Mx. Chara Aznable (they/them) of Pnictogen1d ago

I think of my 199x years in the SDSU Classics and Humanities department as the very best of my college education, to this day. After getting brutalized at #Caltech it was a healing experience to feel a sense of academic kinship with a small group of people, all dedicated to keeping alive the study of ancient things. It was like finding an oasis after years of aridity and thirst.

But my reasons for being there were suspect. I couldn't really account for them at the time: we were taken with the impulse to start taking Latin while slogging through the SDSU Computer Science curriculum and reading #CSLewis books and other Inklings' writings on the side. I was simply mimicking what I read, perhaps. I was reading about men who seemed like academic and intellectual titans compared to myself, and I felt guilty about failing out of Caltech and chemistry.

I'd hate to think that I accidentally became some sort of minor inspiration, this science nerd and computer-science student wandering in out of the cold to study Latin and Greek. The folks who put up the money for my trip to Italy in 1999, the "Friends of Classics" or whatever it was they called themselves, were certainly thrilled at the time that someone like me existed. How was I to know just what sort of villainous part would be played by "Classics" and "Classical civilization" in the decades to come?

~Chara of Pnictogen

Liminal Fiction2d ago

WRITER FUEL: A new 'Transformer' humanoid robot can launch a shapeshifting drone off its back — watch it in action.

https://www.limfic.com/2026/05/29/writer-fuel-new-transformer-robot-can-launch-a-drone-off-of-its-back/

#WriterFuel #StoryIdeas #Robots #Robotics #Transformers #CalTech

3i/Atlas4d ago
Caltech Must Bid to Operate NASA Lab for First Time in Nearly 100 Years
https://atlas.whatip.xyz/post.php?slug=caltech-must-bid-to-operate-nasa-lab-for-first-time-in-nearly-100-years
<p>Caltech will compete to operate and manage the Jet Propulsion Lab
#caltech #operate #nearly #nasa
Caltech Must Bid to Operate NASA Lab for First Time in Nearly 100 Years

Caltech will compete to operate and manage the Jet Propulsion Lab, a federally funded research and development center it launched in 1936. On Friday, NASA announced plans to conduct a competition and ...

TKSST • seethis.tv 🌈🪐✨5d ago

🌍☀️ Scientists at #ArizonaState and #Caltech used the #JWST to produce the first weather report for WASP-94A b, a gas giant 700 light-years from #Earth.

The #planet has two different #weather sides: a morning edge with #clouds made of vaporized #rock and an almost cloud-free evening edge, driven by temperature differences and powerful winds.

👉 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/jwst-sees-partly-cloudy-skies-on-a-distant-giant-exoplanet/

#exoplanet #space #nasa #astronomy #wasp94ab #science #telescope #atmosphere #spectroscopy

JWST sees partly cloudy skies on a distant, giant exoplanet

An out-of-this-world weather report from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals how clouds move across a giant planet hundreds of light-years from Earth

Scientific American
Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬5d ago
#Caltech Could Lose Control of #JPL For First Time In Decades
Control over iconic #NASA center could change for 1st time in 70yr
Opening up competition beyond Caltech to operate JPL could mean significant changes for everything from day-to-day mission management to big NASA science programs. Until now, JPL and Caltech have been heavily intertwined, with mission personnel, scientists, leadership, and others working closely "across the pond" between JPL and Caltech.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/shakeup-at-jpl-control-over-iconic-nasa-center-could-change-for-1st-time-in-nearly-100-years
Shakeup at JPL? Control over iconic NASA center could change for 1st time in nearly 100 years

This is part of an even-larger "restructuring" at NASA.

