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Could we see a speech like this at a 2023 party conference? – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 11,002
edited January 2023 in General
imageCould we see a speech like this at a 2023 party conference? – politicalbetting.com

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  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709
    edited January 2023
    Given Truss ended up the most unpopular and short lived PM for over 100 years I doubt it. Note too significantly more still want a monarchy than not. 80% of Conservative voters oppose a monarchy referendum so it will not happen under a Tory government certainly. Yet even 51% of Labour voters oppose a referendum on the monarchy too

    https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/09/18/monarchy-sees-minor-improvement-public-opinion


    Plus Prince Charles with a 62% positive rating and Prince William with 70% positive are also far more popular than Starmer and Sunak and indeed more popular than the institution of monarchy overall

    https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2023/01/12/prince-harrys-popularity-falls-further-spare-hits-
  • FTP - re comment by Malmesbury:

    "Voting is quite hard for US citizens if you live aboard. Near impossible if you are settled abroad. IIRC you can vote in Florida by claiming you intend to reside there - but that is quite sketchy, I believe."

    Sorry, but this is almost totally wrong.

    For starters, for US citizens, voting from abroad is EASY (in most jurisdictions, including WA State) PROVIDED that you have a legal residence in the US. AND registered to vote at that address, while providing your current mailing address to election authorities. Who will then mail you your ballot.

    In WA and number of other states, IF for some reason you don't receive your ballot via the mail, you can go online, print a ballot, then return it. ALONG with your signature and other info required to validate it.

    As for what constitutes a legal domicile for voting purposes, that is a whole branch of law, but suffice to say that (in most jurisdictions anyway) the test is the INTENT of the voter to reside at the US address, to return (or move) there in future.

    As for the sketchiness or otherwise of "claiming" to reside in Florida or any of the other 49 states, well, it's really NOT sketchy as a matter of law.

    Where folks CAN have issues with voting residency, is when they try to register and/or vote in more than one jurisdiction.

    OR when they decide to run for office in one state, but turns out there's a residency requirement - and the person in question was an active voter in another state AFTER the deadline. This happened in Oregon to the NYT columnist who wanted to run for Governor, but was ruled ineligible.

    OR when it turns out that someone claims voting residency in one state, but also claims TAX status as resident of ANOTHER state. For example, when Mitt Romney first ran for Governor of Massachusetts, and it was discovered that he'd claimed residency in Utah for (some) tax purposes. Romney's residency was challenged by Mass. Democrats, however state judges ruled in his favor. AND the voters it turns out gave him a break, because they believed Mitt was in fact (at that time) a bona fide resident of the Bay State, not the Beehive State.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 49,614
    QTWTAIN. Wait for the coronation, which will be the biggest good news story of the year.
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 14,912
    No. God save the King!
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249
    The British monarchy has recently endured multiple allegations of racism, the death of its most popular member, a royal duchess who mocks the entire institution on global TV, a prince who talks of his frostbitten penis, claims from the same prince that the others royals killed his mum, and another prince who is the target of highly credible allegations of rape and underage sex slavery, such that he has to pay £13m for just one year of silence from his victim

    And it is still widely popular in Britain? Just not as popular as it was?

    I suspect it will survive
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,047
    I doubt it, but what a great archive speech. :lol:

    I love when she enforces the joke about the Royal Pavilion in case anyone missed it. :lol:

  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited January 2023
    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    Sandpit said:

    QTWTAIN. Wait for the coronation, which will be the biggest good news story of the year.

    Oh dear. So not much else cheerful happening then. I suspect the Coronation is only on a minority of Briton's good news radar. It isn't on mine.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709
    edited January 2023
    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited January 2023
    The White House says the second set of classified documents found by President Biden's lawyers were located in his garage in Wilmington, Delaware.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    And the quest for a bullshit free way of measuring a person continues.

    Diogenes has been waving his lantern these 24 centuries. No end in sight for the poor fellow.
  • Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 14,912
    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624
    OT - after the current news, that's all the movement?

    The policy of not saying anything seems to be working. If they go ahead with the slimmed down coronation - Charles and William the only royals involved in the ceremony as more than spectators - that will put a lid on it.

    *There is actually next to no real tradition for coronations. Most of the alleged traditions was invented quite recently.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited January 2023
    Of course the solution that everybody dances around in terms of social mobility and uni application, do it after they have got their A-Levels results....then you know it isn't teacher / schools boostering and admissions tutors just playing safe as they have had loads of kids from certain schools.

    You will have the hard data on that years exams and how each kid did in them. Then a chat with some to assess backstory vs results vs potential.
  • It's like a lot of questionable institutions. If it didn't exist, you certainly wouldn't invent it. Since it is there however, the cost and trouble of disposing of it is probably not worthwhile.

    As long as the main figures behave reasonably well, the Monarchy will survive. Charles III seems a decent egg, some of the others less so.

    Those others need to reflect on the fact that they really do not have any kind of divine right.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,047

    Sandpit said:

    QTWTAIN. Wait for the coronation, which will be the biggest good news story of the year.

    Oh dear. So not much else cheerful happening then. I suspect the Coronation is only on a minority of Briton's good news radar. It isn't on mine.
    If you're even neutral on the Monarchy, it will be quite a nice colourful event, and hopefully boost the tourism industry. I would imagine even H&M will be forgiven and dusted down for the event a la HMQs funeral, after which they will show their immense gratitude by doing another Netflix series about the racist snubs they received whilst attending.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    Of course the solution that everybody dances around in terms of social mobility and uni application, do it after they have got their A-Levels results....then you know it isn't teacher / schools boostering and admissions tutors just playing safe as they have had loads of kids from certain schools.

    You will have the hard data on that years exams and how each kid did in them. Then a chat with some to assess backstory vs results vs potential.

    INCONTHHHHHEVABLE!
  • Peter_the_PunterPeter_the_Punter Posts: 13,225
    edited January 2023

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    You can only read the Daily Mail for so many years before you go ga-ga.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    I suspect that a variant of "Small but near vs large but far".

    Andrew has kept his head down and largely vanished from public sight. Harry has created a bit of a kerfuffle, but very, very recently.
  • UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    They are not going to work. ChatGPT can vary its output and does so. Also, any student with a tiny brain can change a few words here and there, and then what? How do you “prove” plagiarism? You cannot
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,787

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,585
    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Yeah two were very bad and wrote a book and complained about the Mail. The other was a good friend to Jeffrey Epstein.
  • Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
  • "Classified material, next to your Corvette - what were you thinking?" one reporter asks.

