Bad beat/Moaning/Venting thread - Mammy told me not to come.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[Keane]

Now I've absolutely no idea here. But similarly to how chip manufacturers are known to game well-known CPU benchmarks (Keane's crowd being the famous bad boys at this), I wonder if there could be some gaming of the default benchmark of ImageNet speed in these types of tests? No idea how it could be done, but surely there's huge rewards for doing so. Just idly speculating and probably wrongly.

Fake news.

[Strewelpeter]

Putin allowing his little puppy fire off a few rounds at Assad was level 5 stuff

[Strewelpeter]

[Lazare]

They'd want to be fucking great asparagus for €11.

[Lazare]

You'd want to be smelling them off your piss for weeks.

[Tar.Aldarion]

Hitch joins the tinfoil "google are up to no good" team finally.

[Theresa]

Now I've absolutely no idea here. But similarly to how chip manufacturers are known to game well-known CPU benchmarks (Keane's crowd being the famous bad boys at this), I wonder if there could be some gaming of the default benchmark of ImageNet speed in these types of tests? No idea how it could be done, but surely there's huge rewards for doing so. Just idly speculating and probably wrongly.

Its possible. But in my experience the researchers and devs doing this stuff are pretty idealistic so theres no real cultural incentive to game it, lots of these things are open source or ridiculously cheap so theres no capitalist incentive either. Think AllenAi.

Usually what happens in these things is that the dataset is provided to level the playing field and then the solutions and metrics once claimed, are run against a larger/different data set. MSMarco is a good example. http://www.msmarco.org/leaders.aspx

[Theresa]

Going here for dinner on Fri. Pretty excited. Highly recommended from a few people.

http://www.thetrough.ca/

[Guest]

Hitch joins the tinfoil "google are... up to no good" team finally.

The word you're looking for is cunts!

[Mellor]

Im guessing one or more of them already won it. Shows what I know. Did Clinton get one?

Obama won it after being elected.

Had a google and seen that Jimmy Carter, Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt also received it.

[CHDad]

Very few things more satisfying than a massive shit you weren't planning.

Feel 2 stone lighter.

[Raoul Duke III]

Going here for dinner on Fri. Pretty excited. Highly recommended from a few people.

http://www.thetrough.ca/

Doesn't look particularly ground-breaking? The menu anyway.

[Denny Crane]

Yep. It's entirely possible he will accidentally do something right over his term. Just take issue with buying into it as a sign of skill on his part. He claims every random good thing as due to his divine intervention. Like literally the lack of worldwide plane crashes he claimed as his doing just this year.

Of course he does. It's part of his PR. He exaggerates too. He's literally being doing it successfully for decades. That doesn't mean he has nothing to do with Korea though.

Obama assassinated Bin Laden, struck an international peace deal with Iran, and opened up Cuba.

He also let ISIS grow unchecked (likely worsened the problem if anything)
Let China maintain an unlevel playing field and steal US IP unchecked
Let NK continue their nuclear program unchecked

If Trump solves those three before the end of his term that's far more impressive imo.

[Guest]

Oh and government services are excellent online here. Miles ahead of anything I've seen elsewhere.

Really? The user website for Soleil, the synchrotron in Paris is easily the worst website I've ever used. Completely unintuitive...throw the computer out the window stuff.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[Denny Crane]

I'd personally prefer to define success with Obama's approach to things, but we can each choose what is admirable and what is not.

Assassinating people?

[DeadParrot]

Assassinating people?

[Iago]

I like to see how opinions change over time. You just wait 'til I ask the same pension questions next year I changed pension based on advice this year but not last year. If work didn't pay for health insurance I don''t know what I would have, probably none until I'm 35.

I am not sure I get the value of such a plan for me or other "younger" people, when somebody is older I understand it well, especially as the main benefit I see is that for non-immediate care such as hip/knee surgeries you are sorted way faster, plus we start falling apart as we age. For cases such as me breaking my arm and the ensuing surgeries, there was no change in care, speed and so on with or without health insurance, I was flat out told it didn't matter.

