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3:00 AM
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 OK, probably doesn't apply to Cerberus.
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 The engine is still worth € 150. The painting would only have to happen once a year, and it takes maybe an hour. But getting the engine out of the boat to my parents' house, yes, that took a lot of time and organisation.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Thanks!!
 
Hah! but now its been taken out of the boat for you!
 
@DavidWallace even if it does. 10min/month is well worth it IMO, because the alternative is that the machine gets infected by something, at which point the only safe thing to do is rebuild it.
 
@DavidWallace Perhaps...but we were sort of glad to be rid of the boat, strange as it may sound.
 
I can quite understand that. It doesn't seem strange to me at all.
 
3:01 AM
@DavidWallace Ehm technically, yes.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 But then...how come my machine never gets infected?
 
@Cerberus luck
 
How come I never get polio?
 
@Cerberus herd immunity
 
Just as nobody here dies from eating leftovers from the previous day left on the countertop, even though people on Cooking.SE want me to believe that that is dangerous, blah blah.
 
@Cerberus I beg to differ. People DO die of that. It just hasn't happened to you yet.
 
3:03 AM
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Naaah. My computer doesn't touch any other computers.
 
I personally know people who have received life-threatening food poisoning.
@Cerberus yes it does, it is on the internet.
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 And it hasn't happened to anybody in my family or among my friends over the past 100 years?
 
@Cerberus It's touching them now!
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 But from food prepared at home?
 
@Cerberus So what?
@Cerberus yes
 
3:03 AM
Well, then I don't know what they did.
@DavidWallace Ewww! Get your hands off my...
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Weird.
 
@Cerberus They were unlucky.
@Cerberus It's not weird at all.
 
It is.
 
Just because you haven't won the lottery doesn't mean that nobody ever wins it.
 
I am not buying one gram of all this crap.
All those risks are GREATLY exaggerated for reasons external to the threat itself.
 
@Cerberus No, you're getting it for free.
 
3:05 AM
@Cerberus Do you know about the black plague? Cholera? SARS? how viruses get transmitted in general?
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Do you build meteor shields on top of your house?
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 You're not scaring me.
 
@Cerberus Do you know why the dinosaurs are extinct today? Because they didn't have a space program.
 
We have no cholera here.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Yeah, poor beasts.
 
@Cerberus Not anymore, not now that people generally wash their hands.
 
@DavidWallace Not quite.
 
3:07 AM
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 or meteor shields on their houses.
 
you are falling into the fallacy of "the problem doesn't seem to be happening much, therefore it isn't, and never, was, a real problem".
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 It has nothing to do with washing hands several times a day, if that's what you are suggesting. It has to do with clean water.
 
@Cerberus Sorry, I mean, "you've already bought it".
 
@Cerberus It has to do with hygiene. One factor being clean water, another being washing.
 
3:08 AM
Wasn't there a big story last summer about food poisoning in Europe? I forget what vegetable it was, cucumbers maybe?
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Not quite. I am falling with into the fallacy "we have always done it like this, it works fine, and therefore the risk is (more than) acceptable". And the cure is worse than the disease.
 
@Cerberus Ah, that's the same fallacy that caused the Challenger to explode.
The "nothing has gone wrong so far" fallacy.
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 This is not a proper argument, and you know it. There is no danger of cholera.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 That is not a fallacy, it is empirical data.
Data > theory.
 
@Cerberus No, it is a fallacy.
 
Is not!
 
3:09 AM
So you computer people, should I update every time my computer asks me to? What are we talking about, anti-virus software or everything?
 
You're a fallacy!
 
It certainly is!
 
Look how you falter!
 
I don't want to update i-tunes, because I don't want whatever the share feature is.
 
Just because it hasn't failed yet doesn't mean that it can't.
 
3:10 AM
@SpareOom As long as you're a responsible user, don't worry too much.
 
@SpareOom Just uninstall itunes. It's shite.
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Just because there is a theoretical risk doesn't mean it is a large risk that it is worth the trouble to take measures against.
 
Does it also takes up a whole lot of space?
 
Probably not.
 
@Cerberus The risk is not simply theoretical. It is real. I have seen infected machines personally. But you are a doubting Thomas and will never believe me until you put your hands into the wounds of your infected computer.
 
3:11 AM
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Real ≠ large.
 
@tchrist I actually meant the one about the two women in the bathtub full of chocolate.
 
And you are talking to a responsible user, not some nitwit.
I have installed Comodo on my mother's computer.
 
@Cerberus Your arguments above fail to convince us of that.
 