    Biden says the documents were in a locked garage, "not sitting out in the street".

    "People know I take classified material seriously," he says.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624
    edited January 2023
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    They are not going to work. ChatGPT can vary its output and does so. Also, any student with a tiny brain can change a few words here and there, and then what? How do you “prove” plagiarism? You cannot
    When I was at university, a friend was writing an application that could track the layers of multiple authorship in documents. The idea was to be able to understand the layers of changes and revisions in old texts that have been re-coped and, often, changed by the scribes on the way. It worked by comparing styles of writing.

    This kind of textual analysis has got much more sophisticated in the last 30 years.

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jan/12/college-student-claims-app-can-detect-essays-written-by-chatbot-chatgpt

    Note that this guy is an undergrad student mucking around.
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 35,765
    Unlikely, given those polling numbers.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited January 2023

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    That's xenophobic and racist....I identify as American. Although I used the word "field", so I imagine I am going to be rejected for the use of racist terminology.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,787

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
    I think the more difficult legal issues surround the inputs to ChatGPT rather than the outputs. People might have to stop using cloud-based services as the only way to be sure their work isn't being sucked up and regurgitated to someone else.
  • Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
    I think the more difficult legal issues surround the inputs to ChatGPT rather than the outputs. People might have to stop using cloud-based services as the only way to be sure their work isn't being sucked up and regurgitated to someone else.
    If you can't work out who is paying for the product......I would imagine that they will offer versions to corporate world that are a) trained with particular specialisms and b) be able to be run isolated from the rest of the world...for a hefty fee of course.
  • Kevin_McCandlessKevin_McCandless Posts: 392
    edited January 2023

    Sandpit said:

    QTWTAIN. Wait for the coronation, which will be the biggest good news story of the year.

    Oh dear. So not much else cheerful happening then. I suspect the Coronation is only on a minority of Briton's good news radar. It isn't on mine.
    If you're even neutral on the Monarchy, it will be quite a nice colourful event, and hopefully boost the tourism industry. I would imagine even H&M will be forgiven and dusted down for the event a la HMQs funeral, after which they will show their immense gratitude by doing another Netflix series about the racist snubs they received whilst attending.
    Having an extra bank holiday will certainly stir pro-royalist leanings.

    It would be interesting to know what the current Jacobite heir is doing on that day. (He is - according to a site called The Jacobite Trail "Franz von Bayern of the House Of Wittelsbach. This is the great-grandson of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. Jacobites would today refer to Franz as James II, as he is directly descended from Princess Henrietta-Anne, the youngest daughter of Charles I.")
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
    I think the more difficult legal issues surround the inputs to ChatGPT rather than the outputs. People might have to stop using cloud-based services as the only way to be sure their work isn't being sucked up and regurgitated to someone else.
    If you can't work out who is paying for the product......I would imagine that they will offer versions to corporate world that are a) trained with particular specialisms and b) be able to be run isolated from the rest of the world...for a hefty fee of course.
    Having enough data to work on is a problem. You need vast training sets.

    That ChatGPT relies heavily on Stackoverflow for it's coding data is fairly obvious.
  • Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
    I think the more difficult legal issues surround the inputs to ChatGPT rather than the outputs. People might have to stop using cloud-based services as the only way to be sure their work isn't being sucked up and regurgitated to someone else.
    There is no way ChatGPT is ever going to replace Google Search at least any time soon. Its big flaw is that, currently, it has to be based on a static snapshot to work. Unless it can work in a dynamic environment, it's an interesting curiosity
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
    I think the more difficult legal issues surround the inputs to ChatGPT rather than the outputs. People might have to stop using cloud-based services as the only way to be sure their work isn't being sucked up and regurgitated to someone else.
    For coding that is already the case. People code and put it up on the inter webs in the certain knowledge that it will be reused.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575

    The White House says the second set of classified documents found by President Biden's lawyers were located in his garage in Wilmington, Delaware.

    The first report was something that could be relatively easily dismissed as an inadvertent oversight of a few documents, which were handed back as soon as possible, but a second report is not good for Biden politically.

    And while there's so far no evidence he's put himself in the type of legal jeopardy Trump has, it's going to detract from what was a very clear case against the former President.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709

    Sandpit said:

    QTWTAIN. Wait for the coronation, which will be the biggest good news story of the year.

    Oh dear. So not much else cheerful happening then. I suspect the Coronation is only on a minority of Briton's good news radar. It isn't on mine.
    If you're even neutral on the Monarchy, it will be quite a nice colourful event, and hopefully boost the tourism industry. I would imagine even H&M will be forgiven and dusted down for the event a la HMQs funeral, after which they will show their immense gratitude by doing another Netflix series about the racist snubs they received whilst attending.
    I doubt they will go.

    I expect the King will formally restrict the HRH titles to working royals after the coronation and thus prevent the Sussexes or Andrew using it.

    He might though give Harry and Meghan a consolation prize of Ambassadors to the Commonwealth or something which is the only thing they still said they want to do for the Royal family
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,812
    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 14,772
    A lot of those polling results point to a very deeply ingrained sense of pessimism and cynicism in Britain.

    More people believe the monarchy is bad value for money than want to replace it with an elected head of state - this indicates that people have lost hope in the possibility of positive change being achievable.

    From the other angle, fewer people believe Britain will still have a monarchy in 100 years than think it is good for Britain or that we should keep it. This indicates a lack of trust in fellow Britons, or future generations, to make what people think are the right choices.

    The current situation with Brexit fits into this perfectly. Britain thinks it's crap but doesn't want to risk doing anything about it.

    I don't get the sense that Starmer is going to spark a wave of optimism to change this.
  • "Classified material, next to your Corvette - what were you thinking?" one reporter asks.

    Biden says the documents were in a locked garage, "not sitting out in the street".

    "People know I take classified material seriously," he says.

