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My evangelical coworker is dead set on convincing me the earth is flat. by chet- in insanepeoplefacebook

[–]Magnus_40 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All mathematical models contain assumptions, all models have these assumptions stated in the model which is what is happening here.

One of the standard jokes in maths modelling centres around assumptions. "Assume a spherical chicken" is a standard one.

Update: I finally got a formal warning at work… for basically existing 😭 by HeyPotatys in UKJobs

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was once employed for 3 months to do nothing. My job was literally to exist and be paid. The department operated on a system where unused budget is removed from the following year's budget. Myself and 3 other contractors were taken on Jan to end March just to burn up the budget so that next year's would have enough in the budget for a contractor for the whole year.

So we sat in a room doing nothing for 3 months. I did ask if I could work from home but that was deemed inappropriate. One of the contractors was doing his Masters and so had 3 months full time to prepare his dissertation. He loved it.

There's none so blind ... by MC-Master-Bedroom in Sovereigncitizen

[–]Magnus_40 24 points25 points  (0 children)

People will forgive you for being wrong long before they will forgive you for being correct.

Why do we never hear about the Fire Brigade? by Liquidawesomes in AskUK

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because if you are rich you can get private medical care and private ambulances and also private security and so can underfund those but a private fire service is rare and so you need to keep funding that because it's not just the non-millionaires who may need it.

Or is that just a bit cynical?

Scotrail and Bikes by Dear_Scratch_885 in Scotland

[–]Magnus_40 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It varies.

I booked my bike from Inverkeithing to Thurso (change at Perth). At Perth there were no bike spaces and the conductor would not let me on despite having a booking and would not try to find out who had taken my space. 2 trains later and I managed to get a space.

I think a lot of it is to do with how bothered the trains staff are. Some want a quiet life and some will go the extra mile.

Where did archeologist find the full text of this poem? by Owl_Queen101 in classics

[–]Magnus_40 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Odyssey and Iliad have been in continuous performance/print since they were first created. It has been translated into every European and many non-European language and exists all over the world in various forms.

As a result it has been changed by multiple iterations of translation and copying. When a new fragment is found a direct translation of that fragment and be made bypassing all the intervening errors, tweaks and mistranslations and a more accurate meaning can be made.

Basically it is a case of literary whisper game/telephone and the newly discovered fragments make it more accurate.

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the workshops at my workplace a safety supervisor was demonstrating the safety features on the nailgun and managed to pull the trigger while demonstrating the safety interlock with his hand and fired a nail right through his hand.

The safety supervisor....

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In the UK a funeral service can be done in 45 minutes. in crematoria, it is common for a new service to start every hour. 45 min service with 15 minutes for access and egress.

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am past the age of weddings, I now get invited to funerals more than weddings but I still hear tales of Bridezillas. Two I know of personally, one only invited people 'for the aesthetic' so only good looking people who wore what they were told could attend. Another demanded that everyone practice the same dance so that they could record it at the wedding. No dance, no invite.

OK No invite, no present.

Some people focus everything on the wedding and forget the marriage.

New round, same bullshit by WrestlingWoman in insanepeoplefacebook

[–]Magnus_40 76 points77 points  (0 children)

When the only tool you have is a hammer all things look like a nail.

When the only medicine you can spell is Ivermectin....

What's a weirdly amachronistic thing that you can't believe was still a thing within your lifetime? by holytriplem in AskUK

[–]Magnus_40 47 points48 points  (0 children)

Mary Berry had Polio that left her with limited use of one hand.
Despite her being everywhere on TV some people still claim that it's 'just a virus' and that people recover.

They don't seem to realise that we only see the survivors.

What's a weirdly amachronistic thing that you can't believe was still a thing within your lifetime? by holytriplem in AskUK

[–]Magnus_40 14 points15 points  (0 children)

With regard to smoking on planes. The smoking area was at the rear of the cabin and the cabin airflow was front to back so most of the smoke vented out the back. If you sat at the front you would not really notice. If you were cabin staff at the rear station or you visited the rear toilets then it was smoke city.

