English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

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tchrist

3:46 AM

I have a stalker. It’s really getting to me. I barked and she didn’t go away. I don’t know what to do.

Johan Larsson

8:24 AM

@tchrist :)

skullpatrol

Who let the dogs out? @tchrist

user08742

hi

skullpatrol

hi

Matt Эллен

8:40 AM

@JasperLoy I'd already hit the hay, sorry

@KitFox "system"

Johan Larsson

9:32 AM

Contract.Requires<ArgumentNullException>(left != null);

> In externally visible method 'Meh.operator <(Meh, Meh)', validate parameter 'left' before using it.

wtf

Matt Эллен

who are you quoting?

user08742

9:53 AM

hi

skullpatrol

1 hour ago, by skullpatrol

hi

Johan Larsson

10:53 AM

@MattЭллен Visual studio

Matt Эллен

@JohanLarsson your own comments? :D

Johan Larsson

11:23 AM

:)

RegDwigнt

1:20 PM

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt devil magic!

Mitch

1:44 PM

It's science for patriotic cube lovers.

Matt Эллен

1:55 PM

are you calling me cubist?

RegDwigнt

I am calling you cubi-confused.

Mitch

Cube curious

KitFox

Good morning.

RegDwigнt

2:11 PM

Getting dark here, but wevs.

KitFox

It's dark here too.

RegDwigнt

That's not too good a morning, then?

KitFox

Is there a need to analyze my friendly greeting?

Matt Эллен

if you like dark mornings it is

RegDwigнt

@KitFox Yes. Boredom!

Matt Эллен

2:13 PM

I mean... hello!

RegDwigнt

Boredom == need.

Matt Эллен

red moob

RegDwigнt

I am so bored I even downloaded GTA IV yesterday.

KitFox

Whoa.

RegDwigнt

Something I abstained from doing for like what? Twelve years now?

KitFox

2:14 PM

Did the LEGO factory burn down or something?

IV is the worst of them all too.

RegDwigнt

I've rebuilt parts of my house in LEGO, and I still don't have room for the rest.

@KitFox oh?

KitFox

Yeah. It's terrible.

RegDwigнt

I've heard nothing but good things. Not so much about V.

KitFox

I haven't played V, but heard good things about it.

Matt Эллен

they only way to know for sure is to play them both

KitFox

2:15 PM

I was very disappointed in IV. San Andreas was better.

RegDwigнt

Anyway. So far (like 1:14 hour in) it's not spectacular by any means, but the Russian radio is dah awesum.

@KitFox I tried playing San Andreas. Got bored with it even faster than with IV.

KitFox

But you know I have a soft spot for Russians and this weird storyline they have going on, I dunno.

RegDwigнt

Well them's Serbians.

KitFox

Exactly.

RegDwigнt

Which is why I like the Russian radio all the more.

Nobody woulda listened to Serbian radio.

Matt Эллен

2:18 PM

two stores in Australia have stopped selling GTA V due to pressure from feminist groups

RegDwigнt

@KitFox I hear the characters are too quirky and over-the-top, and that's by GTA standards mind you.

KitFox

Huh.

RegDwigнt

Yeah.

KitFox

shrugs

I can't imagine you playing such a game in any case.

My mind is boggled.

RegDwigнt

And I mean I can barely handle the ones in IV already. Very caricaturesque.

@KitFox give me an open world and a car, and it'll be my cup of tea.

Matt Эллен

2:19 PM

have you enjoyed Just cause 2?

RegDwigнt

But yeah the bowling sucks, and the killing is like WTF. I'm just an hour in and I've already killed five people I've never met before, and run over a dozen more against my will.

KitFox

What about a horse? Skyrim would fit then. Or Minecraft.

RegDwigнt

Skyrim is too scary.

Minecraft is too Minecraft.

KitFox

Minecraft then. You can have an infinitely open world.

RegDwigнt

But yeah Zelda works.

KitFox

2:20 PM

Put a different skin on it then.

There's one like Zelda.

RegDwigнt

Sorry, all Minecraft skins suck ass.

KitFox

If you say so.

RegDwigнt

It is still Minecraft. And so it is still too Minecraft.

KitFox

I think it looks like Zelda.

