Hello all ship modelers.

Sorry for the delay in addressing this topic, but I couldn't get around to it sooner.

This morning I answered the question of the day and then read the comments.
Something didn't add up.
The comments had nothing to do with the question I answered.
They were referring to something else.

It was clear that a question had been asked (which I didn't have time to read), but evidently the AI's response had generated some protests.
It seemed equally clear to me that Stephen (Fireboat) deleted the question and inserted another (the one I found this morning).
It didn't take a genius or great intuition to figure it out. Subsequent messages confirmed it.

So far, so good.
In fact, a few months ago, Fireboat (after listening to the opinions of some members) decided that the incorrect questions would be deleted and replaced.
I agree because he was clear and made it clear how he would behave from that day on.
However, there are some inconsistencies that I'm a bit disappointed by.

The problem I'd like to bring to your and Fireboat's attention is that the rule isn't always followed.
I have the impression that the question is being canceled depending on who protests.

A while ago, RonH said that some members were being considered and others weren't regarding the QoD (I didn't quote verbatim, but that was the gist).
I have to say he was right.
A few weeks ago, I pointed out that the RT response about nautical charts was clearly incorrect.
Do you remember?
If you don't, read message 4469 from about twenty days ago and the ones immediately following.
You've all noticed it; yet the question wasn't canceled.
In that case, RonH was penalized (his last red line coincides exactly with that question).
I had no interest in having the question disqualified; in fact, I guessed the answer correctly.
However, I guessed correctly because I was clever, ignoring my own knowledge (as I wrote immediately afterward), but it didn't seem right.
Everyone else (those with the highest scores above 90%) guessed the answer using a bit of cleverness, or the internet, or AI directly.
Fine, no problem, I'm not criticizing the method used to arrive at the answer, but that question had to be disqualified.

A rule is no longer a rule if it becomes subjective.
Take this criticism with due caution, but lightly; it's only intended to improve.


P.S. This comment of mine has nothing to do with the little dispute between Doug and SimpleSailor.

Hi Nick it is the pleasure of competing not the winning! (have I actually said that?).

I used to run the regatta competitions on our lake and also was Secretary and over saw the awarding of trophies and cups and got them engraved etc. And then almost with in a year or so no body wanted to compete any more either in regattas or for trophies. It has been like that for 10+ years now. The trophies are now returned and crated.

We do have an on-going Chairman's Shield this goes to a club member who has made a significant contribution over the year to the society, or perhaps a continuous and supportive role over many years.

For my part competing improved my model making in all aspects, so it has uses. In others, they are already skilled and like to have a meeting point to exchange views.

This thread has the most posts and looking down the full list of contributors is popular, but the reality is you are not in competition with the others, it is just yourself.

Roy

Thanks Stephen👍

😎

I know that feeling Nick🤔
My commiserations!
Doug😎

We'll just have to agree to differ SimpleSailor.
Go back and read my objection, and subsequent comments, carefully!
BTW: I 2 have a British sense of humour being a Man of Kent😉
Doug😎

Dear RNinMunich.
My comment was a light hearted one, hence me saying "Only if you are a politician can you get away with such things". British sense of humour.😁.
I still think it is wrong to change the question. Not just because I got it right, but because I couldn't see anything wrong with it.

I got one wrong last week and have remained at 87% ever since, I guess 30 days of correct answers will put me back to joint second place...

Dear SimpleSailor,
You write "I should now be at %100."
Sorry but no!
You got the question of 31st July wrong, so you need to get the next 14 questions right to get back to 100%. I am in a similar situation needing 12 correct answers. We'll see🙄
Re "You can't change the question just because too many got it wrong".
You can, and should when the question is ambiguous or has multiple correct answers some of which are judged as incorrect.
The Foghorn question has been annulled due to such inconsistencies.
Congrats on getting the substitute question right👍That took you back to 97%.

Cheers, Doug😎

Now I have answered two questions correctly today. Fog Horn & Tackle. I should now be at %100. You can't change the question just because too many got it wrong.. Only if you are a politician can you get away with such things..

I got the foghorn question wrong, hence my post.
Then I see a new question for today and I get it correct
Don’t know what is going wrong or if AI likes me for extolling it’s virtues so it gives me a second chance
🤔😂

What the hell has just happened?
I answered todays question correctly about the Fog Horn and went to 97%. After looking through the Trending section I returned to the QOD and the question had changed and I had dropped down to 93%.

I agree in this case even the question was wrong as it did not tie up with the explanation!
Roy

It was inevitable, I have fallen off the ride.
I agree the question was not specific enough
🙈🙉🙊

My answer was correct. The question doesn’t mention towing.

I totally agree with you Doug, I definitely think that Ai has got it's knickers in a twist this time 😣😐.
I think that we have again, had this question before or one very similar, but this time I couldn't remember what I had put down or if I had got it right or not.🤔🤔.
I read it lots of times and couldn't find anything about towing 😣😣...but I thought that it was something to do with being restricted in some way.

16th August QOTD.👎
I PROTEST!!😠
There are several meanings for this signal, including sailing while not towing!
"(the question specifically asks about towing)"
NO IT DOES NOT.
"In dense fog, under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), which of the following vessels is specifically required to sound one prolonged blast followed by two short blasts on the foghorn at intervals not exceeding two minutes?"

Disgruntled Doug

I was a computer engineer in the mid 60s and so many promises were made on how they would take on mundane tasks. Well we do have a lot of automation which for cars has made them more reliable but emptying dustbins, and the like does not seem to have a computer option.

