[Illuyankas]

Tried to go to work today but I'm still coughing too much and had to go home, so now I'm worried I'll be laid off my zero hours contract job for having three sick days in a row

It's a good thing I'm feeling better now (though I felt better last night too) cause I'd be in work tomorrow if I did actually cough so much I threw up, instead of just retching a few times

[Abyss]

Macros, on 14 July 2017 - 11:39 AM, said:

Exam

Oral, written, or body cavity?

[Lady Bliss]

Abyss, on 14 July 2017 - 07:35 PM, said:

Macros, on 14 July 2017 - 11:39 AM, said:

Exam

Oral, written, or body cavity?

All three, unless there is an added charge.

[Gorefest]

Good point, I wouldnt want 5,000 volts through my pen.

[Puck]

The doctor who runs the doctor's office I transferred to half a year ago after going through two that turned out to be either incompetent or misdiagnosed me or for some reason didn't refer me to the proper specialist (so that I had been dealing with asthma without knowing it's asthma so I didn't get proper treatment etc.), anyway, that doctor apparently died out of the blue the other day. Holy crap. First off, I'd bet he wasn't even fifty yet, and second, my mother knows the family reasonably well, so it's actually more than just the annoyance of me having to look for a new general practitioner yet again (since here you need referrals to specialists for every new quarter of the year from a general practitioner, even if the specialist is handling all the treatment for something). I'm kinda-sorta shocked

This post has been edited by Puck: 14 July 2017 - 10:07 PM

[Puck]

Sorry for double posting, but.. my first anxiety attack in over a year is messing with my groove. And why did it happen? Because of RPG group shenanigans. Now that's a stupid reason. And no playing for me today. Imma gonna get drunk and read tUC instead, at least.

[worry]

Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost!

I.....think......I'm.....having.....a......panic......attack!

Oh no! This is definitely gonna put your party in peril! (Psst, by the way, this is really interesting character work. You don't often see anxiety disorders manifest in fantasy settings. Keep it up!). Anyway: A MEGA-KOBOLD APPEARS!

[TheRetiredBridgeburner]

worry, on 15 July 2017 - 08:08 PM, said:

Anyway: A MEGA-KOBOLD APPEARS!

Can't help feeling that most RPGs would benefit from more this, somehow.

Hope you're feeling better Puck.

[JPK]

TheRetiredBridgeburner, on 15 July 2017 - 09:22 PM, said:

worry, on 15 July 2017 - 08:08 PM, said:

Anyway: A MEGA-KOBOLD APPEARS!

Can't help feeling that most RPGs would benefit from more this, somehow.

All dnd games are benefited by the addition of awesome kobolds. I miss the last one I ran. He had a penchant for fire-magics and dousing things in oil. I lost him when I rolled a critical fumble on a fire spell while he was wearing a 5 piece strand of fireballs. He was fun as all hell to rp.

Hope things are starting to look a bit better Puck. I'd suggest trying to find a new group to roll with to avoid the drama, but I know how difficult that is.

[Puck]

Thanks, everyone, I'm okay now Was just surprised because I hadn't had anything like that since I went to therapy and I thought I'd gotten over it, but eh, shit happens, I guess.

I am also glad to inform everyone that our D&D group does, indeed, include a kobold. Though he thinks he a dragon in training. And likes to touch everything, so we're frequently having to evacuate asap or be blown to smithereen.

Fortunately, that wasn't my regular group. Despite the drama, my regular group is awesome and I love it and I'm weaving a plot to scare the hell out of them... A couple people asked me if I want to help test out a new system and I agreed, but I can't get my hands on the rulebook (because the people who made the Burning Wheel system are shoddy at having the core book in stock) and the day before yesterday I found out that the setting was going to be not what was originally planned, and one I don't particularly like, because I hate playing court intrigue. Additionally, I don't consider the GM to be worth my time (as compared to our D&D GM, who is glorious) but would've played anyway if everything else would've been fine. But all those things making me uncomfortable at once was just too much. I need to know what I'm doing. I know that's a silly reason for an aniety attack and not everyone is goign to understand, but eh, I've been worse.

[JPK]

I totally get it. I had a rookie DM decide that our group that had been around for awhile in a fairly generic high fantasy setting was just going to walk into Ravenloft. I was so pissed I quit that specific game on the spot. Even thinking back to it gets my hackles raised.

[Loki]

The boy woke up and proceeded to vomit all over the lounge room. Matador isn't home & I'm a sympathetic vomitor.

It hasn't been pretty.

[worry]

George A. Romero, one of the best to ever do it, has died.

[Loki]

worry, on 16 July 2017 - 09:55 PM, said:

George A. Romero, the best to ever do it, has died.

This one actually hurts.

