The many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XV

[Cutlass]

I have a floor lamp. Something like this (actually, exactly like this):

So, after an incident involving me falling from a great height and landing on the lamp, the aluminium pole snapped in two at where the wire leads into it (it's not damaged otherwise). If possible, how best should I put it back together again, short of welding it together.?

Get a piece of tubing that just barely fits inside the aluminum tube, but is strong enough to hold the lamp up. Saw off the bent parts. thread the cord through the new tube. Ans shove it together with some glue.

 

[Traitorfish]

So sexy, but so wrong...

Pity their political philosophy will get them all killed horribly, in a badly staged and run coup.

Nah, National Bolshevism is too patchwork an ideology for it to ever get that far off the ground. They can't even decide if they're ultranationalists with a neo-Stalinist gimmick or neo-Stalinists with an ultranationalist gimmick, let alone get themselves together enough to try anything major.

I mean, look at their flag. It's just silly.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Is it ethical to offer course credit for participating in experiments? I'm wondering if what the psychology department is doing at my university is questionable in that regard.

 

[Atticus]

Why wouldn't it be?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

It just seems exploitative. I recall regulations on clinical trials that they can't offer rewards that a person may really need, such as food or money.

 

[Flying Pig]

What exactly is course credit and how does it work? I've heard it mentioned a few times now but haven't the foggiest what you're going on about with it

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

A percentage added to the grade in the course.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

What exactly is course credit and how does it work? I've heard it mentioned a few times now but haven't the foggiest what you're going on about with it

I think it means you don't have to do a class even though it is on the list of classes you need to do.

edit: xpost

 

[metatron]

Is it ethical to offer course credit for participating in experiments? I'm wondering if what the psychology department is doing at my university is questionable in that regard.

Around here you have to meet a certain quota of time participating in experiments as a psychology student. Those have nothing to do with grades though. You just have to meet the quota in order to get you respective degree.
You can freely choose of course. Consequently there is usually lots of informing each other regarding those experiments going on "Don't come to my study but send people you don't like - it's boring as hell." etc. You get the idea.

 

[Flying Pig]

A percentage added to the grade in the course.

Good god that's a monstrous system! So a student can improve his marks simply by sucking up to his teachers?

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Well it's not like it's a huge increase (e.g 1%). Students can't just ask for it though. It's the instructor's prerogative to create extra credit opportunities.

 

[Zelig]

Good god that's a monstrous system! So a student can improve his marks simply by sucking up to his teachers?

Is there any job where you can't improve your ranking by sucking up to your superiors?

 

[ParadigmShifter]

Being the Queen.

 

[Flying Pig]

Is there any job where you can't improve your ranking by sucking up to your superiors?

One hopes that the level of a pupil's qualifications reflects his ability, not his teachers' opinion of him/lack of integrity and willingness to play the system.

Well it's not like it's a huge increase (e.g 1%)

That makes it a little better.

 

[GinandTonic]

Being the Queen.

Pah,

Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas Queen, Defender of the Faith, Duchess of Edinburgh, Countess of Merioneth, Baroness Greenwich, Duke of Lancaster, Lord of Mann, Duke of Normandy...

<snip another ten or so lines of similar>

... Sovereign of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

kissing some boss-booty right there.

 

[Atticus]

It just seems exploitative. I recall regulations on clinical trials that they can't offer rewards that a person may really need, such as food or money.

It would probably be hard to get any subjects to experiments without any reward at all. It's a different thing when the researchers do the effort; go to houses of people and ask them questions and so on, people are then more eager to help, and rewarding them could skew the results.

Students on the other hand will probably learn something when participating the experiment, and probably they'll want to know about the results when they are publicized, so they'll learn something.

One hopes that the level of a pupil's qualifications reflects his ability, not his teachers' opinion of him/lack of integrity and willingness to play the system.

It's pretty common practice though. At least here in schools until kids are ~18 years old their activity in class influences their grades, which I never really liked by the way. In university doing the exercises got you some extra points, which I think was good, since the points were mostly nominal, and there has to be some little price to be after. On the other hand doing them is the only way to learn, and also reflects your ability.

In higher education I think it's not a bad idea to reward effort, since no one is going to know all the things by merely being so smart, you'll have to learn something too. On the other hand, if the grades come directly from the final exam, then quick and shallow learning is rewarded. If you're smart, you'll spot what are they going to ask, learn that quickly and fill the rest from the top of your head.

Quite a good thing this came up, since I had never before thought that aspect of rewarding the effort.

 

[bhsup]

Hey, I thought you guys across the pond didn't give a hoot about sex. Why is Berlusconi in trouble for diddling a prostitute?

 

[Mad Man]

Are there any moves that are supposed to be haunted? I remember hearing something regarding this but I don't remember what.

 

[Atticus]

Hey, I thought you guys across the pond didn't give a hoot about sex. Why is Berlusconi in trouble for diddling a prostitute?

I think he is claimed to be engaged with an under aged prostitute.

Also that kind of thing is never exactly good for politicians, even though it would have no legal consequences.

And Europe is pretty heterogeneous place: What's right in Holland isn't right in Italy.

 

[Traitorfish]

Hey, I thought you guys across the pond didn't give a hoot about sex. Why is Berlusconi in trouble for diddling a prostitute?

Maybe the stereotypes you hear from aghast tourists aren't entirely accurate?