    Yes, sorry if this has been flagged before but looks like there is at "least one" other batch of classified materials out there,

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-aides-find-second-batch-classified-documents-new-location-rcna65371

  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,787

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
    I think the more difficult legal issues surround the inputs to ChatGPT rather than the outputs. People might have to stop using cloud-based services as the only way to be sure their work isn't being sucked up and regurgitated to someone else.
    For coding that is already the case. People code and put it up on the inter webs in the certain knowledge that it will be reused.
    What about code in private repositories?
  • HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    That's xenophobic and racist....I identify as American. Although I used the word "field", so I imagine I am going to be rejected for the use of racist terminology.
    No, for an unhealthy interest in cricket.
  • GardenwalkerGardenwalker Posts: 20,812
    I am trying to ignore the Harry story but he comes across very well in that “Afghan” clip from Colbert.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249
    edited January 2023

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    it’s also really easy to get ChatGPT to “vary” the output, and make it more personal. Voila:


    “As a student with a passion for chemistry and an insatiable thirst for adventure, I am eager to apply to your esteemed university to study the complexities of chemical reactions and the mysteries of the elements. My love for chemistry began in high school, where I excelled in math and science classes and was particularly drawn to the concepts of chemical reactions and the properties of matter.

    But it is in the pursuit of wild game that I truly come alive. Fox hunting and bear baiting are not just hobbies to me, they are a way of life. The thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline as you race through the forest with a pack of hounds baying at your heels, the sense of danger and risk as you come face to face with a wild animal, it is an experience like no other. The hunt is an adrenaline fueled adventure, as the hounds pick up the scent, and the chase is on. The sound of the hounds in full cry, the sight of the fox darting through the underbrush, the moment when the fox is brought to bay, and the final kill, it is a scene of wild beauty and drama.

    And when it comes to bear baiting, the thrill is just as intense, the bear is baited in a pit, the anticipation of the moment when the bear will be released into the pit, the roar of the bear as it charges out of the cage, the sight of the bear towering above you as it faces off against the dogs, the gory violence of the dogs tearing at the bear, it is an experience that will take your breath away.

    I am confident that the combination of my academic achievements and my experiences in the pursuit of wild game have prepared me well for the rigors of university level chemistry. I believe that the knowledge and skills I have acquired will serve me well as I pursue my undergraduate degree at your institution.

    Furthermore, I am excited about the opportunity to learn from and work with the renowned faculty members at your university. I have researched the research interests of several professors and I am impressed by the cutting-edge research being conducted in the chemistry department at your institution. I am eager to contribute to this research and to be a part of the vibrant and dynamic community of chemists at your university.”
  • DriverDriver Posts: 4,522

    It's like a lot of questionable institutions. If it didn't exist, you certainly wouldn't invent it. Since it is there however, the cost and trouble of disposing of it is probably not worthwhile.

    As long as the main figures behave reasonably well, the Monarchy will survive. Charles III seems a decent egg, some of the others less so.

    Those others need to reflect on the fact that they really do not have any kind of divine right.

    The only ones who really matter for the survival of the instuitution are the ones in the direct line - so Charles, William, George - and how they deal with any misbehaviour of the others. Harry and Meghan seem to be doing a good job of making people take William's side.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709

    A lot of those polling results point to a very deeply ingrained sense of pessimism and cynicism in Britain.

    More people believe the monarchy is bad value for money than want to replace it with an elected head of state - this indicates that people have lost hope in the possibility of positive change being achievable.

    From the other angle, fewer people believe Britain will still have a monarchy in 100 years than think it is good for Britain or that we should keep it. This indicates a lack of trust in fellow Britons, or future generations, to make what people think are the right choices.

    The current situation with Brexit fits into this perfectly. Britain thinks it's crap but doesn't want to risk doing anything about it.

    I don't get the sense that Starmer is going to spark a wave of optimism to change this.

    Only 52% voted for Brexit even in 2016.

    Over 60% still back the monarchy on the thread header poll and less than 30% want a republic, it is far less divisive than Brexit
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603
    In other news, I'm currently struggling to reconcile the idea that the UK is about to head into a recession and at the same time company after company posting record inflation adjusted results. As I was saying in November and December, people are out there spending money on services, I do wonder whether in 6-9 months time the ONS will revise all of the current data upwards and there will never have been a recession, just a period of slightly lower growth.

    The Tesco results were the most interesting to come out, huge growth in their low end ranges as well as huge growth in their premium ranges plus big spending growth on non-food discretionary items. The question is whether that increased spend at the top of the economy will be enough to drag the nation away from a recession and whether people in lower incomes will benefit. Usually they do, but the government has distorted the economy very badly and millions of people are essentially choosing to be unemployed and the state is doing nothing about it.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
  • JenSJenS Posts: 91

    Sandpit said:

    QTWTAIN. Wait for the coronation, which will be the biggest good news story of the year.

    Oh dear. So not much else cheerful happening then. I suspect the Coronation is only on a minority of Briton's good news radar. It isn't on mine.
    If you're even neutral on the Monarchy, it will be quite a nice colourful event, and hopefully boost the tourism industry. I would imagine even H&M will be forgiven and dusted down for the event a la HMQs funeral, after which they will show their immense gratitude by doing another Netflix series about the racist snubs they received whilst attending.
    Having an extra bank holiday will certainly stir pro-royalist leanings.

    It would be interesting to know what the current Jacobite heir is doing on that day. (He is - according to a site called The Jacobite Trail "Franz von Bayern of the House Of Wittelsbach. This is the great-grandson of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. Jacobites would today refer to Franz as James II, as he is directly descended from Princess Henrietta-Anne, the youngest daughter of Charles I.")
    He is 89 years old and unmarried, with a long-term male partner. The direct line of succession from him leads to his niece Sophie, consort of the Prince of Liechtenstein, whose son and heir was born in London and educated at Malvern College. He is now 27 and unmarried. So a few possibilities there for unifying the Jacobite succession with the current British royal family, e.g. if he has a daughter and no son and she marries Prince George who is now 9, or something is grafted on to other parts of the stock!
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 14,912

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    Leon said:

    University personal statements will be scrapped in their current form amid claims they give middle-class teenagers an advantage.

    Pupils applying for undergraduate degrees will no longer have to write a 47-line essay explaining why they are so passionate about the subject they wish to study.

    Instead, they will be asked to answer a series of short responses to questions on topics such as their motivation for studying courses, why they are ready to succeed, and any extenuating circumstances that would help put their achievements into context.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/12/university-personal-statements-scrapped-favour-middle-class/

    Yet more "bite-sizing" and steering of tasks.

