Budget Memes

Nothing drives a researcher to political extremism faster than discovering their MATLAB trial expired mid-analysis. Suddenly you're staring at your life's work held hostage behind a $2,000 paywall, wondering if seizing the means of computation might actually be the rational response. The transition from "I just need to run one more simulation" to "We Need Communism" is approximately 0.3 seconds - roughly the time it takes MATLAB to display that soul-crushing license expiration message. Python users watching from afar with their free, open-source superiority complexes.

Universities building shiny new football stadiums while physics labs remain stuck in 1932 is peak academic priorities. Nothing says "we value education" like a $100 million sports complex while researchers MacGyver equipment together with duct tape and prayers. The ancient lab in the image looks like it's waiting for Marie Curie to walk in and discover another element. Meanwhile, the football team gets heated seats and a jumbotron that could probably power a small country. Funding distribution in academia is basically "here's $5 for groundbreaking research that might save humanity, and here's $50 million for grass where people throw balls." Scientists don't need fancy equipment anyway—Einstein did relativity with chalk and daydreams, right?

That desperate moment when your MATLAB trial expires mid-research and suddenly you're contemplating economic revolution! Nothing drives a scientist to question capitalism faster than proprietary software prices. The jump from "I need to analyze this dataset" to "We Need Communism" is apparently just one license expiration away. Graduate students worldwide nodding in silent agreement.