The numbers do add up for Sunak – politicalbetting.com

TimS said:

Leon said:

THERE IS NO CHAMPAGNE IN THE SINGAPORE AIRLINES LOUNGE

I am jealous. I went from one-world gold to silver and now down to bronze as Covid and the post-Covid business austerity took hold. I’ll possibly never wander into a lounge on an economy ticket again.

beinndearg said:

Leon said:

THERE IS NO CHAMPAGNE IN THE SINGAPORE AIRLINES LOUNGE

DRINK GIN

Where are you off to?

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

Theuniondivvie said:

Richard_Tyndall said:

CorrectHorseBattery3 said:

https://twitter.com/48_Crash/status/1612067312806547457

How strange, we didn't seem to be against Harry killing then.

Talk to any serviceman who has actually been in action. They thought he was a twat for saying it then just as they do now.

Well, unlike the tabloids and the people whose noses are lead by them, at least they're being consistent.
Since we've only got Topping and Dura Ace on here to give the serviceman's view, let's see if they're in accord with 'any serviceman'.

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

JosiasJessop said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

A silkworm would know - though I think they eat the leaves.

Which leads me to a weird question: do silkworms have tastebuds? I presume they'd have something, as taste is a really useful ability for telling what is good, and what is not good, to eat.

But do they?

Luckyguy1983 said:

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

A silkworm would know - though I think they eat the leaves.

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

BlancheLivermore said:

My Dad is so cool

I told him last week that my favourite singer of all time, Mavis Staples, is playing at the Union Chapel in Islington in July next year

He's bought four tickets for him, Mum, me and my friend Julia

Mavis is in her eighties now, but still puts on a show

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Me2__L2djPw

TimS said:

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

“Violets” is a favourite. I’ve never eaten a violet. Yet it is a common tasting note for red wines from all over the old world.

Scott_xP said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

A silkworm would know - though I think they eat the leaves.

Except most Mulberry trees in the UK are not the same kind as Silkworms eat AFAIK

Benpointer said:

dixiedean said:

Brazil 2 minutes ago.

"Dozens of Army soldiers entered the presidential offices within the past 30 minutes. Two helicopters are hovering over the presidential offices. Officers in the helicopters are firing what appear to be anti-riot ammunition and tear-gas canisters. A large group of protesters are now heading away from the presidential offices and toward the back entry to Congress."

Source:NY Times.

To repel the cup attempt or support it?

ohnotnow said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

I seem to remember that the actor who played 'Dirty Den' (before his second 'problems') wrote a wine tasting book with 100s of wines where he'd just say thing like 'Tastes ok, quite fruity' - and that was it.

HYUFD said:

Seems Bolsonaro supporters have been following the Trump supporters playback in storming the country's legislature rather than accept their candidate's defeat

Benpointer said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

No history or science?

Gallowgate said:

Brazil looks like a bunch of yobos rather than an organised coup.

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

Richard_Tyndall said:

CorrectHorseBattery3 said:

https://twitter.com/48_Crash/status/1612067312806547457

How strange, we didn't seem to be against Harry killing then.

Talk to any serviceman who has actually been in action. They thought he was a twat for saying it then just as they do now.

Well, unlike the tabloids and the people whose noses are lead by them, at least they're being consistent.
Since we've only got Topping and Dura Ace on here to give the serviceman's view, let's see if they're in accord with 'any serviceman'.

I've heard quite a few soldiers talk about killing and even total deaths. None did it with "pride" (that would be seriously creepy), but nor were they especially tortured. It is what they do, after all

Benpointer said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

No history or science?

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Gallowgate said:

Brazil looks like a bunch of yobos rather than an organised coup.

Unlike Trump's Insurrection that is?

Yes, his coup was only quasi-organized, but that was NOT for want of trying, but rather due to the LOOOOW caliber of his inner circle.

beinndearg said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

beinndearg said:

LostPassword said:

.

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

It really doesn't matter what words they use to describe the taste, provided they are consistent and you drink wine often enough to pick up the lingo. Taste a red wine that says hint of mulberry and compare to a red wine that says notes of cherry, and eventually you should pick up the difference.

I don't drink enough wine to build up my experience, but I'm doing quite well on darker beers.

Every field of specialism is impenetrable to an outsider, and I guess wine-tasting is a specialism. The problem comes if it's all made up, and so inconsistent - but I would need to drink more wine to come to any conclusions. I'll pencil it for the 2030s.

I am specialised enough to conclude this guy was being a twat. I do find, though, that wine tastes of wine, not berries or pencil shavings.

Wine is remarkable in its complexity - the sugars, yeasts, tannins in the grape skins, esters from fermentation, vanillins from ageing in oak - it does have the ability to echo all sorts of other flavours and aromas. You try to pinpoint these as much as possible. So if you discern an 'earthy' aroma, is it minerally, mushroomy, or farmyardy? If it's farmyardy, that's when you might say it smells like a Jersey cow-shed, because you're tying it to something you remember, and hoping that others remember and can identify with.

