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Post by PigsnieLite on Sept 17, 2010 23:30:42 GMT -5
Charles Schulz did not know that his lifes purpose wuz to make the world a happier place? I agree, some people are not meant for books. Their life is about their families, raising their kids, making a living, like in this shockingly sad documentary LAST TRAIN HOME. And its also true, I am not so attached to the ancestors or to the land. Besides my immediate family, I think I am more attached to houses and to books. I really have a thing about houses. And the libraries inside the houses. As for education being a means to an end, I dont know. I wuz rather bored by university even though I did very well. I think my pa wuz a bit disappointed that I didnt go to Oxford like Pigsnit and a number of other ancestors. Eck, now Im depressed. And this documentary is depressing me even more. God Id just love to kick that ungrateful daughter down the stairs. Im sad now. I wish Id never started this thread. I wish Id never seen this documentary. And the other movie wid the same title is about homeless Indian childrun.
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Post by sunfrog on Sept 18, 2010 15:57:12 GMT -5
What? Of course I was insulting Avril. What made you think I wasn't. ;D Just kidding of course. I used transcendential meditation because I can't spell it and because I was talking to Avril about one of her students who is studying such things. It wasn't a personal insult. Sorry. My rambling probably didn't help either. I was sleepy and late for work. I'll try to elaborate and use myself as an example so as not to accidentally offend anyone. Let's say I need to repair a part on my bicycle. How would I do that? In the old days, if I knew about bicycle repair I would call up the memory on chain repair in my head and then fix it. Since I don't have that memory in my head, and since these are the new days, not the old days, I now turn to Google. A quick search turns up this website, bicycletutor.com/. Now I know everything about bicycle repair and can fix it. How is searching my head for a specific memory different than searching Google for a specific topic? I think it is exactly the same. The physical location of the info is different, and my brain is faster than Google, but otherwise it's the same. This makes me wonder if I need long term memory anymore. It also makes me wonder if I need to go to school any more. I don't need to take a class in bicycle maintenance because I can just click on this link and get all the info I need. bicycletutor.com/It's as if Google is an external part of my brain that I need a keyboard to access. That's what I have figured out so far. I do this all the time. Constantly. This is how I use the internet and I feel I am smarter for it. I also visit this website, www.unexplained-mysteries.com/ which has stories on spray on clothing in a can. I don't think this site makes me smarter, I think it makes me more creative and opens my mind up to new possibilities. It's also just fun, like videos of cats playing pianos. Since the internet is an external part of our brains now, how we use it makes us smarter or dumber. If all I did was watch cat videos all day it would me me dumb. If all I watched was Ted talks all day it would make me smart. I think this is causing the gap between smart and stupid to get wider. Some people watch both kinds of videos, some people watch more smart videos than dumb ones, and some people watch more dumb videos than smart ones. Of course everyone loves cats, but smart people seem to be getting smarter and dumb people seem to be getting dumber. It's just my observation. A lot of people are getting smarter, but how do you explain the stupid Tea Party people? They are as dumb as door nails. How is that possible? Something is causing it. Chemicals in our food and the internet I think. Dunno.
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Post by PigsnieLite on Sept 18, 2010 16:04:49 GMT -5
I haf a very poor memory. All my passwords are on a Post It. And I cant fix anything either. Even if I wrote the instructions on a post it. Why are people so Testy? I guess this is why Avrilly deleted her 2 posts before yours, Sunfroggy. You rile people up. Heh.
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Post by sunfrog on Sept 18, 2010 16:11:52 GMT -5
What two posts? Self ban yourself woman! ;D
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Post by PigsnieLite on Sept 18, 2010 16:14:17 GMT -5
She wuz talking to Wortle. They are fighting like Peke & Kitty. *Get outta my bed, Dang BLAST IT!*
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Post by Avril on Sept 18, 2010 20:23:33 GMT -5
Of course I know you weren't insulting me, Sunfrog. I think you were not being as subtly ironic as Wart thinks you were being, either. As you pointed out, you weren't sure what you think, you were just ruminating.
Your perspective is necessarily different to mine and that's fine. My job is to train professionals and copying and pasting from the Internet (which is what I was talking about) is not acceptable on an academic level. I don't expect anyone else to be coming from this viewpoint, but I do feel I have to point out the huge difference between ordinary use of Google and Wikipedia and its use in school and university. That's all. Kids in school and people not in education get used to copying and pasting and not questioning Internet sources and if any of these want to pursue higher education, they will fail unless they learn the difference. That is, I hope they'll fail.