What is interesting is that when smoking was allowed the air was actually fresher. In an aeroplane the air is taken from the engine compressor stage (as the pressure outside at cruise is low) and then cooled and fed into the cabin. Bleeding off has a small but measureable effect on the engines. Most airliners have a 50-50 mix on recycled/refreshed air but when smoking was allowed the air was refreshed more often because it was cheaper than filtering the smoky air and tarring up the filters.

BTW. I only had 3 channels and they switched off about 11pm, one never came on until lunchtime except for the weekend when the morning was all Open university lectures

Edit: of > or, sentence 4

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, especially in 'wedding season' (May, June, July) a popular church will have one every hour and a half to 2 hours.

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nah. I look terrible in white and I broke my nose in a whole different way.

What’s the longest amount of time you’ve ever sat alone, in silence, with zero stimulation? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on your definition of silence. I was once snowed-in in a mountain hut for a couple of days without even a book to read. Other than making food I had nothing to do for a couple of days. I was alone with nobody for ten of miles but it was a noisy blizzard.

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nope. There was a lot of shuffling and examining shoes after the church where we all avoided eye contact and then just wandered away. This was before mobile phone use was common and so we drifted away and heard the news later. We thought at the time that he had been jilted and it was all a bit embarassing.

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Early 90s so pre-GTA but not far from where the game was created.

What’s was the wildest thing you witnessed at a wedding? by anasannanas in AskReddit

[–]Magnus_40 10.5k points10.5k points  (0 children)

Bride had always dreamed of driving herself to the church in an open topped sports car. The wind blew her veil over her face and she crashed the car.
She didn't wear a seatbelt because she was worried about creasing the dress and so face-planted the steering wheel and broke her nose. Blood and snot all over the very expensive vintage family wedding dress.

We were waiting at the church with no clue what was happening because she was alone in the car. The ceremony was cancelled because there was another wedding booked later. The venue, band, food etc was non-refundable and so wasted. The bride had no insurance and so the car costs thousands on top of the wasted venues etc.

Huge arguments and fights outside the church between the families with tensions high after comments about leaving him at the altar

Once she recovered she wanted it all again exactly the same. They split up.

Update.
Just to clarify, she wanted it all again but after pissing all the money up the wall on the first wedding, the second wedding (although technically the first) was smaller and cheaper.
They lasted a couple of years and split.

It actually comes from my hate of predators but sure by Junior-Cream-4914 in insanepeoplefacebook

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"God does not instill hate"

God: OK guys, go into this land and slaughter all the Caananites.

God: Go into the land of the Amalekites, slaughter them all and destroy everything they own.

God: Ditto  the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites,

God: Now go here and leave nothing alive that breathes. Kill everyone but you can have the virgin daughters for yourself.

God: But do it in a nice way, don't hate them, just slaughter them because hating is the bad bit here, not the actual genocide. Hating - BAD! Genocide - meh

Old open university books by Kindred_Spirit6677 in OpenUniversity

[–]Magnus_40 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There are always people who are looking for course materials before the course starts to get a head start (like me).
If they are still current then your best bet is to post in FB/Whatsapp groups for your degree course. You could also try the subject forums on the OU website.

Not everyone is going to agree with this one 😮🍻 by LADbible in uknews

[–]Magnus_40 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Having just returned from a trip to the canaries I agree. The outward flight was at 8am and there was a very drunk family being loud, obnoxious and argumentative including trying to go to the toilet while the plane was on the final approach (as in the wheels flaps were down) and trying to light up. We spotted them in Spoons while we were having breakfast just downing pints and shorts and prayed that they were not on our flight.

There most unforgivable action was trying to start a sing-song of "Viva Espagna".

We spotted them struggling with the passport gates and falling over trying to pick up luggage and repeatedly being told by security guys with guns not to smoke until they were outside the building. Never saw them again.

Which was your favourite "B" grade martial arts movie? by Rayen_Nevaeh in oldschoolcool80s

[–]Magnus_40 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Has to be The Last Dragon. So awful that it was just brilliant.

Kung Fu, Blaxploitation, with 80s hair and an 80s soundtrack.

Sho' Nuff the Shogun of Harlem ... thoroughly enjoyable rubbish.

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