I have the complete radio episodes of Jack Benny that is loaded into I-tunes. Would it play on something else?
 
Although on second thought perhaps it is worse than a virus, for she hates it.
@DavidWallace Bah! All your arguments fail to convince me of you!
I taught my mother to simply click "yes" whenever Comodo pops up, except when the computer isn't supposed to do anything.
Not sure how well that works.
I also taught my parents to never install anything except when they actively wanted to install it beforehand, and they are sure the source is trustworthy.
And e-mails never count as such.
 
3:16 AM
@Cerberus But while you accuse me of overstating the threat, I find it hilarious how much you overstate the cost of applying updates. I'm not talking about installing Windows 7 over your precious XP. I'm talking about clicking "update now" once a month. Or even taking no action if updates are set to install automatically.
The updates are almost transparent.
I challenge you to update your system and turn on automatic updates for 3 months.
 
Hah, the very first one will be painful.
I bet he has to install updates going all the way back to 1986.
 
If, as you say, you reboot/shut down your system daily when you're not using it, this will be even easier for you because Windows installs the updates at shutdown time.
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I guess just Windows updates are not that bad. But anyway, I once got this problem immediately after an update.
I may have replaced some drivers or something, I don't know, but something broke after an update.
I even forgot what it was.
 
A convincing story
 
So I don't want Microsoft to touch my computer.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Thanks!! I knew you'd like it.
 
3:18 AM
@Cerberus They touched it before you bought it.
Just as I am touching it now.
 
@DavidWallace I got the latest updates when I installed it, so 6 months ago.
@DavidWallace Eww stop it!!
 
Shan't.
 
Don't make me wear protective wear!
 
Please tell me your firewall is switched on.
 
It is.
 
3:20 AM
@Cerberus When you let the updates slide for months, you might find that installing them is painful because sometimes they have to go in stages that require updating/rebooting/updating/rebooting. But I assure you that that does not happen on a monthly basis. It only happens when you are lazy.
 
@Cerberus Well that's something I suppose.
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 So...always?
@DavidWallace Yeah. And did I mention I am also a responsible user?
I run Noscript.
Which does a lot more than block Javascript.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 By the way, do you use a permissions manager on your GN?
I used to use Permissions Denied.
But it was such a pain.
After my factory reset, I never reinstalled it.
 
@Cerberus No. Because I have not rooted it.
 
So in a way the reset was a boon.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Why not?
You absolutely need PGM Nexus!!
Best application ever.
 
@Cerberus initially, because rooting it would have required erasing it. Now, because it works fine and I don't see any need.
 
I don't want a gesture on the screen to turn it on if the screen is off.
 
Hmm, pocket turn-ons huh?
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Why not?
 
Anyway, installing random root-requiring apps bothers me. I don't trust them.
 
That is the best part.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 It's not random.
 
3:25 AM
@Cerberus because I have a button for that?
 
@DavidWallace Alas, no.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 But a swipe is so much better.
Trust me.
You have to use it to realize it.
 
@Cerberus I doubt it. Anyway, it isn't enough to root the phone IMO.
 
I absolutely hated when I had to reroot my phone and it didn't work: I felt like I had lost a limb when I had to fumble with the on/off button.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 It ought to be, because it is fucking amazing...
I probably have tons of other applications that require root.
 
@Cerberus meh.
 
Android Lost, probably?
 
3:28 AM
doesn't require root
 
For all functions?
 
also I haven't got it installed
@Cerberus to my knowledge, it doesn't require root at all
 
Adaway?
 
@Cerberus what's that
 
Tasker?
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Blocks ads.
Tasker is the Queen of all applications.
 
3:29 AM
Don't have tasker
 
You should.
For example, doesn't it annoy you how the phone auto-rotates at inconvenient times?
 
llama is pretty good too
 
tasker seems to barely use the Root permissions. I probably wouldn't use root on it.
 
And how the screen turns off too quickly when you're reading in your browser?
@JourneymanGeek I have heard of it.
 
@Cerberus I have a quick access toggle to turn off auto-rotate.
 
3:31 AM
So you spend hundreds of Euros on a phone, and then you have to have a special application to stop your phone from being annoying?
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 That is not nearly as good as automated toggle.
@DavidWallace Absolutely! Just like a wife.
 
