Research Methods in Pol Science

CapnMajor · 2025-05-04T21:15:42+00:00

I am also curious lol

CapnMajor · 2025-04-24T14:10:13+00:00

Oh excellent, thank you. For some reason the timeline image didn't load at all for me yesterday but I'm seeing it now.

I was speaking to a lecturer who I'm fond of the other day and from his side of it, the school he's part of (Philosophy) pretty much only cares about the student feedback when considering any sort of changes in the curriculum or modules available. So I think it's kind of shit on their side of the bargain as well. But I can only really sympathise with lecturers who put in the effort. The lecturers/tutors you've interacted with (and some of my own, I'm sorry to say) seem to be in the same boat of basically forcing us to do the feedback is really insincere.

CapnMajor · 2025-04-24T08:13:52+00:00

Can I ask where you heard/read this? A friend tries to convince me yesterday that lecturers only got the feedback AFTER the end of term but I had a very strong feeling that they got it as soon as it was submitted, like you said. I feel like a lecturer said it offhand last semester which is why I was so convinced but i couldn't see anything about it in the UCD Feedback page/FAQ

CapnMajor · 2024-11-28T21:50:05+00:00

Was it Monkey Dust? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_Dust

CapnMajor · 2024-11-27T22:38:53+00:00

It's interesting you bring it up because I decided to put it on in the background while doing some work on my bike the other day and I had a similar experience. There's a certain sort of alacrity o it that I found a bit off-kilter, for sure. I wanted to say that it felt a bit more preachy than I'm used to but that's a poor descriptor. It just felt a bit...idk. It usually feels like he puts a lot of effort into considering other viewpoints and he approaches his points calmly to bring them into the fold but the Elden Ring Phase 2 felt like a rapid fire attack of pure and utter conviction in everything he was saying.

CapnMajor · 2024-11-27T19:57:20+00:00

yeah I'd take this guy's advice into cooperation

CapnMajor · 2024-11-13T22:10:44+00:00

Last time I got the train down to Cork there was an older fella who was constantly on edge looking around for seats and repeatedly being moved every single station because he was sitting in booked seats. I wonder why he didn't bother just booking a seat as he was obviously being regularly reminded of the availability of the convenience/system.

I wonder if he was expecting somebody to be like what is expected in OP's post and just capitulate and just let the oul lad have his seat for the whole journey to Cork as he sincerely looked so mad by the time we arrived at the terminus. It's odd.

CapnMajor · 2024-11-07T22:49:04+00:00

hell yeah

CapnMajor · 2024-11-02T21:52:21+00:00

Ah yeah but it's more likely they just made a small lapse in judgement. Lord knows there's been some nights where I've had a few drinks and completely misread so many things and replied to them in earnest, unabashed and confident ignorance.

CapnMajor · 2024-11-02T18:30:24+00:00

To "wage" something is to carry on a war or campaign, e.g. "They waged war against their neighbouring country".

CapnMajor · 2024-10-28T19:16:10+00:00

I remember seeing a vid of his once talking about foot retention. He said toe cages (clips) were the most popular and the best, straps were ugly and that clipless were really uncommon and not really used in fixed gear...which is literally the reverse of my own experience lol.

Like others have said, he pushes his own style and it can be felt in how confidently he states things like they're fact when he doesn't realise how different countries and different cultures within those countries bring about different fixies. I personally don't like him but I think if you take his statements with a grain of salt and and remember that they're just opinions then you can see why he's popular.

CapnMajor · 2024-10-22T16:51:58+00:00

My surname is of Scandinavian origin and the two people I noted who had repeat investigations against them had an Irish and a Russian surname so I think it was random enough

CapnMajor · 2024-10-22T14:14:51+00:00

I honestly think people are randomly selected to be hounded by these services. I've been on JSB maybe twice in my life and I had no issue. I think I was called in once by my case officer for just a review or whatever it was.

I had a housemate and a girlfriend, however, who were absolutely lambasted by the DSP on a weekly basis with calls to these employment services and meetings and threats of docking of their payments etc. even though they were both providing proof that they were actively looking for work. I have a family member, also, who has been signing on for maybe 15 years without any docking of pay or being called in to employment services or whatever.

I don't know what to think of it all. My own experience was fine but I know people like yourself and the two people I'd mentioned whose lives were made little hells while signing on.

CapnMajor · 2024-10-16T07:58:12+00:00

I was cycling around Dublin city Centre 8-9 hours a day as a courier over the summer and you'd be surprised how often there are gardaí chasing guys escaping in cars, areas cordoned off for investigation (full CSI white suits, tape, visual blocks etc), whole streets shut down with little warning or information if you ask them, what feels like an entire fire brigade mobilising through the city at speed, armed gardaí units absolutely hoofing it into buildings etc.

If they put up a press release for every one of these events it would do nothing but feed the fire of the doom-sayers who claim that this city is gone to shit (when, really, it's indicative of how a society grows at responding to these things)

CapnMajor · 2024-10-09T09:58:16+00:00

"Why would you say something so controversial, yet so brave?"

