Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

tomterm8

lemonjelly wrote: »

Fascinating stuff tomterm8, many thanks for this.:T
I must admit that at first, I found expert card technique to be very complex, but that said, what is to be expected from such a book? I've also been reading up on cold-reading, but haven't been able to come anywhere near mastering this yet.
I did manage one or 2 of derren brown's tactics, but again (probably like expert card technique et al) it is a book requiring study, and at the time, i didn't have time, so I never got past chapter 2.:o

Most magic books are complex, but expert card technique is written for experts. I can't do the material in there, and unless you're going to specialise as a professional in card magic, I don’t think you need to. If you really master all the material in that book, you'd probably be an exceptionally good card magician. There are card magicians on TV who can't do all the moves in Expert.

The best thing in Expert is the section on presentation and character. Read that chapter.

I agree with you on the TV.

Generali

tomterm8 wrote: »

I'm not really at the stage where watching TV is that useful, although I do it. What I am doing is a combination of reading... Paris Match, harry potter, tintin, and various computer magazines... and listening-reading.

Computer magazines and Paris Match will work in the same way L'Equipe does as the vocabulary will be relatively limited by the subject matter. Have you tried the soccer? It's quick but there are a limited number of words used. Trouble is the language tends to be more colloquial.

SingleSue

silvercar wrote: »

Take your word for it, I am completely hopeless at languages. The only exam I've ever failed was an O level in a foreign language.

Younger son has GCSE results tomorrow, I'm nervous for him. Tried to do the boosting confidence, "whatever you get is fine" etc but I know (a) he won't match his brother's scores and (b) although he worked hard at the end, he didn't start serious revision soon enough. Existing pupils have a lower requirement to stay on for the sixth form than new entrants, so he shouldn't feel a school places pressure that some of his friends have.

Eldest son picks his up tomorrow morning too andI have been doing exactly the same with him.

I am so nervous for him especially as he has now started identifying Universities he wants to go to (Brunel being one of them :eek:), I dread to think what he will be like if he doesn't get the grades he wants.

1st time for me as he is the eldest but I dare say, you never get used to it.

Davesnave

SingleSue wrote: »

1st time for me as he is the eldest but I dare say, you never get used to it.

Nope, but you just help them to take it all a step at a time.

DD2 got an unconditional offer from a lesser uni, but took a conditional from Bournemouth College of Art because of its reputation. This meant she had to get Maths GCSE at Grade C or above, which she's just done, in her spare time, via Learndirect.

If we'd told her a year ago that she'd soon have a decent GCSE in maths she would have laughed herself silly. Being dyslexic, she had enough trouble with learning even basic tables, but needs must & all that.

Wonderful how a bit of motivation concentrates the mind!

John_Pierpoint

I had this conversation with DD ten years ago.
She had pretty poor A level results (too much partying and too little work).
But we talked it over and my recommendation was "Do a year out and do the work your way round the world trick".

She got back in time for clearing and bagged a course at a previous tech. that I think would have qualify her to run on with the oranges at half time. In some ways it was lucky that she did not have the easy path and instead of "hall" had to make do with a shared house with other complete strangers who were younger and had managed to scrape in.

So having got some of the "adolescence" out of her system [They are so immature all they are interested in is next Saturday's spliff]
she ailed through the first year exams and announced to the authorities that she wanted to get on a proper degree course and do Occupational Therapy (Normally AAA ? entry requirement).

The rest is history as they say.

So my advice for those who really would benefit from a University education is "If you can make the commitment and get some of your own money together, then get your feet under the table and swap courses at the end of the first year".

carolt

Good luck, silvercar and Sue, for your DC's results tomorrow. Hope it all goes well.

GDB2222

Just a quick rant. My son got what I thought were excellent A level results - 1 A* and 2As - but apparently it's not good enough for the courses he wants to take. He missed an A* in his favourite subject, which he blames on a single wrong choice of question. The margins are so fine, with so many candidates getting marks in the high 80s and 90s, that these exams are simply not fit for purpose. You have to get 90%+ for an A*, yet 1 in 12 results was an A*, and one slip and you've missed it.

Sorry about that - end of rant.

treliac

GDB2222 wrote: »

Just a quick rant. My son got what I thought were excellent A level results - 1 A* and 2As - but apparently it's not good enough for the courses he wants to take. He missed an A* in his favourite subject, which he blames on a single wrong choice of question. The margins are so fine, with so many candidates getting marks in the high 80s and 90s, that these exams are simply not fit for purpose. You have to get 90%+ for an A*, yet 1 in 12 results was an A*, and one slip and you've missed it.

Sorry about that - end of rant.

What will he do? Go with a less favoured choice, apply again next year, or other?

At least if he reapplies next year, he will know exactly where he stands and could secure a place before the August scramble. Apparently universities may be a little more flexible in offering places to students who have their grades guaranteed.

My son has had a year out and had a place confirmed prior to last week.

Good luck to your son.

GDB2222

He'd already decided to do a gap year this year, and he's already started work. (He earns money writing blogs - social marketing.) He'd really have liked to go to Oxford, to study History and Politics, but it seems that one A* won't hack it. Anyway, he'll apply fairly soon through UCAS, and he'll just have to take what is on offer.

I've already told him that he should only go to uni if he really, really wants to study the subject. Otherwise, it's a complete waste of time and he shouldn't feel any pressure to go. The same flawed statistics about graduates earning more are still being trotted out - the latest I saw was the president of the national union of students saying that graduates earn £100k more during their working lifetime than non-graduates. It's just rubbish.

misskool

GDB2222 wrote: »

Just a quick rant. My son got what I thought were excellent A level results - 1 A* and 2As - but apparently it's not good enough for the courses he wants to take. He missed an A* in his favourite subject, which he blames on a single wrong choice of question. The margins are so fine, with so many candidates getting marks in the high 80s and 90s, that these exams are simply not fit for purpose. You have to get 90%+ for an A*, yet 1 in 12 results was an A*, and one slip and you've missed it.

Sorry about that - end of rant.

Now try being on the other end recruiting students who all show up with A*'s and nothing distinguishing them.

That's what academic tutors feel like when they are interviewing students. And when they show up, we find out they've only done the modules they like so have to teach them basics in the subject because the system allows them an A* without even having a rounded knowledge.

I've had a second year undergraduate in a hard science subject at one of the top 5 universities in the country and she cannot do ratios. *sigh*