So what about this biscuity champagne we hear about? Good thing there's only one sort of biscuit, or if more they all taste much the same.

Leon said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Leon said:

Hah. Just showed the Poe Poems to a professional writer friend. A one word reaction

“Fuck”

That can be interpreted in (at least) two ways.

I rightly interpreted it as meaning "Fuck, soon my art form - novel writing - will be taken over and ruined by the machines"

This really is the end for most creative writers. If Claude can master advanced poetry and it can write amusing Seinfeld scripts, then it can do anything. And it will do anything, because better and better AIs are coming down the line

The only human writing that will survive will be memoir, travel, human interest journalism. The direct human experience an AI cannot have

Foxy said:

Benpointer said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

No history or science?

So like O levels, only 2 years older?

Benpointer said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

No history or science?

Casino_Royale said:

ydoethur said:

Casino_Royale said:

12-point plan from the TEC is below:

1 A British Baccalaureate
It would offer broader academic and vocational qualifications at 18, with parity in funding per pupil in both routes, and a slimmed-down set of exams at 16 to bring out the best in every child.

2 ‘Electives premium’
To be spent on activities including drama, music, dance and sport and a National Citizen Service experience for every pupil, with volunteering and outdoor pursuits to ensure that activities enjoyed by the most advantaged become available to all.

3 New cadre of Career Academies
Elite technical and vocational sixth forms with close links to industry, mirroring the academic sixth forms and a new focus on creativity and entrepreneurialism in education to unleash the economic potential of Britain.

4 Significant boost to early years funding
The extra funding should be targeted at the most vulnerable. A unique pupil number would be given to every child from birth, to level the playing field before they get to school. Every primary school should have a library.

5 Army of undergraduate tutors
The students would earn credit towards their degrees by helping pupils who fall behind to catch up.

6 Making the most of tech
A laptop or tablet for every child, greater use of artificial intelligence in schools, colleges and universities to personalise learning, reduce teacher workload and prepare young people better for future employment.

7 Wellbeing at the heart of education
A counsellor should be placed in every school and an annual wellbeing survey of pupils carried out to encourage schools to actively build resilience rather than just support students once problems have arisen.

8 Bring out the best in teaching
Profession’s status and appeal would be increased with better career development, revalidation every 5 yrs & a new category of consultant teachers, promoted within the classroom, as well as a new teaching apprenticeship.

9 A reformed Ofsted
Ofsted should work collaboratively with schools to secure sustained improvement, and a new “report card” with a wider range of metrics including wellbeing, school culture, inclusion & attendance to unleash the potential of schools.

10 Better training
Teachers should be trained to identify children who have special educational needs, a greater focus should be placed on inclusion and a duty put on schools to remain accountable for the pupils they exclude to draw out the talent in every child.

11 New university campuses
New campuses should be created in 50 HE “cold spots”, including satellite wings in FE colleges. In addition, pay and conditions in FE sector should be improved and a transferrable credit system between universities and colleges created to boost stalled British productivity.

12 A 15-year strategy
Drawn up in consultation with business leaders, scientists, local mayors, civic leaders & cultural figures, putting education above short-term party politics and bringing out the best in our schools, colleges and universities.

1) Bullshit. You can have qualifications as intense as A-level (whether they're rigorous is a different question, and I would argue the current ones are not) or you can have more of them. In Australia, for example, you do more subjects at 18 but they're much closer to GCSEs than A-levels in terms of assessment and content.

2) What the fuck does that even mean? It's drivel.

3) Those already exist, so why rebadge them? The key is not elitism. That's what's killed British (and I do mean British) education for centuries. We've always had good elite systems. Where we fall down is in doing a proper job for everyone else.

4) No Shit Sherlocks. Unless you say how it's to be paid for, that's meaningless.

5) Again, already happens on a modest scale. And it can't be expanded because there are lots of undergraduates you don't want near schoolchildren and would be as much use as Spielman in a classroom. How fucking ignorant are these people?

6) Some university faculties have a staff student ratio of 1;46. Are they willing for a fourfold increase in uni funding? Tablets/laptops are a good idea but it's being blocked by the DfE for mostly spurious official reasons which are too long to list here but in reality because of cost.

7) There already is. What planet are these fuckers on?

8) These people don't have a fucking clue. Teachers already do extensive ANNUAL training due to performance related pay. Reaccrediting every five years is simply a way to keep a load of useless unemployable wankers at the DfE in work and add yet more work to teachers.

9) OFSTED is a risk to children, because its head is ignoring safeguarding, possibly because she's stupid and possibly because she's arrogant. It was designed to bring teachers under the drink sodden retards of the DfE and is despised by teachers as a waste of time and effort. It needs abolishing not reforming.

