Petty Things That Get On Your Nerves...

[scottsdad]

8 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

Do they both flag as being similar to the same source(s)? Is the main similarity in the first submission from another paper(s) submitted or from a web source(s)?

Also, have you downloaded the files and checked them? Has the student done something cheeky like copying some text as a picture? 

This is the main issue for me. The main source dropped dramatically from one submission to the next, but the others stayed the same. So the student must have been able to select the text they wanted removed from the report and do something about. 

The old text as a picture ploy is easy to spot, and this wasn't that. None of the usual stuff (extra spaces, white text, white punctuation, etc). And it was literally 2 minutes between submissions so it must be some sort of file manipulation. 

[scottsdad]

38 minutes ago, mathematics said:

What are you doing with the PDF macros and how?

I’ve a case this week where even the acknowledgements have been plagiarised.

This is where the Prof is doing his stuff. He is saving word files as PDFs and testing different Macros to see the impact. Online there is guidance for students on how to use macros to beat Turnitin. He is trying to reproduce what the student did. 

If we work it out I will let you know. 

I have a case last week where a student submitted work where everything was plagiarised, including the original student name on the submission. 

[Bully Wee Villa]

2 hours ago, Todd_is_God said:

The intertoto cup also I doubt anyone would class as "major" had anyone previously won only that.

I agree with the OP though that "major" seems rather superfluous.

A quick check reveals that they've won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, before. Beating a certain shitey blue team in the final. So perhaps the article was fair enough.

Edited May 26, 2022 by Bully Wee Villa

[GordonD]

10 hours ago, Bully Wee Villa said:

I don't think anyone would class the Super Cup as a major trophy so it would be technically possible.

Aberdeen might disagree.

[TheScarf]

15 hours ago, The_Kincardine said:

My war on the unnecessary 'pre' continues.  Not only have we 'pre heat your oven' but the latest was 'pre ground coffee beans'.

'heat your oven' and 'ground coffee beans' are what we say in English.

I will monitor the entire internet to catch someone saying, "The greatest thing since pre sliced bread".

 

Pre-drinks is another one.  Pre means before, so before you start drinking.  Daft cunts.

[Jacksgranda]

12 minutes ago, GordonD said:

Aberdeen might disagree.

FTFY

[Bully Wee Villa]

To be fair, I'm happy to go with Aberdeen fans on that one, as it doubles the number of major European honours Villa have won. Am I allowed to count the InterToto Cup, too?

[DA Baracus]

2 hours ago, scottsdad said:

This is the main issue for me. The main source dropped dramatically from one submission to the next, but the others stayed the same. So the student must have been able to select the text they wanted removed from the report and do something about. 

The old text as a picture ploy is easy to spot, and this wasn't that. None of the usual stuff (extra spaces, white text, white punctuation, etc). And it was literally 2 minutes between submissions so it must be some sort of file manipulation. 

Is the main source still there? What I mean is, say it was a webpage or publication for example; can you still access the source?

There is a way in Turnitin to ignore sources, but students aren't able to do this (unless they somehow got an admin login!).

[scottsdad]

1 minute ago, DA Baracus said:

Is the main source still there? What I mean is, say it was a webpage or publication for example; can you still access the source?

There is a way in Turnitin to ignore sources, but students aren't able to do this (unless they somehow got an admin login!).

Yes - the source was a paper submitted by another student. I can still access it. 

This is the strangest case I have seen. 

[pozbaird]

Credit card security measures. I get it, I get the need for security… but… tried to re-new my St Mirren ST online yesterday. Fcuking Tesco Bank. Will leave it at that. Security? Where’s the security if I dropped my credit card and some kunt can just go contactless crazy with it? No pin number required, no security whatsoever. Grrrr.

[MEADOWXI]

Blue C&O next to Blue S&V in the rack of crisps at the pub. It so petty but it just makes me want to shout and demand they sort themselves out. (and to start another debate it should only be Blue S&V and Green C&O and that Walkers do it the other way round means I hate Walkers and Gary Linekar).

