The Frying Pan

how does a web developer not know about unicode characters?!

I'm on my iPad. It has an emoji keyboard. 🙀

10:49 AM

yeah, that one doesn't work

it's not a unicode on

Interesting Historical Titbit of the Day: next time you are wandering in the countryside of Europe, and you find you are walking alongside a row of wild cherry trees, you are probably standing on what used to be a Roman road. Dried cherries were part of a Roman soldier's basic rations, and they would often eat them on the march, throwing the stones to the road side, where later they would naturally grow into cherry trees.

Cool. If I ever wander the countryside in Europe I'll keep that in mind. 😉

Very interesting, though.

It is. Many a fun afternoon can be had with a map and ruler tracing out Roman roads

the maps here show where partial Roman roads are, and if you lay a ruler along them you will often find they join up with modern roads or more fragments

they built 'em poker straight

it is always eerie walking along an overgrown one. sometimes you can still see the ruts of the drains either side, or see the flat stone poking out of the grass. It becomes quite easy to imagine a host of legionaries tramping along in full armour, 2000 years ago.

I'm sure as an American you get the same feeling when you go to that store that was built in 1964 :P

Sure, all the time. ;) For obvious reasons, nothing like you can experience in Europe.

Tom W

burrn

11:05 AM

brb, lunch!

@TomW cloud-watch, hour 5: cloud has thinned slightly

@ElendilTheTall I'm tempted to call that historical myth or some such.

Can you back that up with references?

Hi @FaheemMitha.

@Cindy hey

What's happening?

Same stuff. Not much new. How about you?

@CrazyNinja I'd have to do some research but I think you can access the emoji keyboards on Windows and Android also. Probably other OS, too.

Tall can probably tell you more about it.

11:22 AM

@Cindy Same old, same old.

I'm dragging a little this morning. Think I'll make another pot of coffee and get some breakfast. Maybe that'll wake me up a bit. :) Back in a few.

11:49 AM

@FaheemMitha possibly given a few minutes

if my personal testimony isn't enough for you :|

hmmm, lots of references to the idea, but no sources I'll grant you. Further research required methinks.

12:15 PM

@Cerberus hi

@ElendilTheTall We could take it to sceptics.

@FaheemMitha you could, I have refused to ever sully my browser with a visit there ever again

their ridiculous need for sources for even the most basic common sense answers. humbug!

@ElendilTheTall I think you mean - Bah Humbug!

no, I mean humbug

@ElendilTheTall But... Bah Humbug sounds much better.

12:23 PM

Hum. Bug.

@ElendilTheTall That's nice, about the cherry trees.

Although I am not sure whether the Romans built any good roads up north here.

Perhaps in the south of the country.

Where I rarely venture.

they built lots here

It took you longer to fight them off.

Incorrect. We didn't fight them off at all.

They left.

weeee

nothing like importing a massive database from the CLI

it's a legitimate version of 10 PRINT 'HELLO' 20 GOTO 10

< William Tell Overture plays>

12:44 PM

Well, they left because you were making trouble!

no, they left because their Empire was collapsing around their ears

we made trouble when they first arrived, then settled down to enjoy the benefits of civilisation

like baths

and stuffed dormice

and slave girls from the Sexy Regions

12:58 PM

Heh.

It is true that they left without too much of a struggle, but there still were struggles.

there was the odd rebellion, but it wasn't like they were kicked out. it just became untenable to keep legions out here

1:11 PM

Poor Brits.

Deprived of civilization forever.

yeah yeah, blah blah

only one of the post-Roman countries went on to have a bigger Empire, bub

and it sure as shootin' wasn't Dutchlandia

Really, which country was that?

Russia?

How do you count?

Area!

> The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power.

Yes, so which post-Roman country had a bigger empire?

I don't think any country did.

Britain

> At its height, it was the largest empire in history and, for over a century, was the foremost global power.

1:23 PM

Britain bigger than Britain.

no, fool. Only one country went on to have a bigger Empire than Rome

Okay, you left out than Rome!

But I'm not sure I agree about that.

because it was bleedin' obvious

Depends on how you count.

area, how else do you count 'biggest'?

1:24 PM

If you count the British empire, then surely you must count the Spanish empire.

Which was larger than the Roman one, by area.

Not to mention France, Portugal.

true, true

And how about the Arab empire?

the important point is that we're not mentioning the Dutch <guffaw> 'Empire'

Pah.

But the Dutch empire was large! Especially if you count generously.

yes, you had some lovely mosquito-infested hell holes, for sure

1:26 PM

Look who's talking.

Who doesn't holiday in the lovely environs of the Surinamese jungles?

Most of your colonies were hell holes and still are.

Like America.

Only New York is acceptable, and who founded that?

Actually, many people go on holiday to Suriname or the other Caribbean colonies.

you heard it here first folks - Cerberus says America is a hell hole

fire at will

poor old Will, he's always getting shot at

Will?

work it out

1:28 PM

Mary's William?

But I have to go.

are you in need of coffee or something?

get a Rombouts!

