic Senate advice, after years of expert consultation, because they wanted to look good for the cameras.
The UK is a week away from making Children of Men / A Clockwork Orange quasi-self-fulfilling prophecies
Every elite authority in the UK appears to have lost their mind in precisely the same way
November 25, 2025 at 6:53 PM
The UK is a week away from making Children of Men / A Clockwork Orange quasi-self-fulfilling prophecies
Incidentally, Google AI doesn’t get causality because you cannot dream to then sleep. I mean, wtaf is going on with the tokenization etc that it can’t predict one of the most trite and used phrases in English language?
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Incidentally, Google AI doesn’t get causality because you cannot dream to then sleep. I mean, wtaf is going on with the tokenization etc that it can’t predict one of the most trite and used phrases in English language?
To sleep, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to sleep some more. Ay, there’s the rub.
November 25, 2025 at 5:50 PM
To sleep, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to sleep some more. Ay, there’s the rub.
“Every person who goes by ‘Dr’ and isn’t a medical professional is insufferable. None of you are the exception. Not one”
— Mr Josh Barro, son of Dr Robert Barro
— Mr Josh Barro, son of Dr Robert Barro
November 25, 2025 at 3:24 AM
“Every person who goes by ‘Dr’ and isn’t a medical professional is insufferable. None of you are the exception. Not one”
— Mr Josh Barro, son of Dr Robert Barro
— Mr Josh Barro, son of Dr Robert Barro
Dear Nature,
Thanks for the cold you just gave me. I am really appreciative of your gift. And on Thanksgiving week, no less!
I’d like to return the favor with 2 intercontinental flights and ordering everything individually wrapped in plastic for the next year
Again, thanks for your thoughtfulness
Thanks for the cold you just gave me. I am really appreciative of your gift. And on Thanksgiving week, no less!
I’d like to return the favor with 2 intercontinental flights and ordering everything individually wrapped in plastic for the next year
Again, thanks for your thoughtfulness
November 25, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Dear Nature,
Thanks for the cold you just gave me. I am really appreciative of your gift. And on Thanksgiving week, no less!
I’d like to return the favor with 2 intercontinental flights and ordering everything individually wrapped in plastic for the next year
Again, thanks for your thoughtfulness
Thanks for the cold you just gave me. I am really appreciative of your gift. And on Thanksgiving week, no less!
I’d like to return the favor with 2 intercontinental flights and ordering everything individually wrapped in plastic for the next year
Again, thanks for your thoughtfulness
The US spends, collectively, around $65 billion a year in CEO compensation.
We are also being told that AI is amazing and PhD level intelligent.
So I wonder if we could save $65 billion with a $20 subscription to ChatGPT.
Unless AI is actually bullshit, of course.
We are also being told that AI is amazing and PhD level intelligent.
So I wonder if we could save $65 billion with a $20 subscription to ChatGPT.
Unless AI is actually bullshit, of course.
November 25, 2025 at 1:09 AM
The US spends, collectively, around $65 billion a year in CEO compensation.
We are also being told that AI is amazing and PhD level intelligent.
So I wonder if we could save $65 billion with a $20 subscription to ChatGPT.
Unless AI is actually bullshit, of course.
We are also being told that AI is amazing and PhD level intelligent.
So I wonder if we could save $65 billion with a $20 subscription to ChatGPT.
Unless AI is actually bullshit, of course.
From www.instagram.com/edithcartoon..., spot on
November 25, 2025 at 12:30 AM
From www.instagram.com/edithcartoon..., spot on
Something very funny happens when autocorrect adds an accent to Jesus in JFC. Sort of changes the meaning quite a bit.
November 25, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Something very funny happens when autocorrect adds an accent to Jesus in JFC. Sort of changes the meaning quite a bit.
Reposted by This skeet will self destruct
Are there that many CEOs?
AI could replace 3m low-skilled jobs by 2035, research finds
AI could replace 3m low-skilled jobs by 2035, research finds
Trades, machine operations and administrative roles are most at-risk, says leading educational research charity
Up to 3m low-skilled jobs could disappear in the UK by 2035 because of automation and AI, according to a report by a leading educational research charity.
The jobs most at risk are those in occupations such as trades, machine operations and administrative roles, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) said. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Are there that many CEOs?
Are there that many CEOs?
AI could replace 3m low-skilled jobs by 2035, research finds
AI could replace 3m low-skilled jobs by 2035, research finds
Trades, machine operations and administrative roles are most at-risk, says leading educational research charity
Up to 3m low-skilled jobs could disappear in the UK by 2035 because of automation and AI, according to a report by a leading educational research charity.
The jobs most at risk are those in occupations such as trades, machine operations and administrative roles, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) said. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Are there that many CEOs?
How do I know that faculty are basically clueless? Two weeks ago, a bombshell report showed that thousands of UCSD admits don’t even have middle school math levels. Who’s to blame? The Regents, for meddling with admissions. Has anyone said so much? Not a single word.
November 24, 2025 at 11:51 PM
How do I know that faculty are basically clueless? Two weeks ago, a bombshell report showed that thousands of UCSD admits don’t even have middle school math levels. Who’s to blame? The Regents, for meddling with admissions. Has anyone said so much? Not a single word.
Education is fundamental, but rush hour when schools are out? Majestic.
November 24, 2025 at 11:34 PM
Education is fundamental, but rush hour when schools are out? Majestic.
Reposted by This skeet will self destruct
Honored to serve on Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social Transition Committee on Technology. For too long, too many New Yorkers have been left behind. NYC deserves governance that centers affordability, equity, and the public good-looking forward to the work ahead. www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announces transition committees
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani announced Monday the creation of 17 transition advisory committees made up of more than 400 people.
www.cbsnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Honored to serve on Mayor-elect @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social Transition Committee on Technology. For too long, too many New Yorkers have been left behind. NYC deserves governance that centers affordability, equity, and the public good-looking forward to the work ahead. www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news...
"Cremation witnessing fee $595"
What
The
Actual
Grift
What
The
Actual
Grift
November 24, 2025 at 10:49 PM
"Cremation witnessing fee $595"
What
The
Actual
Grift
What
The
Actual
Grift
A zero-intelligence chatbot might just the most poetic cybernetic simulation of Musk there can be.
this @iluvbutts247.bsky.social (really, I think thats the right handle) essay is a key Elon Musk ur-text. He wants to be a poaster but he's the worst at it, so he tried to hire people, and now he's trying to get a chatbot to do it for him
defector.com/i-was-almost...
defector.com/i-was-almost...
I Was Almost Elon Musk's Twitter Voice | Defector
How do you get in the mind of Elon Musk? Or, more specifically, the mind he wishes to inhabit? Do I Method Act as a billionaire who lives amid a deafening chorus of Yes Men and has successfully sucked...
defector.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:18 PM
A zero-intelligence chatbot might just the most poetic cybernetic simulation of Musk there can be.
Even at full sticker price, therapy is still cheaper than kids.
November 24, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Even at full sticker price, therapy is still cheaper than kids.