[Cause]

I recently as a favor to my PhD supervisor proof read his wife's Masters as English is not her first language. She told a few people who have asked me to help them as well. Which I agreed to for money. After spending the weekend looking at one Masters paper I despair. The examiners awarded him the degree but asked him to have his work proofread. I fixed his spelling mistakes, grammar, formatting errors, citation errors etc. However what I cant fix is that its obvious that his paper is plagiarized. 50% according to my software when I decided to check it. What I cant fix is that his content is abysmal, he repeats himself multiple times! The same nearly identical paragraph appears in his literature review, his methodology section and his conclusion describing someone else's work and its not an isolated incident. His data analysis is deeply flawed, he both reports data that is of no interest to his study and interprets that data that is incorrectly.For example he analysed 4 banks but has multiple respondents from each in a survey. He treats each respondent as if they were a bank, 10 percent of respondents said their banks do not employ external valuation firms, he concludes therefore that 10% of the banks in his study do not. Ignoring that 10% of 4 banks is 0.4 banks which is impossible, all of the 10 percent of respondents were from the same bank. Meaning that 1 out 4 banks does not employ external valuation firms. This to me seems to be the least level of understanding one should be able to expect from a Masters student.

In short I don't know how anyone could have allowed him to submit this work for examination, never mind that they could award him the Masters for such shoddy work. I find it frustrating! I feel he does not deserve it, I feel it reflects poorly on my university which in turn means it reflects poorly on my PhD (even though we are from different fields and schools). I also find it disheartening that since the degree has been awarded he does not seem to care much about correcting the many mistakes I have shown him. Reading the examiners reports I am forced to wonder how bad it would have to be for him to have failed. An external examiner from Sweden no states that due to poor methodology all his results must be called into question, but addresses the point no further. I am just astounded by the lack of interest or rigor displayed by the student, his supervisor or the external examiners in taking this work seriously. I get the impression that no one had high expectations from the student, but instead of forcing him to grow they were just prepared to accept anything he wrote. I cant really say why it bugs me so much but it does!

[EmperorMagus]

Cause, on 17 July 2017 - 06:00 AM, said:

I recently as a favor to my PhD supervisor proof read his wife's Masters as English is not her first language. She told a few people who have asked me to help them as well. Which I agreed to for money. After spending the weekend looking at one Masters paper I despair. The examiners awarded him the degree but asked him to have his work proofread. I fixed his spelling mistakes, grammar, formatting errors, citation errors etc. However what I cant fix is that its obvious that his paper is plagiarized. 50% according to my software when I decided to check it. What I cant fix is that his content is abysmal, he repeats himself multiple times! The same nearly identical paragraph appears in his literature review, his methodology section and his conclusion describing someone else's work and its not an isolated incident. His data analysis is deeply flawed, he both reports data that is of no interest to his study and interprets that data that is incorrectly.For example he analysed 4 banks but has multiple respondents from each in a survey. He treats each respondent as if they were a bank, 10 percent of respondents said their banks do not employ external valuation firms, he concludes therefore that 10% of the banks in his study do not. Ignoring that 10% of 4 banks is 0.4 banks which is impossible, all of the 10 percent of respondents were from the same bank. Meaning that 1 out 4 banks does not employ external valuation firms. This to me seems to be the least level of understanding one should be able to expect from a Masters student.

In short I don't know how anyone could have allowed him to submit this work for examination, never mind that they could award him the Masters for such shoddy work. I find it frustrating! I feel he does not deserve it, I feel it reflects poorly on my university which in turn means it reflects poorly on my PhD (even though we are from different fields and schools). I also find it disheartening that since the degree has been awarded he does not seem to care much about correcting the many mistakes I have shown him. Reading the examiners reports I am forced to wonder how bad it would have to be for him to have failed. An external examiner from Sweden no states that due to poor methodology all his results must be called into question, but addresses the point no further. I am just astounded by the lack of interest or rigor displayed by the student, his supervisor or the external examiners in taking this work seriously. I get the impression that no one had high expectations from the student, but instead of forcing him to grow they were just prepared to accept anything he wrote. I cant really say why it bugs me so much but it does!

I sympathize.

This sort of low-effort bullshit should be punished with extreme prejudice among postgrads.

[Silencer]

Cause, on 17 July 2017 - 06:00 AM, said:

I recently as a favor to my PhD supervisor proof read his wife's Masters as English is not her first language. She told a few people who have asked me to help them as well. Which I agreed to for money. After spending the weekend looking at one Masters paper I despair. The examiners awarded him the degree but asked him to have his work proofread. I fixed his spelling mistakes, grammar, formatting errors, citation errors etc. However what I cant fix is that its obvious that his paper is plagiarized. 50% according to my software when I decided to check it. What I cant fix is that his content is abysmal, he repeats himself multiple times! The same nearly identical paragraph appears in his literature review, his methodology section and his conclusion describing someone else's work and its not an isolated incident. His data analysis is deeply flawed, he both reports data that is of no interest to his study and interprets that data that is incorrectly.For example he analysed 4 banks but has multiple respondents from each in a survey. He treats each respondent as if they were a bank, 10 percent of respondents said their banks do not employ external valuation firms, he concludes therefore that 10% of the banks in his study do not. Ignoring that 10% of 4 banks is 0.4 banks which is impossible, all of the 10 percent of respondents were from the same bank. Meaning that 1 out 4 banks does not employ external valuation firms. This to me seems to be the least level of understanding one should be able to expect from a Masters student.

