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Messages - Samopoznanie

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16
General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« on: January 21, 2011, 02:44:07 am »
I tend not to make eye contact in those sort of situations. Cause not looking at them totally makes it better.
That, and handing the exam to them face down.  :?
Quote
Chances are, if the student is getting that sort of grade, they're used to it and half-expect it.
That's the vibe I get from things, yeah.  Nobody's protested.  One of them was even genuinely thrilled that he squeezed out a 67 on the first essay.  
As a Thought exercise, outside the realm of existing policy at your educational institution, wouldn't you say that a student who misinterprets either the prompt or else makes some small mistake which instantly guarantees a wrong answer, ought to be evaluated not purely on the accuracy of their answer and the rigor of their method, but on their demonstrable grasp of the concepts as well?
Usually in that case I would do just that, yeah -- deduct a set number of points and then mark it as I would a usual essay question.  In the case of the 27% exam though (and most of the poor marks, for that matter), that simply wasn't an option... there's not much you can do when they leave answers blank, or write just a couple sentences for for a section worth 60% of the test.

It was a tough exam, with some pretty obscure (IMO irrelevant) things on it.  A lot of the time I think the university makes them overly difficult, in an effort to keep the average down and not give the impression of having any bird courses.

17
General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« on: January 20, 2011, 02:44:20 pm »
Samopoznanie, are you a professor? Teacher? TA?
I'm a TA, but in effect the TA's (there are two of us, a little over 100  students) are the teachers for this course. We're the ones who have one-on-one contact with the students in tutorials, and we're the ones responsible for their grades. All the prof does is lecture twice a week... the only input he has as far as the marks go is if a student disputes a grade and can't resolve it with us, or if someone plagiarizes (had two cases last year). It's definitely more work than I expected given my experience as an undergrad.

I like it though.  Teaching is a lot of fun, and the good students outnumber the bad.  About half a dozen of them from last year have even stayed in touch, which is cool.  I don't like giving poor marks, but when someone gives you one sentence as an answer for an essay question, you're kind of stuck. Can't always find enough half-points to save everyone!  

18
General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« on: January 20, 2011, 12:19:17 am »
Handing back student exams with marks of 27%.  Not sure who it's more awkward for, me or them.  :picardno

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Chrono Cross is probably the best RPG on the Playstation, and I've been telling this to every modern RPG aficionado I know for quite some time. I will make sure the ones who own a PSP/PS3 buy. I would buy as well, but I don't own a HD console or a PSP. I'm stuck back in 2006 or so as far as modern graphics and the like are concerned - this is apparently all that matters in today's gaming climate.
I would have to take FFIX over Chrono Cross as far as RPGs on the PS go,  mostly because it was closer to the old-school vibe I was hoping for (and didn't get) with CC...  I'm with you on the 2006 thing though.  To me the graphics are so good now compared to 20 years ago, the improvements are so slight with each new console it doesn't make as much of a difference to my eyes. 

20
General Discussion / Re: Video Game Discussion Thread
« on: January 17, 2011, 01:16:36 am »
Sorry to break up an engaging conversation, but...

I just managed to snag a copy of Xenogears on eBay for $29.99 (plus $4.00 shipping) from a vendor with 100% feedback.  Score!  It was closer to $80 at my local game store, and the average eBay price was closer to $50-$60.  :D

I've never played the game before, despite being a Chrono fan since '95. Mind you, at that time I was what, 11 years old? Wasn't exactly searching the credits for Kato's name, so I only found out about the connections when I found this site, after the DS release of CT. Looking forward to checking it out, given its reputation among fans... even if the second disc is apparently a bit hurried. Question is, will it be better than Chrono Cross...

21
General Discussion / Re: Thoughts on the Loughner Shootings
« on: January 17, 2011, 12:58:31 am »
Some very good thoughts, kudos for an interesting post. You've said a lot, and on a first read through, I pretty well agree.  For lack of time / energy, I'll seize on one bit that caught my interest.
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Someone as far right as Loughner isn't simply anti-liberal, but anti-government altogether. To the extent he was informed by vitriolic right-wing rhetoric, it was probably the substance more than the style which appealed to him. ... It would be his own thinking to generate the imperative of violent action. All of this sets him apart from your rank-and-file Tea Partier, most of whom are complacent sheep who love to feel self-important and morally superior but aren't particularly passionate about what they actually believe in...  Loughner, in contrast, was as infuriated at the sight of President Bush as you might expect him to have been at the sight of President Obama.
I agree, and am surprised at the number of people who, a week later, continue to fuss over trying to fit the guy into Right and Left camps.  Not simply for the fact that he was mentally ill. But because even without the mental illness in the equation,  Loughner is hardly alone in his anger and poor grasp of political realities.  It has gotten to the point where one in fifty Americans are living on food stamps these days. That's six million people.  One of which was that jobless guy who shot up a church about a year ago, taking a gun inside a guitar case.

