tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.comments2024-03-19T08:23:22.558+00:00Now AppearingBrian Clegghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comBlogger2295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-81809199898458141242024-02-21T10:04:44.442+00:002024-02-21T10:04:44.442+00:00Thanks, Tim! That map is very telling...Thanks, Tim! That map is very telling...Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-29192614754394141752024-02-21T08:09:44.599+00:002024-02-21T08:09:44.599+00:00Hi Brian, Unfortunately this use of statistics is ...Hi Brian, Unfortunately this use of statistics is not restricted to UK mobile providers. It's been the case in New Zealand for many years where the main mobile providers have claimed they provide coverage to where approximately 98% of New Zealanders work and live.<br />NZ has about 5.1 million people in a country slightly larger than the UK. Around 30% live in Auckland. So there are large, albeit sparsely populated, areas with little or no coverage.<br />The coverage map from One NZ (formerly Vodafone NZ) shows the problem:<br />www.one.nz/network/coverage<br />Please keep up the good work calling out poor use of statistics.<br />Tim Timnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-13195300337650047762024-01-09T05:37:34.873+00:002024-01-09T05:37:34.873+00:00You are making too many assumptions. I said nothin...You are making too many assumptions. I said nothing about one game being better than the other. I was merely pointing out the false statement you made that, “chess lacks any parallel with real life.” <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-55343805413490043662024-01-08T07:41:48.120+00:002024-01-08T07:41:48.120+00:00I'm not sure why being used as an analogy make...I'm not sure why being used as an analogy makes chess a better game. But even if it did, there are two problems with your argument. One is that it's not really surprising because chess as a game is an analogy for warfare, so it's just a circular usage. But it's also a very bad analogy because of the lack of the luck element, which plays such a big part in real life, including warfare.Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-72844790153503652492024-01-07T21:57:39.686+00:002024-01-07T21:57:39.686+00:00Chess has countless parallels to life. You don’t h...Chess has countless parallels to life. You don’t hear people use backgammon as an analogy for clever/smart decision making.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-55393850117343199862024-01-07T13:22:54.212+00:002024-01-07T13:22:54.212+00:00I have a problem with responses like this as someo...I have a problem with responses like this as someone with a bachelors in Traditional Mathematics. Yes it is the same, the process is not necessarily important how you get to the result as long as the logic follows correctly. 10-3=7, okay well 5+2=7. Okay well why is that? It is because 10-3=5+2. So now is a student wrong if they visualize this as 10-3=x ? That would mean 10=x+3 where x=7. Is that answer now somehow wrong because the process they instead took was -3=x-10 where x=7. No all of these answers are correct and follow logically. By your logic 5x0=0 would need no explanation as you simply can't illustrate 0 lots of 5 with repeated addition so is this structure just irrelevant now? No we use 5x0 and 0x5 interchangeably because multiplication is communicating. You don't look at one and say I do nothing the answer is zero and then look at the other and say i must add zero five times to have the correct answer. They're both zero and the actual fact that people are marking points off for stuff like this is why people don't like math. If this distinction is so important I'd like one example from up to a high-school level course where the distinction make a difference.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-8983039892057063492023-12-23T17:58:50.244+00:002023-12-23T17:58:50.244+00:00I too thought the first book "beneath me"...I too thought the first book "beneath me" as a GAD reader - but I enjoyed it immensely, and have got the second book on the "to be read soon" pile!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-39643467154947368352023-11-12T14:45:54.365+00:002023-11-12T14:45:54.365+00:00Agree with most of this, it's incomprehensible...Agree with most of this, it's incomprehensible, loud, unpleasant noise. The only part I'd disagree with in your article is "I won't even bother to go into any detail on the plots and the acting - this is just self-evident" - it isn't evident to me what on earth is going on in terms of acting or plot in opera, so these aspects shouldn't be spared from more detailed criticism!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-73876910527019703922023-10-23T17:00:14.258+01:002023-10-23T17:00:14.258+01:00Thanks for that insightful comment.Thanks for that insightful comment.Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-42547823210014566132023-10-23T16:50:47.848+01:002023-10-23T16:50:47.848+01:00I have a somewhat unique perspective on this book ...I have a somewhat unique perspective on this book - as I was one of the choristers in the choir at the time Dr Smith was choir master - and I get a few specific mentions. He was indeed an interesting person, he had a dry sense of humour and a sharp tongue. I can see why he would have been a difficult employee to manage. He was very much a character that did things in his own way - and this brought about a rigidity in his thinking and ways of working. Often causing friction even if what he was stating was factual and correct. I only have fond memories of my time at Llandaff. I got to sing in some incredible performances with some very talented singers. Despite having the odd run in with Dr Smith - we both held a respect for one another in the music that we performed. He only wanted the best out of the choir and worked hard to keep our standards on a professional footing. Respect where respect is due - he delivered on his responsibilities to the choir and its phenomenal choral outputs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-57613932828675702632023-10-07T13:52:42.333+01:002023-10-07T13:52:42.333+01:00Porque complicar: si solo debe leerse la "X&q...Porque complicar: si solo debe leerse la "X" como "veces..." y no "por"... Algo abstracto hasta para un adulto... Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-43950205263509499502023-06-08T09:36:54.569+01:002023-06-08T09:36:54.569+01:00Thanks - that would be interesting. Though, to be ...Thanks - that would be interesting. Though, to be honest, the really interesting thing is not that the plaque isn't there, but that it has almost entirely been expunged from the internet.Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-81977912825488489932023-06-08T09:11:36.308+01:002023-06-08T09:11:36.308+01:00Forrest Place was refurbished in 2019, so the plaq...Forrest Place was refurbished in 2019, so the plaque may have been removed. Will contact the Museum of Perth and see if I can find out. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-88487716137107798972023-06-07T18:11:15.706+01:002023-06-07T18:11:15.706+01:00Thanks, SG - much appreciated!Thanks, SG - much appreciated!Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-32229616008792586502023-05-10T10:35:09.211+01:002023-05-10T10:35:09.211+01:00There is a similar version in which the scammer co...There is a similar version in which the scammer contacts you saying your account on, say, Amazon has been abused (someone trying to buy an expensive item on it). They go on to say there's no problem as they have blocked the transaction and that all you need to do is confirm this by reading out the one-off PIN that Amazon will send you. They then trigger the PIN request from your Amazon account so the PIN seems to be genuine, but, of course, if you give them the PIN they can reset your account for their own access.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-1257633343133755992023-04-25T07:33:35.033+01:002023-04-25T07:33:35.033+01:00I'm afraid I've never understood the appea...I'm afraid I've never understood the appeal of what the publishing trade refers to as 'misery memoirs' or 'misery lit'. I don't find the description of other people's suffering entertaining or uplifting. I'd also say that if someone close to you is going through a similar experience this is not necessarily something you want to read about.Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-35954654110159743202023-04-24T03:25:46.440+01:002023-04-24T03:25:46.440+01:00I find this review rather astonishing in its dismi...I find this review rather astonishing in its dismissal of the second part of the biography, which is also the tale of Terry Pratchett’s struggle & decline due to an Embuggerance (early onset Alzheimer’s). For me, this was the most wrenching & rewarding read: how Terry Pratchett fought with/accommodated & suffered from his terminal illness. I personally found the description of his last years both poignant & heroically brave. Immense courage was required & shown by Pratchett & his colleagues, including the author, whom I consider related this time both vividly & sensitively.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-86766844966175008562023-04-22T23:31:38.300+01:002023-04-22T23:31:38.300+01:00Whilst I despair at hearing operatic delivery, its...Whilst I despair at hearing operatic delivery, its affected self-importance being a painfully prolonged and hammy pantomime without the intentional laughs, I'm most fond of Wagner's musical compositions. Imagine my inner turmoil. No don't, spare yourself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-63888388403746448842023-04-21T14:55:18.323+01:002023-04-21T14:55:18.323+01:00Thanks for this sound advice. Non-fiction popular ...Thanks for this sound advice. Non-fiction popular science books probably need a publisher and/or agent. But there is another category of non-fiction books: tutorial style textbooks, which are analogous to the excellent tutorials on youtube. These act as a stepping stone between popular science and textbooks. They are unlikely to be best-sellers, but (from personal experience) they are valued by students and research scientists who need an informal introduction to a topic. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-29043956868427038902023-04-07T06:53:08.798+01:002023-04-07T06:53:08.798+01:00While both games have their merits, backgammon off...While both games have their merits, backgammon offers greater opportunities for comebacks and unpredictability. For those interested in improving at chess, study tactics and openings, analyze games, and practice regularly against strong opponents.How to Get Good at Chesshttps://www.trendzzzone.com/how-to-get-good-at-chess/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-89551407597435903212023-03-27T09:54:17.834+01:002023-03-27T09:54:17.834+01:00Just a quick comment on both for future commenting...Just a quick comment on both for future commenting - this is a discussion about music - please don't bring politics of any wing into it. Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-226386068808905172023-03-27T08:25:54.985+01:002023-03-27T08:25:54.985+01:00@brian c Agreed, EXCEPT please leave politics out...@brian c Agreed, EXCEPT please leave politics out of it. Don't insult any Trump supporters by equating them to Opera. Opera is much worse than conservative or radical liberal "woke" socialist politics. LOLJohn B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-83596070497732684832023-03-26T02:29:40.795+01:002023-03-26T02:29:40.795+01:00Hello 👋 Brian....to cut to the chase, I agree wit...Hello 👋 Brian....to cut to the chase, I agree with you on every salient point you have made. I am a classical music aficionado in every sense of the term. That being said I have never seen Opera other than what it really is..."antimusic"! In its most basic it is mildly stupid at besbestbest; braindead opera fanatics - most of whwho. are not professional musicians or musicologists - are just that pompous oafs unable to discern Great art from what they perceive to be great. They aren't very different from illiterate Trump supporters are they??? I say defund opera and fund orchestral music 🎶 instead.brian cnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-20710447420402064152023-02-19T03:11:06.673+00:002023-02-19T03:11:06.673+00:00Opera is obviously egregiously racist. It discrimi...Opera is obviously egregiously racist. It discriminates mercilessly against anyone who doesn't like opera.Todd C. S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11370556205201602249noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-59320822261907733152023-02-19T03:08:09.898+00:002023-02-19T03:08:09.898+00:00But of course there are the rare exceptions. E.g.,...But of course there are the rare exceptions. E.g., the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera" was everything anyone could want in opera! :^)ToddCSnoreply@blogger.com