Re: So How is that Supposed to Work?
Que Rick Moranis:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW1ijfPwmCc
Posts by ITMA
1112 publicly visible posts • joined 18 Aug 2019
Teens used encrypted chats to recruit for 'violence as a service' murder ring, Europol says
Techie traveled 4 hours to fix software that worked perfectly until a new hire used it
New GitHub Copilot limits push AI users to pricier tiers
UK students flock to AI to help them cheat
Sunday 22nd June 2025 09:58 GMT 
Re: A shift in weighting
"Some teachers (at least in the earlier years of schooling, primary and early secondary) are actually against testing as it is executed today, because it doesn't necessarily reflect the abilities of a pupil. It's possible for some pupils to absolutely smash exams, but be crap at everything else and the other way around"
I found something similar with aptitude tests.
I started my college course with my best friend from school and getting on the course started with an (abstract) aptitude test. He scored very highly, I scored "average".
At the end of the (two year BTEC) course the two of us both passed with the highests grades they'd ever had for that course by quite a way (this was an old technical college).
My view is that all these "abstract" aptitude tests do is test your ability to do aptitude tests.
Oh, my friend read a book on how to do aptitude tests before sitting the one for the college course.
Tuesday 17th June 2025 14:17 GMT
Re: Glorified calculators
But there is also the argument that if schoolkids can't do basic mental arithmetic, even if only to get an approximate answer, how will they know when their calculator has given them the wrong result due to "operator error".
BTW - medical leeches are very good at maintaining bloodflow particularly in challenging plastic surgery situations (reconstructive skin flaps etc) when standard surgical techniques just don't "cut it".
Tuesday 17th June 2025 09:23 GMT
Re: Glorified calculators
"I don't suppose most younger people nowadays would have a clue what those are, much less how to use them!"
I remember - but then I suppose I don't fall into the category of "younger". Prehistoric perhaps....
If you want real punishment, try doing manual double entry book keeping and manual PAYE using (the old) HMRC tax tables. I had to do that as part of the business studies modules (in a computing qualification course) at college.
Tuesday 17th June 2025 09:16 GMT
Re: Glorified calculators
Plus, exams in earlier years should have already tested your basic ability to do arithmetic.
When you are allowed to use a calculator, you are no longer (or primarily) being tested on your ability to do mental arithmetic.
You are being tested on your ability to use the necessary principles to solve a mathemetical problem - hence the reason for points for showing your "working out". You are demonstrating not just the fact you arrived at the correct answer, but followed the correct method to get there.
Besides, many great mathematicians were rubbish at mental arithmetic.
And what was there before electronic calculators? Slide rules and printed log/trig table books.
Windows 11 migration heats up... on desktops
SpaceX's Starship explodes again ... while still on the ground
Logitech's latest keyboard and mouse combo is wired, quiet, and suspiciously sensible
Thursday 19th June 2025 11:24 GMT
Re: Why, oh why?
My pet hate about laptops is the way ALL manufacturers default to "tap to click" ON.
I bloody LOATHE that!
Hateful spiteful function. Until I find out how to kill it the bloody thing is constantly misinterpreting my normal finger movements on the touchpad as taps resulting in God knows what being selected, dragged and dropped to God knows where. All because of bloody tap to click.
TURN THE BLOODY THING OFF BY DEFAULT.
‘AI is not doing its job and should leave us alone’ says Gartner’s top analyst
BT won't budge over pay hike for manager grade employees
Blocking stolen phones from the cloud can be done, should be done, won't be done
Mysterious leaker GangExposed outs Conti kingpins in massive ransomware data dump
Ex-Meta exec: Copyright consent obligation = end of AI biz
Tuesday 27th May 2025 19:42 GMT
I think what you are saying is....
Copyright is outmoded and so, in theory, Meta et al should be able to use what ever they like to train their AI, because it will make them lots of money.
The flipside is that the whole world should therefore be free to copy Microsoft, Meta and everyone eles's software as they like with impunity.
Sounds a fair argument to me LOL
Microsoft dumps AI into Notepad as 'Copilot all the things' mania takes hold in Redmond
Apartment living to get worse in 5 years as 6 GHz Wi-Fi nears ‘exhaustion’
Thursday 22nd May 2025 08:30 GMT
"This is why I try to used wired Ethernet for as much as possible"
Precisely!
People have become almost brainwashed into thinking WiFi IS the internet and the ONLY way to connect devices to a network.
They forget that WiFi solves ONE and ONLY ONE problem - not being able to connect a device to your network using a physical network cable (or if posh a length of proper optical fibre). It comes with a whole raft of its own problems.