I'm sorry I offended Wart by my strong feelings on this matter. Having read Freddie's perspective I can appreciate the land perspective too. That's all fine.
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Post by sunfrog on Sept 18, 2010 22:44:20 GMT -5
Hey, I missed a whole page of fighting! How about if Tanya went to a doctor who 'studied' medicine via Google? It doesn't work with everything but it does work with some things. For instance, let's say I take a class in bicycle repair and I don't pay attention. Can I fix my own bike? Yes. I have the internet. I didn't learn a single thing in class but I can Google whatever I need to fix. Can I open my own repair shop? Yes. Come back in an hour and your bike will be fixed. In fact, I am already a bicycle expert as I type this. The info is not in my head it's in the internet and I know how to get it. Should I fail bicycle repair class? Yes, because I didn't learn a thing says Avril's side of the argument. Why, I can fix any problem, says I. I am an expert without learning a thing. Weird isn't it? Also, I didn't say he should pass, I said I wasn't so sure he should fail. I am confused by it. I am confused by Google. It's a part of my brain so it should count as knowledge shouldn't it? Now think of this. Avril gives me a test. I stare at the paper for 10 minutes before answering but I get the correct answer. Should I fail? No right? It took me 10 minutes to get the answer but I got it. What if the info was in Google and it took me 10 minutes to Google it? I still got the correct answer, it still took 10 minutes. As I said before, accessing memories in my head isn't any different than accessing info online. So I'm not so sure I should fail. If I can Google that should count for something. Now if I copy and paste something on camel migration habits into my bicycle class then I don't even know how to Google and I should fail. That's not what happened. I Googled correctly. P.S. Tanya is making fun of me in IMs. ;D Tanya is on your side of the argument Avril. Tanyagot it thanks. used google. dang google is smart ... lol
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Post by Avril on Sept 19, 2010 5:38:11 GMT -5
Thanks, Tanya!
I think your brain is pretty exceptional with technological and mechanical things, Sunny.
However, if you had studied in a class that involved both theory (lots of reading) and counselling practice for twelve weeks and then copied most of your final assessment, then that's not indicating that you've learned anything - there's nothing there I can mark you on. That's why I failed him.
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Post by Avril on Sept 20, 2010 0:21:22 GMT -5
The lost art of listening September 20, 2010 - 12:44PM The Sydney Morning Herald
Texting.
Has our reliance on technology gone too far?
At a recent business dinner, half the table checked emails or phone text messages during a lull in the event. At a meeting the next day, some attendees couldn’t go an hour without checking their phone. How pathetic to have a phone on silent, sitting on your lap, under the table.
I shouldn’t be surprised: a recent US survey found a quarter of all internet users think its okay to be online during sex. Slightly more said it’s okay to be “plugged in” during their honeymoon, and 8 per cent think it’s alright to surf the web during religious services.
Someone should set up Cyberholics Anonymous: “My name is John. I’m 45 years old, sleep with an iPhone next to my bed and check emails upon waking. I have sore thumbs from texting, and waste half the day replying to useless emails. I’ve forgotten how to listen and have a real conversation. I am now a manager of emails – not people.”
What’s your view: is technology in the workplace getting out of hand?
Are you frustrated when somebody spends half their time texting while you talk to them?
Can you share examples of cyber-addiction in your workplace?
I can understand teenagers texting and emailing themselves silly. But grown adults in business? One entrepreneur I know spends half his day at cafes emailing and social networking with contacts. Good for him if it works, though I doubt that alone can identify and solve customer problems.
Technology offers great benefits to small business owners. But has it gone so far that entrepreneurs and their staff are forgetting how to listen – really listen – and ask the right questions?
Is listening becoming a lost art when so many answers are in electronic printed short form and attention spans have compressed to seconds and minutes?
Are we too eager to tell others what we think via rapid-fire email?
Is this disease spreading to business?
The ability to ask questions and listen is vastly underrated in entrepreneurship. There should be courses on it. The best entrepreneurs I’ve interviewed over the years, those who’ve made the BRW Rich 200 and BRW Young Rich lists, have these skills in spades.
At times, you feel they are interviewing you to get information. The worst entrepreneurs engage in one-sided conversations about them and don’t care what anybody else thinks.
If you’re worried technology is denting the ability of staff to ask the right questions and listen to customers, consider these tips from Michael McQueen, founder of The Nexgen Group, an international training consultancy.
McQueen’s piece, Becoming a Master-Asker, has some terrific ideas (in bold):
1. Avoid closed questions that lead to a yes or no response: Ask questions that encourage dialogue, not one-word answers.