Take six million people in dire straits and you'll surely see a few of them - maybe an increasing number - turn to violence. A recent work mentioned by David Frum in one of his columns claimed that in the first year of his presidency, the CIA received 30 death threats a day aimed at Barack Obama.  What's especially bothersome about this is that many in this dangerous sect -- or some of them, at least -- are currently enjoying the benefits of unemployment insurance, food stamps and other welfare items put in place by 20th century governments... but now they've come to take them for granted.  It's bizarre... as if the 20th century welfare state has had a paradoxical effect, at once sapping the Left of radicalism (in the fight for healthcare, better wages and workers rights, etc) while providing a comfort zone for those who are frustrated enough to take action against the government. 

The mental illness thing barely factors into it for me -- I'm hopeful that it will bring more attention to the issue itself, but as far as I'm concerned it was a negligible factor in Loughner's decision to shoot Giffords et al.  It could just as easily have been a person fit of mind, and I'll not be surprised to see more acts like it so long as the economy and level of political education stay where they are.

Even now though, I'm not sure what bothers me more about it: that there is a population that is so harebrained and reactionary, with no qualms about resorting to violence... or the fact that left-wing and moderate officials in power no longer accept that force may sometimes be necessary to get by political roadblocks. Not endorsing violence by any means, but if all the Obama admin does is finger-wave and issue moral condemnations while a vocal, looney-toon minority takes to violence, I don't see a lot of hope for stable, continued change. Communication hasn't been his strong point since coming to office, but the President needs to send a message to these nutbars that he isn't going to tolerate the assassination of Democratic lawmakers.

The whole question of force has bothered me the last two months, as I started dating a left-activist, and we really clash on some things. She was entirely against the idea of the 'Responsibility To Protect', insisting that something like the Rwandan Genocide, or the early 90s wars in Yugoslavia could have been prevented through peaceful, carrot-and-stick negotiations and educational campaigns.  Nothing against pacifism, but if this is the sort of vague, moralist stance that the left is taking in the prevention of violent conflict, should we be surprised that these sorts of incidents are happening?

All this said, I was impressed Obama's 30 minute speech on the matter. I found myself surprisingly moved by his words on the shootings. Particularly his powerful, originally absent from the script, emphasis that "Gabby opened her eyes for the first time," and his use of the 9-year-old who was shot, and the need to live up to her expectations of government and politics. The pep rally feel of things was disconcerting, but I thought he struck a very good, respectful tone for the occasion, given the pressures.  Some of my Left friends were griping about how he should've used the occasion to take on rival issues like gun control, Palin's statements, or other such things... BS if you ask me. 

22
Wow.  So cool.  Opens so many possibilities for what kind of twists and turns the story could have taken.  Great discovery to start the year with.  15 years on, and there's still new things to be found.  Thanks to everyone involved in their hard work, digging this up. Really neat stuff.

23
Wow!  The Epoch flight battle looks fantastic.  I'm always impressed with the fan projects here... so much imagination and cool scenarios.  Makes me want to revisit RPG Maker and try my own hand at things.  Too cool.

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Polling / Re: What's your favorite Chrono Trigger quote?
« on: August 01, 2010, 02:21:20 pm »
I had to go for Gato's classic rhyming line.   :D  I was actually a bit dismayed when they tweaked it for the DS version, though I liked the new translation overall!

25
General Discussion / Re: Career changes and what not
« on: August 01, 2010, 02:17:13 pm »
Interesting stuff!  Being an infrequent poster, I didn't actually know you were in the military.  Whereabouts were you posted in Asia? 

I find myself in almost the opposite situation as you at the moment.  Come September, this will be my ninth straight year of university. And for the first time since being put on academic probation in my freshman year, I'm considering taking a break.  Ph.D has been mixed bag, really... I've really enjoyed the teaching side of things.  The dozen or so outstanding students you get make it worthwhile.  I've actually been flogging free unwanted books on them this summer, as I have to move at the end of August and won't have the shelf space for all of them.  Relocating from the downtown core to a Polish community nextdoor to a 400 acre park, so it'll be a welcome change of scenery.