RegDwigнt

@KitFox I've only just replayed Ocarina of Time, so I have the freshest memory to use for comparisons.

KitFox

2:22 PM

So probably no Fallout for you then either.

@RegDwigнt And then you tried Minecraft with the fantasy theme on it?

RegDwigнt

I'll probably download the first part one day, but not sure how far in I'll get.

@KitFox I've seen screenshots. Of other themes too.

A cube by any other name is still a cube.

KitFox

OK.

I like cubes.

They have four sides.

RegDwigнt

@KitFox I heavily dislike ego-shooters. Or really anything first-person.

KitFox

And a top and a bottom.

RegDwigнt

@KitFox six.

KitFox

2:23 PM

Nuh-uh. Four sides.

RegDwigнt

World of Tanks being a notable exception.

KitFox

And a top and a bottom.

Oh, I have a friend who loves World of Tanks.

RegDwigнt

Jet Force Gemini kinda worked, too. Until I realized it was essentially an FPS, then it stopped working.

@KitFox if he's playing on X360, I've probably killed him a thousand times by now.

KitFox

I liked Resogun for about a week.

RegDwigнt

And I do mean a thousand.

KitFox

2:24 PM

Maybe. He claims to be pretty high up.

Mitch

Quieky

RegDwigнt

You get to pretty high up in three days.

KitFox

He's been playing for a very long time.

RegDwigнt

There are ten tiers, and I got a tank of tier five on day two. Which is irrelevant anyway, since lots of pros play tier one.

KitFox

Since Beta or some shit.

RegDwigнt

2:25 PM

Including myself.

@KitFox I applaud him. I'm getting fed up with it already.

So anyway. Back on topic. What always sounded interesting to me about GTA was this driving around thing. Like Burnout: Paradise, or this new game that came out recently, where you can basically just drive around the entire US and do nothing else.

That's kind of cool.

KitFox

Yeah.

Planes too.

And boats.

RegDwigнt

What's not cool is that it turns out the car controls in GTA suck donkeys.

Mitch

If you like driving

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt euro truck simulator sounds like what you want

KitFox

I like the motorcycles and the helicopters.

RegDwigнt

2:28 PM

Even compared to Burnout, which is obviously cartooney.

Mitch

Do you see the countryside?

RegDwigнt

@MattЭллен I suppose it actually does, yes.

KitFox

And I got really good at flying a small jet in San Andreas.

Matt Эллен

except there's business management in ETS

RegDwigнt

@Mitch in GTA IV so far I've seen like three blocks (literally three). And by the looks of it, the entire map is just city city city.

KitFox

2:29 PM

Yeah, in San Andreas there was a lot more variation in urban density.

RegDwigнt

I remember that.

KitFox

And some fun stuff to find out in the back country.

Mitch

How about a particular city? Like Times Square NY?

RegDwigнt

Also you couldn't swim. You couldn't touch water.

KitFox

You could swim in San Andreas.

Matt Эллен

2:30 PM

you could in SA, but not in vice city

RegDwigнt

Or that.

Same difference.

KitFox

You couldn't touch water in III.

Right.

RegDwigнt

Cuz first thing I do in any GTA game, I fall in some stupid fucking puddle for some inexplicable reason.

KitFox

San Andreas you had to swim to collect the oysters.

I was awesome at that part of the game.

Stealing cars and tagging shit and stuff.

Gang wars, not so much.

RegDwigнt

In IV, I already had to swim across the Hudson, or whatever it is, and back again, because I couldn't read the map that asked me to go upstairs.

I searched for stairs and found water. Story of my life.

KitFox

2:32 PM

Hahaha

I'll have to pick it up again so I can listen to the Russian radio.

By pick up, I mean take out of the cupboard and put in my console.

I'm so old-fashioned.

RegDwigнt

Yeah. The last ten games I bought were all downloads.

Burnout: Paradise was the last physical disc.

KitFox

We're moving that way, but only very recently.

It's less fun.

RegDwigнt

Very recently here as well. I bought B: P like two months ago. Perhaps less.

KitFox

But the boys are actually somehow capable of scratching BluRay discs.

Even though they are generally pretty careful with them.

RegDwigнt

@KitFox I used to think that way, but as long as I have free space I install things anyway, except when I install them from a disc I still have to put in the disc every single time, which sucks.