10) WE ALREADY FUCKING DO YOU USELESS DRUG ADDLED WANKERS. BETTER TRAINING WILL NOT CHANGE THAT BUT YOU SHUTTING YOUR USELESS STUPID PATRONISING MOUTHS MIGHT.

11) what the fuck does this even mean? Name one county with no university. I can come up with Rutland and Northumberland. But after that I'm struggling. Even Hereford has one.

12) sod strategies. What we need are useless wankers who think they are brilliant but are in fact thick to fuck off and stop meddling. Starting with the DfE and whatever drunken retards came up with this drivel.

Honestly. Maybe the country's had enough of experts but I've left teaching partly because I'd had enough of ignorant stupid patronising wankers with small brains and smaller dicks telling me how to do my job despite knowing nothing about it.

Feel better now?

ydoethur said:

Casino_Royale said:

ydoethur said:

Casino_Royale said:

12-point plan from the TEC is below:

1 A British Baccalaureate
It would offer broader academic and vocational qualifications at 18, with parity in funding per pupil in both routes, and a slimmed-down set of exams at 16 to bring out the best in every child.

2 ‘Electives premium’
To be spent on activities including drama, music, dance and sport and a National Citizen Service experience for every pupil, with volunteering and outdoor pursuits to ensure that activities enjoyed by the most advantaged become available to all.

3 New cadre of Career Academies
Elite technical and vocational sixth forms with close links to industry, mirroring the academic sixth forms and a new focus on creativity and entrepreneurialism in education to unleash the economic potential of Britain.

4 Significant boost to early years funding
The extra funding should be targeted at the most vulnerable. A unique pupil number would be given to every child from birth, to level the playing field before they get to school. Every primary school should have a library.

5 Army of undergraduate tutors
The students would earn credit towards their degrees by helping pupils who fall behind to catch up.

6 Making the most of tech
A laptop or tablet for every child, greater use of artificial intelligence in schools, colleges and universities to personalise learning, reduce teacher workload and prepare young people better for future employment.

7 Wellbeing at the heart of education
A counsellor should be placed in every school and an annual wellbeing survey of pupils carried out to encourage schools to actively build resilience rather than just support students once problems have arisen.

8 Bring out the best in teaching
Profession’s status and appeal would be increased with better career development, revalidation every 5 yrs & a new category of consultant teachers, promoted within the classroom, as well as a new teaching apprenticeship.

9 A reformed Ofsted
Ofsted should work collaboratively with schools to secure sustained improvement, and a new “report card” with a wider range of metrics including wellbeing, school culture, inclusion & attendance to unleash the potential of schools.

10 Better training
Teachers should be trained to identify children who have special educational needs, a greater focus should be placed on inclusion and a duty put on schools to remain accountable for the pupils they exclude to draw out the talent in every child.

11 New university campuses
New campuses should be created in 50 HE “cold spots”, including satellite wings in FE colleges. In addition, pay and conditions in FE sector should be improved and a transferrable credit system between universities and colleges created to boost stalled British productivity.

12 A 15-year strategy
Drawn up in consultation with business leaders, scientists, local mayors, civic leaders & cultural figures, putting education above short-term party politics and bringing out the best in our schools, colleges and universities.

1) Bullshit. You can have qualifications as intense as A-level (whether they're rigorous is a different question, and I would argue the current ones are not) or you can have more of them. In Australia, for example, you do more subjects at 18 but they're much closer to GCSEs than A-levels in terms of assessment and content.

2) What the fuck does that even mean? It's drivel.

3) Those already exist, so why rebadge them? The key is not elitism. That's what's killed British (and I do mean British) education for centuries. We've always had good elite systems. Where we fall down is in doing a proper job for everyone else.

4) No Shit Sherlocks. Unless you say how it's to be paid for, that's meaningless.

5) Again, already happens on a modest scale. And it can't be expanded because there are lots of undergraduates you don't want near schoolchildren and would be as much use as Spielman in a classroom. How fucking ignorant are these people?

6) Some university faculties have a staff student ratio of 1;46. Are they willing for a fourfold increase in uni funding? Tablets/laptops are a good idea but it's being blocked by the DfE for mostly spurious official reasons which are too long to list here but in reality because of cost.

7) There already is. What planet are these fuckers on?

8) These people don't have a fucking clue. Teachers already do extensive ANNUAL training due to performance related pay. Reaccrediting every five years is simply a way to keep a load of useless unemployable wankers at the DfE in work and add yet more work to teachers.

9) OFSTED is a risk to children, because its head is ignoring safeguarding, possibly because she's stupid and possibly because she's arrogant. It was designed to bring teachers under the drink sodden retards of the DfE and is despised by teachers as a waste of time and effort. It needs abolishing not reforming.