I can understand if somebody couldn't afford to pay a consultant that they would need cover to see somebody so that you get a quick diagnosis, that's not the case for those here in general and most plans don't cover that anyway. If you can afford the cover that includes that then you can already afford to get that care. If I didn't have the current plan I have it would be €1200 per year extra net to use for things like that anyway (and even when they pay that much you get 50% off a consultant). Am I missing something or how else would people get early diagnosis? Also any other aspects that may have more value that I am not thinking of. I guess some freak accidents that aren't emergency, for one. Hurting yourself at the gym and so on. Still feel I'm missing something here.

I've always had health insurance. For sure I'm getting more use out of it now than I did when I was younger but when I was in my late 20's I needed to have keyhole surgery on my knee.

I got an appointment with a specialist within a week and had the surgery 5 days later. The waiting list to see that specialist on the public system was almost 3 months. Not only was it quick but my health insurance covered the cost so I didn't have to fork out the €7,500 required for the appointments, surgery etc. That represented around 4-5 years worth of premiums for that one procedure.

However, health insurance for me isn't really about covering the premiums (the above is just a clearcut example of why it works) It's more about the what ifs? So €1,200 net covers a few medical incidentals. What if you have an accident/problem that requires immediate surgery/long term care? Your €1,200 will disappear pretty quickly and then you're out of pocket for a significant sum.

I have cover now in case something huge happens. I still get the benefit of seeing specialists quickly and getting any surgery/work done that I need in a timely fashion but I also have the cover in case something big and unplanned hits me. Nobody knows whats around the corner and it's a small premium to pay to make sure that you're protected if it does.

The other really key thing about health insurance is the "pre-existing condition" piece. If you forego health insurance now and then have a condition/problem that forces you to re-evaluate you''ll find that most insurers won't cover anything to do with that at a future point.

For the sake of what amounts to a couple of drinks/lunch a week I'll never understand why people don't protect themselves against the unknown.

[Tar.Aldarion]

The question then becomes, what is the minimum amount of insurance needed to get what you deem valuable, in your case getting surgery quickly and subsequent care. I definitely agree the best thing is protecting against the unknown, the main reason I asked was wondering how much people paid for theirs if they chose to pay themselves. Comparing cover @€2000+ to the cheapest insurance @€450 seems like there is very little positives to the former. The more expensive one seems to have a load of things added it like cover for "alternative medicine", "nutritionist", "lymph drainage", "hearing test" and so forth. They also have some private hospital cover added of course. Both plans completely cover consultants etc. If people paid for themselves, how much would they pay, and how would that change with your increasing age?

[eamonhonda]

Yeah I pay something like 70e a month and I have the nice brag of never having used it. It's great peace of mind though, I barely look crossing the road most days.

[Tar.Aldarion]

Yeah I pay something like 70e a month and I have the nice brag of never having used it. It's great peace of mind though, I barely look crossing the road most days.

I've gotten 25e back on a pair of glasses (well, actually it's still pending so I don't know if I'll get it)! That's it so far, praise the lawd. If you don't have insurance and have a niggling problem I recommend getting hit by a car in the affected area to speed up treatment of both.

[ionapaul]

The expensive policies usually include benefits such as GP coverage (refunding a % of the amount you spend on GP visits), physiotherapy (I used this in the past to pay for my monthly sports massage), etc... As long as you know the extras, you'll get a decent % of the extra you spend back into your pocket, indirectly of course.

I'm guessing via BIK on my own policy and then my wife and baby's policies, I'm spending €200/month or so?

[ionapaul]

The expensive policies usually include benefits such as GP coverage (refunding a % of the amount you spend on GP visits), physiotherapy (I used this in the past to pay for my monthly sports massage), etc... As long as you know the extras, you'll get a decent % of the extra you spend back into your pocket, indirectly of course.

I'm guessing via BIK on my own policy and then my wife and baby's policies, I'm spending €200/month or so?

[jack90210]

What's the full story with the 35 thing?

Is it you need to have had private health any point prior to 35 even if it was broken?

From 35 on do you have to maintain it the whole time? Do you lose all benefits if you break?