KitFox

2:37 PM

True.

RegDwigнt

And the only thing on the plus side is that once I do run out of space, I can uninstall and re-install the physical ones.

But I'm not sure I can uninstall a download and it will still remember that I had purchased it.

KitFox

I think it does.

RegDwigнt

I sure hope it at least does with 360.

KitFox

I seem to recall having to replace the PS3 and then being able to reinstall something I bought.

RegDwigнt

With XBOX One I'd be pretty sure it won't do that.

What with them not even letting you play your free games they gave you as a present with Xbox Live, unless you continue to pay for Xbox Live.

They seem to be pretty anal about a lot of things.

On 360, whatever I download for free, stays free. I can quit Live and still play it forever.

KitFox

2:41 PM

Why was tchrist barking?

RegDwigнt

Probably because of the room title.

Matt Эллен

at a stalker

RegDwigнt

But I wasn't there.

KitFox

I see.

Was it me?

Matt Эллен

11 hours ago, by tchrist

I have a stalker. It’s really getting to me. I barked and she didn’t go away. I don’t know what to do.

@KitFox I didn't know you were stalking him

RegDwigнt

2:42 PM

Ah I read that but missed the barked bit.

It's probably Richard Stallman.

The name gives it away.

Matt Эллен

richard the giant bean stalkman

Hello Everyone

Hello

Looks pretty stalkey to me.

KitFox

2:46 PM

Yep

RegDwigнt

And that's clearly @tchrist's living room.

Apparently there's another chat user named "tchristiansen".

Either an impostor, or tchrist trying to hide from Stallman.

Not very cleverly, I might say.

-2

A: What's the word for the when you suck snot back in your nose?

snarfing snarfing snarfing snarfing snarfing

What a very long word.

I'd edit it into shape with a dictionary quote, but apparently it doesn't actually mean that in the first place.

Matt Эллен

with spaces, even

RegDwigнt

> (transitive, slang) To expel fluid or food through the mouth or nostrils accidentally, usually while attempting to stifle laughter with one's mouth full.

That is expelling, not pulling up.

KitFox

That user is high enough rep to do it himself.

RegDwigнt

So I know nothing and restrain from interfering.

KitFox

2:56 PM

There is a reason of the character limit. You could, for instance, link to a dictionary definition or explain the nuances of use of this word. Repeating it several times just makes it eligible for deletion faster. — KitFox ♦ 59 secs ago

I've a meeting. Bai.

RegDwigнt

@KitFox I was there, and I made fun of it, so I may as well have fixed it.

Matt Эллен

CU

RegDwigнt

CU.

This afternoon is the slowest.

I'd totally go home now.

But it ain't even four.

Matt Эллен

if you slowly move towards the door, it'll be 4 by the time you get there

RegDwigнt

Actually I just remembered I can't go home anyway, because I wanted to go buy some boxes for my LEGO first.

Kabir

2:58 PM

RegDwigнt

All these commitments and obligations. Sigh.

Kabir

Can you guys look at this?

RegDwigнt

@Kabir of course. Take the second glass from the left, pour its contents into the second one from the right.

Kabir

Hehehe.... right

Thank you

RegDwigнt

In fact now I realize that the text direction and that thing in the upper left corner are apparently hints.

Matt Эллен

3:02 PM

they already alternate: 3 empty, 3 full

RegDwigнt

@MattЭллен yes, but you do have to move one glass.

Matt Эллен

that's inefficient!

RegDwigнt

This is a puzzle and it's on the Internet.

It has "inefficiency" in the title.

Matt Эллен

then pour the emptiness of the second one in the fullness of the fifth

RegDwigнt

What are you, a terrist? Why are you counting from right to left?

Matt Эллен

3:03 PM

looks like there are 3 non-existant glasses, too

@RegDwigнt I don't know. my brain is a bit weird today.

RegDwigнt

So that's a yes.

Matt Эллен

aye. I'm terrising myself

RegDwigнt

You are the enfant terrist of this room.

Matt Эллен

at least I'm not an anus horiblis

RegDwigнt

True, you are an ananus horiblis.

Matt Эллен

3:06 PM

the horiblis there is

RegDwigнt

Hora et blahbora.

tchrist

Stalkers be damned.

