Mantis

Re: The "Nice Happy" Thread I was struggling so much with my latest Uni assignment during the week that I thought I was going to spend all weekend over it, but last night I managed to do all the technical portion, much to my surprise. Now I just need to do a short report, which requires only a trivial effort.

Re: The "Nice Happy" Thread Counting this one? None.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings While contemplating the hellishly high Uni workload the other night, I re-read my current assignment from start to finish (BTW, anyone know anything about XML and wants to give me a few pointers on XML Schema? Particularly "Key"?). At the end of the assignment there is a section on plagiarism (note that my previous request is for guidance/assistance, not for someone to do the work for me). I suddenly realised why people are tempted to cheat - the pressure of too much work to do in not enough time, particulalry with the money invested into doing the degree in the first place. I have actually contemplated dropping out, but have spent so much money up to now, I don't want it to go to waste. On the other hand, my qualification, once gained, may not help me get a job, or increased wages, or any benefit at all. Plus the vast majority of what I am learning, and I know this from my experience of working in my field of study for over a decade already, is useless to me, as I do not work in the specialised fields these subjects are directed towards, nor do I wish to. As a result most of what I have learned I have already forgotten, and what I do recall is little better than trivia, useful on rare occasions when the planets align, but lying dormant the remainder of the time. I idly wondered what could be done to make this degree in Computing and Information Science more relevant to the corporate reality facing students who, unlike me, had yet to sail out into the bitter winds and stormtossed seas of the corporate world. And then, these disassociated thoughts of plagiarism and relevancy suddenly came together in a single moment of profound clarity. To prepare them for the reality of their future in the corporate world, students should be allowed to outsource their assignments to India.

Re: What Are You Listening To Right Now? Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Stop Stop Stop

Re: Musings on Random Musings It rained this morning. First time this year it's rained in daylight - we have had a couple of nights when it's rained. The drought still isn't over, though.

Re: Villain Team Name Septic Seven. Satan's Seven. Satan's Seraphim. Soulreavers.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER I found a Battlestar Galactica drinking game at the Battlestar Wiki, and I liked these entries, because they sound like HERO powers: Bill Adama uses his Glare of Death. - Bonus drink if Dr Cottle deflects it with his own Scowl of Intense Disapproval. President Roslin uses her Stare of You-Gotta-Be-Frakking-Kidding-Me.

Re: Stopping a Zeppelin following a Zeppelin? All you need is a thundersquall. Big blob on radar, loss of visual contact, shouts of "Cap'n, Cap'n, she canna take mooch moore o'this!" if they try to fly into it after the pirates, and then drat, they got away, but we'll get them next time!

Re: Please help... Name My Superhero Group! (in-game contest) In the same spirit: Chicago Rapid Action Patrol

Re: Please help... Name My Superhero Group! (in-game contest) Six Sigma Squad!

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Post. She wasn't even a big part of the story - Chakotay was the main character.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Tonight I watched an episode of Star Trek: Voyager that was actually a good story, and completely lacked technobabble. I thought that was significant enough an event to be worth mentioning.

Re: Longest Running Thread EVER Why?

Re: The cranky thread Unfortunately, the maths just don't work. I'd have to pay to maintain two households, and my salary doesn't stretch that far, particularly with the price of accomodation these days. House prices have tripled in the last few years and rents have risen with them, I can't even get a small unit in a bad area for less than I'm paying for my mortgage (and my wife doesn't earn much in her part-time job, so I pay for everything - house, gas, electricity, water, food, clothes, petrol).

Re: The cranky thread

Re: The cranky thread *sigh* ...and a quick check of the rental/housing market reminds me of why this same question keeps coming up, and why I keep staying: I can't afford to run two households, since I can barely afford to run one, even on my salary.

Re: Amazing Lightsaber Duel

Re: The cranky thread Once again, I face the Impossible Choice: if I leave my wife, I leave my kids too. Is it too much to ask to be treated with some respect? Is it too much to ask to be allowed to have a little dignity? Evidently, yes, it is.

Re: A Thread for Random Musings Marriage: it's not a word, it's a sentence.

Re: Wanted, South American Supervillains ! Nice list, QM, but, erm.... wrong continent. The request is for South American Supervillains, not South African.

Re: The "Nice Happy" Thread My wife mistook a real animal for our son when he was a baby - she woke up when he cried, grabbed one of the cats (who sleep on our bed), and started to get ready to feed it.... and if I hadn't said to her "That's a cat!" at that moment, I hate to think what would have happened next...

Re: Musings on Random Musings Don't Read Marvel.

Re: Traveller-era guns

Re: The cranky thread