Appointee list is in keeping with the administration's hostility toward science.
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Trump staffs science and technology panel with non-scientists
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Predictions on where they will go with AI data centers? Fossil fuels? Almost anything?
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Well of course that group of techbro billionaires gets appointed. Trump thinks they'll like him if he hands them a cookie. Too stupid to realize they own the cookies, the cookie factories and all the recipes, and he's barely qualified to be a dishwasher to them.
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I always wonder if there's a "anti-science" metric for nations. I feel like there's a direct (or more precisely an inverse) correlation between the level of anti-science sentiment and the level of success and stability in a nation.
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Different country, but if you watched The Secret Agent, there's a pretty interesting scene showing what happens when you put corporate leaders in charge of a science panel.
Actually, interesting maybe is a wrong word, it was quite revolting, and although the movie was fiction, it's probably very close to reality during fascist governments.
Actually, interesting maybe is a wrong word, it was quite revolting, and although the movie was fiction, it's probably very close to reality during fascist governments.
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ubercurmudgeon
Ars Tribunus Militum
At this point, the only surprise is that Trump hasn't appointed this guy...
...to some key governmental science oversight role.
...to some key governmental science oversight role.
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At this point, the only surprise is that Trump hasn't appointed this guy...
...to some key governmental science oversight role.
I see you haven't met our Secretary of
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That's just RFK.At this point, the only surprise is that Trump hasn't appointed this guy...
...to some key governmental science oversight role.
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PCATISS
(President’s Council of Advisors on Technology and oh I Suppose Science)
(President’s Council of Advisors on Technology and oh I Suppose Science)
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I swear I read about these scenarios in a book, or saw it in a movie or something. Cant put my finger on it.
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fellow human
Ars Praefectus
Yes because who understands the common worker's needs better than billionaires?
I will say this sounds at least a bit better than, for example, stuffing the vaccine advisory committee with anti-vaccine wackos, in that at least these people are mostly not anti-science per se. But still it's a distortion of what the panel is supposed to be about.
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Just rearrange it a bit to CATPISS and you'll have a rough estimation of it's contribution to the supposed mission of "ensuring all Americans thrive in the Golden Age of Innovation."
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Even as a pure tech advisory lineup this seems like weak sauce. Big chunk of random finance bros who are related to tech mostly as an asset class they know how to froth; the most generic name in wintel PCs, and Larry and Zuck just because they wanted the runts of the AI bubble or something?
It's not totally devoid of people who have actually touched technology, ideally within the last couple of decades; but not a good showing.
It's not totally devoid of people who have actually touched technology, ideally within the last couple of decades; but not a good showing.
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ReadandShare
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Could China and Russia have asked for a 'better' US president? Especially Russia?
(Edit for spelling.)
(Edit for spelling.)
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"It’s more appropriate if your focus is on investing in well-proven commercial technologies."
Is that a nice way of saying 'sycophantic billionaire techno-fascists'?
Is that a nice way of saying 'sycophantic billionaire techno-fascists'?
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Another day in idiot land. Also one day closer to the day that neighbors of all walks of life hug and celebrate in the street together.
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I'd say it's especially China. Lifting sanctions to keep the oil flowing is a lifeboat for Russia, but still just a lifeboat; they've mortgaged decades of development and a century of their future to take Ukraine.
China, on the other hand, is watching its only real rival for global superpower repeatedly shoot itself in every single body part that maintains an imperial state. Empires tend to kill themselves over long periods, and China could not dream of a faster suicide.
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I’d bet it’s rather the other way around. I imagine most of those people have no real interest being on the panel and will do no real work with it, but felt obligated to join to appease Trump.
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But he’s the most easily manipulated person on the planet. All the tricks these guys use on VC, the popular media et cetera will work a treat on him!
As indeed they have.
At the time we most need leadership that understands the complexities of the current moment we get….this guy.
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So feel free to correct me if I am wrong but sounds like this PCAST is a largely ceremonial group with little to no actual influence in affecting scientific endeavor either positively or negatively outside of their respective business interests. A feckless group with little to no impact.
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There's no need for scientists any more- we've got Ph.D. level AGI systems now. Just ask the members of this committee.
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The thing that these guys do have in common is that the exploited basic research to build their own fortunes and companies and want to continue to get that for free.
Maybe this will end up with research that they see could benefit them getting attention.
Looking for the best possible outcome here of course. More likely outcome, more data centers and more energy consumption.
Maybe this will end up with research that they see could benefit them getting attention.
Looking for the best possible outcome here of course. More likely outcome, more data centers and more energy consumption.
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Staffing a science panel with the non-scientific continues the theme begun by Trump's staffing choices for US intelligence agencies.
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Nothing better than to spend time reviewing papers written by "non-scientists" on topics that they know very little about. Never realized just how dangerous wind turbines, power lines, and solar panels are in the 21st Century.
It should be repeated: "As a Nation, we deserve the Government we elected."
It should be repeated: "As a Nation, we deserve the Government we elected."
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Not so much ceremonial, but a group to instruct a non-scientist president about science issues so that an informed decision on those topics can be made.
Stacking the council with a whole bunch of people who don’t know anything about science leads to the sort of ignorant incompetence we’ve come to expect from this administration.
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Voix des Airs
Ars Praefectus
And in other news... Zuckerberg's and Brin's companies have just been found liable on all counts for intentionally addicting people to their social media platforms.
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Doesn't Lisa Su have a literal PhD in Electrical Engineering? Sergey Brin and Jensen Huang both have masters degrees in their fields and head(ed) companies that have massive research wings...
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The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology has become the President’s Club of Tech billionaires.
No actual science needed because tech-enabled grift is already a fully-fledged field.
No actual science needed because tech-enabled grift is already a fully-fledged field.
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This kind of thing has happened before, with disastrous consequences.
Congress used to have an office called the Office of Technical Assessment. Its job was specifically to tell Congress what technobabble meant (and how to regulate it) in an authoritative manner, when Congress were uninformed tools. One of the Ways Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton cut the size of "Big Government" was to kill the OTA.After all--lobbyists surely know better how this stuff works!
And ever since--we've had a Congress filled with people who think of the internet as a "series of tubes", and show snowballs at their lecterns to disprove climate change.
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"No" scientific member... but a Nobel Price (and not Peace Nobel) ? I would say that this guy may count as 1... and the two Nuclear PhD may at least have a scientific background. I've seen worse "scientific" boards.
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Yes.
OTOH...Barack Obama's energy secretary...was a fracking researcher and lobbyist who unsurprisingly thought fracking was just great and that natural gas was a "green" fuel--when IRL methane is itself a greenhouse gas and he knew it just ignored that entire massive problem as a matter of policy.
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I know who they're eying for one of those remaining seats.
"They asked me how well I understood theoretical physics. I said I had a theoretical degree in physics. They said welcome aboard."
"They asked me how well I understood theoretical physics. I said I had a theoretical degree in physics. They said welcome aboard."
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These aren't a bunch of completely pure MBA types. When it comes to this particular administration, it seems like it could be much, much worse.
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It depends on how much you like oligarchy. These are CEOs advising the POTUS on how not to regulate their monopolies or infringe on their supply chains. The only thing worse than inept sociopaths...are corrupt and competent psychopaths.
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