Chat GPT

I had heard of some AI chatbot on the radio, but I had not paid an awful lot of attention to it. But then I went to see Roelof. And he mentioned it by its name: chat GTP. And he actually gave me a demonstration! And my mind was blown.

We just asked all sorts of things. Could it write a text from the perspective of a sea otter? Could it write a script that calculates prime numbers? Could it wide a poem about me and my neighbour with her collapsed wall? Could it write Cynghanedd, a notoriously difficult form of Welsh poetry, about whales? It could do all that. Some things better than others. I am easily impressed by coding. If it works it's good! I was less impressed by the poetry, but it clearly could write in all sort of languages.

Example of something I asked it do

The thing that shook me, and convinced me that this was going to play a big role in my life, was that I asked it to write a text about microplastics, with citations. It duly did that, but all the citations in the text were to websites. That is not the level we expect from our students! But you can give it feedback, so we asked it to make sure the references were to peer-reviewed literature. And it did that.

As I was with friends I did not take the time to check out the citations used. But one of the first citations used was to a paper by Andrady et al. And Andrady is one of the names you can't avoid when you are writing about microplastic in the ocean; he wrote seminal review papers. So I was convinced the programme had actually found useful literature. 

If I can ask this chatbox to write an essay about any topic, then my students can too. And it is not plagiarism, as the chatbox writes original text. But it is not the student's work either. So what are we going to do about this? I had just taken on the job as plagiarism officer, and now this. This is a total game changer. And this is not something I can deal with on my own. This needs to be at least university-wide. I suppose even worldwide, but we need to start somewhere. One of the first things I need to do when the University opens again in the New Year is find out who else is dealing with this sort of thing. We will have to stick our heads together!

The makers of the chat bot have realised this too. I already heard they are designing a digital fingerprint! I'm sure our similarity checking software will be able to pick up on that. But we will still have to think about how to deal with all of this. I'm sure we will be able to, but at the moment I must say I am a bit taken aback by the huge leap the world took when I wasn't paying attention. Time to get my arse in gear and make my middle-aged brain catch up with modern times!

Christmas with my mother

In the Netherlands, you get two days of Christmas! I had spent the first day of Christmas with my sister, and would spend the second day with my mother. I got in and I had to confess that I couldn't speak. That was a bit annoying! My mother used to have acute hearing (both my sisters inherited that) but age is taking its toll, and now sometimes she struggles to hear me even if my voice is totally normal. But we made the most of it!

It was a beautiful day, and I suggested we go for a little walk. And my mother agreed. We went to the supermarket for some wine; a worthy mission!

Some of the afternoon we just spent at the table by the window, each doing our own reading. Talking was difficult! And sometimes just being in each other's company is good enough. I made excellent progress in the Pumed Gainc. 

Later in the afternoon, her friend Mieke joined us, to drink that wine we had bought. It is always good to see her! It would've been better if I would've been able to speak, but you can't have it all. It was a lovely Christmas session.

When she left I had some soup, and not an awful lot later it was bedtime. I was hoping I would wake up being able to speak!

The next morning I did what is sort of become my routine; I do my morning exercises, have a shower, put the kettle on, and wake up my mum. And I could talk to her this time! Success! It was a relief. I'm sure we would have said a lot more if I could have done that the previous day as well, but you make do with what you have. I was grateful for these few hours.

Morning over Amersfoort 

After breakfast I briefly went into town; my mother had wanted to knit me a jumper, and I had only got her one colour of wool. Firstly she thought maybe the wool wasn't enough for the jumper, and secondly she thought it might be a bit more interesting with more than one colour, so she sent me back to the wool shop. But it was closed! At least the weather was absolutely gorgeous. And Amersfoort is a stunningly beautiful town.

I also made sandwiches for my trip back. I had to leave shortly after lunchtime! I had received an email saying the airport would be extra busy, and I needed extra time. And I didn't want to rush. So it was time to kiss my mother goodbye again and head back to the cat!

The trip back went unbelievably smooth! The train was on time, both passport control and security were a doddle, and the plane was on time. The roads were not clogged. The weather was a bit of a contrast with the Netherlands; it was bucketing down, which made driving a bit challenging. But I got home without incident. And I could finally cuddle the cat again! That was the most important bit.

It wasn't my best Christmas trip because of my imperfect health, but I still felt like I had had some quality time with important people! And that matters. And now I was back, and was already staring the new year into the face!

Christmas dinner 2022

As is not unusual, Christmas dinner would be at my sister’s this year. And I would travel there with my dad. My sister’s father-in-law, Henk, would be there too. I had packed a dress, but, due to luggage restrictions, no accoutrements. 

We got in and I confessed to not being able to talk. And we first sat down for tea. I figured that if I sat next to someone with good ears, I could use them as a megaphone. That sort of worked. And I helped my sister in the kitchen. That wasn't only altruism; my sister has very good ears, so just the two of us in the kitchen made for reasonably good communication. And she was making an impressive meal!

