<story><title>Feynman&apos;s Messenger Lectures (1964)</title><url>https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/messenger.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>scrlk</author><text>From the provost&amp;#x27;s introduction to Feynman:&lt;p&gt;&amp;gt; The chairman suggested that an annual salary of $3,000 was a bit too low for a distinguished faculty member, and recommended that Professor Feynman’s salary be increased $900. The dean, in an act of unusual generosity and with complete disregard for the solvency of the university, crossed out the $900 and made it an even $1,000.&lt;p&gt;Using the BLS CPI inflation calculator to convert from 1945 to 2023 dollars gives an annual salary of ~$67.5k. Pretty good bargain for a &amp;quot;distinguished faculty member&amp;quot;.&lt;p&gt;However, considering that the USD was pegged to gold at $35&amp;#x2F;troy ounce, $4k in 1945 was worth 114.29 troy ounces of gold. This is $224k at the time of writing. Much more fitting for a &amp;quot;distinguished faculty member&amp;quot;. :^)</text></comment>
<story><title>Feynman&apos;s Messenger Lectures (1964)</title><url>https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/messenger.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>lighttower</author><text>there is a little boy inside me who wants to watch all six lectures right away. but now with two kids and constant demand from work, I have gotten used to consuming education as 2 minute physics shorts on YouTube.&lt;p&gt;the issue is much deeper than the format of media. it&amp;#x27;s a sense inside me that I&amp;#x27;m &amp;quot;wasting time&amp;quot; not &amp;quot;productive&amp;quot; (related but not the same as not remunerated). I feel I* don&amp;#x27;t have permission* to just enjoy it ... I can give some reasons, like if I go for a bike ride with the kids it gets me and them exercise and my wife some respite, but sit and listen is just passive consumption that will never be productive... I wish I was free of this sense of guilt</text></comment>