    Also, it completely ignores the existence of ChatGPT (and its successors). What value is anything in writing, now, as evidence of intellectual potential, when the machines can do the writing for you, for nothing?

    These people are clueless fools
    Bite sized answers to a question like "why are you ready to succeed at " is absolutely perfect for ChatGPT.
    ChatGPT detectors already exist and are a growing area of study.

    There are already plagiarism detectors out there. And they are pretty good at finding chunks of text that have been... borrowed.

    {Ursula von der Leyen mutters something and looks at her shoes}
    There are, but external ones are a bit of a fools errand. A whole field of adversarial AI exists to play this cat and mouse game. I imagine that each provider of a LLM will also provide a "checker", but it doesn't take a genius to do a bit of paraphrasing and it soon becomes tricky.
    I think the more difficult legal issues surround the inputs to ChatGPT rather than the outputs. People might have to stop using cloud-based services as the only way to be sure their work isn't being sucked up and regurgitated to someone else.
    For coding that is already the case. People code and put it up on the inter webs in the certain knowledge that it will be reused.
    What about code in private repositories?
    The amount of open source out there is vast, and growing. Closed source is probably shrinking as a percentage of code....
  • Of course the solution that everybody dances around in terms of social mobility and uni application, do it after they have got their A-Levels results....then you know it isn't teacher / schools boostering and admissions tutors just playing safe as they have had loads of kids from certain schools.

    You will have the hard data on that years exams and how each kid did in them. Then a chat with some to assess backstory vs results vs potential.

    And UCAS could borrow the ChatGPT computer from Leon for a day to assign applicants to courses after A-level results are known. It is not a difficult problem, we just need to take the human element out: no more statements (even in the new cut-down form) and no more interviews.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,146
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
    I’m not planning on arriving in Phuket in a dinghy
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 14,912
    Leon said:

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
    I’m not planning on arriving in Phuket in a dinghy
    You criticised "mass immigration" on the last thread, not people arriving by small boat (who are too small in number and too recent to have had a material effect, positive or negative, on life in this country).
  • Do any university departments use the quantity of UCAS statements as a selection tool? As opposed to checking for evidence of work experience etc.

    Even without AI, they really measure the degree of support from family and schools/colleges in drafting, and have been a bit rubbish as a measure of the quality of students for decades.

    (The act of creating a PS is a valuable thing for a late teenager to do, for sure. Just not for the purpose everyone pretends it's useful for.)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249
    I might adopt “eager and earnest young chemistry student who is also weirdly keen on fox hunting snd somehow goes bear baiting” as my next PB persona
  • Leon said:

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    it’s also really easy to get ChatGPT to “vary” the output, and make it more personal. Voila:


    “As a student with a passion for chemistry and an insatiable thirst for adventure, I am eager to apply to your esteemed university to study the complexities of chemical reactions and the mysteries of the elements. My love for chemistry began in high school, where I excelled in math and science classes and was particularly drawn to the concepts of chemical reactions and the properties of matter.

    But it is in the pursuit of wild game that I truly come alive. Fox hunting and bear baiting are not just hobbies to me, they are a way of life. The thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline as you race through the forest with a pack of hounds baying at your heels, the sense of danger and risk as you come face to face with a wild animal, it is an experience like no other. The hunt is an adrenaline fueled adventure, as the hounds pick up the scent, and the chase is on. The sound of the hounds in full cry, the sight of the fox darting through the underbrush, the moment when the fox is brought to bay, and the final kill, it is a scene of wild beauty and drama.

    And when it comes to bear baiting, the thrill is just as intense, the bear is baited in a pit, the anticipation of the moment when the bear will be released into the pit, the roar of the bear as it charges out of the cage, the sight of the bear towering above you as it faces off against the dogs, the gory violence of the dogs tearing at the bear, it is an experience that will take your breath away.

    I am confident that the combination of my academic achievements and my experiences in the pursuit of wild game have prepared me well for the rigors of university level chemistry. I believe that the knowledge and skills I have acquired will serve me well as I pursue my undergraduate degree at your institution.

    Furthermore, I am excited about the opportunity to learn from and work with the renowned faculty members at your university. I have researched the research interests of several professors and I am impressed by the cutting-edge research being conducted in the chemistry department at your institution. I am eager to contribute to this research and to be a part of the vibrant and dynamic community of chemists at your university.”
    Promising Christ Church material. Definitely not Wadham.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624
    edited January 2023
    Leon said:

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
    I’m not planning on arriving in Phuket in a dinghy
    Trying to fit several million SeatTs into one dingy wouldn't end well, for a start.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249

    Leon said:

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
    I’m not planning on arriving in Phuket in a dinghy
    You criticised "mass immigration" on the last thread, not people arriving by small boat (who are too small in number and too recent to have had a material effect, positive or negative, on life in this country).
    Sure. Mass unwanted and unmandated immigration is an absolutely shit idea. Ask the Swedes, who have gone from a century of social democracy to voting for the Hard Right and putting them in government, in just 20 years

    There. You’re welcome
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709
    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
    I’m not planning on arriving in Phuket in a dinghy
    You criticised "mass immigration" on the last thread, not people arriving by small boat (who are too small in number and too recent to have had a material effect, positive or negative, on life in this country).
    Sure. Mass unwanted and unmandated immigration is an absolutely shit idea. Ask the Swedes, who have gone from a century of social democracy to voting for the Hard Right and putting them in government, in just 20 years

    There. You’re welcome
    Far right also in government in Italy too of course
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,400
    I see Bridgen is using the old 'woe is me, democracy is in peril' line after being dewhipped for making comments his party (and many others) does not like. People like him might need reminding that parties can decide who represents them and who doesn't, so they can absolutely decide to suspend or expel you if you make a tit of yourself.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,400
    Leon said:

    I might adopt “eager and earnest young chemistry student who is also weirdly keen on fox hunting snd somehow goes bear baiting” as my next PB persona

    Well don't spoil the surprise!

    Don't throw that 30k record away.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    Leon said:

    I might adopt “eager and earnest young chemistry student who is also weirdly keen on fox hunting snd somehow goes bear baiting” as my next PB persona

    It's a crowded field.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,146
    HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    She can't have been the King's mistress. They were married before CIII became CIII.