When most of the cooking was done, she changed into something smarter for the actual dinner. I took that as a cue to do the same. I asked my sister for a scarf, though, as I was a bit hesitant to not cover my neck. And when she was diving into her cupboard anyway, we also found a pair of boots that could complement my outfit. They were really smart and I felt very glamorous! It's handy to almost have the same shoe size as your sister. Later she also added a cardigan as the dress has very short sleeves.

Over pre-dinner wine, I thought it was amusing that my nephew asked Henk, who is a vicar, a bible question. I never expected religious discussions at a family Christmas dinner! But my sister’s husband is from a solid vicars family so I suppose it was bound to happen one day.

Then dinner was served. It was amazing! And most of it was cooked right here. My stepmother had added a quiche, but everything else has been produced by my sister and her sous-chefs.

After dinner my niece Nora gave a small harp concert. That was a worthy crowning of the evening!

The dinner table! Pic by my sister 

After the harp music, Henk left. I suppose he still had a bit of a distance to drive, and he is already 90! And the next ones to go were my father and stepmom. And then various children (adult or otherwise) vanished into various other recesses of the house.

I still had some time with my sister. It was good to have a bit of time to talk one-on-one! And her cat gave acte de présence. I was missing mine, and cuddling hers felt good.

Flirting with the cat. Pic by my sister

I went to bed quite early as well. Aernoud, my brother-in-law, had dived into a cupboard and retrieved all sorts of somewhat geriatric cold medication, such as throat sweets and some VapoRub. I took that with me! I always sleep in my niece’s room, and I thought it was worthwhile to minimise the risk of coughing her awake.

I woke up refreshed, but I still couldn't speak! That was a bummer. But we had a lovely breakfast and then it was time for me to go. Onwards to the last stage of my visit!

Visiting my dad

My dad is getting ready to move house! He and his wife have been living in their current house since forever. But it is huge, with three storeys, and a garden both in the front and the back, and this is starting to get a bit much. Soon my dad will be 85. And they realise that themselves as well of course, but they like the current house so much they didn't want to trade it in for anything inferior. And nothing they liked came up. Until it did! 

One village further to the southwest there used to be a psychiatric hospital. It is quite famous in the area! Many a disrespectful remark has been made about it. But the situation changed and the building became available for different purposes. And a decision was made to turn it into apartments. My dad and his wife were interested! Of course there is scope for jokes here. I'll leave that to the reader.

Living in an old psychiatric hospital turned out to be very popular! All apartments were sold so quickly my dad didn't get a look-in. But the hospital had a lot of grounds, and more apartments would be built on these. Brand-new ones! And my dad and his wife decided to buy one of those. This decision had been made quite a long time ago. I had been worried about it a bit. Since when do building projects get finished on time? How long will this take? But everything was on schedule. And when my dad phoned me for my birthday he could already tell me he had got the key. Exciting stuff!

I would go and visit my dad when I was in the Netherlands, and we would go and have a look at the new house. And so it happened! When I got there I was first served lunch. I thought that after that, we would go to the new house, but my dad said bad weather was expected and he suggested we go out for a very short walk, and otherwise just stay put. That was okay with me too. I seized the opportunity of getting completely thwacked in a game of Scrabble. 

I could only whisper, and my father’s hearing has never been particularly good, and my stepmum needs a hearing aid, so it wasn't overly easy to communicate. But I think we sort of managed!

I went to bed early in the hope that the next day I would be able to speak. And would be less dependent on my handkerchief. I did feel better the next day, but my voice was still gone!

The next morning after breakfast we went to the new house. It is doable on foot, but the weather wasn't inviting, and we were also expected reasonably early at my sisters place. So we went by car instead.

Their new house is still on a bit of a building site. It is clearly a case of final touches, but they are still unfinished bits, and fences keeping you away from them. We quickly went inside. It is only the essence of a house; walls, ceilings, doors and windows. The floors haven’t been put in yet, and the walls have not been painted. There is plumbing, though! And it has a heat pump, so there also already is heating.

The idea was that we would have coffee there. There already was a little fold about-out table and some fold-out chairs. It was nice to have a first coffee in what would one day be the living room! And after we had had two coffees, they showed me the rest of the house.

Coffee in the new house! 

They also had asked me to hang up some light fittings. That wouldn't be the definitive ones, but then at least there would be light! That comes in handy. Of course I was happy to comply.

We then also combined our forces to hang up a big  heavy plank high up in the storage unit. That really needed a fair number of hands! And we put some stuff in the storage unit that they had already brought in the car.

When that was done we walked a little bit around on the terrain. It looks lovely! I already knew what the old buildings look like, but now I could see how they had blended in the new-build. I think they did a great job in making them blend in. And I could imagine that once all these houses are inhabited, you get a nice little community! I could see why this house had finally managed to lure them out of their previous house.