10) WE ALREADY FUCKING DO YOU USELESS DRUG ADDLED WANKERS. BETTER TRAINING WILL NOT CHANGE THAT BUT YOU SHUTTING YOUR USELESS STUPID PATRONISING MOUTHS MIGHT.

11) what the fuck does this even mean? Name one county with no university. I can come up with Rutland and Northumberland. But after that I'm struggling. Even Hereford has one.

12) sod strategies. What we need are useless wankers who think they are brilliant but are in fact thick to fuck off and stop meddling. Starting with the DfE and whatever drunken retards came up with this drivel.

Honestly. Maybe the country's had enough of experts but I've left teaching partly because I'd had enough of ignorant stupid patronising wankers with small brains and smaller dicks telling me how to do my job despite knowing nothing about it.

Feel better now?

Why? Have you shot some of these idiots?

Here is the list of commissioners on that review - it includes plenty of heads and teachers.

Do you think they are all idiots?

"Rachel Sylvester Chairwoman

Sir Anthony Seldon Deputy chairman. Contemporary historian, former head of Brighton College and Wellington College and former vice-chancellor, University of Buckingham

Geoff Barton General secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders

Lord Bilimoria Founder of Cobra Beer, president of the CBI and chancellor of Birmingham University

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore Professor of cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge University, who leads a group studying the adolescent brain and behaviour

Sir Damon Buffini Permira founding partner, chairman of National Theatre and Cultural Recovery Fund Board

Dame Sally Coates Director at United Learning, which runs 90 schools; author of review of education in prison

Evelyn Forde Head of Copthall School in Barnet and winner of TES head of the year 2020

Kiran Gill Founder of The Difference, which sends high-flying teachers to referral units and alternative provision schools

Robert Halfon Tory MP for Harlow and chairman of Commons education select committee

Lucy Heller Chief executive of Ark, an educational charity that runs schools

Tristram Hunt Victoria & Albert Museum director, former Labour MP

Lord Johnson of Marylebone Former
universities minister, chairman of TES

Paul Johnson Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Lucy Kellaway Teacher at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney and co-founder of Now Teach

Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho Chairwoman of WeTransfer, Open University chancellor, Lords Covid-19 select committee chairwoman

Anne Longfield Former children’s commissioner for England

Professor Heather McGregor Executive dean of Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University

Amanda Melton Principal of Nelson and Colne FE college in Lancashire

Sir Michael Morpurgo Author, poet and playwright, and former teacher"

Casino_Royale said:

It's amazing that angry unhinged rant of @ydoethur got nine likes.

When I look at who it includes I'm not surprised by some of the names, but disappointed by others.

HYUFD said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

Although I feel that in general the UK is very poor at foreign languages, what is the rationale for it up to 18, especially when we know AI is already pretty good at least basic translation and I think it is a task that AI is only going to get much better at*.

* there will still be a need at the very high end for expert translators, where there needs to be knowledge of culture nuance or very subject specialist knowledge, but I think in terms of writing / reading emails for business, these AI systems are going to be excellent at being able to do this in the very near future. It will be give it the basic outline of your talking points, and it will do a very good job of constructing the text (certainly better than somebody who has only studied to 18 and nothing more).

As dealing with foreign clients you will impress them more if you can speak their language as well as they speak yours without having to use Google translate

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

Although I feel that in general the UK is very poor at foreign languages, what is the rationale for it up to 18, especially when we know AI is already pretty good at least basic translation and I think it is a task that AI is only going to get much better at*.

* there will still be a need at the very high end for expert translators, where there needs to be knowledge of culture nuance or very subject specialist knowledge, but I think in terms of writing / reading emails for business, these AI systems are going to be excellent at being able to do this in the very near future. It will be give it the basic outline of your talking points, and it will do a very good job of constructing the text (certainly better than somebody who has only studied to 18 and nothing more).

beinndearg said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

beinndearg said:

LostPassword said:

.

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

It really doesn't matter what words they use to describe the taste, provided they are consistent and you drink wine often enough to pick up the lingo. Taste a red wine that says hint of mulberry and compare to a red wine that says notes of cherry, and eventually you should pick up the difference.

I don't drink enough wine to build up my experience, but I'm doing quite well on darker beers.

Every field of specialism is impenetrable to an outsider, and I guess wine-tasting is a specialism. The problem comes if it's all made up, and so inconsistent - but I would need to drink more wine to come to any conclusions. I'll pencil it for the 2030s.

I am specialised enough to conclude this guy was being a twat. I do find, though, that wine tastes of wine, not berries or pencil shavings.

Wine is remarkable in its complexity - the sugars, yeasts, tannins in the grape skins, esters from fermentation, vanillins from ageing in oak - it does have the ability to echo all sorts of other flavours and aromas. You try to pinpoint these as much as possible. So if you discern an 'earthy' aroma, is it minerally, mushroomy, or farmyardy? If it's farmyardy, that's when you might say it smells like a Jersey cow-shed, because you're tying it to something you remember, and hoping that others remember and can identify with.

