Thread 18 - TalkLair: "That's no moon. It's a space station!"

[RasaSayangEh]

(Previous thread 17)

We've had our heatwave - is this it for the summer? All is lush and green in our LairGarden, flowers are blooming, berries are ripening...

In the TalkLair, all the windows are open, the Pimms is chilled, the MN massive salad is ready to serve. The denizens of the lair are a welcoming bunch, always eager for general chit-chat on all manner of topics. We just won’t mention the gnawed bones of our prey over there in the corner of the cave…

I don't know how it's gone down yet, I only sent the email first thing this morning. I didn't mention the AI thing (am keeping that as backup, as I said I don't think it's wrong to get an AI assist for stuff like improving artwork or animation if that's not your skillset and isn't going to be the actual thing assessed). I just hope she doesn't go to pieces over my careful and specific criticisms.

TheCells are definitely harsh I got so much teenage eye-rolling at the crapness of this student's efforts, as they kept pointing out how many of these sorts of videos they have done without any assistance.

I like the cut of their jib! Well, keep us posted!

(and for anyone who needs a good read, the tutor/attitude thread is great, btw)

Agreed. And out of curiosity I just did a Google search for "how to spot AI writing": the very first result was headed "AI Overview".

Isn't that just typical, Gonners.

Google has been doing that for quite a while now, at least a couple of months I think. It's not really a search result as such, it's Gemini trying to summarise all the other results. Sometimes, it is a helpful summary. Sometimes it's just bollocks. Depends on what the actual search results are. Garbage in, garbage out.

Viral pneumonia sounds scary, Brit. The cost of healthcare always seems like such a worry in the US. Hope you're on the mend.

Ah! I didn't know that.

There's a thread in AIBU complaining about a tutor who has basically told the OP (if not in so many words) that her son is not really equipped to do GCSE history. From what she tells us (which includes the info that the school advised against it and suggested geography instead) I suspect he's spot on, but she's not having it. Anyway, it made me think of your student, who should perhaps have read another subject. MrG once memorably came home from work and said, of one of his senior lecturers whose quirks included being completely unable (or at least unwilling) to speak in a classroom environment, that she should be "removed to a safe place and allowed to care for orphaned bunnies".

@Gonners
Just had a skim of the tutor thread, looking at OP's posts. Bloody hell, she's denser than Sagittarius A*

And you're right, I have this gloomy sense that Gormless is in the wrong faculty. I feel sorry for Go-Getter, who will probably end up carrying this entire project. I'm really really not supposed to help, only provide oversight and guidance, could get them both in trouble if I provide too much assistance.

With any luck they will boot me out of here today. I desperately need a shower and apparently you have to get a special order for that, and the bathroom facilities do not include towels other than paper ones.

The thing is, so many people here get their health insurance through their employers, and for the last few years access has been widened more affordably through the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) though those tax credits are about to expire and prices likely to literally double for those people who took advantage of it. For those without you can always get care in a genuine emergency (it’s the law) but then they chase you for unaffordable payments. My DSD, who had no health insurance (self employed) when she broke her arm badly, ended up with a medical bill over $40k. She pays the hospital $100 a month and eventually they will write it off. For people with chronic illness it’s a killer, and heaven help those who have mental health problems or (like my DS1) are autistic and just can’t deal with the normal executive functioning of everyday life.

It's enough to make you wonder why anyone would want to live there! 😛

What can I say? The man was irresistible!

I once had to make a US based employee redundant. We actually gave him notice, unusually, but the kicker for me was when the HR person supporting the process outlined that his healthcare would expire a month after termination. He'd a family too, so can't imagine the worry that must add to an already difficult situation.

When I read your posts I am often sorry I didn't attend the GU meet-up where (I think) you met. Because from the sound of it, I would have arm-wrestled you for him!

Check out https://x.com/jordanuhl/status/1987925676318507227?s=61&t=5wM6rrCIVAeqWs6wZl1YCQ for a screen shot after the text of the difference to somebody with cancer once the ACA tax credits expire.

Bloody hell @Britinme !

It's why a lot.of Americans never go for promotion or change jobs. They can't risk losing their health cover.

A US friend who has indefinite leave to remain in the UK moved back to the US for work around 13 years ago but before Obamacare. She came back to the UK to see us and a lot.of other friends, and broke her arm falling in the shower in her hotel room. It was treated in A&E but she had to weight for the swelling to reduce before she could have it set.

Friends offered to have her stay for the recuperation period - around six months and as she had ILTR she wouldn't be overstaying - she wanted to go back to the US for treatment. Her co-pay alone ended up at $26,000 and she was on a six figure salary working in the medical devices sector with state of the art health insurance. So America really is the epitome of the capitalist private enterprise society.

For those who say a GP visit should be £5; it would soar to much more in time.

When I was at college in the mid 80s, one of our US Fulbright Scholars broke his leg and pelvis very badly and was in hospital for months. He reckoned that he'd had about a quarter of a million dollars-worth of treatment back then (and his wealthy parents gave a whopping donation to the hospital, IIRC, which was decent of them).

The US healthcare thing always blows my mind. Even 25-ish years ago, on my first trip to the US, then-boyfriend-now-DH warning me to check how much medical cover I had on my travel insurance, to make sure it was enough.

Good evening wrongers! I lost track of yous a while ago, and here we are!

Nothing spectacular to report, just plugging away at the day job, teaching Boxercise a couple evenings a week.

Bumperton is now 8!

Welcome Oney, glad to hear from you and can't believe your littley is 8 already!

Hello Bez, good to see you! Sounds like all is well in your world so that's good.

Well, I seem to have broken my students* as I've had radio silence since Monday morning. Yesterday morning I had occasion to email them again about collecting an order from my office (items that are needed for their project) - not even an email acknowledgment! It's probably a generational thing but I find that somewhat rude, and now I don't know when they are planning to drop by to collect their stuff and don't know whether it's excessively demanding if I send a chaser email.

*I really don't think my email about the video was unreasonable, I was extremely careful to stick to specific points that needed addressing, gave specific examples of what could be done, etc. In fact I was more "jolly" and verbose than I usually am in my work emails, having thrown myself on the mercy of Copilot to help soften the message. But perhaps I've turned into a menopausal dragon and don't realise?

That sounds awkward, Rasa. Is it possible they're not used to any sort of criticism, however well meant, and don't know how to react?

The ball's in their court, @RasaSayangEh ... prepare yourself for a request for an extension, probably the day before the project is due in.

Have sent a mild chaser email. I've left campus for the day 🤷🏻‍♀️

Now, on to serious matters.

It's that time of year when offices, shops and cafes put up their corporately-mandated Christmas decorations. Some look really fancy and elaborate.

So why do almost all of them leave the Christmas tree feet/base just naked and exposed? All fur coat and no knickers, almost literally? And am I the only person who really hates seeing this? It just grates on me so much, gets me irrationally wound up! Why bother planning, designing, instructing, putting up, hanging decorations, and then leaving the hideous bottom on view?