cricket

[bonj2]

Exactly. That's half my point. Bonj's post demonstrates that he wasted three years of his life for nothing...

I didn't 'waste' it. I went to the university of life my friend.
I probably learnt more when I wasn't learning than when I was. In fact I've probably forgot more than you know.

something he seems pleased about, and he even thinks makes him qualified to comment on related matter. It's insulting to the intelligence of people who never had the opportunity, as well as those who did make something of themselves at university...

Absolute poppycock.
Did you know once there was a schoolboy who on his way to school was frustrated that he couldn't do his maths homework last night. So he saw a tramp and sat down next to him, the tramp said "show me your homework."
So he did.
And the tramp said "you do it this way".
"But that's not the way the teacher's told us to do it?!"
"You do it my way." the tramp said.
So he did.
When he got to school, the teacher looked sceptically at him, and asked him how he had managed to do his homework. It wasnt' how they'd been told to do it, but it was... better, it was more elegant, more elucid, more... genius. He had no choice but to give him full marks, it was a work of genius.
The next day the same thing happened.
After a bit, the kid figured it out, because the tramp's way of doing it made sense to him, in a way that the teacher's didn't. The teachers kept marvelling at his work - saying "this is the work of a pure genius!" but after a bit it was the boy who had done it with the help of the tramp's teachings.
After a bit the boy bought the tramp some food as thanks for his help.
"What's your name old man?" said the boy
























"Albert. Albert Einstein."

True story. If he made so much out of his life from such a shoot start then anybody can. Everybody's got theopportunity.
anyhow if anyone's that desparate for a physics degree i'm open to sensible offers

 

[bonj2]

Was all the 'rope remebering' in the module on string theory?

it wasn't actually. One of the problems with string theory is that it was invented AFTER the library last bought in any books, which means there were no books on it. Same as manchester carry chains, in electronics - they were invented in 1995, and the newest book in the library was before then. That's one of the reasons i got disillusioned with it.

 

[bonj2]

As teachers, it becomes clear pretty quickly in most cases.

yeah but they'd have to have some concrete evidence.
You couldn't just say "right, I'm chucking you out because you haven't done your work".
"Well what about him - he hasn't done the work either why aren't you chucking him out?!"
"well yeah but you're proud of not having done it, he isn't."

Where's the evidence?

 

[bonj2]

They train very professionally these days compared with some 10-20 years ago when David Gower refused to net and said he'd rather have an extra glass of Chablis.
Samit Patel was dropped by England last week for being slightly overweight.

cricketers are all obviously only not overweight by chance. In fact it's quite surprising more aren't fat. What would be the actual disadvantage, if any?

 

[Noodley]

True story.

Who told you? What great powers do they possess to have you believe anything as true? Especially that Einstein started off as a tramp helping kids cheat their times tables homework!

 

[bonj2]

Who told you? What great powers do they possess to have you believe anything as true? Especially that Einstein started off as a tramp helping kids cheat their times tables homework!

that's a true story, been passed down through the generations.
icnidentally i dont' think einstein was ever that rich, but that's beside thepoint.

 

[Noodley]

been passed down through the generations.

An old bonj family story?

I can just about picture it, sitting at your grandfather's knee as he holds you spell bound, looks down at you with your wide eyes and whispers "and do you know who that little boy was bonji? It was your old grandpa..."

 

[Rhythm Thief]

That's no dogeaten tennis ball, it's bonj's brain! Quick, get it back off that labrador...

Actually, don't bother...

 

[Dayvo]

An old bonj family story?

I can just about picture it, sitting at your grandfather's knee as he holds you spell bound, looks down at you with your wide eyes and whispers "and do you know who that little boy was bonji? It was your old grandpa..."

Wow! That sounds like of one of those Roald Dahl stories with a twist at the end!