So what about this biscuity champagne we hear about? Good thing there's only one sort of biscuit, or if more they all taste much the same.

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

Although I feel that in general the UK is very poor at foreign languages, what is the rationale for it up to 18, especially when we know AI is already pretty good at least basic translation and I think it is a task that AI is only going to get much better at*.

* there will still be a need at the very high end for expert translators, where there needs to be knowledge of culture nuance or very subject specialist knowledge, but I think in terms of writing / reading emails for business, these AI systems are going to be excellent at being able to do this in the very near future. It will be give it the basic outline of your talking points, and it will do a very good job of constructing the text (certainly better than somebody who has only studied to 18 and nothing more).

As dealing with foreign clients you will impress them more if you can speak their language as well as they speak yours without having to use Google translate

This is certainly true, but do we need every 18 year old to do that?

A lot of businesses, there will certainly be one or two individuals who conduct those sort of meetings, but a lot of it will be done by a wider team who never meet their foreign counterparts, rather they are doing paperwork, answering emails, etc.

And that is why I said there is certainly still a role for expert foreign language speakers, but I think that what we will be seeing is something far more sophisticated than Google Translate.

Sandpit said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

Although I feel that in general the UK is very poor at foreign languages, what is the rationale for it up to 18, especially when we know AI is already pretty good at least basic translation and I think it is a task that AI is only going to get much better at*.

* there will still be a need at the very high end for expert translators, where there needs to be knowledge of culture nuance or very subject specialist knowledge, but I think in terms of writing / reading emails for business, these AI systems are going to be excellent at being able to do this in the very near future. It will be give it the basic outline of your talking points, and it will do a very good job of constructing the text (certainly better than somebody who has only studied to 18 and nothing more).

Google Translate already does live speech-to-speech translation, fast enough to enable a conversation between two people neither of whom know the other language. It’s not as good as a human live translator - but if you want to order dinner in a restaurant, rather than sign an international treaty or a corporate legal agreement, it’s more than good enough!

FrancisUrquhart said:

I posed the question early about moving a business to Asia (and living there). It seems the only response I got was Singapore, is that really the only place in Asia safe to operate a business, some talent pool of tech savvy who speak English?

Leon said:

Jeez. It’s been a long time. The quality late evening biz class flight, from wintry london to the tropical sun

One of the minor but emphatic pleasures of life

I will wake up in a place where it is 32C and sunny

beinndearg said:

Casino_Royale said:

ydoethur said:

Casino_Royale said:

12-point plan from the TEC is below:

1 A British Baccalaureate
It would offer broader academic and vocational qualifications at 18, with parity in funding per pupil in both routes, and a slimmed-down set of exams at 16 to bring out the best in every child.

2 ‘Electives premium’
To be spent on activities including drama, music, dance and sport and a National Citizen Service experience for every pupil, with volunteering and outdoor pursuits to ensure that activities enjoyed by the most advantaged become available to all.

3 New cadre of Career Academies
Elite technical and vocational sixth forms with close links to industry, mirroring the academic sixth forms and a new focus on creativity and entrepreneurialism in education to unleash the economic potential of Britain.

4 Significant boost to early years funding
The extra funding should be targeted at the most vulnerable. A unique pupil number would be given to every child from birth, to level the playing field before they get to school. Every primary school should have a library.

5 Army of undergraduate tutors
The students would earn credit towards their degrees by helping pupils who fall behind to catch up.

6 Making the most of tech
A laptop or tablet for every child, greater use of artificial intelligence in schools, colleges and universities to personalise learning, reduce teacher workload and prepare young people better for future employment.

7 Wellbeing at the heart of education
A counsellor should be placed in every school and an annual wellbeing survey of pupils carried out to encourage schools to actively build resilience rather than just support students once problems have arisen.

8 Bring out the best in teaching
Profession’s status and appeal would be increased with better career development, revalidation every 5 yrs & a new category of consultant teachers, promoted within the classroom, as well as a new teaching apprenticeship.

9 A reformed Ofsted
Ofsted should work collaboratively with schools to secure sustained improvement, and a new “report card” with a wider range of metrics including wellbeing, school culture, inclusion & attendance to unleash the potential of schools.

10 Better training
Teachers should be trained to identify children who have special educational needs, a greater focus should be placed on inclusion and a duty put on schools to remain accountable for the pupils they exclude to draw out the talent in every child.

11 New university campuses
New campuses should be created in 50 HE “cold spots”, including satellite wings in FE colleges. In addition, pay and conditions in FE sector should be improved and a transferrable credit system between universities and colleges created to boost stalled British productivity.

12 A 15-year strategy
Drawn up in consultation with business leaders, scientists, local mayors, civic leaders & cultural figures, putting education above short-term party politics and bringing out the best in our schools, colleges and universities.

