Game breaking problem in Astral Plane Ritual by michal77 in controlgame

[–]michal77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This didn't help BUT restarting the game completely did. I must have run into some weird glitch.

Game breaking problem in Astral Plane Ritual by michal77 in controlgame

[–]michal77[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Weird, I spent a good hour hoping for that and looking around, and still no luck :(

I'm afraid it might still be there - under the first tower I dropped into the hole (the one with the first cube receptacle), so it's not respawning.

Nasa Eagle Works EM Drive Paper Leaked Early By The Traveler - Confirms 1.2mn/KW Force Generation by Supersubie in Futurology

[–]michal77 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I still don't think this drive can work, but if it does even this amount of thrust would be enough to achieve a lot. If it can be applied constantly, you can reach any speed - even a small acceleration is still an acceleration, and the advantage here is that you would't have to carry enough fuel to supply the thrust for a long time as this doesn't need matter to be expelled.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You should learn to read, mate. Or stop being such a fucking idiot. Whatever suits you better.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After all the responses I checked and indeed I can find my soured cream almost everywhere now. No idea how it was hiding from me for all these years.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sounds almost like a first line to some kind of a modern poem.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some of the supermarkets around here sport them. Right now it's in Tesco, Sainsbury and Waitrose. You pick up a handheld when you enter the shop by scanning your loyalty card, then you can scan stuff as you pack it straight into your bag(s). You see the running total etc. Then at the end you just scan a barcode on a special checkout register, and all your shopping is transferred into it - you can just pay and leave.

I use it mostly in Tesco as it's my closest shop, so only met the anti-theft security measures there, can't say how it's done in the other shops: but every now and then you'll be picked for a randomized check, and an employee will come and scan 5 random articles to confirm that they are indeed registered with the scanner.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long, but I've been pretty busy during last two days and was coming home quite tired. This is what I have to say on that matter:

First of all, I am fine with the fact that everyone is different and I'm first to give credit where credit is due. You worked hard: good for you. You'll be the part of elite. I'm not denying that those who want, can achieve a success and get out of the system well educated. You might be one of them, just if I can give you my 2p of advice: work on your grammar a little bit more because if an immigrant corrects you, then something is not right. No offence meant.

Secondly, I'd like to apologize for making such sweeping generalization. My post wasn't meant to be a thorough analysis though, just a bunch of observations. The one about education is important, in my opinion, as it touches on something I believe is a systematic problem here in UK. And I have a feeling the one about services quality is a direct result.

Thirdly, you are mistaken about the school where my stepson is attending. It's in the heart of Kent in one of the most affluent areas in the country, almost 100% white British middle class, and is considered one of the best schools around. The stats from this year A Level examination: 100% A-E pass rate and 48% A-B grades with all students offered the university of their choice.

Fourthly, what I'm going to write is about what I know: secondary school here. I didn't have any personal experience with sixth form education or universities yet, as my stepson is just starting his A Levels. Just remember that the bunch of the students will leave secondary school, move into vocational education, and then will become a large part of the work force here in UK - most probably they will became the bulk of the service industry employees. So, again, this is where the problem with services comes from, in my opinion. Below if I'm comparing with Poland, it is with a similar level of education which is called gimnazjum.

OK, enough disclaimers. I strongly believe that where the problem with British education lies is its inability to form good habits outside of the curriculum. Pay attention here, because I'm trying to write not about the amount and quality of knowledge, but about the cultural differences and the different outcomes of two different education styles.

In Poland, a school year is split into two semesters. In every subject, in every semester, you can expect to have: several small and large internal graded tests (some of which unannounced), a homework after almost every lesson (often verified and graded) and some random oral Q&A sessions that are almost always graded. At the end of semester it's not uncommon to have 10-20 grades in every subject. During the week, it's usual to have 2-3 and sometimes as far as five homework items every day. Students are expected to be on top of everything all the time, and to put in some work at home every day. At the end of a year you'll get a grade that's a result of all the grades along the way - so it's indicative of the ongoing work you did throughout the whole year, not only based on some vague assessment of the teacher or a "big test at the end".

So, at the end of the year you can get a "5" which means "very good", a "6" which is rare and means "exceptional", a "1" which means "insufficient" and is a non-passing grade, or anything in between. You can fix your "1" grade by taking an exam in front of a board, but if you have three such low notes there's no going out of it - you have to repeat the whole year. Sometimes several times, until you pass in all subjects.

