Quote:It’s almost like sex ed

Hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin is donating $3 billion to Carnegie Mellon University, marking the largest gift in American higher education history.

Ken Griffin Gives Carnegie Mellon University A Record $3 Billion
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnie...3-billion/

If you ever think things are getting crazy in the U.S., take a look at what’s happening in other parts of the world. It can make you appreciate just how many freedoms Americans still have.

UK lawmakers approve lifetime smoking ban for today’s under-18s
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthc...026-04-22/

I wonder whether a law like this will actually hold up long-term. After all, governments often claim these kinds of restrictions are about “your safety,” but it’s worth asking where protecting people ends and controlling their personal choices begins.

And smoking isn’t the only thing being targeted. The UK is also moving toward additional restrictions affecting young people in 2027.

Energy drinks to be banned for under-16s in England from April
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czrjg0jxkpno

There has also been debate over restricting social media access for children under 16:

UK: Social media ban for under 16s ‘right diagnosis, wrong prescription’
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2...scription/

Regardless of how you feel about smoking, energy drinks, or social media, I think the bigger question is where the line should be drawn.

The irony is that people sometimes complain about religious restrictions, especially from various forms of Christianity, but at this rate, the government may end up being more restrictive than Jesus Christ.

Israel this Iran that
https://www.tiktok.com/@bettyloubrenneck...6784337166

I’ve been thinking about starting a side hustle selling text-based T-shirts like these. Someone in my AI group said they make pretty good money selling them, so I’m curious whether there’s actually much demand.

Do you or anyone you know wear or buy shirts like these?

Me:
https://www.tiktok.com/@robertsaiz0/vide...4415542541

"Fasten your seatbelt, Dorothy, 'cause Kansas is going bye-bye."

We don't see too many DA programs these days. Kentucky Christian University has what might be a new Doctor of Arts in Theological Leadership. 

Tuition: $325 per semester hour
Length: 48 semester hours

I don't think this program has much substance, but that's how I feel about most leadership programs. Regardless, a lot of people seem to love leadership programs (probably because they lack substance). 

https://www.kcu.edu/doctorate-of-arts-in...ship-datl/

This is a light-hearted post. When Texas State University announced their online DBA program, they claimed that it was the first 100% online DBA in Texas. That wasn't true. UIW made their DBA available online in 2017. I just saw a LinkedIn ad from ASU claiming that they now have the first criminal justice doctoral program at a public university. I don't know what that's supposed to mean. LOL. Do they mean the first online DCJ at a public university? Yeah, they don't have that either. PennWest (formerly California University of Pennsylvania) beat them by like six or seven years.

Thought I'd post this, just some notes from what I've picked up by reading here and elsewhere, but also it's not so serious (just random musings for now, rather than any firm plans), so sticking it in Off Topic! Rather than a main discussion forum. 

Master's in Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Saylor University 
Absolutely insanely good value, at only $5/exam! (essentially making the degree "free") Saylor University is probably going to rise up the relevancy charts in the long run too, first Florida, next the world. 
https://degrees.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=20140 (I should keep an eye out on what extra degrees they offer in the future, hopefully they bring out a STEM Bachelors degree one day: https://degrees.saylor.org/ )  

Master of Computer Science (or maybe Master of AI, or maybe Data Science) at University of Texas at Austin
US$10K at a Top 10 university is very appealing, but it would also be by far the toughest and most difficult degree here to get. 
https://cdso.utexas.edu/mscs

Master of Science in Mathematics from the University of South Queensland
Sub AU$20K for an online STEM Masters from a "local" (well... same country! Not same city) university is quite appealing. Maybe I can get credit too, from prior studies, which could bring down the cost by as much as half?
https://www.open.edu.au/degrees/master-o...sq-sms-mas
https://www.unisq.edu.au/study/degrees-a...of-science
https://handbook-guide.unisq.edu.au/aos/...?year=2027 
(or this: https://www.open.edu.au/degrees/master-o...sq-aim-mas Or even one of these other ones: https://www.open.edu.au/degrees/master-o...li-aid-mas , https://www.open.edu.au/degrees/master-o...rf-mit-mas , https://www.open.edu.au/degrees/master-o...rf-iai-mas )

Master of Applied Management at Southern Institute of Technology
Can't beat "Free"! (I think it applies to Aussies too?)
https://www.sit.ac.nz/programme/course/M...T%20Online 

Master of AI from Udacity / Woolf College
Of course it lacks the prestige of UT at Austin, can't even hold up a candle to that! But it is a lot cheaper, and would be a lot less painful to complete as well. 
https://www.udacity.com/masters-artificial-intelligence

Master in Fintech and Blockchain from ENEB
Probably done far too much via ENEB already.... but Fintech/Blockchain would be right up my alley!
https://eneb.com/training-programs/maste...lockchain/

Or even... some random German degree?

https://www.hochschulkompass.de/en/degre...rschaft%5D= (original source: https://www.degreeinfo.com/index.php?thr...ost-615789 )

Or Finnish: https://www.arcada.fi/en/study-arcada/co...-analytics (source: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...el-30-ECTS )

There was previously some discussion on whether a handful of Meta Professional Certificates would be renewed or whatnot. It appears as though between 5 of their certs (a whopping total of 50 credits - WOW!) is valid as of yesterday, 1 October 2026 through September 30 2029. All of them are for LL credits.

Oooh! I don't think I like this.

So... Along with Space Academy, I have another fascinating project to follow. 

This one appears to be controversial on purpose. 


"Five additional colleges and universities will develop cadet corps—a broader form of military-aligned education than Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday. While unveiling the new institutions his department is partnering with, Hegseth again criticized a wide swath of colleges as anti-American.


In a memo and speech, Hegseth announced that Hillsdale College and Liberty, Louisiana State, Mississippi State and Tuskegee Universities will be dubbed distinguished military colleges, a label the military once used but abandoned. Hillsdale and Liberty are conservative Christian institutions, while Tuskegee is a historically Black university. The department didn’t respond to Inside Higher Ed’s request for comment about how it chose the institutions.'


"The defense secretary criticized Ivy League and liberal arts institutions as “anti-American, DEI-worshipping woke factories” while announcing partnerships with five universities."

“The demand for grounded, strong and honorable leaders has never been more urgent,” Hegseth said during his State of the Force Address at Marine Corps Base Quantico. “Tomorrow’s leaders can’t simply manage crisis, they have to thrive within it while maintaining their true north compass heading. Only leaders of character, who cherish our Constitution and love our country, should lead our great military.”


https://www.insidehighered.com/news/institutions/specialized-colleges/2026/10/02/hegseth-5-colleges-will-develop-cadet-corps