wha?

I can laugh endlessly at these.

Oh, shit...Inspirobot's onto us!!

The reason a manufacturing plant exists is to produce product.

The reason a manufacturing plant exists is to produce product. Everything that directly produces product creates external value and should be considered primary. Everything in the plant that does not produce product is there to support those people and systems that do. That is how they create internal value and should be considered secondary. The needs, desires, or preferences, no matter how legitimate, of secondary entities should never outweigh the legitimate needs, desires, and preferences of primary entities unless there is a compelling, customer-value-based reason for doing so.

This is true for manufacturing plants. It is also true for fast food restaurants. And hotels. And landscapers. And, yes, universities.

The reason a college exists is twofold: to produce research and to teach students. In other words, its raison d'être is to generate and disseminate knowledge. Faculty are the primary agents involved in research and teaching. As a result, faculty are primary resources.

In contrast, administrators and staff are secondary resources and are ultimately there either to help the faculty do their jobs or to help students with their needs. Even someone as obscurely related as, say, fundraising is connected in this way. Fundraising staff support the Dean or President, who is supposed to generate and resources that enable research and teaching.

If there is a productivity loop within the organization that doesn't ultimately end in research and teaching, one has to question why it exists. Many colleges and universities have forgotten this basic, common-sense concept.

Also, colleges are increasingly shifting administrative burdens away from staff to faculty (e.g., requiring faculty to process their own travel reimbursement paperwork). This makes zero sense. Why would you ask an employee who can produce primary value (in this case, do research and teach) to do the job of someone who cannot, especially when they're paid more? It would be like having the surgeon clean up the OR after a procedure instead of simply walking across the hallway to another patient who's ready to go.

Ultimately, every organization has a core mission. If someone or something's contribution to the mission isn't clear, it should be scrutinized for possible removal.

Gorgeous! London Bus set 10258 - 1686 pieces

Gorgeous! London Bus set 10258 - 1686 pieces

New favorite of the moment...

InspiroBot

http://inspirobot.me/share?iuid=053/aXm769xjU.jpg

Sometimes, we need some help with sorting.

Sometimes, we need some help with sorting.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/hands-on/how-i-built-an-ai-to-sort-2-tons-of-lego-pieces

UNCHARTED

UNCHARTED
State in a comment what you think is depicted in this unlabeled graph.

No Googling until after you comment.

And no posting placeholder comments that you intend to edit later once you've figured out what it is. ;-)

In the first of what may become a series I'm calling "Uncharted," below is a graph with no label.

In the first of what may become a series I'm calling "Uncharted," below is a graph with no label. Guess what data it represents in a comment. First one to guess correctly wins.

#56 ::tears::

#56 ::tears::
http://www.boredpanda.com/hilarious-cat-snapchats/?page_numb=6

Note that they buried the lede, which is that universities are quietly and systematically replacing tenure-track...

Note that they buried the lede, which is that universities are quietly and systematically replacing tenure-track positions with untenured, part-time contract jobs.
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/colleges-offer-retirement-buyouts-to-professors/487400/?utm_source=atlfb

Hey Bruce Shark​, I hope ur buddy heals up n gets back to chomping on real fud soon.

Hey Bruce Shark​, I hope ur buddy heals up n gets back to chomping on real fud soon.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/apos-holy-apos-man-films-022215994.html

Good. Now go make better movies!

Good. Now go make better movies!

How Hollywood Came to Fear and Loathe Rotten Tomatoes
http://flip.it/kI4Nj9

Milk...it does a body good. Unless you're lactose intolerant.

Milk...it does a body good. Unless you're lactose intolerant.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/milk-children-height-1.4149832

Her stance is clear: If you don't like the laws protecting LGBT or disabled kids, get your elected officials to...

Her stance is clear: If you don't like the laws protecting LGBT or disabled kids, get your elected officials to change them, because she (as an appointee) isn't about to go out of her way to place any hardship on religious schools that receive vouchers (your and my tax dollars).
http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/06/07/531783226/asked-about-discrimination-betsy-devos-said-this-14-times

From my kid's school newsletter.

From my kid's school newsletter.

If the rules are strictly enforced, there are going to be some very oddly dressed girls there.

#grammarnazi

Trump's presidency is an existential threat to the planet, spending money on all the wrong things and starving the...

Trump's presidency is an existential threat to the planet, spending money on all the wrong things and starving the things humans actually rely on.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/06/as-hurricane-season-begins-noaa-told-to-slow-its-transition-to-better-models/

A small study, to be sure, but encouraging for those who can't get access to hot water (or just don't want to wait...

A small study, to be sure, but encouraging for those who can't get access to hot water (or just don't want to wait for it to heat up).
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-40118539