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Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

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Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#101

Post by 8note »

sneak wrote: post #50

Consent matters. There is no worse tyranny than to force someone to pay for something they do not want to buy, simply because you think it would be good for them. I am vehemently pro-research and pro-education, but these tax-funded programs are not it. There must be some meaningful connection to the delivery of value, otherwise this stuff is just public-private wealth transfer. This seems obvious to me. Why should th…

but the spending was all set by democratic process where citizen's representatives set the spending in their constituents interests.

instead, now that value is being taken away from me without consent, and im goinf to be forced to spend more somewhere else in my life to make up for it, without the actual consent of it going through votes and discussion in congress

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#102

Post by late2part »

andix wrote: post #85
BLKNSLVR wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> We may be looking at a lost decade. We're looking at the US wilfully letting go of the possibiility of remaining the most powerful nation in the world. Reduced health, reduced education, reduced funding for research, reduced international aid programs (which both garner goodwill whilst also creating a bulwark against those who profit from misery), reduced oversight / regulation of the power of capital, alienation o…

You forgot "wilfully letting go of democracy". US democracy is far away from dying, but who knows how much longer it can keep holding up.

[flagged]

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#103

Post by ajmurmann »

tart-lemonade wrote: post #55
Kindra wrote: post #32

Notwithstanding the other awful aspects of all of this, there’s a certain vibe of, “people who don’t understand how a system works attempting to act like they know how the system works and are too cowardly to admit they are breaking everything.” This just reads like “Character Limit” except replace Twitter with the federal government.

It's like an internet argument spilled out into the real world, with all the posturing and bravado to increase perceived expertise. Except it's gambling with an entire nation's fortune, instead of likes/votes/reactions.

It's literally what happened. Twitter is more real than "real politics" now

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#104

Post by trhway »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #63
abirch wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In addition to these scientists, I heard from my friends in academia that they will be taking fewer PhD students because they're unsure of the funding. We may be looking at a lost decade.

> We may be looking at a lost decade. We're looking at the US wilfully letting go of the possibiility of remaining the most powerful nation in the world. Reduced health, reduced education, reduced funding for research, reduced international aid programs (which both garner goodwill whilst also creating a bulwark against those who profit from misery), reduced oversight / regulation of the power of capital, alienation o…

>We're looking at the US wilfully letting go of the possibiility of remaining the most powerful nation in the world.

many here see it way (me too, though i'm well aware that many times whenever i was critical of Musk, he happened to be right, and in this case - Musk is naturally not anti-science guy, so i'd guess there must be some other reason for him doing that which i'm just not able to see).

I wonder whether somebody from the opposing side can provide a reasonable logical explanation for the Musk/Trump actions. In particular what is the expected state near, mid, and longterm and how the current actions are supposed to result in it. It would be great to have it with some ballpark estimates.

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#105

Post by nirav72 »

knowknow wrote: post #11

Sad to say but this will be the norm for the next 4 years, don’t expect any federal organization to come out intact. I’ve basically ruled out working as a federal employee as there’s no assurances about anything.

More than 4 years. At least the way it seems right now. The democrats have no viable strategy or someone with a cult of personality that can unite all the factional groups.

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#106

Post by snowwrestler »

cavisne wrote: post #52
mikeyouse wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The thing is, the team that fired all these researchers doesn’t have that data either. So it’s extremely easy to be critical of their haphazard cuts since they’re made completely arbitrarily with the only consideration so far being the ease of firing them based on their probationary status. The process and detail you’re asking for would be the responsible way to shrink the government and is the polar opposite of what…

Non-probationary employees can't be fired (and even voluntary resignations are rate-limited by the Iron Mountain mine shaft elevator). So every day that process takes lowers the number of employees that can even be fired. Once it gets to a year (very easily) they would all have come off probation so nothing could be done. Everyone saying "oh something should be done but just do it slower" is actually saying do nothin…

“Something must be done, and this is something.” Usually a joke, but now this is how the U.S. federal government works.

The whole idea behind the layoffs is a belief that the feds are wildly overstaffed, with tons of easy obvious staff cuts to make. That was never the reality, and now we’re all about to learn that the hard way.

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#107

Post by late2part »

andix wrote: post #80
chii wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you've read the three-body problem series (or the tv show) [spoiler incoming] - - - - the way to stop humanity from being able to fight back (against alien invasion) is not via weapons, but via disabling science. It's a long term strategy. So the conspiracy theory that trump is a russian asset (or is influenced by them at the least), seems plausible, if you imagine that such removal of science and research funding…

Those concepts are not science fiction, they were very often used in the past already. Just read about how the most famous dictators in history came to power, and what they did first. Discrediting scientist is a standard step for most dictators. They only keep the bare minimum they need for the military and surveillance.

Who is the dictator here? Obviously the states that run these schools will raise taxes to fund the state schools, no?

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#108

Post by setikites »

carterschonwald wrote: post #44
abirch wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In addition to these scientists, I heard from my friends in academia that they will be taking fewer PhD students because they're unsure of the funding. We may be looking at a lost decade.

My fear as well. I’m not sure if even a magic wish to rearrange stuff back to the before January state of affairs is possible at this point. Write to your representatives. I fear that if they don’t pull off something the only ethical and responsible thing is civil war. This shit is insane and will destroy everything I like about our government. Also to quote every true patriot: the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi. I’m…

Calling your elected representatives daily is more effective. The app 5 calls makes it easy.

Re: Everyone at NSF overseeing the Platforms for Wireless Experimentation is gone

#110

Post by Spooky23 »

timewizard wrote: post #49

Why shouldn't the three monopoly cellular players in the US do this work themselves? Is there some reason the NSF is doing industry research for them? Are we /honestly/ afraid of "falling behind" in cellular technology if the government doesn't do basic research?

I, for one, prefer the rotary dial.
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