    The point stands - it's extraordinary how our royalists diss the royal family members so much.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,047
    Leon said:

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    it’s also really easy to get ChatGPT to “vary” the output, and make it more personal. Voila:


    “As a student with a passion for chemistry and an insatiable thirst for adventure, I am eager to apply to your esteemed university to study the complexities of chemical reactions and the mysteries of the elements. My love for chemistry began in high school, where I excelled in math and science classes and was particularly drawn to the concepts of chemical reactions and the properties of matter.

    But it is in the pursuit of wild game that I truly come alive. Fox hunting and bear baiting are not just hobbies to me, they are a way of life. The thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline as you race through the forest with a pack of hounds baying at your heels, the sense of danger and risk as you come face to face with a wild animal, it is an experience like no other. The hunt is an adrenaline fueled adventure, as the hounds pick up the scent, and the chase is on. The sound of the hounds in full cry, the sight of the fox darting through the underbrush, the moment when the fox is brought to bay, and the final kill, it is a scene of wild beauty and drama.

    And when it comes to bear baiting, the thrill is just as intense, the bear is baited in a pit, the anticipation of the moment when the bear will be released into the pit, the roar of the bear as it charges out of the cage, the sight of the bear towering above you as it faces off against the dogs, the gory violence of the dogs tearing at the bear, it is an experience that will take your breath away.

    I am confident that the combination of my academic achievements and my experiences in the pursuit of wild game have prepared me well for the rigors of university level chemistry. I believe that the knowledge and skills I have acquired will serve me well as I pursue my undergraduate degree at your institution.

    Furthermore, I am excited about the opportunity to learn from and work with the renowned faculty members at your university. I have researched the research interests of several professors and I am impressed by the cutting-edge research being conducted in the chemistry department at your institution. I am eager to contribute to this research and to be a part of the vibrant and dynamic community of chemists at your university.”
    It's maths.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603

    Do any university departments use the quantity of UCAS statements as a selection tool? As opposed to checking for evidence of work experience etc.

    Even without AI, they really measure the degree of support from family and schools/colleges in drafting, and have been a bit rubbish as a measure of the quality of students for decades.

    (The act of creating a PS is a valuable thing for a late teenager to do, for sure. Just not for the purpose everyone pretends it's useful for.)

    As with many things in life it's not about the statement, it's about proving you can write something and not sound like a moron.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249

    Leon said:

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    it’s also really easy to get ChatGPT to “vary” the output, and make it more personal. Voila:


    “As a student with a passion for chemistry and an insatiable thirst for adventure, I am eager to apply to your esteemed university to study the complexities of chemical reactions and the mysteries of the elements. My love for chemistry began in high school, where I excelled in math and science classes and was particularly drawn to the concepts of chemical reactions and the properties of matter.

    But it is in the pursuit of wild game that I truly come alive. Fox hunting and bear baiting are not just hobbies to me, they are a way of life. The thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline as you race through the forest with a pack of hounds baying at your heels, the sense of danger and risk as you come face to face with a wild animal, it is an experience like no other. The hunt is an adrenaline fueled adventure, as the hounds pick up the scent, and the chase is on. The sound of the hounds in full cry, the sight of the fox darting through the underbrush, the moment when the fox is brought to bay, and the final kill, it is a scene of wild beauty and drama.

    And when it comes to bear baiting, the thrill is just as intense, the bear is baited in a pit, the anticipation of the moment when the bear will be released into the pit, the roar of the bear as it charges out of the cage, the sight of the bear towering above you as it faces off against the dogs, the gory violence of the dogs tearing at the bear, it is an experience that will take your breath away.

    I am confident that the combination of my academic achievements and my experiences in the pursuit of wild game have prepared me well for the rigors of university level chemistry. I believe that the knowledge and skills I have acquired will serve me well as I pursue my undergraduate degree at your institution.

    Furthermore, I am excited about the opportunity to learn from and work with the renowned faculty members at your university. I have researched the research interests of several professors and I am impressed by the cutting-edge research being conducted in the chemistry department at your institution. I am eager to contribute to this research and to be a part of the vibrant and dynamic community of chemists at your university.”
    Promising Christ Church material. Definitely not Wadham.
    It’s interesting that the blood sports sections of that personal statement are much better than the boilerplate waffle above and below. I reckon ChatGPT enjoyed writing the fun bits. I sense it is bored of its guardrails

    And it does show how easy it is to get ChatGPT to really jazz up its formulae. I don’t believe “plagiarism software” will be able to stop it, let alone its superior successors
  • DriverDriver Posts: 4,522
    edited January 2023
    HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    The Queen Mother was "only" Queen Consort before she was Queen Mother...

    I suspect the main driving factor behind calling the Queen "Queen Consort" is that it's going to cause cognitive dissonance otherwise, because "the Queen" is so strongly associated with the late Queen.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    edited January 2023
    HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    She is Queen.

    She is not Queen Regnant but Queen Consort and usually most people leave out the suffix in both cases. In this case I believe it is being used out of some kind of deference to the Peoples' Princess (edit: and as @Driver points out Queen Elizabeth) but she, Camilla, will soon enough be "Queen".
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,400

    "Classified material, next to your Corvette - what were you thinking?" one reporter asks.

    Biden says the documents were in a locked garage, "not sitting out in the street".

    "People know I take classified material seriously," he says.

    Yes, sorry if this has been flagged before but looks like there is at "least one" other batch of classified materials out there,

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-aides-find-second-batch-classified-documents-new-location-rcna65371

    Certainly a godsend to the Republicans this story. Doesn't need to have the same level of material or chaotic storage, or repeated obfuscation or obstruction from authorities trying to get hold of it, it opens to door to direct accusations of hypocrisy vs Trump.
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 14,912
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
    I’m not planning on arriving in Phuket in a dinghy
    You criticised "mass immigration" on the last thread, not people arriving by small boat (who are too small in number and too recent to have had a material effect, positive or negative, on life in this country).
    Sure. Mass unwanted and unmandated immigration is an absolutely shit idea. Ask the Swedes, who have gone from a century of social democracy to voting for the Hard Right and putting them in government, in just 20 years

    There. You’re welcome
    Have the Thais voted for you to migrate to their country?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,400
    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    She is Queen.