 

Edited May 26, 2022 by MEADOWXI

[Derry Alli]

3 hours ago, pozbaird said:

Credit card security measures. I get it, I get the need for security… but… tried to re-new my St Mirren ST online yesterday. Fcuking Tesco Bank. Will leave it at that. Security? Where’s the security if I dropped my credit card and some kunt can just go contactless crazy with it? No pin number required, no security whatsoever. Grrrr.

It depends on "contactless crazy". If it's hit too many times too quickly it automatically locks/sends notifications via email or text. 

If they're 'clever' and spread it over a period of time I reckon that's on yourself for not noticing both your card missing and money going walkies. 

[pozbaird]

11 minutes ago, Mr. Alli said:

It depends on "contactless crazy". If it's hit too many times too quickly it automatically locks/sends notifications via email or text. 

If they're 'clever' and spread it over a period of time I reckon that's on yourself for not noticing both your card missing and money going walkies. 

I'd notice pretty quickly, but my point remains - Tesco Bank were giving me security questions for a £335 season ticket purchase, and their pop up questions didn't work even though I entered the correct info. I ended up having to telephone St Mirren to get them to manually do it over the phone. However, if I drop my card, and don't notice for a few hours even, with the newly increased contactless limits, with NO checks whatsoever, someone who finds it could easily use it.

If they introduce security measures, then it is nonsensical to have zero security measures for something so simple as accidentally dropping your card. It's equally as stupid as sayng you didn't need a facemask in a church, but you did in a shop. Utterly arsehole rules.

[DA Baracus]

34 minutes ago, pozbaird said:

I'd notice pretty quickly, but my point remains - Tesco Bank were giving me security questions for a £335 season ticket purchase, and their pop up questions didn't work even though I entered the correct info. I ended up having to telephone St Mirren to get them to manually do it over the phone. However, if I drop my card, and don't notice for a few hours even, with the newly increased contactless limits, with NO checks whatsoever, someone who finds it could easily use it.

If they introduce security measures, then it is nonsensical to have zero security measures for something so simple as accidentally dropping your card. It's equally as stupid as sayng you didn't need a facemask in a church, but you did in a shop. Utterly arsehole rules.

Do you not get alerts when cash is spent on your card? Every single transaction I make with my debit card triggers an alert through the app.

[Derry Alli]

1 hour ago, DA Baracus said:

 Every single transaction I make with my debit card triggers an alert through the app.

Fuck that btw.

[GordonD]

3 hours ago, MEADOWXI said:

it should only be Blue S&V and Green C&O and that Walkers do it the other way round means I hate Walkers and Gary Linekar).

That's extremely petty. Most of us have far better reasons for hating Gary Lineker.

[DA Baracus]

7 minutes ago, Mr. Alli said:

Fuck that btw.

Keeps me right. You can select a limit (so for example every transaction over £100) or just select to not have any alerts.

[pozbaird]

1 hour ago, DA Baracus said:

Do you not get alerts when cash is spent on your card? Every single transaction I make with my debit card triggers an alert through the app.

Nope, don’t have that. Don’t want that! I have never lost my cards yet, had one cloned though. Has only happened once, and the transactions made using my details were at a wedding organiser business, and Sheila’s Wheels, the wummin’s car insurance place. Funny old world right enough.

[coprolite]

5 hours ago, Bully Wee Villa said:

To be fair, I'm happy to go with Aberdeen fans on that one, as it doubles the number of major European honours Villa have won. Am I allowed to count the InterToto Cup, too?

Nope, Energy Cities trophy counts as a major but not a star-worthy one. 

[Miguel Sanchez]

1 hour ago, DA Baracus said:

Do you not get alerts when cash is spent on your card? Every single transaction I make with my debit card triggers an alert through the app.

And if you don't have the app, or a smartphone, or a smartphone on your person 24/7?