In short I don't know how anyone could have allowed him to submit this work for examination, never mind that they could award him the Masters for such shoddy work. I find it frustrating! I feel he does not deserve it, I feel it reflects poorly on my university which in turn means it reflects poorly on my PhD (even though we are from different fields and schools). I also find it disheartening that since the degree has been awarded he does not seem to care much about correcting the many mistakes I have shown him. Reading the examiners reports I am forced to wonder how bad it would have to be for him to have failed. An external examiner from Sweden no states that due to poor methodology all his results must be called into question, but addresses the point no further. I am just astounded by the lack of interest or rigor displayed by the student, his supervisor or the external examiners in taking this work seriously. I get the impression that no one had high expectations from the student, but instead of forcing him to grow they were just prepared to accept anything he wrote. I cant really say why it bugs me so much but it does!

That is pretty shocking, I'd have failed undergrad classes for that level of mistakes. Pretty disappointing.

[Abyss]

Cause, on 17 July 2017 - 06:00 AM, said:

I recently as a favor to my PhD supervisor proof read his wife's Masters as English is not her first language. She told a few people who have asked me to help them as well. Which I agreed to for money. After spending the weekend looking at one Masters paper I despair. The examiners awarded him the degree but asked him to have his work proofread. I fixed his spelling mistakes, grammar, formatting errors, citation errors etc. However what I cant fix is that its obvious that his paper is plagiarized. 50% according to my software when I decided to check it. What I cant fix is that his content is abysmal, he repeats himself multiple times! The same nearly identical paragraph appears in his literature review, his methodology section and his conclusion describing someone else's work and its not an isolated incident. His data analysis is deeply flawed, he both reports data that is of no interest to his study and interprets that data that is incorrectly.For example he analysed 4 banks but has multiple respondents from each in a survey. He treats each respondent as if they were a bank, 10 percent of respondents said their banks do not employ external valuation firms, he concludes therefore that 10% of the banks in his study do not. Ignoring that 10% of 4 banks is 0.4 banks which is impossible, all of the 10 percent of respondents were from the same bank. Meaning that 1 out 4 banks does not employ external valuation firms. This to me seems to be the least level of understanding one should be able to expect from a Masters student.

In short I don't know how anyone could have allowed him to submit this work for examination, never mind that they could award him the Masters for such shoddy work. I find it frustrating! I feel he does not deserve it, I feel it reflects poorly on my university which in turn means it reflects poorly on my PhD (even though we are from different fields and schools). I also find it disheartening that since the degree has been awarded he does not seem to care much about correcting the many mistakes I have shown him. Reading the examiners reports I am forced to wonder how bad it would have to be for him to have failed. An external examiner from Sweden no states that due to poor methodology all his results must be called into question, but addresses the point no further. I am just astounded by the lack of interest or rigor displayed by the student, his supervisor or the external examiners in taking this work seriously. I get the impression that no one had high expectations from the student, but instead of forcing him to grow they were just prepared to accept anything he wrote. I cant really say why it bugs me so much but it does!

Yeah, i used to do this for undergrads - offer a proof read for grammar and clarity - and far too often realised they came to me to expecting me to either fully rewrite or 'fix' their paper.

Two choices - do what you're being paid to do and not your problem; or, hand it back (and refund the money if you were paid), say he needs more help than you can provide.

I only did the latter twice. One guy actually came back and thanked me. The other tried to start something at a bar a few nights later... his drunk fight skills were on par with his sober writing skills.

[Puck]

Work. No, I cannot cram half a page of text, two images, a headline, a logo and a box with two adresses into half a page and make it look good and still readable. No, the text cannot run curves around the images and still be readable. You've booked the entire page for the ad, why not use it? Also, I copied your freaking text word for word, if you don't like it, don't write it like that. You had it printed as is in another ad and told me to use it. No, centering the image and having boxes with text, three words max to each line, is not a genius idea.

And the worst part is, I cannot even talk back or all hell will break lose, even though I know I am right and all my colleagues know I am right. And she only comes over to bitch when everyone else is gone and it's just me and her left in the office (and maybe someone else way to the front of the building).

I need a new job, pity that part-time jobs are so hard to come by *sigh*

[Lady Bliss]

Ugh! My ex... Spending time with her is amazing... But the resulting romance is more than I can handle !!