0

A: "Sometimes", "oftentimes" — is there a -times word for "very rarely"?

Is there a -times word for rarely? Geoffery Chaucer certainly thought so when in The Clerk’s Tale he whilom wrote: To that I nevere erst thoughte streyne me. I me rejoysed of my liberte, That seelde tyme is founde in marriage; Ther I was free, I moot been in selvage. As you see, old...

RegDwigнt

@Cerberus a brief opinion piece on the subject from today's Spiegel, your German should be sufficient: Nach dem Anschlag von Paris müssen Franzosen und alle Europäer beweisen, dass sie klüger agieren als die USA nach dem 11. September 2001: Krieg gegen Terror lässt sich nur mit den Waffen des Wortes gewinnen.

tchrist

Ouch.

RegDwigнt

> The brothers Zarnaev who allegedly committed the bombing in Boston, grew up in the US. Anders Breivik, the assassin of Utøya, came from Oslo. The brothers Kouachi, suspected of acts of Paris, were born in France. The terror is a part of us.

RegDwigнt

3:31 PM

As a side note: when will the media stop calling these idiots "extremely professional"? They first got the wrong building (6 instead of 10), then had to ask their way around, then on their getaway opened fire at policemen that were completely unaware of them or anything that had happened, not once but twice, then got into a car accident, then left an ID in their car.

Who the fuck takes their ID to a shootout?

And today, one full day later, rather than disappearing they drive around, still in their full-body masquerade, robbing gas stations.

Idiots is the word that comes to mind, not professionals.

tchrist

Professional ain’t what it used to be, ain’t what it used to be, ain’t what it used to be.

Reg, have we always had dozens of rep=1 first posters littering ELU with blatant non-answers daily?

RegDwigнt

There's always been infima and suprema.

Note how Sundays are not quite as moronic as they used to be. It goes and comes.

I was about to flag this for deletion, but even though this is not English Language Learners I thought such an incorrect answer could still be beneficial for learners, after the error has been pointed out by @Tyler — andy256 12 hours ago

And then there's this sort of opinion.

Which I will ignore in 3... 2... 1...

tchrist

pop goes the weasel

JSBձոգչ

3:49 PM

@RegDwigнt i don't think these are exclusive categories. especially when it comes to terrorists.

RegDwigнt

@JSBձոգչ that's not my point. I am targeting the media here.

We all knew from the get-go they were idiots. So what the hell is with the "extremely professional" crap.

JSBձոգչ

oh, well then target away. but please, not with firearms. we've had enough of that.

RegDwigнt

As a hippo, I exclusively resort to waterarms.

tchrist

Freeze them first.

RegDwigнt

You're thinking of Arnie. Different universe.

Now this last hour flew by like nothing. Nais. Lemme leave this place now.

Lators.

Matt Эллен

4:04 PM

CU

KitFox

4:14 PM

Ugh

how was the meeting?

Not great.

lots of squabbling?

The guy has it in for me, and threw me under the bus as much as possible.

Ridiculous.

Matt Эллен

which one? is this the unruly programmer?

KitFox

4:16 PM

He's pissed because he perceives the requirements I wrote as dictating technical design.

When I was relaying the interface spec.

What do you want me to do? Go tell the other programmer to do something else?

@MattЭллен The unruly manager.

And he is ranting about how this will change 80% of the codebase etc.

Like that's somehow my problem.

Matt Эллен

he must know this is what the stakeholders asked for

KitFox

When in reality 80% of the codebase needs to be changed because it's his shite, and it needs to be fixed.

JSBձոգչ

sounds like you were the messenger and got shot

KitFox

sort of.

I am an advocate for doing things correctly.

JSBձոգչ

i sort of think you should just step up and play his pissing games

KitFox

4:18 PM

I also have very little patience for this particular person.

JSBձոգչ

throw it in his face that THIS IS WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS, ASSHOLE

SO DEAL WITH IT

KitFox

I refused to escalate.

That just made him madder.

JSBձոգչ

i don't necessarily mean escalate in tone

but be firm on position. make him look like the asshole to all disinterested observers.

KitFox

"Yes, I discussed those things with the business and made them aware of those implications."

My manager asked me to send an email just to confirm it in writing, so I agreed to do so.

