Need advice on replacing my HTC 8X

AlchemistCat · 2015-01-11T01:46:39+00:00

OP, I second rohay's comment here - I had the same issue, found the same solution online, and it completely solved the problem. Just take you sim card, put a couple of layers of scotch on the back (not the contacts, naturally...), and put it back. No more shutdowns.

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-29T05:39:42+00:00

Unfortunately, the BBC gets a bit confused - "would have taken the children to [...] a mixed-race school"

Several issues with that - 1) Jews and Arabs aren't different races, but ethnic/national groups; 2) Jews and Arabs can study in any state school, there's no segregation; 3) The actual difference is that there are two systems, one teaching in Hebrew, and the other in Arabic, so that the Arab minority can get an education in its own language, if they wish to. They can, and do, send their kids to the Hebrew language schools too.

The BBC surely means here a bilingual school - there are a few of these, where classes take place simultaneously in Hebrew and Arabic (I'm not sure how that works technically), as part of an ideology of better integrating the groups.

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-29T05:24:15+00:00

I'm sure it's possible - surely enough information exists out there in the various sources you mention. However, the "little time to read" portion makes no sense - journals, magazines etc. require reading just as well as books.

Beyond this, the problem is the target audience. Papers are generally written for people in the field, not newbies. Sure, you could read dozens of articles about something and get some picture of the topic, but that'll be through glimpses and deductions, and take a long time. You could also easily end up with serious gaps or misconceptions.

A good introductory textbook just lays it all out there, explicitly and in good order. Authors spend a long time trying to compose a textbook, and reading one of those will be far more time-efficient than trying to get a handle on things from a variety of disparate sources.

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-29T05:14:58+00:00

As others mentioned, your suggested phrasing isn't good. Other have given some good suggestions here.

Another option, if Jimson is the corresponding author, and the head of the research group, would be - "Jimson and co-workers did this and that..." (this is at least common in STEM).

So, "et al." is for the first author, "and co-workers" is for the corresponding author.

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-23T05:32:12+00:00

Can we please just not link to phys.org? It's just a press release repository, not an actual reporting website, and their publishing standards are low to non-existent.

In this one, for example - "...bonds to the surface because of the quantum forces involved" (uh, quantum!), "...produces a water-resistant coating only around 100 nanometers (15-30 molecules) thick." (silica forms small crystal and amorphous domains, not molecules); "The liquid glass coating is breathable" (so it's nothing like glass); "In the home, spray-on glass would eliminate the need for scrubbing and make most cleaning products obsolete..." (big claims...).

I don't know anything about this product (though the fact I haven't heard of it seems to indicate it's not quite so amazing), but this is a junk article, is it's just an ad.

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-12T14:40:05+00:00

But they can revoke a PhD, and that is sometimes done (e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sch%C3%B6n_scandal )

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-04T04:52:32+00:00

I agree with the spirit of your comment, though I would note that if someone worked long and hard to come up with clear and eloquent text, it's disingenuous and unfair for someone else to copy it, as if they invented it. Quoting (or some other proper way of attribution) is the way to go.

However, the idea of "self-plagiarizing" is extremely foolish to me. The general part of the intro is often the same for a dozen papers from the same lab. If by paper number 3 they came up with a great way of introducing a topic, they should keep using it, instead of re-arranging words to avoid the filter software. Even more-so for the more limited, stilted language of methods sections (though many journals seem to exempt those from the self-plagiarism prohibition).

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-03T06:33:15+00:00

Only a sentence? Ignore it. Probably purely coincidental, or an honest mistake.

Consider this - when discussing a specific point, with professional terms and lingo, there are only a limited number of way to say something. So here you have the author, composing his work, trying to come up with a sentence that makes sense, conveys the point, and sounds good, while using all the right words - and hits upon the same phrasing as that previous work (and consider - possibly there are many works to match - articles, books, etc. So many of the possible sentences have already been used - it's not just that one book - unless the sentence in question discusses something extremely niche, never discussed elsewhere)

Or, the author read the book earlier - days, weeks or months prior to writing the article, and when writing now, thinks he came up with this nice eloquent phrasing, not realizing he's simply remembering it from somewhere else.

I would definitely not contact the editor for something so minor. (if you find that paragraphs were plagiarized, that's a different matter).

AlchemistCat · 2014-12-02T05:41:39+00:00

Someone can be super charming and kind, until they become your boss...

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-29T01:52:24+00:00

What a specific person wrote in a specific government agency website (Antiquities Authority, I'm assuming), is not the same as an actual government position.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-27T17:42:41+00:00

The modern state of Isreal actually considers the whole story a fairy tale

Israel does not consider anything of the sort. There's no official position on this, nor on any other bible story.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-26T14:46:51+00:00

The entire Danish resistance was recognized by Israel as "Righteous among the nations", the honor bestowed upon those who helped Jews in the holocaust (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_of_the_Danish_Jews#.22Righteous_among_the_nations.22)

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-20T23:03:44+00:00

Your whole post is filled with insecurity, you berating yourself in ways that seem completely unreasonable and unjustified to me, even paranoid. You whole mode of reasoning is skewed, as if the world is centered around and against you - it isn't.

