Teacup Café XLII

[tolkienfan]

Noble Elf Lord, that comic you posted is great! I wonder about these things sometimes, and it's nice to know that this has been an issue for centuries (and therefore, since I'm happy with how my grandparents turned out, I probably don't have to worry too much about my future grandkids). It's so funny that they were lamenting the cut of news articles from 30 pages to 15!

[Noble Elf Lord]

Glad to hear it was enjoyed by someone Did you also read the text that appears when you move your mouse over the comic? There's a similar one in every comic he makes.

[Varnafindë]

There are school reforms in Norway that aren't working too well, either. There's something called 'National tests' that are rather controversial. These tests are the same for the whole country, and the totals for each shool are published (somewhere), so all schools can know whether they are better than other schools or not.

There are rumours that the main focus on teaching turns to be what will be tested in the tests. There are even rumours that some teachers tell the weakest pupils, "We don't mind if you happen to have a day's sick leave just on the day when the test will be run."

Originally Posted by Mari

The field certainly doesn't have a lot of impact in the grand scheme of things. Take our last school innovation from 2002 for example. Back then, educators said it would not work, but politicians forced it anyway. So they did what politics told them to do and indeed it did not work. The concept has been changed significantly from its original form over the years and gradually it's going back to what it was before the change (though not completely of course). The woman who thought of this great plan is still lauded for it. If people remark on how it had to change to work, the rebuke is that the plan DOES work, but was implemented too fast and the schools were not precise enough in following the plan.

That's how these things work.

Sounds familiar. I fear that's how they work here as well.

[Mari]

Here they've started publishing the test results per school as well. The test itself wasn't that bad, but this will get parents to choose a school based on test results, if they can, and really: what ARE you measuring with these tests? Simply if kids can perform a trick. You don't test their ingenuity or the ability to use what they've learned outside in the real world.
It's crazy to think that if you have taught a dog to jump through hoops he can somehow also find food when you leave it alone after.

[Acalewia]

Good morning, fellow Mooters. How is everyone?

[BeardofPants]

I am well. Looking forward to tying off a stressful crazy last few weeks at work. A relaxing holiday in Austin, before getting back to the grindstone, lol.

[Ingwe]

Yay, I got sunburn for the second time in a month! Horray! One does not simply walk into Mordor? One like me does not simply walk into the sun, without an EVA suit.

Originally Posted by Eärniel

Hey Ingwe, how are the twins these days?

They're great, and there's one more than that now. Great times...aside from the lack of rest.

Originally Posted by Noble Elf Lord

Oh and Ingwe, nice story... I'm so into Skyrim now. Hunting with my Bosmer werewolf is so... different and interesting from my usual Skyrim-is-my-treasure-sack- system. I always give strict RPG-rules for my chars

It's been a month or so since I played Skyrim. Got kinda nostalgic as of late, and started playing some TES4: Oblivion again, along with the Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, the other addons (DLCs), and some mods like Midas Magic, Servant of the Dawn, Mannimarco Resurrection, and The Lost Spires. I haven't gone through a full playthrough of that for, well, must have been about three years.

I'd like to see some sort of conclusion to the Aldmeri Dominion arc in some upcoming story, but I'd imagine Bethesda will probably come up with some other idea involving another province, and they'll just mention how the conclusion of the conflict with the Thalmor worked out through some book we can pick up in-game in TES6.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Ingwe

Yay, I got sunburn for the second time in a month! Horray! One does not simply walk into Mordor? One like me does not simply walk into the sun, without an EVA suit.

Only the second time? Lucky you! I like the sun, yet it -alas- does not love my skin. It's therefore always a bit of a hassle to explain to familymembers I'm perfectly happy to stay in the shade most of the time, especially on the beach, and that it's not (just) for being contrary but for self-protection.

They're great, and there's one more than that now. Great times...aside from the lack of rest.

Ooh, congratulations! The lack of rest will eventually resolve itself, I'm told, it will only take a year or 18, though.

[Mari]

No, because by then they will go out at night and you'll lie awake waiting till they come home.

I've started playing Skyrim 3 weeks ago. It's much more difficult than Oblivion, mostly because it's so hard to get money without investing in perks in the enchanting or merchant tree.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Mari

No, because by then they will go out at night and you'll lie awake waiting till they come home.

We-ell... maybe it depends on your definition. I'd maintain that lack of rest will take a year or 18, but lack of peace of mind is probably forever.

[Mari]

I guess it depends on your personality. My parents would fall asleep, but my aunt lies awake till everyone is back in the house. And my cousins tended to go out late! o_O

[Varnafindë]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

We-ell... maybe it depends on your definition. I'd maintain that lack of rest will take a year or 18, but lack of peace of mind is probably forever.

I stayed with my dad and my stepmother for a week in the beginning of July. I planned to go back by bus - and when I told them that I would then arrive in Central Oslo at 11.20 p.m., my stepmother nearly worried herself sick.

It helped when I realised that I needn't go all the way to Central Oslo and then back again to the suburbs where I live. Instead I could get off at the last stop outside the city itself, and book a taxi to be waiting for me there and taking me home right to my doorstep. Then I wouldn't be in the dangerous city by night.

She's 82 ...

[Earniel]

*raids soda cabinet* Meh, blood drives and hot weather are not a winning combination.

Originally Posted by Varnafindë

Then I wouldn't be in the dangerous city by night.