I spent 45 bucks on a phone, and have an app that lets me turn off the sound based on time and place
 
45?
That's cheap.
 
ya, 2 year contract
Its a HTC One V
 
3:32 AM
Ohh...then you are spending way more!
 
naw, since I'd be getting the same package
 
@Cerberus Except that I don't have a consistent use-case for disabling rotation. Except for the "lying down on the bed" use-case, where my phone is sideways but so is my head, so what I want is the phone to see my head orientation and match itself to it. Which the Galaxy S3 can do now.
 
@JourneymanGeek Are you sure? No cheaper pre-paid or SIM-only?
 
yup
@Cerberus: Overall? Not really
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Well, I set my Tasker to disable rotation in applications like the browser and e-mail, and that works very well. No annoyance whatsoever.
 
3:34 AM
I do want a data plan, and I got a grandfathered plan with a LOT of data
 
Same for the increased time-out in those applications.
@JourneymanGeek And do you really need that many data?
 
@Cerberus: I use ~200-500 mb a month
 
@DavidWallace Or hundreds of thousands?
 
I have 12GB, until I recontract
 
@JourneymanGeek Are you sure you have thoroughly researched and compared all available options?
 
3:35 AM
@Cerberus: yes.
 
@JourneymanGeek That is a lot.
@JourneymanGeek All right, then.
 
@JourneymanGeek per month?
 
yup
the new plans are 2gb so I came out better
 
But you don't use it...
 
@Cerberus: It was the only net we had at work for a week ;p
 
3:37 AM
@Cerberus I often use the rotation in the browser and email. Some things need to be read wide-screen.
 
Right, it can be of use during emergencies.
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Really? Like which? I never use it in my browser. And I can always set it by widget toggle temporarily if I really need it.
 
The only issue I have is that I may have to leave here before the contract ends
 
Here?
 
3:38 AM
singapore
 
Ah, I see.
 
@Cerberus Well... lots of websites look better in widescreen. I dunno. I browse wide-screen a lot.
 
Like which websites?
Wide-screen is nearly always inefficient.
 
@Cerberus I don't know off hand. I just know that I do it.
lwn.net is one example. They are not mobile-optimized, so the articles are easier for me to read in wide-screen.
Any website that has videos.
 
@Cerberus: Might have a job offer in the US once I graduate
 
3:43 AM
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Weird...in wide screen, the letters are to small to read the entire page. And in vertical screen, I can very easily and quickly zoom in on one column at a time, much easier...
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Don't they automatically open in Flash?
 
not on all phones
 
@JourneymanGeek Oh, interesting!
 
@JourneymanGeek We have the same phone.
 
HTC One V?
 
3:44 AM
We have the Galaxy Nexus.
 
(which does do flash automatically)
 
@Cerberus the main page looks different for you than for me because I'm logged in. And the articles don't have columns.
@Cerberus They might open in flash, but either way they don't fill the screen unless you rotate it to landscape
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Aren't they automatically resized, like other pages?
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Of course, so I have rotation on in Flash.
 
@Cerberus Why can't you just take my word for it that I use the fucking landscape feature?
 
I refuse!
I will not take part in your perverted landscape!
It must look like Jeroen Bosch.
See?
This is what I don't want.
Oops it's vertical.
Anyway, you know what I mean.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I mean you may not want it to rotate automatically in all applications.
Just as you may want a longer screen time-out in some applications than in others.
 
4:31 AM
Sorry, I was afk. But it is time for me to be off. bye!
 
 
6 hours later…
10:47 AM
0
Q: On the difference between "noun + infinitive" and "noun + present participle"

foolnronyInfinitive and present participle can be used to modify the noun: Infinitive: I had no time to read those books. Present participle: There should be a law banning abortion. In (1), "to read those books" modifies time, and in (2) "banning abortion" a law. It is often said that...

This needs a solid answer.
@noah's is wishy-washy (sorry), failing to address the question at hand, or even to tell a gerund from not a gerund, though the OP sort of tricked him into that.
BBL.
 
 
2 hours later…
12:50 PM
Hi.
 
1:07 PM
Hello all. I have a small doubt.
Known Usage: He used to wave to the passengers travelling by train...
Is this also correct? He used to wave to the passengers travelling on train...
 
No, it would have to be "on the train".
And hello.
 
@Cerberus okay. Can I find some explanation on this somewhere on the web?
 
It is mostly an idiomatic combination that can't really be explained. That's often the case with prepositions.
> He is on the train.
> He travels by train.
Those are two two "basic" constructions.
 
Ah! got it
 
I know, prepositions are annoying!
They are a bit arbitrary in many languages.
 
1:10 PM
So, He is on the bike is also correct?
 