JSBձոգչ

good call

you can win by not letting yourself be intimidated and getting the third parties on your side

Jez

4:54 PM

hi all

KitFox

Hi.

Jez

did you know that Reddit SUCKS?

KitFox

That food was good. I wish I had more of it.

@Jez Yes.

Jez

i mean they allow a post on the engineering subreddit that get them a surge of like 50 users, many of whom are probably quite knowledgable and will help that StackExchange succeed

but i try it on their Health subreddit and some miserable bastard mods ban it as spam

i bet there are a bunch of ppl on that health subreddit who would be equally interested as the engineering lot were

i knew there was a reason i never bothered with fscking reddit

"the rules arent the same for all subreddits", yeah no shit, your rules are braindead

yet they still let the most inane posts through

:-(

life isnt fair, when did that happen?????

Mitch

The fairness subreddit mods voted to exclude life

Jez

5:01 PM

i bet we'd have a surge of 50 good users if we could post a link on the health subreddit.

does anyone here have a reddit account in good standing?

Mitch

I've only ever heard of reddit, never used it.

Jez

yeah, same.

"the front page of the internet" they laughingly call themselves

arrogant pricks.

oh, and they're even deleting comments that have a link to the stackexchange proposal in it

heh

maybe i should try posting a link to it on the engineering subreddit

they seem to allow it. i could say "ya know that engineering proposal, well here's one just like it!"

trouble is, it's not the same audience as the health subreddit, which has the Nazi mods

Johan Larsson

5:48 PM

Annoying to write a PR and not even get a comment.

Jasper Loy

The barking on the star wall is too loud.

@cerberus Why did you remove robusto as room owner?

JSBձոգչ

6:14 PM

@KitFox @RegDwigнt can we do anything about ImMathan?

ImMathan, Coimbatore

6 3

he's posted a string of really terrible single word requests

and grammar questions

KitFox

Four questions, all today.

JSBձոգչ

is that not enough to make him a nuisance?

at least we could banish i mean gently point him to ELL

KitFox

You are welcome to leave comments to that effect. Four questions isn't quite enough, I'm afraid.

oerkelens

who says ELL welcomes that idea

:P

Mahnax

Heya.

KitFox

6:23 PM

Hi @Mahnax. How is school?

Mahnax

@KitFox It's going well, thanks. I did fairly well first term, and now I'm getting back into the swing of things! How's it going over there?

Mohammad

Hi

KitFox

@Mahnax It goes.

@Mohammad Hello.

Mohammad

please, I am preparing for the TOEFL test, so please some advise

Mahnax

@KitFox Well, that's something, at least!

We're deriving Euler's formula in Physics.

Oh, this is so we can do imaginary exponentials. Fantastic!

Absolutely riveting.

KitFox

6:28 PM

Oh I vaguely remember those.

Mahnax

I'm sure that after today I will vaguely remember them as well!

KitFox

I'm glad you are still enjoying your education.

Mahnax

I'm having fun, don't worry :-)

Mohammad

@KitFox Hi

stalking is prohibited

Which one is the correct one, guys?

It runs until the work has completed or

It runs until the work completes.

I am not an english native speaker for sure.

JSBձոգչ

6:36 PM

both are correct but mean subtly different things

i would prefer the second one in most circumstances

stalking is prohibited

I cannot differentiate it.

Mahnax

Well, that's because it's not continuous.

stalking is prohibited

@Mahnax habitual action?

Mohammad

Hi, I need some body to practice the English language with.

Mahnax

@stalkingisprohibited No, no. Ignore me—it's a math joke.

Neil Fein

6:39 PM

Hey, @KitFox, what's up?

JSBձոգչ

@Mohammad you can try chatting in here with us

KitFox

@NeilFein Hi!

stalking is prohibited

@Mahnax I see. Being continuous is a necessary condition for being differentiable. :-)

Neil Fein

I know we're supposed to just throw stuff over the wall now, but is this question a good word choice question for here?

0

Q: Is the word "becoming" being used correctly in the following metaphor?

We kept going until we reached a door. Finally! The corridor was deeper than I thought, like a tunnel. Or the bottom of the sea—the shelves and scrolls becoming the reef and algae that keeps the light from flooding in. A little unsettling. Good thing we were about to leave the place. ...