[ionapaul]

I was on a break (in between employments) for about 6 months and this means my current policy is a few euro per year more than it would have been. The longer the break, the more 'loading' you pay. Big incentive to keep up the cheapest policy possible if you decide on a long break (like keeping car insurance on a 1L car if you go abroad for a few years ) - though I think if you are genuinely unemployed you can get this loading removed somehow.

[ionapaul]

I was on a break (in between employments) for about 6 months and this means my current policy is a few euro per year more than it would have been. The longer the break, the more 'loading' you pay. Big incentive to keep up the cheapest policy possible if you decide on a long break (like keeping car insurance on a 1L car if you go abroad for a few years ) - though I think if you are genuinely unemployed you can get this loading removed somehow.

[ArmaniJeans]

What's the full story with the 35 thing?

Is it you need to have had private health any point prior to 35 even if it was broken?

From 35 on do you have to maintain it the whole time? Do you lose all benefits if you break?

As you prob know they can't legally charge more for a 55yo than a 25yo for the same package.
So what happened was people tended to wait until ~40 and being on the cancer/heart disease spectrum before getting cover for the first time.

The new rule is a 2% penalty for each year over 35 that you didn't have cover. So someone aged 45 getting cover for the first time will have a 20% premium penalty (for ever). If they subsequently go without cover for a further year their penalty will be 22% etc.

[jack90210]

As you prob know they can't legally charge more for a 55yo than a 25yo for the same package.
So what happened was people tended to wait until ~40 and being on the cancer/heart disease spectrum before getting cover for the first time.

The new rule is a 2% penalty for each year over 35 that you didn't have cover. So someone aged 45 getting cover for the first time will have a 20% premium penalty (for ever). If they subsequently go without cover for a further year their penalty will be 22% etc.

So even if your not in ireland for a few years after 35 you would still have to pay to avoid the loading?

[ArmaniJeans]

So even if your not in ireland for a few years after 35 you would still have to pay to avoid the loading?

Good point, I don't know the ins and outs of how years outside Ireland would affect the loading.

[Tar.Aldarion]

The expensive policies usually include benefits such as GP coverage (refunding a % of the amount you spend on GP visits), physiotherapy (I used this in the past to pay for my monthly sports massage), etc... As long as you know the extras, you'll get a decent % of the extra you spend back into your pocket, indirectly of course.

I'm guessing via BIK on my own policy and then my wife and baby's policies, I'm spending €200/month or so?

The cheap plans are now getting into online doctors, so the cheapest plan from my insurer still includes unlimited free GP online visits which are way handier than going to my GP, can even do it in work. Things like physio would be useful if you wanted them, good way for you to recover some of your money. I think I'll go get my lymph nodes drained and get some lavender oil to prevent cancer (and to make it feel like I'm getting something from the policy )



btw if you have insurance before 35 it counts as credits for past 35 so you can stop for a while when you are older, if you needed to, without penalty.

[Tar.Aldarion]

The other point to note is that while you’re out of the country, age loadings may still apply on your return to Ireland if you cancel your domestic cover while you’re away. For example, if you leave the country when you are 34 and return at age 44, a 10-year age loading will apply which is equivalent to 20 per cent extra on the cost of your health insurance. Under the current rules, even if you have good international cover while you’re away, this doesn’t exempt you from the charge. However, you get full credit for time already insured with VHI and the other insurers in Ireland which will reduce or potentially eliminate any age loading.

Seems like all your time on insurance gives you time credit you can use to be off it if you emigrate for a while, which is a great reason for me to keep it.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[shrapnel]

The pre-existing conditions rule must be a bollix for recruiting new staff into Ireland as means they are on awful public care for first few years for whatever condition they are managing. You'd think there would be policy portability - at least across Europe.

Funnily enough, it worked fine for me when we moved to Ireland and the insurance took pre exisiting conditions on , however i got royally screwed when moving back to the UK this time.

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[Theresa]

Doesn't look particularly ground-breaking? The menu anyway.

You aren't wrong but remember this is Alberta. Strong, nothing fancy, dependable. Fit in or fuck off. Western Culture. Texas North.

Or, a cultural cul de sac. You decide.

It does seem pretty basic stuff but Im assured its delicious. I am probably the furthest thing from a foodie there is tbh.