1) Bullshit. You can have qualifications as intense as A-level (whether they're rigorous is a different question, and I would argue the current ones are not) or you can have more of them. In Australia, for example, you do more subjects at 18 but they're much closer to GCSEs than A-levels in terms of assessment and content.

2) What the fuck does that even mean? It's drivel.

3) Those already exist, so why rebadge them? The key is not elitism. That's what's killed British (and I do mean British) education for centuries. We've always had good elite systems. Where we fall down is in doing a proper job for everyone else.

4) No Shit Sherlocks. Unless you say how it's to be paid for, that's meaningless.

5) Again, already happens on a modest scale. And it can't be expanded because there are lots of undergraduates you don't want near schoolchildren and would be as much use as Spielman in a classroom. How fucking ignorant are these people?

6) Some university faculties have a staff student ratio of 1;46. Are they willing for a fourfold increase in uni funding? Tablets/laptops are a good idea but it's being blocked by the DfE for mostly spurious official reasons which are too long to list here but in reality because of cost.

7) There already is. What planet are these fuckers on?

8) These people don't have a fucking clue. Teachers already do extensive ANNUAL training due to performance related pay. Reaccrediting every five years is simply a way to keep a load of useless unemployable wankers at the DfE in work and add yet more work to teachers.

9) OFSTED is a risk to children, because its head is ignoring safeguarding, possibly because she's stupid and possibly because she's arrogant. It was designed to bring teachers under the drink sodden retards of the DfE and is despised by teachers as a waste of time and effort. It needs abolishing not reforming.

10) WE ALREADY FUCKING DO YOU USELESS DRUG ADDLED WANKERS. BETTER TRAINING WILL NOT CHANGE THAT BUT YOU SHUTTING YOUR USELESS STUPID PATRONISING MOUTHS MIGHT.

11) what the fuck does this even mean? Name one county with no university. I can come up with Rutland and Northumberland. But after that I'm struggling. Even Hereford has one.

12) sod strategies. What we need are useless wankers who think they are brilliant but are in fact thick to fuck off and stop meddling. Starting with the DfE and whatever drunken retards came up with this drivel.

Honestly. Maybe the country's had enough of experts but I've left teaching partly because I'd had enough of ignorant stupid patronising wankers with small brains and smaller dicks telling me how to do my job despite knowing nothing about it.

Feel better now?

ydoethur said:

Casino_Royale said:

ydoethur said:

Casino_Royale said:

12-point plan from the TEC is below:

1 A British Baccalaureate
It would offer broader academic and vocational qualifications at 18, with parity in funding per pupil in both routes, and a slimmed-down set of exams at 16 to bring out the best in every child.

2 ‘Electives premium’
To be spent on activities including drama, music, dance and sport and a National Citizen Service experience for every pupil, with volunteering and outdoor pursuits to ensure that activities enjoyed by the most advantaged become available to all.

3 New cadre of Career Academies
Elite technical and vocational sixth forms with close links to industry, mirroring the academic sixth forms and a new focus on creativity and entrepreneurialism in education to unleash the economic potential of Britain.

4 Significant boost to early years funding
The extra funding should be targeted at the most vulnerable. A unique pupil number would be given to every child from birth, to level the playing field before they get to school. Every primary school should have a library.

5 Army of undergraduate tutors
The students would earn credit towards their degrees by helping pupils who fall behind to catch up.

6 Making the most of tech
A laptop or tablet for every child, greater use of artificial intelligence in schools, colleges and universities to personalise learning, reduce teacher workload and prepare young people better for future employment.

7 Wellbeing at the heart of education
A counsellor should be placed in every school and an annual wellbeing survey of pupils carried out to encourage schools to actively build resilience rather than just support students once problems have arisen.

8 Bring out the best in teaching
Profession’s status and appeal would be increased with better career development, revalidation every 5 yrs & a new category of consultant teachers, promoted within the classroom, as well as a new teaching apprenticeship.

9 A reformed Ofsted
Ofsted should work collaboratively with schools to secure sustained improvement, and a new “report card” with a wider range of metrics including wellbeing, school culture, inclusion & attendance to unleash the potential of schools.

10 Better training
Teachers should be trained to identify children who have special educational needs, a greater focus should be placed on inclusion and a duty put on schools to remain accountable for the pupils they exclude to draw out the talent in every child.

11 New university campuses
New campuses should be created in 50 HE “cold spots”, including satellite wings in FE colleges. In addition, pay and conditions in FE sector should be improved and a transferrable credit system between universities and colleges created to boost stalled British productivity.

12 A 15-year strategy
Drawn up in consultation with business leaders, scientists, local mayors, civic leaders & cultural figures, putting education above short-term party politics and bringing out the best in our schools, colleges and universities.