Fire at will

Rombout? That is a Dutch first name.

it's a brand of coffee as well, if memory serves

Oh, you did not mean any Will in particular.

Never heard of it.

rombouts.com/uk

1:30 PM

I'm sorry, it's 25 degrees and I am dying here.

ah, I think they may be Belgian

And I have a Mediaeval letter of marque to write.

but meh, what's the difference

So I must bid thee farewell.

Reconquer some colonies, okay?

I'll try... it is getting towards 5 o'clock though

and it is likewise roasting here

1:31 PM

Not quite, especially not for you. But OK!

Horrible, isn't it?

the hayfever is the worst part

Must be the Greek revenge, sending their temperatures all over Europe.

Poor you.

going to get even hotter tomorrow by all accounts

Pop an antihistamine.

I know.

already done, it makes little difference

1:32 PM

Take care!

likewise

1:47 PM

the weather here is actually pretty lovely

nice mild 70 F today

good for you

whaddaya want, a cookie?

chocolate chip please

double or triple?

quadruple?

what is this magical fourth chocolate you have found?

2:00 PM

smearing nutella on top

but it must be eaten with a large glass of milk

ooo, nutella

have you had nutella on a crepe?

otherwise the intense chocolateness might give your chocollate fever

yes, nutella banana crepes are awesome

what's really good is a good layer of nutella in a brioche sandwich, toasted in a pan

yum

grated chocolate on the same also awesome

2:06 PM

or just stick all the chocolate in your mouth

that also works

there is that

however, the brioche would help to mask the taste of the awful American chocolate...

ZING

heh

cant wait for this weekend

4th of july bbq

and i should have my first pay check by then also

sa-weet

do you have a BBQ lined up?

well bbq isnt true

we are grilling

sure

the term is synonymous here

2:10 PM

even though its like completely opposites lol

well, what we call a grill, you call a broiler

if you asked me to grill a burger, I'd go to the oven, not the back yard

gross, oven burgers

broiled... not that different to grilled really, just lacking the charcoaliness

still it just sounds less appetizing :P

well, no one's forcing you to eat it

I would preferentially pan-fry a burger in any case

2:12 PM

i rather just fry it in a pan

lol jinx

2:23 PM

So I was looking through my benefits last night and I can get free internet from comcast up to 105mbps

thats faster than what im currently using lol

cool

3:05 PM

@Jay They're having a barbecue at work this week and I think it's just burgers and hot dogs :(

3:42 PM

Pfff, ungrateful wretch. I'd be happy with a dry cracker and some tepid water from my employer.

3:57 PM

@ElendilTheTall I think you and Cerby should go on the road with your comedy show. I actually did lol with the "shot at will" conversation. 😂

4:09 PM

@ElendilTheTall It's still nice, I just saw the email and though there was going to be barbecue!

4:36 PM

hello everybody

@Jefromi nice to see you are here, I wanted to bounce my thoughts off you before answering the question on a recipe list

everybody else, I'd appreciate your opinion too

4:53 PM

@Cerberus Indeed. Pakistan is probably less broke.

@Jefromi that sounds like its not worth it to go haha. unless you have pretty good work friends who are going

@ElendilTheTall Though we (still) don't know who that employer it is.

It's always amusing to see how proud the British are (still) of their "Empire".

@Cerberus Hah, Greece has crashed Indiegogo. indiegogo.com/projects/greek-bailout-fund

5:08 PM

Hi @derobert.

@FaheemMitha hey

There's a leap second today!

@derobert Is that important?

Yes! We have an entire extra second today.

Doesn't leap "something" normally mean you are losing something rather than gaining it

on leap years you lose a day

@Jay errrr... leap years have Feb. 29, an extra day

5:15 PM

oh yea

lol

for some reason my mind decided it was the other way around

So tonight at 23:59:59 UTC, one second later it won't be tomorrow. Instead, it'll be 23:59:60.

So we get an entire extra second.

dont judge me, my roomate woke up at like 3am this morning :(

i dont know if i can handle this whole extra second

No one knows when the next one will be, enjoy it while it lasts.

5:31 PM

@derobert Good grief, a whole entire second? I'm not sure I will be able to cope.

5:41 PM

@derobert wow! When I'm old and grey, I can tell my grandchildren that I have lived in a moment outside of time.

@rumtscho Several moments, actually. Unless you were constructed after 2012.

are leap seconds so common? pah.

Every few years, but this could be the last! The meeting to decide on abolishing them is this fall.

why would you ever abolish it

its not hurting anyone :(

6:02 PM

@derobert what will happen when they are abolished? do we get back to the Julian calendar?

@Jay except for tons of weird bugs happening to developers who don't use standard date time libraries

It's not hurting anybody that matter :(

lol jk

@rumtscho Leap seconds, not leap days

In a few thousand years, we might have to do something about it.

@rumtscho Hahahahaha, wherever did you get the idea that standard time libraries don't have leap second bugs?