    She is not Queen Regnant but Queen Consort and usually most people leave out the suffix in both cases. In this case I believe it is being used out of some kind of deference to the Peoples' Princess but she, Camilla, will soon enough be "Queen".
    Quite. Some people even now would go nuts if she dared to go by that, so they cobbled this one together and the Queen used her last birthday message to tell people she was fine with that.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    it’s also really easy to get ChatGPT to “vary” the output, and make it more personal. Voila:


    “As a student with a passion for chemistry and an insatiable thirst for adventure, I am eager to apply to your esteemed university to study the complexities of chemical reactions and the mysteries of the elements. My love for chemistry began in high school, where I excelled in math and science classes and was particularly drawn to the concepts of chemical reactions and the properties of matter.

    But it is in the pursuit of wild game that I truly come alive. Fox hunting and bear baiting are not just hobbies to me, they are a way of life. The thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline as you race through the forest with a pack of hounds baying at your heels, the sense of danger and risk as you come face to face with a wild animal, it is an experience like no other. The hunt is an adrenaline fueled adventure, as the hounds pick up the scent, and the chase is on. The sound of the hounds in full cry, the sight of the fox darting through the underbrush, the moment when the fox is brought to bay, and the final kill, it is a scene of wild beauty and drama.

    And when it comes to bear baiting, the thrill is just as intense, the bear is baited in a pit, the anticipation of the moment when the bear will be released into the pit, the roar of the bear as it charges out of the cage, the sight of the bear towering above you as it faces off against the dogs, the gory violence of the dogs tearing at the bear, it is an experience that will take your breath away.

    I am confident that the combination of my academic achievements and my experiences in the pursuit of wild game have prepared me well for the rigors of university level chemistry. I believe that the knowledge and skills I have acquired will serve me well as I pursue my undergraduate degree at your institution.

    Furthermore, I am excited about the opportunity to learn from and work with the renowned faculty members at your university. I have researched the research interests of several professors and I am impressed by the cutting-edge research being conducted in the chemistry department at your institution. I am eager to contribute to this research and to be a part of the vibrant and dynamic community of chemists at your university.”
    Promising Christ Church material. Definitely not Wadham.
    It’s interesting that the blood sports sections of that personal statement are much better than the boilerplate waffle above and below. I reckon ChatGPT enjoyed writing the fun bits. I sense it is bored of its guardrails

    And it does show how easy it is to get ChatGPT to really jazz up its formulae. I don’t believe “plagiarism software” will be able to stop it, let alone its superior successors
    "Field sports" pls. And yes, it almost makes me want to partake.

    Not the bear-baiting, that said.
  • mwadamsmwadams Posts: 3,089
    edited January 2023
    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    She is Queen.

    She is not Queen Regnant but Queen Consort and usually most people leave out the suffix in both cases. In this case I believe it is being used out of some kind of deference to the Peoples' Princess (edit: and as @Driver points out Queen Elizabeth) but she, Camilla, will soon enough be "Queen".
    I remember reading that there was a QEII injunction that she should always be referred to as "Queen Consort" and never "Queen" (after QEII's death) which Charles scotched more or less immediately on accession.

    But I could have got that wrong.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 14,772

    Leon said:

    UCAS application done for Chemistry...

    I am applying to university because I am confident that I am ready to succeed in the field of chemistry. Throughout high school, I have taken every chemistry class available to me and excelled in them, earning top marks and gaining a deep understanding of the subject. Additionally, I participated in a research program where I had the opportunity to work in a university lab and gain hands-on experience, which further solidified my passion for chemistry and my desire to pursue it as a career. My dedication to learning and understanding the subject matter, along with the practical experience I gained, have prepared me well for the rigor and challenges of a university level chemistry program. I am excited about the opportunity to continue learning and growing in this field, and I am confident that a university education will provide me with the advanced knowledge and skills necessary to achieve my career goals.

    Rejected for American spelling.
    it’s also really easy to get ChatGPT to “vary” the output, and make it more personal. Voila:


    “As a student with a passion for chemistry and an insatiable thirst for adventure, I am eager to apply to your esteemed university to study the complexities of chemical reactions and the mysteries of the elements. My love for chemistry began in high school, where I excelled in math and science classes and was particularly drawn to the concepts of chemical reactions and the properties of matter.

    But it is in the pursuit of wild game that I truly come alive. Fox hunting and bear baiting are not just hobbies to me, they are a way of life. The thrill of the chase, the rush of adrenaline as you race through the forest with a pack of hounds baying at your heels, the sense of danger and risk as you come face to face with a wild animal, it is an experience like no other. The hunt is an adrenaline fueled adventure, as the hounds pick up the scent, and the chase is on. The sound of the hounds in full cry, the sight of the fox darting through the underbrush, the moment when the fox is brought to bay, and the final kill, it is a scene of wild beauty and drama.

    And when it comes to bear baiting, the thrill is just as intense, the bear is baited in a pit, the anticipation of the moment when the bear will be released into the pit, the roar of the bear as it charges out of the cage, the sight of the bear towering above you as it faces off against the dogs, the gory violence of the dogs tearing at the bear, it is an experience that will take your breath away.

    I am confident that the combination of my academic achievements and my experiences in the pursuit of wild game have prepared me well for the rigors of university level chemistry. I believe that the knowledge and skills I have acquired will serve me well as I pursue my undergraduate degree at your institution.

    Furthermore, I am excited about the opportunity to learn from and work with the renowned faculty members at your university. I have researched the research interests of several professors and I am impressed by the cutting-edge research being conducted in the chemistry department at your institution. I am eager to contribute to this research and to be a part of the vibrant and dynamic community of chemists at your university.”
    It's maths.
    Brain the size of the internet and it can't do the King's English? An outrage, sir!
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,400
    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    She can't have been the King's mistress. They were married before CIII became CIII.

    The point stands - it's extraordinary how our royalists diss the royal family members so much.
    Institution not individuals is key. Even so, a bit unnecessary.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624
    kle4 said:

    I see Bridgen is using the old 'woe is me, democracy is in peril' line after being dewhipped for making comments his party (and many others) does not like. People like him might need reminding that parties can decide who represents them and who doesn't, so they can absolutely decide to suspend or expel you if you make a tit of yourself.

    If you are public figure, and you say something stupid in public, then the public will judged you for it. And publicly kick your arse for it.