1) Bullshit. You can have qualifications as intense as A-level (whether they're rigorous is a different question, and I would argue the current ones are not) or you can have more of them. In Australia, for example, you do more subjects at 18 but they're much closer to GCSEs than A-levels in terms of assessment and content.

2) What the fuck does that even mean? It's drivel.

3) Those already exist, so why rebadge them? The key is not elitism. That's what's killed British (and I do mean British) education for centuries. We've always had good elite systems. Where we fall down is in doing a proper job for everyone else.

4) No Shit Sherlocks. Unless you say how it's to be paid for, that's meaningless.

5) Again, already happens on a modest scale. And it can't be expanded because there are lots of undergraduates you don't want near schoolchildren and would be as much use as Spielman in a classroom. How fucking ignorant are these people?

6) Some university faculties have a staff student ratio of 1;46. Are they willing for a fourfold increase in uni funding? Tablets/laptops are a good idea but it's being blocked by the DfE for mostly spurious official reasons which are too long to list here but in reality because of cost.

7) There already is. What planet are these fuckers on?

8) These people don't have a fucking clue. Teachers already do extensive ANNUAL training due to performance related pay. Reaccrediting every five years is simply a way to keep a load of useless unemployable wankers at the DfE in work and add yet more work to teachers.

9) OFSTED is a risk to children, because its head is ignoring safeguarding, possibly because she's stupid and possibly because she's arrogant. It was designed to bring teachers under the drink sodden retards of the DfE and is despised by teachers as a waste of time and effort. It needs abolishing not reforming.

10) WE ALREADY FUCKING DO YOU USELESS DRUG ADDLED WANKERS. BETTER TRAINING WILL NOT CHANGE THAT BUT YOU SHUTTING YOUR USELESS STUPID PATRONISING MOUTHS MIGHT.

11) what the fuck does this even mean? Name one county with no university. I can come up with Rutland and Northumberland. But after that I'm struggling. Even Hereford has one.

12) sod strategies. What we need are useless wankers who think they are brilliant but are in fact thick to fuck off and stop meddling. Starting with the DfE and whatever drunken retards came up with this drivel.

Honestly. Maybe the country's had enough of experts but I've left teaching partly because I'd had enough of ignorant stupid patronising wankers with small brains and smaller dicks telling me how to do my job despite knowing nothing about it.

Feel better now?

Why? Have you shot some of these idiots?

Here is the list of commissioners on that review - it includes plenty of heads and teachers.

Do you think they are all idiots?

"Rachel Sylvester Chairwoman

Sir Anthony Seldon Deputy chairman. Contemporary historian, former head of Brighton College and Wellington College and former vice-chancellor, University of Buckingham

Geoff Barton General secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders

Lord Bilimoria Founder of Cobra Beer, president of the CBI and chancellor of Birmingham University

Sarah-Jayne Blakemore Professor of cognitive neuroscience at Cambridge University, who leads a group studying the adolescent brain and behaviour

Sir Damon Buffini Permira founding partner, chairman of National Theatre and Cultural Recovery Fund Board

Dame Sally Coates Director at United Learning, which runs 90 schools; author of review of education in prison

Evelyn Forde Head of Copthall School in Barnet and winner of TES head of the year 2020

Kiran Gill Founder of The Difference, which sends high-flying teachers to referral units and alternative provision schools

Robert Halfon Tory MP for Harlow and chairman of Commons education select committee

Lucy Heller Chief executive of Ark, an educational charity that runs schools

Tristram Hunt Victoria & Albert Museum director, former Labour MP

Lord Johnson of Marylebone Former
universities minister, chairman of TES

Paul Johnson Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Lucy Kellaway Teacher at Mossbourne Community Academy in Hackney and co-founder of Now Teach

Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho Chairwoman of WeTransfer, Open University chancellor, Lords Covid-19 select committee chairwoman

Anne Longfield Former children’s commissioner for England

Professor Heather McGregor Executive dean of Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University

Amanda Melton Principal of Nelson and Colne FE college in Lancashire

Sir Michael Morpurgo Author, poet and playwright, and former teacher"

Shit. That's not any Appeal to Authority, it's an M&S Appeal to Authority. Never mind the names, look at the actual document. "Teachers should be trained to identify children who have special educational needs" is like saying "Chefs should be trained in the art of rendering foodstuffs more edible and/or palatable by the sustained application of heat."

HYUFD said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

Although I feel that in general the UK is very poor at foreign languages, what is the rationale for it up to 18, especially when we know AI is already pretty good at least basic translation and I think it is a task that AI is only going to get much better at*.

* there will still be a need at the very high end for expert translators, where there needs to be knowledge of culture nuance or very subject specialist knowledge, but I think in terms of writing / reading emails for business, these AI systems are going to be excellent at being able to do this in the very near future. It will be give it the basic outline of your talking points, and it will do a very good job of constructing the text (certainly better than somebody who has only studied to 18 and nothing more).

