Re: LMGTFY: Random questions thread!

by Wondering Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:27 pm

She gave you her email address and you already sent her something at it and she was okay with that?

If so, then, no, I would not find it creepy that you send this new piece of class-related info given the circumstances you described.

by **Enail** Wed Sep 16, 2015 12:45 pm

Agreed, that sounds fine.

by KMR Wed Sep 16, 2015 1:48 pm

A question for those who have read/watched considerably more science fiction than I have:

Is anyone familiar with any science fiction works that include a benevolent sort of Federation of alien races but in which humans are not a central figure in forming and/or maintaining it? From what I've seen, it seems like humans are often in charge of these sorts of things, as if our species is just so much more enlightened and peaceful than everyone else (although that latter idea does get deconstructed from time to time). I think it'd be cool to see this sort of concept but with humanity more on the periphery.

by litterature Thu Sep 17, 2015 4:19 pm

@ Wondering and Enail:
Today I got an email from her saying thanks because she actually was interested in the app and couldn't remember the name, so it looks like I really didn't do anything wrong. Thanks a lot! :>

by **Robjection** Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:30 pm

OK, can anyone here confirm or deny the existence of the following:

An online program that shuffles a standard pack of cards and deals them into X amount of hands, each with Y amount of cards, where X and Y are numbers I can specify.

by **Enail** Fri Sep 18, 2015 8:19 pm

You'd think that'd be an easy thing to find, but no! Roll20 has a tool that shuffles and lets you specify the number of cards to deal per hand, but you have to join and start a new game (it's a set of online RPG tools) to use it, and the number of hands are based on the players (though there may be options within that). So there's probably a way to make it do what you want, but it's probably over-complicated, I'm afraid.

by **Robjection** Fri Sep 18, 2015 8:42 pm

Well, if I can't find a ~~reindeer~~ card shuffler, I'll make one instead.

by readertorider Fri Sep 18, 2015 8:53 pm

I found plenty of code--it's not a very difficult problem if you're satisfied with computer generated quasi randomness--but if you need 4 or less hands this scratch program is already assembled for you. Otherwise specifying a card to number hash and getting random.org to generate a sequence from 1-52 with as many columns as you need hands is a little more labor intensive, but should be good for most things.

If you need something a little more complicated--hands hidden from other players, etc. Vassal appears to have an interesting playing card module, but I haven't really looked into it.

by waxingjaney Tue Sep 22, 2015 12:00 am

KMR wrote:Is anyone familiar with any science fiction works that include a benevolent sort of Federation of alien races but in which humans are not a central figure in forming and/or maintaining it?

Took me too long to think of it, but The Last Starfighter fits the bill.

From what I've seen, it seems like humans are often in charge of these sorts of things...

Part of that is telling stories that the audience can relate to. It's certainly possible to build a Federation run by aliens and humans are only minor players, but the human-centric ones can skip over a lot of the up-front world-building and go directly into the plot.

by **Enail** Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:23 pm

I will split the thread!

ETA: The new thread is here!

by **Werel** Thu Oct 22, 2015 1:40 am

Yo Hirundo (and any other Norwegians), do y'all really use "texas" as a synonym for "crazy [situation]"? Shocked

by **Hirundo Bos** Thu Oct 22, 2015 5:26 am

Hey! I get to talk about Norwegian!

"Det er helt Texas" ("it's complely Texas") is an expression in Norway, yes, used to refer to a particular color of crazy situation. I don't know if I can pin it down exactly, but it's something like chaotic, wild, all over the place, like what you'd expect from a Western movie.

by **Enail** Thu Oct 22, 2015 12:08 pm

That is awesome! And the first thing that's ever made me kind of wish I was in Texas! Shiny/thrilled

by **Werel** Tue Oct 27, 2015 7:10 pm

This is a road marking I drive past every day. I cannot for the life of me figure out why this vagina is in the middle of the street. Any ideas? What are motorists supposed to do here? How many lanes is this? What does this mean?? confused

LMGTFY: Random questions thread! - Page 5 LBt9PPb

by waxingjaney Tue Oct 27, 2015 8:06 pm

Double yellow lines are used to separate opposing lanes of traffic where passing is not permitted. Double yellow stubs at an intersection are sometimes used to indicate opposing lanes for a road that is otherwise unmarked. This particular variant where two sets of double yellows are curved in a suggestive manner is uncommon. I would hazard a guess that this pattern might be a vestigial remnant from the practice of placing the STOP sign between the travel lanes with a boattail concrete curb block.

by **Werel** Tue Oct 27, 2015 11:59 pm

Damn, janey, that was comprehensive; I feel very much more informed now. Laughing

(Though I've never seen a stop sign between lanes-- is that done anywhere anymore?)

by waxingjaney Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:34 am

It's still done in some places. You usually have to go out in the boonies to find them.

by KMR Tue Nov 03, 2015 10:24 am

Quick professional etiquette question: I'm a graduate student, and I emailed a professor a week ago and never got a response, so I'm going to try emailing my request again. Should I mention in any way that I already emailed her and haven't received a reply? Or is it better not to call attention to it?

by waxingjaney Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:24 pm

No need to put them on the spot unnecessarily. There could be all sorts of legitimate reasons why they didn't respond the first time.

by **eselle28** Thu Nov 05, 2015 10:48 pm

waxingjaney wrote:No need to put them on the spot unnecessarily. There could be all sorts of legitimate reasons why they didn't respond the first time.