Hmm in that case you would say on his bike.
Unless this bike he is on has already been mentioned in some way.
 
Okay...!
 
With on the train, the article the is also a bit idiomatic.
 
Makes sense. Thanks a lot!
 
You would also say on the bus if you mean the means of travel in general.
 
1:13 PM
Yeah, I understood it that way.
 
If you want to talk about a particular vehicle, you can introduce it as a train/bus.
If, for example, the bus's engine breaks down, you could say "we were on a bus, and then the engine broke down".
But you could still use "we were on the bus, and then the engine broke down".
 
many ways... hmm
 
But on bus is never used, normally.
By contrast, by the bus is never used either (unless you don't mean by as indicating a means of transportation).
Note also that vehicles can be by, but we say he is on foot.
 
Right as in... why don't you go by the bus (same as why don't you take the bus) ... right?
 
That means he came walking.
@its_me Yes, that would not be correct.
As a means of transportation, you can't use by the.
 
1:17 PM
okay
 
You could say a few people walked by the bus, but that means just "walking by".
That is a completely different construction with a different meaning.
 
English is a riddle :P
 
Hehe, yes.
But so are other languages...
I have to go now.
Have fun with English!
 
Thank you!
 
Bye!
 
1:23 PM
bye
 
Good morning.
 
Okay, I'm back for a bit.
Hey, when was this big test again?
Was it yesterday, or next week?
 
Erm, yesterday.
 
Ahh.
Did it go as well as expected?
Or is this a bad topic.
 
No, it didn't. It was a very hard test.
 
1:32 PM
Oh, damn.
 
I still got 82% though.
 
Oh!
That's good!
 
Which isn't too bad.
 
Not bad at all!
Were there many people with much higher scores?
 
Uh, not that I know of.
 
1:33 PM
Good.
 
A few of my friends got 77%.
 
OK.
 
One of them did get 96% though.
 
Eww.
That's obscene.
 
Yeah. He's a Biology freak though.
 
1:34 PM
There you go.
 
I beat him at a Physics race just last week.
 
A race?
 
Hmm, this sounds very silly. But yes, we took a difficult Physics problem and had a race to find the answer.
 
Heh.
Your own idea?
Or the teacher's?
 
Ours, sort of.
 
1:36 PM
OK.
So you beat him.
 
We were originally working as a team to solve it, but then we had a disagreement and it got competitive, so we decided to race to see who was right.
 
Oh, dear.
So today he got his revenge.
So be it.
 
Well, no. I don't have school today.
 
I mean yesterday.
 
Oh, yes. A little. But he didn't gloat too much, which was nice of him.
 
1:38 PM
Damn.
If he had gloated, at least you could have called him immature.
 
That's hardly an insult. We're all immature.
 
If you say so.
 
In all honesty, the class isn't usually competitive at all.
 
Good!
Do you know Malcolm in the Middle?
Your class makes me think of Malcolm's special class.
 
I've heard of it—a television series—but I've never watched it.
 
1:40 PM
Which is of course ridiculously competitive and crazy.
OK.
 
Nah, we aren't competitive, like I said.
 
Yes. But I still picture your class like that class.
 
Haha, if you say so.
How are you doing, by the way?
 
Bit of a hangover, but my friend is coming over in half an hour or so.
I still need to get dressed and buy food.
So I guess I should do that now.
 
Ah, yes. Hurry, you've not much time!
 
1:43 PM
Yeah, I should.
Have a good day!
 
You as well!
 
Later!
 
Yep, bye.
 
 
4 hours later…
5:47 PM
Hello.
 
5:59 PM
@Cerberus howdy
How's it going?
 
Yo.
I think I'm over my hangover. You?
Drank a few beers with a friend—that always helps.
 
6:24 PM
Going well, just studying. Lazy day today.
 
7:24 PM
Same here...
 
7:51 PM
Hello @David. Is it Saturday there?
 
No.
And hello, Carlo.
 
Then is sunday
 
Absolutely.
 
Here is Saturday and the people have to their party
Celebration etc
Have you had celebrations yesterday
...
...
. .
.
Uh!
 
8:10 PM
Sorry, @Carlo, I was eating my breakfast.
What sort of celebrations do you mean?
 
8:37 PM
@David Party for birthday or marriage.
Here people celebre these event on saturday because in the other day they work.
And sunday is a day off.
 
Oh, well I don't know anyone who had a birthday or a wedding yesterday.
But I did go to a soccer game, if that counts.
Alessandro del Piero was playing. But his team didn't do very well.
 

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