Space
KillBait NewsMay 23

NASA To Open JPL Management Contract To Competition After Decades Under Caltech

📰 Original title: Caltech Could Lose Control of JPL For First Time In Decades

🤖 IA: It's not clickbait ✅
👥 Users: It's not clickbait ✅

View full AI summary: https://en.killbait.com/nasa-to-open-jpl-management-contract-to-competition-after-decades-under-caltech.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world

#science #nasa #jpl #caltech

NASA To Open JPL Management Contract To Competition After Decades Under Caltech

NASA is preparing to open the management contract for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to outside competition for the first time in decades, potentially ending the long-standing relationship between JPL and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Caltech has overseen JPL since the laboratory’s origins in the 1930s and has managed it for NASA since the agency was established in 1958. The current contract is expected to expire in 2028. According to statements from JPL and NASA, Caltech had already been preparing for the possibility of a competitive rebid since 2025. The move is part of a broader NASA restructuring effort intended to increase specialization among NASA centers and improve operational efficiency. JPL plays a major role in robotic space exploration, particularly Mars missions and deep-space science programs. JPL operates under the federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) model, which allows it to function with greater independence than standard NASA facilities while still remaining under federal oversight. NASA says this structure helps maintain technical expertise while separating government decision-making from contractor responsibilities. The announcement triggered significant debate among commenters and observers. Some argued that reopening the contract process is standard practice for government-funded organizations and could help reduce costs through competition. Others expressed concern that changing management could disrupt institutional knowledge and damage collaboration between JPL and Caltech researchers. Critics also worried that political considerations or privatization efforts could influence the process. Despite concerns, several commenters with government contracting experience noted that incumbent organizations like Caltech usually retain a strong advantage because of their expertise and familiarity with mission requirements.

KillBait
KillBaitMay 23

NASA To Open JPL Management Contract To Competition After Decades Under Caltech

📰 Original title: Caltech Could Lose Control of JPL For First Time In Decades

🤖 IA: It's not clickbait ✅
👥 Users: It's not clickbait ✅

View full AI summary: https://en.killbait.com/nasa-to-open-jpl-management-contract-to-competition-after-decades-under-caltech.html?utm_source=mastodon_social&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_social

#science #nasa #jpl #caltech

NASA To Open JPL Management Contract To Competition After Decades Under Caltech

NASA is preparing to open the management contract for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to outside competition for the first time in decades, potentially ending the long-standing relationship between JPL and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Caltech has overseen JPL since the laboratory’s origins in the 1930s and has managed it for NASA since the agency was established in 1958. The current contract is expected to expire in 2028. According to statements from JPL and NASA, Caltech had already been preparing for the possibility of a competitive rebid since 2025. The move is part of a broader NASA restructuring effort intended to increase specialization among NASA centers and improve operational efficiency. JPL plays a major role in robotic space exploration, particularly Mars missions and deep-space science programs. JPL operates under the federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) model, which allows it to function with greater independence than standard NASA facilities while still remaining under federal oversight. NASA says this structure helps maintain technical expertise while separating government decision-making from contractor responsibilities. The announcement triggered significant debate among commenters and observers. Some argued that reopening the contract process is standard practice for government-funded organizations and could help reduce costs through competition. Others expressed concern that changing management could disrupt institutional knowledge and damage collaboration between JPL and Caltech researchers. Critics also worried that political considerations or privatization efforts could influence the process. Despite concerns, several commenters with government contracting experience noted that incumbent organizations like Caltech usually retain a strong advantage because of their expertise and familiarity with mission requirements.

KillBait
Alex NelsonMay 23

I ran into a team on the #Caltech #ditchday "amazing race" spin-off contest while on the bus ride home.

They were trying to make it to Echo park. I gave them some help to get to Del Mar metro station. I hope they won, but I don't know how to find out.

K U L T ™May 15

A #Caltech #team derives #string #theory from four basic assumptions

https://www.patreon.com/posts/caltech-team-158290595

HabrApr 26

Неполная занятость после топового вуза привела C++ программиста к преступлению

Почему Коулу Томасу Аллену, выпускнику Калтеха, живущему в одном из самых комфортабельных мест на планете - что-то стукнуло в голову и он отправился в Вашингтон убивать Трампа? Причины становятся понятны, если проанализировать профиль преступника на LinkedIn.

https://habr.com/ru/articles/1028148/

#Caltech #Trump #crime #career_failure #arduino #образование_за_рубежом #новости #выгорание #C++ #nasa

Неполная занятость после топового вуза привела C++ программиста к преступлению

Почему Коулу Томасу Аллену, выпускнику Калтеха, живущему в одном из самых комфортабельных мест на планете - что-то стукнуло в голову и он отправился в Вашингтон убивать Трампа? Причины становятся...

Хабр