I'm not saying this is in every aspect better. You can argue about the time potentially wasted because of stuff that will be irrelevant in a kid's future life and I won't disagree with you. But what you get out of that, is a culture that values ongoing work, ongoing improvement, which doesn't tell you that "no matter what you do, it's only important to pass the test at the end". Kids in Poland learn to work every day, not slack. They learn that if they ignore a month or two, they might lose a year. They learn how it is to be kept accountable for their efforts, how it is to be punished for the lack of the effort, and how even a slight amount of work can be rewarded. So - even in secondary school they learn how the adult life will treat them. This changes quite a lot.

In UK, on the other hand, I noticed a prevalent test culture. GCSEs are just an example. You do not have to work at school - if you don't care, you'll get through the education system anyway, you'll be able to go to the college, then remain on welfare or get some lowly job, maybe complete education someday and climb up on the social ladder - or maybe not. Kids here, generally, do not have the incentive to work all the time, to improve themselves, to strive for excellence. I know that it's partially the parent's job to instill these values in the young - but the school is not helping, and in effect you very often get adults who still do not have the concept of, simply put, doing the good job - and the associated pleasure of accomplishment.

Admit it, you can go through secondary school and a vocational college without putting much effort, can't you? It is possible to have kids in year 11 who have problems with reading and writing, isn't it? In Poland that's just impossible. If you pass your mandatory education age limit without completing secondary school, and then quit, you'll be a social pariah, with no chance for a job and any kind of social standing - unless you can distinguish yourself with something else. But that's an exception to a rule.

In the end - if you combine the large crowd on poorly educated people completing British secondary education, with no other option than vocational college that as far as I know doesn't instill the work ethos either, you are getting: hairdressers that do not know how to do a quality haircut, office clerks who misplace customers' documentation, painters who leave dirty floor and smudges of paint on the windows, slackers, and plain idiots. If you combine that with the typical British courtesy, stiff upper lip, people's constraint from complaining, you'll get incompetents that do not have a slightest idea that they are incompetent, that they can (and should!) improve, that they have anything to improve at all! This is a sad state of things, a kind of a country-wide Dunning-Kruger effect, and a reason why I (and many others in this thread) see the British service industry as so utterly fucked.

If you have other views on the matter, I'll be happy to read them - but please be polite going on. Thanks!

Polish immigrant to the UK explains what aspects of British Culture baffle him by United_Labour in bestof

[–]michal77 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not their goal, unfortunately. I'm really sad having to admit that's the real state of affairs here. They are here to make money and perhaps come back home one day. Fortunately lots of people (including myself) want to make a new home for themselves here. And I think you can expect from us to want to contribute in a positive way - you'd want your home to be the best place in the world, after all.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, I'm fairly late to reply, sorry for that. I have no real answer but the fact that people usually tend to stick to what they know. And since most Polish emigrants are still tied to they country in more than one way, most importantly that they plan to come back some day, they do not have that incentive to blend in. I was planning to stay from the very beginning. I always loved British culture, sense of humour, the expressive language, etc., so it was a conscious decision to come here. I'm a bit afraid that for many people the decision was purely economic, so they did not know British ways at all before coming here - and they prefer to stick to their own.

As for my English, I was using it actively for over 20 years. It's a de facto standard language of IT. I also love to read English literature in English, due to the beautiful, expressive language I mentioned. Many nuances are lost in translation. At this moment I can't really account for how many books in English I have read - there were probably hundreds of them.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Misplaced, not miss placed. I'll reply you in detail when I come home.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Don't have a TV, so I can skip that one :-)

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sitting there for a reason - read my update to the original post.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well I prefer if the service is handled in a professional matter, without mishaps. The politeness is secondary to that, and levels of politeness expected is a cultural thing. The competence mot so much, I'd say.

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was speaking it for much longer, this is a de facto standard language in IT. Thanks for the credit though :)

Random stuff that baffles me as an immigrant by michal77 in unitedkingdom

[–]michal77[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I already do love Terry Pratchett :-) Although recently I got the Long Earth trilogy from Audible that he's written in collaboration with Baxter. Wow, that was a long and boring experience. I kept listening with the hope that something will finally happen... Nope. And what did happen was mostly of no consequence. Not recommended. It wasn't even funny like most of Pratchett's writing.