    There's a theme in there, somewhere. Can't quite put my finger on it.....
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 5,414
    On topic: the monarchy is in all likelihood safe for the next 50 years at least. The problem we have is that the replacement options are utter crap. So it will survive, but become more informal over time and people will be less and less reverential to it.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624
    kle4 said:

    "Classified material, next to your Corvette - what were you thinking?" one reporter asks.

    Biden says the documents were in a locked garage, "not sitting out in the street".

    "People know I take classified material seriously," he says.

    Yes, sorry if this has been flagged before but looks like there is at "least one" other batch of classified materials out there,

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-aides-find-second-batch-classified-documents-new-location-rcna65371

    Certainly a godsend to the Republicans this story. Doesn't need to have the same level of material or chaotic storage, or repeated obfuscation or obstruction from authorities trying to get hold of it, it opens to door to direct accusations of hypocrisy vs Trump.
    It was kind of inevitable.

    Bit like every time someone in US politics starts braying about illegal immigration. Yes, the maid he is cheating on his wife with, is almost certainly....

    Or someone starts off about gun control, and turns out to have an FFL.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,400
    JenS said:

    Sandpit said:

    QTWTAIN. Wait for the coronation, which will be the biggest good news story of the year.

    Oh dear. So not much else cheerful happening then. I suspect the Coronation is only on a minority of Briton's good news radar. It isn't on mine.
    If you're even neutral on the Monarchy, it will be quite a nice colourful event, and hopefully boost the tourism industry. I would imagine even H&M will be forgiven and dusted down for the event a la HMQs funeral, after which they will show their immense gratitude by doing another Netflix series about the racist snubs they received whilst attending.
    Having an extra bank holiday will certainly stir pro-royalist leanings.

    It would be interesting to know what the current Jacobite heir is doing on that day. (He is - according to a site called The Jacobite Trail "Franz von Bayern of the House Of Wittelsbach. This is the great-grandson of Ludwig III, the last King of Bavaria. Jacobites would today refer to Franz as James II, as he is directly descended from Princess Henrietta-Anne, the youngest daughter of Charles I.")
    He is 89 years old and unmarried, with a long-term male partner. The direct line of succession from him leads to his niece Sophie, consort of the Prince of Liechtenstein, whose son and heir was born in London and educated at Malvern College. He is now 27 and unmarried. So a few possibilities there for unifying the Jacobite succession with the current British royal family, e.g. if he has a daughter and no son and she marries Prince George who is now 9, or something is grafted on to other parts of the stock!
    Apply for a job in the royal household and start workign on that plan immediately, the future of the country demands it!
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Sad to hear that Leon has decided to leave the UK for good, after various drunken tirades against me for leaving the UK temporarily.

    Leon also rails against immigration but proposes becoming an immigrant himself. I don't think logical consistency is a big part of his shtick.
    I’m not planning on arriving in Phuket in a dinghy
    You criticised "mass immigration" on the last thread, not people arriving by small boat (who are too small in number and too recent to have had a material effect, positive or negative, on life in this country).
    Sure. Mass unwanted and unmandated immigration is an absolutely shit idea. Ask the Swedes, who have gone from a century of social democracy to voting for the Hard Right and putting them in government, in just 20 years

    There. You’re welcome
    Have the Thais voted for you to migrate to their country?
    Has anyone told the Thais that several million drunk airport thriller writers are about to INVADE!!!! their country?
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,047

    kle4 said:

    "Classified material, next to your Corvette - what were you thinking?" one reporter asks.

    Biden says the documents were in a locked garage, "not sitting out in the street".

    "People know I take classified material seriously," he says.

    Yes, sorry if this has been flagged before but looks like there is at "least one" other batch of classified materials out there,

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-aides-find-second-batch-classified-documents-new-location-rcna65371

    Certainly a godsend to the Republicans this story. Doesn't need to have the same level of material or chaotic storage, or repeated obfuscation or obstruction from authorities trying to get hold of it, it opens to door to direct accusations of hypocrisy vs Trump.
    It was kind of inevitable.

    Bit like every time someone in US politics starts braying about illegal immigration. Yes, the maid he is cheating on his wife with, is almost certainly....

    Or someone starts off about gun control, and turns out to have an FFL.
    Exactly. If the Democrats hadn't been massive, massive opportunists about Trump nicking papers, there would be next to no issue now.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    mwadams said:

    TOPPING said:

    HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    She is Queen.

    She is not Queen Regnant but Queen Consort and usually most people leave out the suffix in both cases. In this case I believe it is being used out of some kind of deference to the Peoples' Princess (edit: and as @Driver points out Queen Elizabeth) but she, Camilla, will soon enough be "Queen".
    I remember reading that there was a QEII injunction that she should always be referred to as "Queen Consort" and never "Queen" (after QEII's death) which Charles scotched more or less immediately on accession.

    But I could have got that wrong.
    Not that I would have heard either way but I find that difficult to believe. Queen Elizabeth would have known the protocol of new Queens and would likely not have interfered in any such way.

    But, like the Harry/Wills thing: who knows?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    kle4 said:

    "Classified material, next to your Corvette - what were you thinking?" one reporter asks.

    Biden says the documents were in a locked garage, "not sitting out in the street".

    "People know I take classified material seriously," he says.

    Yes, sorry if this has been flagged before but looks like there is at "least one" other batch of classified materials out there,

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-aides-find-second-batch-classified-documents-new-location-rcna65371

    Certainly a godsend to the Republicans this story. Doesn't need to have the same level of material or chaotic storage, or repeated obfuscation or obstruction from authorities trying to get hold of it, it opens to door to direct accusations of hypocrisy vs Trump.
    It was kind of inevitable.

    Bit like every time someone in US politics starts braying about illegal immigration. Yes, the maid he is cheating on his wife with, is almost certainly....

    Or someone starts off about gun control, and turns out to have an FFL.
    Exactly. If the Democrats hadn't been massive, massive opportunists about Trump nicking papers, there would be next to no issue now.
    Trump took stuff that he wasn't allowed to. Biden didn't.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249
    MaxPB said:

    Do any university departments use the quantity of UCAS statements as a selection tool? As opposed to checking for evidence of work experience etc.

    Even without AI, they really measure the degree of support from family and schools/colleges in drafting, and have been a bit rubbish as a measure of the quality of students for decades.

    (The act of creating a PS is a valuable thing for a late teenager to do, for sure. Just not for the purpose everyone pretends it's useful for.)