As dealing with foreign clients you will impress them more if you can speak their language as well as they speak yours without having to use Google translate

This is certainly true, but do we need every 18 year old to do that?

A lot of businesses, there will certainly be one or two individuals who conduct those sort of meetings, but a lot of it will be done by a wider team who never meet their foreign counterparts, rather they are doing paperwork, answering emails, etc.

And that is why I said there is certainly still a role for expert foreign language speakers, but I think that what we will be seeing is something far more sophisticated than Google Translate.

Even then it still helps to get a more responsive service from a waiter abroad if you can speak their language properly

ydoethur said:

Fairliered said:

Benpointer said:

beinndearg said:

Luckyguy1983 said:

beinndearg said:

LostPassword said:

.

beinndearg said:

TimS said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

BlancheLivermore said:

Could AI and a probe in a glass do wine tasting?

Already been done...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2021/06/28/artificial-intelligence-can-now-tastetransforming-winemaking-with-tastry/

A lot of mid range wine tasting is just more descriptive version of what people smell and taste. It’s a skill but one I think AI could master quite easily.

For example, take a Rhône white dominated by Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Marsanne. You could say:

- Neutral slightly fruity smell
- Rich rounded taste
- A bit like Chardonnay but more spicy

Or you could say:

- Generous nose, beeswax and stone fruits, hints of toasted nuts
- Peach and lychee on the palate, a hint of cardamom, masala chai

An AI could do that I think.

Just read tasting notes on a prob rather ordinary Chilean pinot noir which said hint of mulberry. WTF knows what a mulberry tastes like? I do because I have a mulberry tree, but I bet the author didn't, nor over .001% of his intended audience.

It really doesn't matter what words they use to describe the taste, provided they are consistent and you drink wine often enough to pick up the lingo. Taste a red wine that says hint of mulberry and compare to a red wine that says notes of cherry, and eventually you should pick up the difference.

I don't drink enough wine to build up my experience, but I'm doing quite well on darker beers.

Every field of specialism is impenetrable to an outsider, and I guess wine-tasting is a specialism. The problem comes if it's all made up, and so inconsistent - but I would need to drink more wine to come to any conclusions. I'll pencil it for the 2030s.

I am specialised enough to conclude this guy was being a twat. I do find, though, that wine tastes of wine, not berries or pencil shavings.

Wine is remarkable in its complexity - the sugars, yeasts, tannins in the grape skins, esters from fermentation, vanillins from ageing in oak - it does have the ability to echo all sorts of other flavours and aromas. You try to pinpoint these as much as possible. So if you discern an 'earthy' aroma, is it minerally, mushroomy, or farmyardy? If it's farmyardy, that's when you might say it smells like a Jersey cow-shed, because you're tying it to something you remember, and hoping that others remember and can identify with.

So what about this biscuity champagne we hear about? Good thing there's only one sort of biscuit, or if more they all taste much the same.

There's a lot of laziness in wine tasting reports. Riesling is often described as smelling of petrol. Now I've smelt petrol and I've smelt and tasted plenty of riesling and they couldn't be more different.

As a red wine drinker, which tastes better?

Has any petrol drinker ever tried Riesling to make the experiment?

HYUFD said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

FrancisUrquhart said:

HYUFD said:

Certainly there is a strong case for Maths to 18, just add English language, IT and a foreign language too

Although I feel that in general the UK is very poor at foreign languages, what is the rationale for it up to 18, especially when we know AI is already pretty good at least basic translation and I think it is a task that AI is only going to get much better at*.

* there will still be a need at the very high end for expert translators, where there needs to be knowledge of culture nuance or very subject specialist knowledge, but I think in terms of writing / reading emails for business, these AI systems are going to be excellent at being able to do this in the very near future. It will be give it the basic outline of your talking points, and it will do a very good job of constructing the text (certainly better than somebody who has only studied to 18 and nothing more).

As dealing with foreign clients you will impress them more if you can speak their language as well as they speak yours without having to use Google translate

This is certainly true, but do we need every 18 year old to do that?

A lot of businesses, there will certainly be one or two individuals who conduct those sort of meetings, but a lot of it will be done by a wider team who never meet their foreign counterparts, rather they are doing paperwork, answering emails, etc.

And that is why I said there is certainly still a role for expert foreign language speakers, but I think that what we will be seeing is something far more sophisticated than Google Translate.

Even then it still helps to get a more responsive service from a waiter abroad if you can speak their language properly

ydoethur said:

Casino_Royale said:

It's amazing that angry unhinged rant of @ydoethur got nine likes.

When I look at who it includes I'm not surprised by some of the names, but disappointed by others.

It's very wrong of me to be angry that people spout nonsense.

To give you some idea of how stupid their ideas are, they are the equivalent of somebody proposing to get Brunel's atmospheric railway out of retirement to power the Elizabeth Line and use HS2 rolling stock along with it.