Agreed. Also, there's a certain sort of person who tends to struggle with managing an inbox and then gets guilt responses to old items. It's an annoying trait, but if your professor has it, you may just need to work around it. If someone already has inbox-related guilt, they're a lot more likely to respond to a new email that doesn't mention the first.

by KMR Fri Nov 06, 2015 12:55 am

eselle28 wrote:
waxingjaney wrote:No need to put them on the spot unnecessarily. There could be all sorts of legitimate reasons why they didn't respond the first time.

Agreed. Also, there's a certain sort of person who tends to struggle with managing an inbox and then gets guilt responses to old items. It's an annoying trait, but if your professor has it, you may just need to work around it. If someone already has inbox-related guilt, they're a lot more likely to respond to a new email that doesn't mention the first.

This makes sense and was the option I was leaning toward. Thank you both for the input.

by caliseivy Thu Dec 03, 2015 1:15 pm

Does anyone here have any experience with puzzle glue? My sister got me a puzzle last year and I've looked into gluing and framing completed puzzles but I'm still not sure. Is there a puzzle glue anyone recommends or does puzzle size or type determine that?

by Caffeinated Sat Dec 12, 2015 3:25 pm

Can someone tell me just what is grantwriting? Who does it? What's it for? How's it work? How's it different from other kinds of writing (or is the word "writing" in the name misleading)?

by sky Sat Dec 12, 2015 8:14 pm

Caffeinated wrote:Can someone tell me just what is grantwriting? Who does it? What's it for? How's it work? How's it different from other kinds of writing (or is the word "writing" in the name misleading)?

This is vaguely remembered from a lunch lecture at work one time, so please correct me if I've got it wrong.

Grantwriting is the process of applying for grants. The application materials will specify what sections should be included (your organization's mission statement, what you're going to do with the money, etc.), plus any other arbitrary requirements they feel like having (size 13 font, 7/16" margins, submit 12 copies on CD), and you have to meet them all in order to even get your application considered. Then it has to stand out from all the other applications as more worthy of funding in order to actually win you the grant.

It is writing, but it also includes paying attention to nitpicky details, following instructions, and meeting strict deadlines.

by KMR Sun Dec 13, 2015 2:44 pm

Caffeinated wrote:Can someone tell me just what is grantwriting?

Like Sky said, it's the process of applying for grant funding, which generally involves writing a proposal. The proposal describes the goals of the project, how it will be implemented, how much money is needed and what that money will be used for.

Who does it?

Anyone who wants to get a project or research study funded can write their own grant proposal. But there are also professional grant writers who write these proposals for individuals or organizations that are seeking funding.

What's it for?

Grants can be used to cover research studies, programs and interventions in just about any field. These might be relatively small-scale (e.g. a graduate student might apply for a grant to cover costs associated with their dissertation research), which might only require several hundred dollars of funding, or much larger-scale projects that last for several years, require lots of manpower, and cost anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars.

For example, I work as a graduate research assistant for a large, nationally-funded, five-year grant project in early childhood science education. Our program activities include a two-week professional development course for elementary school science teachers each summer, coaching for those teachers during the school year, multiple community events during the school year for children and their families, take-home science activity kits for children and their families, and numerous research studies to evaluate the impact of all of these interventions. The grant money covers the various costs of implementing all of these activities, as well as the salaries of all grant employees (including tuition coverage for graduate assistants).

How's it work?

The first step is to find a source of funding that fits the aims of the project. The funding might come from a local, state, or national organization. Some will offer only small grants and others will only fund large-scale projects. The grant writer will find one or more agencies to apply to that offer grants that best fit their project. Then, they'll look up the requirements of the application and what information must be included in the grant proposal, write the proposal and submit.

How's it different from other kinds of writing (or is the word "writing" in the name misleading)?

From what I've seen of grant proposals, the writing is similar to academic writing (such as for a research proposal) but with a persuasive angle. Funding agencies are often receiving multiple applications but have limited funds, so they can only choose to fund a portion of the proposals put forth to them. Therefore, grant writers must convince the agency they are applying to that their project is worth funding, describing why the project is important or might solve a problem or provide some benefit to those involved. They must also be able to reasonably estimate the budget for their project and break down exactly what they need money for and how much each component will cost.

by Sponsored content