2. Don’t start questions with “why": That can make respondents feel they are being backed into a corner and needing to justify their response.
3. Ask one question at a time: How many times have you heard a journalist ask two or three questions at once, and the poor interviewee struggle to remember them?
4. Don’t ask loaded questions that solicit the response you want.
5. Ask questions with a curious, enquiring and interested tone.
6. Never ridicule or dismiss a response: All too often, we can’t wait to give view on an answer rather take time to reflect on it.
7. Be genuine: Don’t ask the question if you’re not interested in the response.
I’ll add some extra ideas:
8. Respect time: If someone is good enough to let you ask questions, be grateful for the opportunity.
9. Prepare, prepare, prepare: Strong preparation leads to strong questions.
10. Ask for permission to record the conversation if it’s important. That way you can listen deeply to the response rather than furiously scribble notes.
11. Start with broad questions first: Encourage more dialogue and build rapport, than move to detailed questions during the conversation.
12. Be prepared to probe: The best interviewers think on their feet and go where the responses take them to flesh out responses, rather than rigidly stick to a question sheet.
As more people become technology addicted, knowing what to ask and being able to listen will make a huge difference in truly understanding what customers want - and innovating.
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Post by Avril on Feb 23, 2011 17:06:40 GMT -5
Haha, I gave this about two minutes solid applause! The mistake this poor man made was in thinking everybody would be fooled and he wouldn't get caught. 'Cut-And-Paste' minister deprived of doctorate February 24, 2011 - 7:53AM The Sydney Morning Herald
German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg has been deprived of his doctoral degree after he was accused of copying large sections of his thesis, his alma mater said.
"The University of Bayreuth withdraws Mr. zu Guttenberg's title of doctor," university president Ruediger Bormann said during a televised press conference.
Zu Guttenberg's thesis "was not the result of correct scientific work", Bormann said, though he did not qualify the work as plagiarism.
Zu Guttenberg had previously asked the university to take back his doctoral title, saying there were "serious technical faults which contravened proper academic standards".
"I am a human being, who has weakness and who makes mistakes," said the suave and popular 39-year-old aristocrat, who has been dubbed "Baron Cut-And-Paste" and "Zu Googleberg" by a gleeful media.
Internet sleuths set up a collaborative website, or Wiki, to comb through the 475 pages of zu Guttenberg's work, concluding there was evidence of unattributed copying on 270 of them.
When the 14 pages of content and 65 pages of footnotes are taken into account, this amounts to more than two-thirds of the dissertation.
The scandal has done little to dent his popularity with the German public however, a poll showed Wednesday.
According to the survey, by the Infratest dimap polling institute for ARD television, 73 per cent of people are happy with zu Guttenberg's political work, compared to 68 per cent before the row erupted.
A similar number (72 per cent) said his decision to give up his doctorate title was sufficient to allow him to stay minister. Only 24 per cent of those surveyed said he should step down.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed the minister, saying she appointed him as defence minister, not as an academic researcher.
Opposition politicians accused him of lying and cheating and demanded he step down.
Media commentators were divided on whether the minister should resign.
The left-wing Tageszeitung wrote: "How can one go on believing such a man in the future, when he testifies on critical events, for example regarding the German army? This is where the chancellor comes in."
"The fact that she is prepared to keep a liar in the cabinet in order to preserve her balance of power isn't just unworthy of her office. It is a scandal," added the paper.
The Berliner Zeitung, also on the left of the political spectrum, said: "Merkel has placed political opportunism above political decency and ethics."
The popular Bild daily, which has broadly backed him so far, withheld judgment, asking its readers on the front page to give their opinion.
But the centre-left Sueddeutsche Zeitung, while saying zu Guttenberg should be "ashamed" of his actions, nevertheless said it could work in his favour.
"Could the plagiarism affair even clear the path to the chancellery for him?" asked the daily.
"'Look, says the baron to the people, I'm one of you. 'A person who has weaknesses and who makes mistakes'."
AFP
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Post by PigsnieLite on Feb 23, 2011 18:11:49 GMT -5
Idjoot. HE should haf plagiarized from more obscure sources. Whut a Dummy.
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Post by Avril on Feb 23, 2011 18:41:15 GMT -5
Wombat says he used to make up references to back up his assertions in academic essays. They were original thoughts, however.
I spend way too much time checking that my students' references are correct. We get paid $12.50 per assignment. I figure my average hourly rate is about $2.50. That's half what I paid the babysitter per hour when Sarah was three, 26 years ago.
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Post by PigsnieLite on Feb 23, 2011 20:22:22 GMT -5
Google has a lot to answer for.
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