Show Notes

• Episode Title: Why Can’t We Have Nice Things?
• Release date: August 6, 2026
• Hosts: Danny Caballero, Devin Silvia
• Guest: Brian O’Shea, Michigan State University

Quick Summary

Danny and Devin sit down with Brian O’Shea — computational astrophysicist and director of MSU’s Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research (ICER) — to talk about what it physically takes to run large-scale computing at a university: power, water, staff, and the things nobody budgets for. Then they turn the lens on the CSU–OpenAI deal from Episode 02 and ask the question that story never asks: what does $16.9 million actually buy, and what do you own when the contract ends?

Related Episodes

• Episode 02: “Did California Spend Nearly $17 Million on Confusion?”

Resources Mentioned or Related

• ICER — Michigan State University Institute for Cyber-Enabled Research: https://icer.msu.edu/
• New York Times Magazine (June 1, 2026): “California’s Public Universities Went All in on A.I. Now They’re Tearing Themselves Apart” by Linda Kinstler — https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/01/magazine/ai-university-college-california.html
• Introducing ChatGPT Edu — OpenAI: https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-edu/
• ASU and OpenAI expand collaboration — ASU Enterprise Technology: https://tech.asu.edu/features/asu-and-openai-expand-collaboration-scaling-ai
• Cal State Spent $16.9M on AI During a Faculty Layoff Crisis — AI Weekly: https://aiweekly.co/alerts/cal-state-spent-169m-on-ai-during-a-faculty-layoff-crisis

Recorded: August 5, 2026