Archive for November, 2006
please help decide
A pHd student asks
Is it common sense to do a PhD?
5 lacklustre pieces of inspiration on “please help decide”
Provide common sense...
Spying from the other side ?
A curious person wonders
This headline from the BBC caught my eye - ‘Dead Russian ex-spy accuses Putin’ (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6180068.stm). Does this suggest that there is an afterlife, or is it just bad use of the English language ? Perhaps wanna-be Consultant F has opinions. Perhaps he now knows who did it as there may be records kept to which you have access after you die.
One pearl of wisdom on “Spying from the other side ?”
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wanna-be consultant F Says:
November 24th, 2006 at 4:58 pmAh, the wonderful bods at the BBC must have realised their mistake, as the headline now reads: “Spy’s death-bed Putin accusation”, which, granted, isn’t much better, but at least the accusation isn’t coming from beyond the grave (as it were, I am aware he’s not yet actually buried!).
I would also like to take this opportunity to share with you my amusement at a misreading of the following BBC headline: “Reading confirms physics closure” In which I took “reading” to be with regards a book, and mis-read “physics” with “psychics” which would have made a rather more interesting read in my opinion.
Sorry, you can tell I’m bored.
My question for the day is: “Is it common sense to do a PhD?”
Answers on the back of a postcard (from somewhere boring so I don’t get too jealous).
Thanks
Provide common sense...
Pakistans Prison System
A legal question
A British guy recently got released from a Pakistani prison. He was on death row but has now been dropped down to life. All he had done was kill a taxi driver which is something that cannot be life in prison. Anyway that is not my question. My question is with regards the way that Pakistani prisons count time served. According to the BBC the reason he has been released is that in Pakistan night in prison is a day and so is a day. Can someone justify this system please or have I just found another thing lacking common sense?
One pearl of wisdom on “Pakistans Prison System”
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November 20th, 2006 at 10:25 amWe are the Common Sense Consultancy, not the UN. However, it may be that international relations simply need a bit more common sense.
Anyway, in relation to your question, it does sound strange, but if the sentences they pass take account of this anomaly (ie sentenced to 6 years when they mean 3 x 365 days) then everything is all right.
Provide common sense...
Marketing
From someone plugging their site (but hey we accept bribery)
My website does not appear to be nearly as popular as yours (www.keirallen.co.uk) with only a single hit in the last month. Can you advise what approach I should take?
2 lacklustre pieces of inspiration on “Marketing”
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November 17th, 2006 at 1:14 pmIncrease number of links to site
Get a bunch of bored mates who click on links
Get interesting content
Be popular. -
November 17th, 2006 at 3:46 pmyeah - get interesting content would be start! or porn mebbe!
Provide common sense...
Work
From the general public.
What is it good for?
11 lacklustre pieces of inspiration on “Work”
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November 15th, 2006 at 4:35 pmabsolutely nothing
Sorry I had to!
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November 15th, 2006 at 6:13 pmmoney in yer trousers innit
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November 15th, 2006 at 6:50 pmWhat do you know about work anyway you workshy fopp ?
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November 15th, 2006 at 8:30 pmi thik you’ll find fop has only 1 p unless you is talking about the record store - and are you talkin to me?
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November 16th, 2006 at 9:02 amI think you will find think has an n in it smarty. And, due to inflation, the 1 p is now 2 p. If we were in Argentina, it would be spelt fo£
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November 16th, 2006 at 1:18 pmHave to agree with Col. Money is the only thing work is good for unless you are one of the tiny fraction of the population who actually enjoy their job.
Interesting (or possibly depressing) quote from Ogden Nash below which just about sums up the dilemma…
“If you don’t want to work you have to work to earn enough money so that you won’t have to work”
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November 16th, 2006 at 3:53 pmone of yer google-ads is from a crowd called displaysense see http://www.displaysense.co.uk mebbe you should team up with them and call yourselves displaycommonsense - do i win 5 pounds?
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November 17th, 2006 at 12:59 amI’m certainly not in it for the money. . . regrettably. Which begs the questions.
What am I in it for?
Is it work?
If it’s not work what is it?
If it’s not work should I bother worrying about what I’m in it for?
If it is work and I’m not in it for the money. . . regrettably. Then is what I’m in it for the answer to the question?
