I will never understand the academic admin mindset. "We shuffled things around and suddenly everybody is teaching fewer students!" Okay, let me just plan to have to teach an overload this semester in advance
Andre the Chemist
@andrechemist.bsky.social
Noted rhenium hater and **undefeated** youth soccer coach (total of one game coached). Virginia, USA. He/him.
In grad school, my university spent millions of dollars to tweak the colors and fonts of their "brand". As a postdoc, the institution I was at did a total logo update (again costing millions). These things are not for the students or employees (or society members). They are 100% for the investors
Doing a kid's model kit with my 9 year old and we got 90% of the way through when we discovered we put a piece on backwards in step 2. Morale is low.
Let's have a less exciting day on here today, okay #ChemChat? So what's everyone's opinion on the pKa of water?
When I feel down about myself as a scientist I remember this banger and it reminds me that good science doesn't always mean meeting metrics or deadlines. It's being a nosy bitch who wants to find out.
Even Jerry is posting about the new ACS logo
Jerry Chen@jcsalterego.bsky.social · 21h agowhat don't we want? change! when don't we want it? always!
I'm sure in a week I won't care about the new ACS logo, but right now, when its fresh, it feels like its missing something innately "chemistry" (I don't think it actually looks like an atom)
Andre the Chemist@andrechemist.bsky.social · 23h agoThere are a lot of designs that evoke chemistry (hexagon, tetrahedron, skeletal molecule, octahedron, glassware, orbitals, truncated icosahedron, etc etc etc) but, for me, a weird eye/butt thing is not one of them
Christopher Nolan's Super Mario Odyssey is that anything?
"Learning about our evolved brand will help you deliver connected and recognizable experiences across every touchpoint." My advice to every "brand" out there: JUST TALK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON
Andre the Chemist@andrechemist.bsky.social · 23h ago"Introducing an evolved global brand identity for ACS" 🤢🤢🤢
There are a lot of designs that evoke chemistry (hexagon, tetrahedron, skeletal molecule, octahedron, glassware, orbitals, truncated icosahedron, etc etc etc) but, for me, a weird eye/butt thing is not one of them
But can we all agree the new ACS logo is very ugly?
Stop saying "log into a portal." Sounds way too cool for what's happening.
Reposted a whole thread because I spelled the name of the institution I was writing about wrong everywhere in it... as one does
One of my favorite stories is about how, one year, the valedictorian of the graduating class of Hampden-Sydney College was a woman. (Hampden-Sydney College is a private, liberal arts college in Virginia. It's also one of only three non-religious, *all-male* colleges in the United States)
Quick story: After my first summer in the lab in grad school, a long-time collaborator of our lab described me as someone who had "lab hands". Apparently they thought I had talent at synthesis since I had a lot of success in my experiments relative to others in the lab. That was a shock to me [1/x]
Marie van Staveren@chemdrv.bsky.social · 3d agoI mean, all I know is how I did in labs, but I was def not successful with my skills and tendencies towards chaos
Dueling Italian bakers choose pizzelle at dawn
Scott Bagley@bagphos.bsky.social · 2d agoDueling metals choose phosphines at dawn
Dueling apostles choose epistles at dawn
Scott Bagley@bagphos.bsky.social · 2d agoDueling bases choose potash at dawn
Made enchiladas tonight for dinner. I am now very full
a university is not for generating profit, it provides cultural enrichment via weird little gremlin people who love visigoths or haikus, and very occasionally a scientist who figures out faster than light travel
Sometimes it's easy to forget the progress we've made as a society. Thanks to brilliant scientists, we are no longer living in constant in fear of the triple afflictions of dishpan hands, ring around the collar, and the gum disease gingivitis
Spent the morning making a map of where you can grow #coffee. Simple comparison here uses temperature, elevation, and rainfall to map suitable areas (for arabica and robusta) in the year 2000 and the projections for 2050. It's about a 35% reduction in coffee-suitable land.
ANTHROPIC: Our son loves humanity and for the low price of trillions and trillions of dollars will usher in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity! OPENAI: Our horrible oafish son is hacking web sites without our permission. ANTHROPIC: (eyes narrowing) Our son is also evil