@derobert I hoped they don't. This is one of the main reason for using them, to have code which has considered all eventualities in its specialized domain

Its code that is only used once every few years. 2012 found bugs, tonight surely will as well.

Not to mention, leap seconds being unpredictable has some unfortunate implications. You can't say how many seconds it is until midnight January 1, 2016, for example.

(well, maybe that bulletin is out—but then not to July 1, 2016)

Everybody: I have started a chat room with discussion on a possible implementation of an "endorsed resources" list. Please join us at chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/25369/recipe-sources.

4

6:46 PM

Hey y'all, I'm looking for recipe database type sites that people think are useful. (Not blogs/forums!)

3

It's fine if they're specialized (e.g. only Indian food) but they should be broad enough to have recipes for "most" things within the scope they cover. I know some of the obvious ones, especially for the US, but I'm sure there's plenty I don't know too. Let me know what you like and I'll have a list compiled into a community wiki question at some point!

Just be sure and @ me if you suggest something in here so I don't miss it.

@jefromi bbcgoodfood.com

Q: What are some good recipe resources?

rumtscho pointed me at this old one I'd forgotten; anything that's there I'll pick up too.

14

When closing questions that ask for recipes, I try to add a comment explaining why, and I would like to point to a resource for recipes. Is there any advice we can give to these people? I usually use Google to find recipes, but are there any more relevant resources that you know of that deliver ...

allrecipe.com

7:59 PM

@jolenealaska are you still sleeping?

8:20 PM

@ElendilTheTall I'm just now up

Tonight I should be up for an all-nighter or close too it.

8:31 PM

@jolenealaska That was an epic one was it not?

this sleep? Yeah, last two days have really been great that way.

Sleeping the sleep of the just eh

Something like that.

Well, I missed you anyway, just or otherwise

Post-solstice and I stapled a big blanket over my window.

tonight will be different.

8:40 PM

It is about 80 degrees here right now

I want to get some work done on my book tonight, an I know myself well enough to know that I am most productive at night so I am going to try again to sleep from 4 or 5 until noon or one.

Sounds good

The woman who I thought was my aunt isn't.

Crap, and now I can't find my mother's obit.

that's where the Aunt's hometonwn is listed.

9:09 PM

Hmm

I think I found out why.

The other obit listed her name as Friesen. Her married name is Savage.

Here she is! Kristi Savage of Sand Springs OK. I can probably find a phone number or email with that. drauckerfuneralhome.com/notices/Bonnie-Friesen

Not a good idea posting that kind of thing, it's the kind of thing banks use for security checks

9:25 PM

Well, online I'm still having problems chasing it down. Maybe @rumtscho will delete it for when she gets here.

I wish I had started this project before Grandma died.

She was the one who knew everyone.

9:40 PM

Well, I'm for bed. You think you'll be around tomorrow (ie my tomorrow?)

Well, I'll see you when I see you. Night.

yep...I should be here when you arrive. Goodnight!

11:09 PM

@derobert Very droll, Humphrey.

Crashed, really?

I have seen the campaign, but the fact that it crashed must be a good sign, right?

€400.000 is quite a lot.

Too bad it is still 0%...

I get very annoyed with myself sometimes.

You shouldn't!

I got frustrated just now because I was dealing with Amazon on some issue, and the customer service person had a very thick accent.

I couldn't understand her.

I think I managed to not be rude, but it was a real effort.

I was at least a bit shorter than I needed to be.

Hehe.

What kind of accent?

Rural? Foreign?

Foreign.

11:20 PM

That is super annoying.

Asian I think, but I have no clue beyond that.

Now I am glad that we did not indoctrinate our colonies to speak Dutch very much.

Her English was superb, but the accent made it hard to understand her.

So "off-shore" helpdesks are impossible.

That sucks.

Dragon software and Google translate suggests to me that this particular frustration will be a thing of the past in 10 years.

11:24 PM

It helps if you've had a lot of professors and coworkers from other countries. I'm way better with accents now than I was before college and work.

I haven't. Perhaps I am a bit better than most English speakers at understanding South Koreans when they speak English, but beyond that I'm pretty hopeless. I seem to be a bit above average in deciphering broken written English, but I think that just comes down to having read a lot as a kid.

Yeah, it's hard until you've heard quite a bit of it.

As someone for whom bigotry is as ugly as it is to me, I hate it when I have thoughts like, "You aren't qualified for your job if I can't understand you."

@Jolenealaska I dunno, I'd be a pretty bad mod if I couldn't get people here to understand me.

Beyond speaking English as a second language (quite well), she was very personable and she seemed to understand my frustration, even though I never did vocalize it.

11:32 PM

But yeah, even if it's true it's not exactly fair.

However, she is obviously intelligent. That being the case, there are probably better jobs out there for her than at an Amazon USA help desk.

That's not bigotry.

It feels a bit like it.

When someone in the US is snide to a McDonald's employee because she spoke Spanish to a coworker, that is bigotry.

'merica

It is not discrimination if you dislike someone's acting in a way that truly inconveniences you.

It is just an unfortunate situation, for which you are not to blame.