I'm looking forward to teaching again in the fall, but the flip side of things -- applying for grants, jumping through hoops to publish, and generally erratic sleep/eat/work schedule has me pretty burned out.  After this year's comprehensive exams (got a list of 200 books to cover for 'em) in January, I'm taking a year off.  I've had some neat job invitations pass me by in light of deadline or travel obligations in recent years, so I'd like to refocus and see what I can secure with just the MA to my name.  I feel I have a pretty good chance of getting some work in the former Yugoslavia with the contacts I've made, so I'll be auditing some Bosnian/Serbo-Croatian language classes this year. 

First weekend in September will be the annual 3-Day Novel Contest, so that'll be my last big extra-curricular venture before the fall term kicks off.  I got 30-some pages in last year, aiming for 60 pages this time around (you need 100 to be considered for a prize or publication).

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This is really pleasant news to login to... between being busy and not being able to post w/ the recent glitch, I'm a bit behind on things. :P

Obsidian didn't ring a bell for me immediately (had to look them up).  I'm not a great fan of the whole Neverwinter Nights, Fallout, Baldur's Gate style stuff, but if they got Kato on board, I'd be pretty interested.  I do wonder about the character designs... I'm not much of a fan of anime styles, but it would be bizarre to see a more Americanized take on their faces, hair and such (assuming it had any recurring characters.) 

I'll also go out on a limb and say that I think there's a real chance that a game made by enthusiastic fans / developers who grew up with CT (coughcoughCrimsonEchoescough) might be better than a Kato / Mitsuda led effort, in the way that the first two Star Wars sequels were superior to Lucas' new trilogy. Sands of Destruction, as someone else mentioned..... I tried so hard to like but it just didn't even come close to what was expected.  It honestly made me wonder if they still had the chemistry, 15 years later. 

I don't see a negative side to the prospect of Obsidian taking a shot at the franchise.  Sure there could be disappointment, but that chance is always there... Heck, for some folks like me CC was a letdown.  The franchise has been ignored by SE for so long now, I don't think there's any such thing as bad publicity. 

Ideally, IMO, Obsidian's interest would prod SE into realizing that the interest is out there, and they'd just take on the project themselves... I'll keep dreaming in the mean time...

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Welcome / Birthday / Seeya! Forum / Re: A passing thought
« on: August 01, 2010, 03:23:00 am »
Remember to eat well. You'd hate to become Thought-less.
Truer words never spoken -- I lost close to 25 pounds this year after falling out of sync with my sleeping/reading/writing/marking/sometimes eating schedule. 

On the other hand, it helped me shed the excess pounds that I gained from the pizza, coffee and beer diet I lived off of in undergrad!   :lol:

Good luck with the move, hope to read of your Ph.D experience in the fall.... the teaching's the best part, IMO.

28
General Discussion / Re: Video Game Discussion Thread
« on: August 01, 2010, 03:16:42 am »
Any Dragon Quest fans here? I've been playing IX the past few weeks, and it has been enjoyable. However, after completion it appears to be just grind and quest, grind and quest. Which isn't bad for all players. My biggest complaints are not being able to edit my characters' appearances (with the exception of equipment) and lack of my favorite monsters (Unicorn, Great Drake, etc.).
I picked up IV awhile ago... I have a certain fondness for the series as the original on NES was the first RPG I played.  I dig the spruced up look, I like that they've kept so many of the old recurring characters (Slimes!) and am glad to still have some old-school level-grinding RPGs making the rounds.  But I have to say that I'm disappointed in the translations for the DS ports.  The accents and dialects, and some of the names ('Ragnar McRyan'?) just kill parts of it for me.  I'm sure the NES originals were nothing to brag about in terms of dialogue (been so long since I played them...) but the mock-medieval style was at least consistent.  Now it just varies between silliness and the occasional bad effort at being poetic.... I still cringe upon thinking of VII, with the line (paraphrasing slightly) "it appears that a black mass of depravity exists where Matilda's soul once stood." :picardno

It's just frustrating. One of those occasions where you think, "I could've done a better job than that!" with the writing.

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I think I remember an issue of GamePro that had a feature on how to get all the different endings -- a friend of mine consulted it (without telling me about the issue) when he borrowed the game, and blazed through them all when I'd only gotten about five of them.  I was baffled at the time, as it seemed like he'd totally outdone me at my favourite game!

30
General Discussion / Re: The $%*! frustration thread
« on: March 27, 2010, 03:08:44 pm »
Obviously, they are referring to the Kiss Army.
Ha!  I only wish! Good call though, maybe I'll listen to Sonic Boom (their latest album) while I'm marking today. :lol:

It is kind of eye opening, the stuff you find though.  Copy-and-Pastes from online with a few pronouns or adjectives changed, rambling sentences that repeat peoples' names 4-5 times... another person even cited "An Unknown Document" as a source. :?  If I couldn't laugh, I'd cry.

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