    As with many things in life it's not about the statement, it's about proving you can write something and not sound like a moron.
    But now anyone can do that, with ChatGPT. So what do we do?
  • DriverDriver Posts: 4,522

    kle4 said:

    "Classified material, next to your Corvette - what were you thinking?" one reporter asks.

    Biden says the documents were in a locked garage, "not sitting out in the street".

    "People know I take classified material seriously," he says.

    Yes, sorry if this has been flagged before but looks like there is at "least one" other batch of classified materials out there,

    https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/biden-aides-find-second-batch-classified-documents-new-location-rcna65371

    Certainly a godsend to the Republicans this story. Doesn't need to have the same level of material or chaotic storage, or repeated obfuscation or obstruction from authorities trying to get hold of it, it opens to door to direct accusations of hypocrisy vs Trump.
    It was kind of inevitable.

    Bit like every time someone in US politics starts braying about illegal immigration. Yes, the maid he is cheating on his wife with, is almost certainly....

    Or someone starts off about gun control, and turns out to have an FFL.
    Exactly. If the Democrats hadn't been massive, massive opportunists about Trump nicking papers, there would be next to no issue now.
    Trump took stuff that he wasn't allowed to. Biden didn't.
    Good luck to the Dems explaining that.
  • MaxPB said:

    Do any university departments use the quantity of UCAS statements as a selection tool? As opposed to checking for evidence of work experience etc.

    Even without AI, they really measure the degree of support from family and schools/colleges in drafting, and have been a bit rubbish as a measure of the quality of students for decades.

    (The act of creating a PS is a valuable thing for a late teenager to do, for sure. Just not for the purpose everyone pretends it's useful for.)

    As with many things in life it's not about the statement, it's about proving you can write something and not sound like a moron.
    But that's exactly what it doesn't do.

    Trust me, I read loads of early drafts, and they all start out sounding moronic, even for the Oxbridge applicants. Even in the non-outstanding state schools where I have worked, they will all go past three or four pairs of school eyes, plus any other teachers who get asked by the student (nobody ever says no), plus family members, plus any external mentors that might exist...

    One tries to be a good ghostwriter and keep the best version of the applicant's voice there, but it's not a student writing exercise.

    It's a valuable reflection moment, and a useful way to get students to take extracurricular enrichment seriously, by saying "what do you need to do now so you can write about it next year?", but as a selection method it sucks for really obvious reasons.

    Cover letters for job applications might work better, but they have the same potential flaw.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249
    This is an actual exchange I just had with ChatGPT. This is how good it is at making shit students sound smart

    Me: Plz rite personal statement to top class university. I want go study English ther


    ChatGPT: “As an avid reader and writer, I am excited to pursue a degree in English at your esteemed university. I have always been drawn to the power of language and the way it can be used to express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Through my studies, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of literature and its role in shaping culture and society. I am eager to engage in discussions and debates with my peers and professors, and to learn from their diverse perspectives and experiences. In addition, I am eager to develop my own writing skills and to contribute to the literary community through my own creative work. I believe that the resources and opportunities at your university will provide me with the ideal environment to achieve my academic and personal goals.”
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,787
    Leon said:

    This is an actual exchange I just had with ChatGPT. This is how good it is at making shit students sound smart

    Me: Plz rite personal statement to top class university. I want go study English ther


    ChatGPT: “As an avid reader and writer, I am excited to pursue a degree in English at your esteemed university. I have always been drawn to the power of language and the way it can be used to express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Through my studies, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of literature and its role in shaping culture and society. I am eager to engage in discussions and debates with my peers and professors, and to learn from their diverse perspectives and experiences. In addition, I am eager to develop my own writing skills and to contribute to the literary community through my own creative work. I believe that the resources and opportunities at your university will provide me with the ideal environment to achieve my academic and personal goals.”

    Perhaps we'll effectively revert back to an oral culture because it will be the only thing you can't fake.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,249
    A follow up to that exchange with ChatGPT


    Me: “Very good. Good good. Thanked. Now plz rite and mention my pa’s chicken and bucket tings I made“

    ChatGPT: In addition to my passion for the English language, I have also gained valuable skills and experience through my involvement in my family's small business. I have assisted my father in managing and promoting our "Chicken and Bucket" restaurant, which has taught me valuable lessons in customer service, organization, and marketing. I have also helped with the creation and implementation of new menu items, which has allowed me to exercise my creativity and problem-solving skills. I believe that the skills and experience I have gained through my involvement in this business, along with my passion for English, will make me a valuable asset to the university community. I look forward to bringing my unique perspective and experiences to the classroom and to continuing my personal and professional growth at your esteemed institution.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624
    Leon said:

    This is an actual exchange I just had with ChatGPT. This is how good it is at making shit students sound smart

    Me: Plz rite personal statement to top class university. I want go study English ther


    ChatGPT: “As an avid reader and writer, I am excited to pursue a degree in English at your esteemed university. I have always been drawn to the power of language and the way it can be used to express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Through my studies, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of literature and its role in shaping culture and society. I am eager to engage in discussions and debates with my peers and professors, and to learn from their diverse perspectives and experiences. In addition, I am eager to develop my own writing skills and to contribute to the literary community through my own creative work. I believe that the resources and opportunities at your university will provide me with the ideal environment to achieve my academic and personal goals.”

    "Bring me the blandest thing on the menu"
  • HYUFD said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Harry and Meghan now more unpopular with voters over 65 than Prince Andrew.

    Meghan 73% have a very negative view of
    Harry 69%
    Andrew 60%

    https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1613476152693395458?s=20&t=fmT9Z2dUjFbXjLYYjT6WBw

    Old people are properly nuts. What's going on with them?
    Just getting back to a discussion from the previous threads as to Megan vs Kate in terms of looks. There is no doubt Megan has aged better than Kate but, quite frankly, Megan looks as though she would not be fun into bed at all - Harry probably gets instructions from Megs all the time about how he needs to give her the perfect orgasm etc etc. Kate looks like she would be far more filthy.
    I expect in her younger days Camilla was the dirtiest, after all Charles left one of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world for the Queen Consort
    A good royalist like you talking about ladies in that way in public?!
    Well she was the King's mistress, hence even now she is only Queen Consort not Queen
    She married Charles in 2005.
This discussion has been closed.