What was the question?
Am I in it?
What’s work?
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November 17th, 2006 at 9:07 amWork is the curse of the birding / drinking classes. This and other such witty comments go to show how many have thought like us before in questioning work. Work is a necessary evil. You need it to get the cash to fund your life. It is, in fact, a common sense solution to the problem of staying alive - you trade what resources you have (time, skills etc.) in exchange for food and clothes and a house, and beer, and wine, and dancin’.
This said, we all still hate it. Very few must like their job and these are probably the lucky few who spend their time doing fun things, like bobbing around on a posh boat in the South Atlantic, showing people penguins (actually, given my sea legs, that sounds like hell). So, we would all rather not be doing it, but we have to do it. It is just a shame it takes up so much of our time. It would be better if we only worked 2 or 3 days a week - this is real common sense. Who writes this rubbish ? It is too early in the morning, I have too much to do, I do not get paid enought. And I have to amuse myself at work by filling in the balnks on this web site. I need a better job. -
November 17th, 2006 at 9:08 amIn reply to cols question of ages ago about word verification, I’ve just had ojcbum. It does generate rudish words.
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November 30th, 2006 at 8:29 pmMy current employment has me sitting in a heated shack at the end of the world. It’s quite quiet here so I am reading the recent postings on this site. When a situation occurs which will curtail my current activities (arrival of precious cargo) I shall consume tea and scones, then go and chase Emperor Penguins, all in the name of work.
Provide common sense...
Is it all just a lottery
From someone with one or two pennies to spare
The odds of winning the Euromillions draw is 1 in 72 million which at £1.50 per ticket means that it would cost £108million to buy all the possible combinations. Considering the prize is currently at £100million and is predicted to rise by £20million, this would be cost effective. Potentially I would not be the only winner of the prize but I would also pick up numerous other small prizes (around £12million). Should I gamble?
7 lacklustre pieces of inspiration on “Is it all just a lottery”
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November 14th, 2006 at 2:27 pmWell, the best advice is that it is up to you. If you do win though, can I have a small slice (10 %) for giving this advice ?
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November 14th, 2006 at 2:28 pmits all fun till someone loses an eye!
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November 14th, 2006 at 2:28 pmOr an long billed murrelet
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November 14th, 2006 at 6:39 pmits all fun till someone loses an…oh bollix too late!
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November 14th, 2006 at 6:40 pman long billed murrelet? a shurely! oml ya bas!
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November 15th, 2006 at 8:49 amYou’ve been to Dawlish all the way from Cork - is that really common sense ?
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November 15th, 2006 at 6:12 pmdear mr gillette, or may I call you razor,
hunfortunately i haven’t been to dawlish yet but might if de murrelet shows again. And as far as common sense goes, I believe it was Consultant C who stated that if it brings me peace, love and happiness then its common sense. However, i don’t think he was talking about travelling the guts of 400 miles and dipping!!
Provide common sense...
What to do if a new island appears
Some more sailors ask
we were recently at sea and noticed that the sea was coated in rock. We then noticed a new island was volcanically forming and so got a lot closer - did we do the right thing?
2 lacklustre pieces of inspiration on “What to do if a new island appears”
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November 10th, 2006 at 1:56 pmits all fun till someone loses an eye!
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November 10th, 2006 at 2:33 pmCommons sense might just suggest that instead of trying to sail through the island, sail round it instead.
Also, plant your own flag on it and claim it as an independent country of your own, although it may be an idea to let it cool down a bit before trying to build a house on it.
November 24th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
No, unless you have nothing better planned.
November 24th, 2006 at 7:13 pm
Well, that depends on whether
a/ you want to do your PhD
b/ you need the PhD to get a job you want
c/ you are almost finished, but are just getting fed up with the write-up of the PhD.
I suspect I know which one applies to you.
Remember, all of the consultants have a higher degree, but only one has a PhD.
November 28th, 2006 at 4:34 pm
Hmm, good question. I suggest you take 3 years or so of dedicated research to answer that question, and produce a dissertation of about 20 000 words with the answer
November 28th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
can I re-refer you to my first point and save you the best part of 3 yrs and 20,000 words
November 28th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
hmmm, more like 40,000