[shrapnel]

You use private insurance in UK? Didn't even know that was a thing there.

absolutely! i'll be switching to my employers one as soon as my current issue is resolved as my new work insurance is a no questions asked policy

[Strewelpeter]

Am a big fan of how Peter Thiel thinks.

As Thiel’s wealth has grown, he’s gotten more strident. In a 2009 essay for the Cato Institute, he railed against taxes, *government, women, poor people, and society’s acquiescence to the inevitability of death. (Thiel doesn’t accept death as inexorable.) He wrote that he’d reached some radical conclusions: “Most importantly, I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.” The 1920s was the last time one could feel “genuinely optimistic” about American democracy, he said; since then, “the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women—two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians—have rendered the notion of ‘capitalist democracy’ into an oxymoron.”

[Hitchhiker's Guide To...]

...

[jack90210]

The pre-existing conditions rule must be a bollix for recruiting new staff into Ireland as means they are on awful public care for first few years for whatever condition they are managing. You'd think there would be policy portability - at least across Europe.

You would imagine there should be recognition of foreign policies from EU Member States and likes of USA, Australia etc alright but why would they unless they are made I guess. Its like a mini domicile levy in a way!

PRSI or equivalent contributions can be recognised from some other countries in Ireland for state pension purposes.

[hotspur]

Was in a cafe in Howth today:
"Tea with soya milk please."
"We've no soya."
"Do you have any non-dairy?"
"Low fat."

[Raoul Duke III]

"Even when it was the poor, I knew it was the women".

[Dice75]

Hope Solks wasnt on the M50 this evening. Late decision to leg it over to the game in the Regency at 6pm cist me 2 hours of my life.

[Raoul Duke III]

Hope Solks wasnt on the M50 this evening. Late decision to leg it over to the game in the Regency at 6pm cist me 2 hours of my life.

I had a lively cycle home along the coastal cyclepath.

Probably my favourite piece of infrastructure.

[Denny Crane]

Am a big fan of how Peter Thiel thinks.

[DeadParrot]

I ate in Glovers Alley tonight, it was good. Full TR in due course.

Am in lanzarote.
Menu has pictures on it but fuck me if all inclusive wine isn't amazing

[DeadParrot]

Rudyard joins trump legal team.
This is 100% no problems whatsoever go well

[Hooch]

Am in lanzarote.
Menu has pictures on it but fuck me if all inclusive wine isn't amazing

Sounds like you should go hit up the casino and spin up on the cash table.

[DeadParrot]

Sounds like you should go hit up the casino and spin up on the cash table.

Waiting for the weekend fish Obv.

Last time I was there I got 1700 on the table on a 3 way all in with my aces vs j10os and pocket 4s.
It went as well as you'd expect. I didnt even get my free drink in.

[Solksjaer!]

Interesting article . Ref stem cell research ,

http://www.hinnovic.org/women-fetuses-and-stem-cell-science-a-pro-choice-dilemma/

[Guest]

I ate in Glovers Alley tonight, it was good. Full TR in due course.

Had lunch there just after it opened and it wasn't great. Might give it another go.

[jack90210]

Irish Times poll today, repeal at 47% down 9 points since end of March.

[eamonhonda]

Irish Times poll today, repeal at 47% down 9 points since end of March.

Only 28% said they are voting no, which you missed.

[jack90210]

Only 28% said they are voting no, which you missed.

Yeah but encouraging signs none the less for pro-life, a larger undecided cohort means more votes to play for.

[Denny Crane]

Support for the retention of the constitutional ban is strongest with older voters (49 per cent among the over 65s), voters in Leinster outside Dublin (32 per cent), farmers (36 per cent) and the lowest income voters (34 per cent).

.

[Denny Crane]

Support for the retention of the constitutional ban is strongest with older voters (49 per cent among the over 65s), voters in Leinster outside Dublin (32 per cent), farmers (36 per cent) and the lowest income voters (34 per cent).

.

[jack90210]

.

Wouldn't have thought voters in Leinster were the conservative heartlands, chance the poll is under estimating Donegal, Roscommon etc.

How do they conduct these polls anyway?

[Keane]

I think Roscommon could be the value if they start doing constituency being for repeal due to the scalded cat effect from the last referendum.