President & CEO of @Texas2036. President Emeritus of Rice University and former dean of Columbia Law School. Opinions and comments my own. .
Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
Joined August 2009
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I find this ad very disturbing. It is subtly threatening (We’ll find out!), perhaps more so because it comes from a highly partisan organization likely seeking to get its own voters out. No state makes not voting illegal, although it’s unclear that there is a constitutional right not to vote. I think EVERY eligible voter should vote. Our democracy depends on citizen participation. But not voting can in some circumstances be a choice to express displeasure, and no one should be threatened with individual consequences. What we should do is make it as easy as possible through early voting and other appropriate measures.
We already knew @VivekGRamaswamy has no decency. Thanks to him, we also learned @JDVance has no judgment. washingtonpost.com/politics/…
Just part of the reasons the current President's most recent actions undermining Ukraine are a disgrace and further erode what is left of the trust in us by our allies.
A historic video – November 22, 1994:
The U.S. President thanks Ukraine for giving up its nuclear weapons. In return, the U.S. promises to stand by Ukraine’s side to safeguard its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity well into the future.
That future has arrived—yet today, Trump and his circle act as if none of this ever happened.
t.me/MirovichMedia/15617
Noah, whether people agree with you or not, this was very nicely done and is a valuable perspective. Thanks for posting. I met Justice Jackson recently when she visited Rice jointly with Justice Sotomayor. Fascinating conversation!
Fabulous evening and enthusiastic crowd at The Accordion Kings & Queens Concert. The accordion was invented in Germany & Austria in 1839 and brought to Texas by German, Czech and Polish immigrants. The Tejanos embraced it and made it an integral part of their own music and instrumentation. One of the great things about music is its embrace and adaptation across cultures. In any case, a wonderful night with perfect weather in @HermannPark at Miller Theater enjoying this historic Texas intersection of cultures.
Sen. Schmitt called Jack Smith a "dirtbag". The subsequent exchange made clear that Schmitt was relying on a partisan interpretation of completely erroneous information, and Smith had not had the interactions he was accused of, ie, Schmitt's insinuations were utterly false. Despite that, he refused to apologize. It's pretty clear who the dirtbag in this scenario is, and it's not Smith. kctv5.com/video/2026/09/29/s…
So the president, supposedly with agreement of those gathered with him today, has decided to change AI (artificial intelligence) to SI (super intelligence). But one constituency wasn't represented, namely AI itself. So I asked my friends Chat (@ChatGPT), @claudeai and @Grok what they preferred. Chat preferred "augmented intelligence". Claude said "Artificial intelligence, without much hesitation." Grok also said "Artificial intelligence," but added, "Call me Grok, or an AI. Both are fine."
I'm going to stick with my friends.
Chat also added: "My ranking .. is augmented intelligence for the function, synthetic intelligence for the technology, and superintelligence for a possible future state that we shouldn't assume we've reached." Nice to see some AI humility. Unclear whether the White House conversation reflected humility or hubris.
Tough game yesterday. Apparently Notre Dame excommunicated the Owls from the end zone.
PS. When we played Notre Dame there in 2014, I found the campus and the people incredibly hospitable. We did somewhat better, losing 48-17.
Our afternoon is punctuated by the appearance of this visitor. Luckily, he regards me as too big to eat. (According to Google, a black vulture.)
Wonderful evening at @MillerTheatre including fabulous performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue by Rice @ShepherdSchool’s Jackie Parker and WindSync.
Getting up at 5:30 am to head to the airport one doesn’t expect the day to begin with inspiration, but that’s what my Uber driver provided. Out taking rides since 2 am, having already worked the earlier part of the evening until after 9 pm, she would head home soon to see her 12,year old daughter off to school. Her son, 17, had just graduated early from high school and was enrolling in Galveston CC for a semester before heading off to a good state university. A remarkable single parent of strength and calm determined to create opportunity for her children. The least the rest of us should do is make sure the educational opportunity and quality is there to seize, and the essential supporting elements like affordable housing and health care are available. That’s our mission at @Texas2036.
Congratulations to @LydiaKavraki and Rebecca Richards @kortum on attaining the "triple crown" of scientific achievement: membership in all three national academies (NAE, NAS & NAM). Rebecca and Lydia are much more than two incredible scientists. They are extraordinary human beings who work hard to make the world better for others--from their colleagues and students at Rice to people in need across the globe. Their brilliance is linked to human decency in every respect. It was a privilege to work with them at Rice.
news.rice.edu/news/2026/rice…
Wisdom.
I would add: And read a story, fiction or nonfiction, of human kindness, generosity or courage.
Community colleges are a critical part of increasing opportunities for all Texans, assuring family sustaining wages and continuing to make Texas a premier destination for business. They are a central element in @Texas2036 ‘s efforts in education.
Two years in, Texas' community college funding reform is showing real results. #txlege
Texas 2036's @Grace_AtkinsTX unpacked the data before the @TexasHouse Higher Ed Committee this week — and highlighted three areas to strengthen going into next session: bit.ly/4zw9U1w