I recall a (Canadian) Christmas film which I thought excellent called "A Timeless Christmas" and a young man vanishes from the 1900's and appears in current times.
The female lead instructs him on mobile phones saying all the information in the world is instantly available but we mainly take "Selfies" and text each other. The major occupation seems to be presenting a perfect image to everyone else, who are no doubt trying much the same!

Roy

Hi probably as you may know I am not keen on A.I. It is looking dangerous, just been reading a news article and I quote from it. But what do you think?
Roy

"Emmett Shear, who briefly served as interim CEO of ChatGPT owner OpenAI, said he’s not surprised that some AI systems have tried to blackmail humans or bypass shutdown orders".

Yes it would seem AI has limited ability

We have had a similar question about the bulbous bow improving fuel efficiency a while ago so I remembered the last answer 👍 😀😊.

Our son has a 40 foot yacht and he has to cross a river estuary before getting out to sea. When there is a storm he leaves it a week before venturing out. The trees that are swept into the river (Hawkesbury) often end up going past his house which is several miles away and up a navigable seaway through the sand dunes.
The logs are almost invisible, but on the other hand it is fun watching out for dolphins and the occasional seal.

Roy

It was a close one today.
It was a toss up between C & D answers.
I thought that the possible metallic's in the drift wood could interfere with the ships compasses. But then that didn't seem right with all the other metallic's on the ship.
So answer c, was which was the one I went for.
A & B didn't seem right.
Luck is still on my side at the present time. 🤞🤞

Boatshed - like anyone who wins or is at the top - there is only one way to go - might it might take a long time if you are lucky or clever!!😁

luckyduck,
I didn't know, I just plumbed for the answer that had Antarctica in the answer.
It was just a lucky guess. I cannot believe I and on such a long stretch of correct answers.
I have got to fall soon.

Never heard of it, go back one square!
Roy

No idea about today, but as usual the answer is in the question. Antarctica being the clue!!

I thought it was called a Letter of Marque and Reprisal.
Chose B as it seemed closest.🤔

This question is a repeat of a few weeks ago .🙄 An exact repeat..
Wonder if Ai is running out of ideas ☺😂.

a letter of marque came from the king to the scummist vessel i'd ever seen!

Barretts' Privateers

Stan Rogers

Answer C was the only one that mentioned both the Ketch and the Yawl so I went for that one.
Really a complete guess as I had no knowledge of either types of boats / yachts 😊🤔🤔 🇬🇧...

OK - I will look into that and I will start again next week for a weeks trial to see I can drum up anymore interest and will try not to concentrate on the Royal Navy - in the mean time here is a recap of one I posted a while ago but nobody answered

Hi Pat. When I found them I always found your questions interesting. For some reason I never got a notification when you posted them.. Some days I have a trail of notifications and others nothing.

I stopped posting my Qod due to lack of interest

Yes it was one I posted

Seen this question somewhere quite recently😂

AI will make sure you fall !!!

SimpleSailor,
Yes I agree with you, that's why I remember the answer. and yet get another one right.
I cannot believe my run of luck so far.
even the one where I did own up and go to MR Google!! and he gave me the wrong answer??
I had to go for a stab in the dark. My luck was in that day.
I will fall soon I am sure. 🤞🤞🤞

I knew that one, as I think we have had a similar question before.

Good question for a retired Marine COMMS Specialist😁

😎

. . . or the answer involves a gypsy😁

Today's question comes from a warped mind 😀

I think it was the Americans who came up with Loran, I first saw that equipment in the RAF Britannias (4 engine turboprops transport) in the mid 1950s.

Before that during WW2 British aircraft with navigation radar used Gee. Because of the cold conditions in the bombers with the navigator wearing gloves, condensation over goggles, the adjustment knobs were coloured bright blue, yellow and red. The o/p gave a map refence (in numbers) to show where they were.

A different but similar set up called Gee-H was used to position the aircraft over a target. Same system using 3 ground based transmitters gave position and distance flown but on a pre-set track.

As an aside the G-H radar had about 15 boxes spread around the aircraft (valves in those days) with many multi wire aluminium shrouded connectors which were prone to cross threading when doing them up. It was such a problem that we were issued with 'strap wrenches' in our tool kits, so that we could undo them and start again.

The boxes were painted black, but there was an on board timer which was mechanical. The largest 'tuned fork' I ever saw! Over a foot long. It was positioned (in Canberra BI-8s) close to the pilot a foot level. Sometimes the tuned fork did not start oscillating at its 25 cycles per second for timing the radar on a bombing run and a boot was used to kick start it, no black paint left.

Roy

The Decca system in use in the 70's till the advent of widley available and accurate Sat Nav was an offshoot of Loran and widley used in marine navigation - particularly in European Coastal waters

You are correct, LORAN was first used for ship and aircraft navigation in the North Atlantic as well as helping position bombers over Europe

If I'm not mistaken, this exact system was used during WW2 to deliver a "payload " by ____multi engine aircraft..

I looked at it the same way C was my guess.The answer was in the question.
Rick

To me I think the answer was in the question.
That's why I went for answer (C).

Right, Steve, great job.
I understood you meant 100 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm (which equals 1,000,000 mm³).
Logically, 100 mm is 1 dm, and therefore (1 dm x 1dm x 1 dm) = 1 dm³.
1 dm³ = 1,000,000 mm³

A sort of Slide On Slide Off or So-So ferry?
Roy

Hi, Ross I nearly put down 4 inch cubed but that might have made it more confusing or 100mm cubed !!
It's a bit late in the night to get too much involved 😁.
I was meaning 100x100x100mm by the way...

I've just been in my workshop looking for some 4mm brass nuts to lock on my newly aquired right-hand propellers- one which I lost sailing last Saturday.
This time plenty of loctite and a tighter locknut 😊🤞..