 

[Arch]

Unfortunately hard work alone will not get you a PhD,

Absolutely. I was told I was PhD material in my second year as undergrad, and at the time that seemed brilliant. I worked hard, got my first, worked hard some more to get my MSc, had a year out, then threw myself into the PhD. The stuff I could work hard at - background reading, data gathering, I think I've done quite well. It's the inspirational spark I feel I'm lacking, the ability to see the whole picture as one, that sort of thing. I've discovered that if you set me a task, I can do it. Ask me to set the task, and I flounder. I guess that's the difference with research.

(Add in of course that I started not to care, and stuff happened, and that explains why I'm four and a half years in, with 6 months to go, and still not convinced it'll work out)

Anyway, back to bonj and his theory of everything....

 

[summerdays]

yeah but they'd have to have some concrete evidence.
You couldn't just say "right, I'm chucking you out because you haven't done your work".
"Well what about him - he hasn't done the work either why aren't you chucking him out?!"
"well yeah but you're proud of not having done it, he isn't."

Where's the evidence?

I remember not doing very well at my first exams at Uni - I had to go and see my tutor who was also my Head of Department, and was told I would be out if I did as badly in the summer exams. Whether it was just a threat or not I don't know but I certainly believed they would throw me out at the end of the first year.

 

[zimzum42]

I'm almost the opposite of that. Great at the grand scheme of things, but useless with the hard slog groundwork...

 

[yello]

Anyway, back to bonj and his theory of everything....

No no no... I'm prefering the discussion about degrees etc!

Sadly, I lack the hard work ethos. I can do it I just prefer not to because I fold under pressure. And I'm a lazy sod. I finished my undergrad degree knowing that whilst I might have had the intellect (or whatever you want to call it) to do a masters that there was no way I could have hacked the work load.

In fact, I didn't really finish my degree. I'd been offered a decent paying job, in the April/May of my final year so took it, after chatting with my tutor. I was officially absent for the final term but my degree was secure by that stage. A final push could have upped the grade but I was happy with what I had and knew I didn't do 'final push' anyway!

Shame in some ways. There was a lot I liked about the academic life; I loved the reading and my mind was sparky and alive. I was genuinely inspired by my subject too (linguistics). There is nothing better than thinking about stuff that buzzs you, and I had that. I think I could have hacked the academic bs (the hierarchy, the continual judgement by who you reference rather than your actual work) but I knew I couldn't cut the work load.

 

[bonj2]

Absolutely. I was told I was PhD material in my second year as undergrad, and at the time that seemed brilliant. I worked hard, got my first, worked hard some more to get my MSc, had a year out, then threw myself into the PhD. The stuff I could work hard at - background reading, data gathering, I think I've done quite well. It's the inspirational spark I feel I'm lacking, the ability to see the whole picture as one, that sort of thing. I've discovered that if you set me a task, I can do it. Ask me to set the task, and I flounder. I guess that's the difference with research.

(Add in of course that I started not to care, and stuff happened, and that explains why I'm four and a half years in, with 6 months to go, and still not convinced it'll work out)

Anyway, back to bonj and his theory of everything....

to do a PhD ARch you've gotto discover something that no-one else has ever discovered, orcome up with some theory that no-one else has ever theorized. And THEN you've got to do a hard work putting it into words.

 

[Andy in Sig]

Absolutely. I was told I was PhD material in my second year as undergrad, and at the time that seemed brilliant. I worked hard, got my first, worked hard some more to get my MSc, had a year out, then threw myself into the PhD. The stuff I could work hard at - background reading, data gathering, I think I've done quite well. It's the inspirational spark I feel I'm lacking, the ability to see the whole picture as one, that sort of thing. I've discovered that if you set me a task, I can do it. Ask me to set the task, and I flounder. I guess that's the difference with research.

(Add in of course that I started not to care, and stuff happened, and that explains why I'm four and a half years in, with 6 months to go, and still not convinced it'll work out)

Anyway, back to bonj and his theory of everything....

Hmmmm, is that a very round about admission of thickness?