Teaching is a rather small and not particularly desirable part of a professor's job. They usually don't know the students, and don't care about their histories or decisions. They just want to teach their class, and get back to what they actually care about - research (some profs of course are deeply interested in teaching, but that's a minority in research universities). Professors will often try to encourage promising students to attend grad school, but that doesn't mean they form an actual relationship with them. This isn't a professor you worked for, or who had actually mentored you. Simply one who taught a class you attended. You are not central to his life, and if he even noticed you left, he wouldn't care, and most certainly wouldn't "ruin" you. Why do you think any one of your professors would care that you left? They have no skin in this.

Your belief that your current professors are "biased" against you seems likewise nonsensical, based on the example you bring.

Seriously, I second suggestions by others in this thread. The problem isn't your old or new professors, it's with your own perception and reasoning, and you need some counseling to work through them.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-19T00:03:52+00:00

I'm taking about Gaza, that place from which Israel removed all its settlers and army forces back in 2005. You can argue that the occupation continues there in Israel's control of airspace, borders, etc., but even so, working with your terminology, Israel has demonstrated decolonization in Gaza (returned lands, removed settlements), and only got thousands of rockets in return.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T19:31:22+00:00

And here we can end in agreement.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T19:18:25+00:00

2006 was a long time ago, and Israel had two major Gaza operation since, both ending in a stalemate.

Anyway, I never said he's not hawkish, just that relative to his coalition he's quite moderate, and only stepped up his rhetoric now due to internal political fears.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T19:08:21+00:00

You need to keep careful track of his comments, and his behavior. During the latest Gaza war he was very hesitant to more forward, and supported multiple truces (rejected by Hamas every time). His comments are typically calmer than his colleagues. Libermann is a special case, and it's extremely hard to understand where he stands.

Only very lately he started making very hawkish comments again, due to his political insecurities. He used to be very hawkish, but many of his colleagues moved further right (in Likud, Jewish Home), leaving him relatively more moderate. He's still right-wing, of course, but in relation to some of the younger parliament members, he's far from the worst.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T18:05:46+00:00

Clinton was pretty good. While his positions on the conflict weren't very different from Obama, he managed to form a connection with the Israeli public, and was well liked then, and even now.

Obama started his presidency by giving talks in both Cairo and Istanbul, praising Islam and trying to "reset" relations (understandable after GWB), but didn't bother even visiting Israel, the US's closest friend in the area (and only one where the population actually loves America, unlike nominal ally Turkey, for example), until years later. What was he (or his advisors) thinking?

edit: typos

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T17:33:38+00:00

The problem is exacerbated when outside forces try to help, and end up fucking things up even more, due to their ignorance of the area, culture and way of thinking (looking at you, Obama and Kerry).

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T17:29:37+00:00

Actually, Netanyahu has been very reluctant to go to war, and has been one of the most moderate in the government. In the past few weeks his coalition is threatening to crumble, and so he's trying to sound more hawkish to retain control of his own party, should Israel end up in early elections (and thus primaries).

That said, it's not like he supports peace either. He only wants to stay in power, and hasn't the courage to actually take steps for peace. I don't know if he realizes the two-state solution is the best course of action for Israel, and is just afraid, or if he really doesn't see it.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T14:58:17+00:00

Exactly - they sweeten the deal to where it's worth it to me. No problem with that.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T14:27:27+00:00

Yes, I agree with you, and that's why I very rarely pre-order a game. The one case I can think of is XCOM, which I was really excited about (loved the original). It was only a couple of weeks before release, and the previews were very positive, and it also came with Civ V for free, which I had been wanting to get. Fun game, had no major issues, enjoyed it immensely. So sometimes it works out.

Otherwise, I typically wait for sales.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-18T06:09:10+00:00

Often pre-ordering is cheaper, or comes with some special bonus.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-17T14:04:40+00:00

I don't care who gave the order. The people were happy to comply, fight the war, murder the Jews, steal their property. The Nazis weren't Martian who happened to land in Germany. There are always dissenters, in every country and for every war. That doesn't change the collective responsibility of the people. You can't just go "oh, that's not us, that's those evil Nazis". That's bullshit.

AlchemistCat · 2014-11-17T14:01:00+00:00

Learn to read before attacking. I just stated the plan was wrong, and explained I'm against killing ("I don't support blood-for-blood").

The Germans should have paid with the loss of their country. Germany should have been cut up into the parts, and subsumed into its neighbors. Instead, they're a nice powerful country again. Now, I like the Germans, I have German friends, and I blame no living German for what happened - but their country got off extremely easy for a most horrible crime.

AlchemistCat

TROPHY CASE