The old buildings

We also went for a tiny walk in a nearby copse. It was beautiful! But the weather wasn't, so we didn't go far. And then we went back home. It was time to have lunch and then head for my sister together! Stage 2 of my visit done…

In the Netherlands: friends

Time is always limited with an I am in the Netherlands, so I always only see a limited number of friends. The usual suspects are Roelof and Monique. And this year I would see them early on. I arrived at Roelof and Micha’s place in the afternoon, after I had travelled in the previous night. And we had some good time to catch up! And later, two more friends would join, also from the cohort of ‘93: Erik and Viking. Erik joined us for dinner, and Viking showed up a bit later. It was great to see them! And we also took the opportunity for starting to plan a hike together.

The coming August, we will all have known each other for 30 years. We will also have to celebrate that!

Late night group selfie

What was a bit hard in this company was look after my health. It really is great to see them! And I don't get that opportunity very often. But I had gone to bed too late the night before, and I had a cold, and towards the end of the night I could feel my voice faltering. I made sure not to drink too much, and when it really got late I just said I really wanted to go to bed. I sleep in the living room when I am at Roelof's place, so I can't go to bed unless everybody leaves or goes to bed themselves!

I tried to sleep, but it is hard if you struggle to breathe through your nose. And the next morning I had no voice. Shit! I was here to connect with people, and talking is an important part of that. But I had failed.

There was another disappointment; my next port of call would be Monique, but she texted me her dog had died and she couldn't really cope with visitors. The dog was really old, but I understand it can still hit one hard! I hoped she would be ok. But that meant I had no immediate place to go. I did a lot more drinking coffee with Roelof. And I decided that this would give me a bit more time with my father and stepmother. Sometimes I just see them over the Christmas dinner and don't visit them at home. This time I actually wanted to see their new house. They already had the key, and it was still almost completely empty, but the next time I will be in the country they will be leaving in it.

I couldn't phone them to ask if that was convenient as I didn't have a voice, but Roelof was willing to do the honours. And it was OK with my dad! So Roelof and I had one more coffee and then he walked me to the railway station. I hope I'll see him during our proposed hike!

And with that, the part of my visit that involved people I have no family relationship with was over. It was good to see several friends! Even though I would be paying the price…

Travel to the Netherlands

I had intended to travel to the Netherlands on the 23rd. That is quite close to Christmas, but that was on purpose. I am uncomfortable leaving the cat alone for too long! But then the strike of the border force was announced. That started that very day.

There was mention of the army stepping in, but I wasn’t reassured. I was a bit scared I’d end up in a long queue and miss my flight. I decided the cat had to take one for the team and miss me for one night more! I moved my flight to the early evening before. I figured I would still be on time to have a glass of wine with my mum that night.

Things were not going entirely as planned. I had only recently had a cold, and I really didn’t think I had pushed things too far recently, but the day before travel I felt the next one come up. Oh dear! Colds and travel, a bad combination, and one that has spoiled my Dutch trips many times before, like 2018 and 2017.

The day of travel I tried to have some quality time with the cat first. That worked! We had a lovely time sitting in the chair by the fire together. But at some point I needed to go.

I drove to the airport without issues. It was very misty in places, but there was no dangerous driving, nor were there noteworthy queues. So far so good. I got through security without issues too. Then I decided to sit down, have a sandwich, fill my water bladder, and check my flight status. Oh dear. It looked an hour late.

I sat down again. No rush then! I ended up chatting to a lady who was also delayed; she was trying to get to Dubai. She offered me a shortbread biscuit! That was nice. 

I ate my sandwiches and my fruit, and did some reading. Periodically I checked my flight. The time crept back! It turned into an hour and a half delayed. I wasn’t happy with that. There went my glass of wine with my mum! And if I’m not 100% I need my sleep even more than normal. But I wouldn’t be in bed at a responsible time that night. At least there were messages coming through from the usual suspects to keep me entertained.

Finally we could board. The crew said the issue had been heavy mist at their previous destination, Guernsey; they had only just managed to land there. And it had been decided they needed a plane that was more modern, and thus better equipped for such risky manoeuvres. And the plane swapping had caused the delay.

Nightly Amersfoort 

From there on all went well. I arrived at my mum’s without any further incident! But by then it was just past midnight. Fortunately, my circadian rhythm thought it was only just after 11pm. But that’s still past my normal bedtime, and especially past my bedtime when I’m precariously hanging onto my health! I could only hope this would pan out ok…

Plagiarism officer

 It had been decided I would be the next plagiarism officer of the school. Jaco, who would still be doing the role for the remainder of the year, had given me all necessary documentation, and we had had a meeting to talk through that. He had also suggested we do the cases coming up before the official handover together. That sounded like a good idea. 

Little did I know there would be a flurry of activity. One case after the other came in! And some of them were quite complex. A few serious penalties were in order. And at least one student was quite upset.

I was glad the timing worked out that way! Jaco would ask me what I would do, and after I’d answered him he would say what his judgment was. If needs be an explanation followed. 

He sorted it all, and I was glad we had had that short period of overlap. It had been a bit of a crash course, but at least I go into this new function with a reasonable idea of what to expect. I hope very few cases will be flagged to me, but I am confident now I can deal with whatever is flagged up in an appropriate way! 

An example of the output of the similarity-checking software