There is even that old BT "unbreakable WiFi" add: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pkokABBg3w
The reality is that most of the time it is NOT your internet playing up, its the WiFi connection to your own internal network. Stop using WiFi for everything.
Builder.ai coded itself into a corner – now it's bankrupt
Ransomware attack on food distributor spells more pain for UK supermarkets
Tuesday 20th May 2025 14:35 GMT
Re: These are terrorist attacks and the response should be appropriate.
There's a fatal and fundamental flaw in both Tron's and Docto Syntax's arguments.
The contain that two word obscene phase - "Common Sense".
They also have that - for the markets - unnerving feature of hitting the short term bottom line/share price. In other words they cost money.
Both things which get consigned to that strong metal box which management want to take deep into the woods, bury somewhere unmemorable and never speak of again.
AI skills shortage more than doubles for UK tech leaders
Annual electronic waste footprint per person is 11.2 kg
Monday 19th May 2025 18:20 GMT
Re: Microsoft - yes you!
That's going to be a hard sell...
"I have several 40 foot containers of PCs to dispose of. All fully working except they don't meet the Windows 11 requirements".
I've a regular source of reconditioned PCs who buys just such corporate disposals. If he can't flog them easily, he's not going to buy them. In the UK we have laws about selling goods under false pretenses or using misleading descriptions such as not stating they not compatible with Windows 11.
Yes there are hacks which seem to work at getting Windows 11 to run on hardware Microsoft don't want it to. But you really don't want to be running a corporate network on a wing and a prayer that Microsoft aren't going to cripple those with one update. Hell, they manage to cripple enough PCs which DO meet the requirements and legitimately running Windows 11 with crap updates.
The hardware requirements and ending support for Windows 10 are just another attempt to force customers to buy a "pig in a poke" - Windows 11. An OS that has zero reason (for customers) to exist other than to flog new hardware and for Microsoft to force new shit features that nobody wants or needs.
Saturday 17th May 2025 12:31 GMT
Re: I need (well, want) a new (to me) laptop
Here's a question for you.
Why do you think a manufacturer's "business" range is more expensive than their "consumer" range?
At least partly because the consumer range are built with cheaper parts.
A rough rule of thumb - if a manufacturer offers most of a particular range with Windows Home, it's likely to be consumer.
Friday 16th May 2025 16:29 GMT
Microsoft - yes you!
"When we need a new smartphone or tablet or PC, we rush to the store to buy it new, and that needs to change, and there are 62 million tons of reasons why it matters."
Microsoft - deliberately trying to generate millions of tons of e-waste with Windows 11.
Linux isn't going to make much of a dent in the mountain of corporate e-waste that will be generated by Windows 11 and its hardware requirements.
Microsoft winnows: Layoffs hit software engineers hard
Sci-fi author Neal Stephenson wants AIs fighting AIs so those most fit to live with us survive
Everyone's deploying AI, but no one's securing it – what could go wrong?
Friday 16th May 2025 07:27 GMT
Re: AI system controls
" 'asked the CYBERUK audience for a show of hands: how many had banned generative AI in their organizations? Three hands went up'
Three are not using generative AI. As for the rest not banning generative AI does not mean they are using generative AI"
But, people being people, unless you've actively blocked all access to generative AI (eg via web browsers etc and hard to when Microsoft et al are all trying to force AI onto everything), then there are probably people using it simply because it is there.
The infamous "Oh look! Shiny!" and if they can use AI to (try) and do their work for them rather than do it themselves, they will.
Meta's still violating GDPR rules with latest plan to train AI on EU user data, says noyb
VPN Secure parent company CEO explains why he had to axe thousands of 'lifetime' deals
Microsoft boots 3% of staff in latest cull, middle managers first in line
Boffins warn that AI paper mills are swamping science with garbage studies
Wednesday 14th May 2025 09:27 GMT
"carbon-credit science" ???
The whole idea of "carbon credits" is just the "markets" reaction to "Oh, we must do something about climate change!"
The Markets:
"I know, we'll create a new fictional financial instrument, let's call them Carbon Credits, which polluters can use to make it appear they are doing something (when they are usually just throwing money at more ways of doing nothing) and we can trade to make shit loads more money for doing absolutely bugger all".
People find amazing ways to break computers. Cats are even more creative
Microsoft updates the Windows 11 Start Menu
Wednesday 7th May 2025 20:43 GMT
"According to Microsoft, one of the most common frustrations is 'finding and changing settings on your PC.' "
You left out the most obvious cause for said frustration - morons in Microsoft who keep changing where the settings are and which ones the deem us lowly users to fiddle with. Just leave the effing things alone!
If it ain't broke DON'T FIX IT!
Biting the hand that feeds IT