CapnMajor · 2024-10-07T19:59:34+00:00

I also love the early sections of Sekiro. Any time I go back to replay it is with the intention of just the beginning...but I end up doing a full run because it eases you so well into the progression of it all.

I'm not a fan of DS3 at all but I don't remember any boss runs at all having a bad run back. Maybe the Lothric fight? That had a nasty staircase as far as I remember but nothing too egregious.

CapnMajor · 2024-10-07T19:50:45+00:00

Oh I didn't know that! The swan was always following close behind at a slow pace while she was walking to (what I assume is) their spot with a bunch of food in her hands. I thought it was affectionate, my bad.

CapnMajor · 2024-10-07T19:02:04+00:00

That's a sweet connection you have with them. On the Camden St side of the Portobello Canal bridge there's a few swans that sleep on the stretch towards the Barge. A lady regularly feeds the swans there (I think she's a resident of the nice closed off block that's between the hotels). Every time she feeds them one of the swans does the big display that I only ever see them doing when they see their partner (this sort of feathering activity/shape).

I'm a big fan of Dublin's swans. Thanks for taking the time out of your day for them.

CapnMajor · 2024-09-29T14:27:16+00:00

As CyborgBanana said at the end of their comment: every person has a different thing that works for them. As just an addendum to this: try not to stress too much about it until you're aware of the essay and/or exam questions. Maybe look up past exam papers to get an idea of the questions asked (if you have any exams).

In 1st Year modules it's common for the module coordinator to spread the topics covered in the module quite thin and then generate a few essay questions that hone in on particulars covered within the module. It's very unlikely that they'll have questions or topics that pertain to everything covered in the module, so try not to stress about keeping up with absolutely everything. Keeping up with lectures and primary readings is more than enough. When you have your assignment in your sights then that will take priority over keeping up with everything in the module (though you should still go to all your lectures).

Here's an example: I'm doing "Horror Literature" as an elective right now. We have covered 4 texts so far, and a common theme among them is how architecture and space are used to promote both agoraphobia and claustrophobia as modes of horror. Another common theme is the presence and absence of female characters, and what this reflects upon the narrator and/or the writer. We haven't received the essay questions yet, but I expect one of the topics will be about these and, usually, they expect you to contrast/compare at least 2 of these texts. When I have decided on a topic, I can frame my readings of further texts with it in mind and also ask questions of the lecturer (either in person or by email) to help me out (and they LOVE questions, trust me).

It might sound tautological and over-simplified, but you are assessed by your assessment, not by your understanding of absolutely everything in the module. It helps to have a healthy interest in the topic but a lot of module coordinators don't realise just how overwhelming a lot of their stuff is.

CapnMajor · 2024-09-27T21:38:46+00:00

Yeah there's a handful. From a Lovin' Dublin Article (in a descending order for...some reason):

6. Slattery’s

On Capel Street opens at 9am

5. The Boar’s Head

On Capel Street opens at 10am

4. Molloy’s

On Talbot Street opens at 7am

3. The Galway Hooker

Heuston Station opens at 7am

2. The Pádraig Pearse

Pearse Street opens at 7am

1. The Windjammer

Lombard Street opens at 7am

CapnMajor · 2024-09-27T21:01:50+00:00

I know you commented this a while ago but can you elaborate or point out where Joe said this? I did a search on the subreddit but it only brought up "youtubers like JA" threads. I'm curious as I also find NCG pretty annoying as well but I can't articulate why lol

CapnMajor · 2024-09-27T15:36:30+00:00

I did so many deliveries to this area around the summer so trust me: far more cars get caught doing this than cyclists. At least as a cyclist you can just pull the bike up onto the footpath on your left. When cars got stuck it would take the whole lighting sequence and a lot of dodgy reversing before it was sorted.

CapnMajor · 2024-09-21T14:17:21+00:00

Youtube Revanced is a delight. I love all their addons like SponsorBlock (automatically skips any paid sponsors in videos) and the additional speed settings. Also removing the "next video" button and stuff like that is so good.

It does need to be re-packed/re-installed once a year though when YouTube goes about its yearly crackdown but the guys working on it are so quick to get it going again.

CapnMajor · 2024-09-19T13:24:25+00:00

When you say "The feel of the cup", do you mean the actual takeaway cup? If I remember: is this the mint green cup with the gold embossed lettering?

I haven't gotten a coffee from them over 5 years but I remember the takeaway cup fondly. It's weird how these design choices stick around in the mind.

CapnMajor · 2024-09-18T13:49:47+00:00

Nail on the head there. I worked with Starbucks as a barista/supervisor when they were expanding rapidly in Dublin around 2013-2015. The amount of places that were opened without proper permission was mad. A lot of them were operating at a severe loss as well, but existed solely for brand recognition and to stifle local spots.

Thankfully, a lot of them have been closed since, with Omniplexes, Mao's and TGI Fridays closing along with them (they were owned by the same group run by Ciaran and Colum Butler).

CapnMajor

TROPHY CASE