Does Oslo as a whole have a high crime rate to be considered dangerous? Or perhaps just the area around the station? I keep hearing often that Scandinavia is so much better than here, because they have higher social security and barely any crime. (Despite the many succesful Scandinavian crime writers, which always makes me wonder. )

[Noble Elf Lord]

Originally Posted by Ingwe

It's been a month or so since I played Skyrim. Got kinda nostalgic as of late, and started playing some TES4: Oblivion again, along with the Shivering Isles, Knights of the Nine, the other addons (DLCs), and some mods like Midas Magic, Servant of the Dawn, Mannimarco Resurrection, and The Lost Spires. I haven't gone through a full playthrough of that for, well, must have been about three years.

I'd like to see some sort of conclusion to the Aldmeri Dominion arc in some upcoming story, but I'd imagine Bethesda will probably come up with some other idea involving another province, and they'll just mention how the conclusion of the conflict with the Thalmor worked out through some book we can pick up in-game in TES6.

Aah, the nostalgy! I will return to Cyrodiil, but I should reinstall Oblivion to make some mods work - right now my 1st-person camera makes characters unduly tall...

If they do that, I'll hate them forever. I WANT to behead the Head Thalmors, the bastards who started all this...

Originally Posted by Mari

I've started playing Skyrim 3 weeks ago. It's much more difficult than Oblivion, mostly because it's so hard to get money without investing in perks in the enchanting or merchant tree.

Mari, a little tip: Alchemy gets you serious money. Brew Invisibility and Damage Magicka Regen- potions, and cha-ching! (Also kill people and take their stuff ) Btw, is it on PC or PS3 or XBox?

And y'all, take a look of what I've written
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Galadr...etch-391173954

[Mari]

PC. Alchemy only gets you serious money when you've invested in the speech tree. Otherwise the merchants either don't have enough money to buy more than two potions or the ingredients are so darned expensive if you're too lazy to look that brewing the potion isn't justified.

[Noble Elf Lord]

Well, mod the game then! Besides - how much money are you gonna gather? If you're too lazy, well, it's your problem... it's not that difficult. You gather lots of stuff just by exploring. Blue butterfly wings + blue mountain flowers make a dam. Mag. regen Poison, and both are plenty about.

I'd suggest a remedy for your laziness: get the mods More Perks Per Level, and Harvest Overhaul. The former allows you to configure the amount of perks you get per level (I myelf get 1 perk every other level, and 2 every other.) Harvest O. increases the amount of ingredients you harvest, on a realistic scale: from a large bush of Mountain Flowers, you may get as many as c. 6 to 9 flowers; from a small, 1 to 4.

Do you use any ENB:s? Other mods? Beware, you awoke the nerd in me

[Mari]

No, I just use the basic mods: heartfire, dragonsomething or other and another. I do want to beat the game myself you know And I do gather a lot of herbs, but the fact is that potions just didn't make me much money until I figured out I could invest perks in speech to get better deals and after that they did make me money, but now I can't sell more than 1 or 2 potions to the merchants because they don't have enough money to buy more >_<
At least in Oblivion I made a whole lot of money because I figured out the marketing system and got good at haggling, here that is not present and that is basically what bothers me.
And the dragons. They bother me a lot too :P Thankfully I have good followers and my flame atronach is a good match for dragons too, so basically all I have to do is stay out of sight and wait for them to finish it :P
I would do it myself, but I just can't seem to move and look around quick enough to hack someone down. I saw on forums that more people have trouble with slow mouse movement. Ah well, at least I got it to play.

[Noble Elf Lord]

(Hearthfire, DragonBorn and Dawnguard.)

It is still beating the game yourself! Honestly - one flower from a large bush? Is it not a flaw by Bethesda if you can only sell a couple of potions? I consider mods to be fixes to such flaws, or content add-ons.
In retrospect, I think the haggling system is kinda ridiculous... this is better.
Um... what's your difficulty level? Or are you perhaps a Master of Conjuration if your Flame Atronach is a match for a bloody dragon? Hmm, I think I've heard of that bug... have you tried to change the speed from options? Sorry, likely a stupid question, but still...

And those ENB:s are pretty damn awesome. If your PC can handle it, I'd suggest you take a look. Go to Skyrim Nexus, and search for "ENB".

[Mari]

I'm not a master of conjuration at all (very much a novice even), but dragons aren't that difficult. I play at normal difficulty level.

Yes, I tried all the suggested things. It works now and most crashes happen after a certain flash, so I can save before crashing. Very useful But really, I'm not a big fan of 1 on 1 combat. I prefer to blast them from a distance.

Why is the haggling system ridiculous? I think it's more fair than this system were a potion is worth the same amount everywhere. There is no real demand-supply chain while this was present in Oblivion. It really doesn't matter if I sell a potion in market A or market B in Skyrim.

[Noble Elf Lord]

OK And your mage's level? I always play on Expert, from the beginning till the end.

Hmm... I'm sorry for that. Then again, Elder Scrolls have always had a bit of a tendency to crash... Ye skittish mage, ye! XD My first character in these games is always a jack of all trades - sword, magic and bow. I later create the assassin, mage and *random* types. My current char, Redguard Weapons Master, is quite formidable now, with 77 levels...

But in the haggling, the only thing that defines the price is the skill of the merchant. There are no sales or demands. It's a shame. Fable II, and partially III, did this well. But I get your point.