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12:00 AM
Time to hie me home so I can get a good night's sleep and watch the lil OMERs have fun tomorrow.
 
@Mahnax Ugh, yes, I have noticed it.
Haven't been there after the opening, though.
 
@aediaλ cya! have fun tomorrow :)
 
Bye!
 
12:19 AM
I should perform some sort of sleeping activity. good night.
 
Good luck!
 
12:34 AM
@aediaλ Enjoy it!
 
 
4 hours later…
4:14 AM
@Cerb you still awake you nutty puppy?
 
@MrShinyandNew安宇 Hi, look who's talking.
I was watching Jessica Fletcher.
 
Murder, she wrote?
it's only 11pm where I am
er, 11:26 now
although we're changing the clocks this weekend.
so earlier you mentioned something about something I said regarding apple prices.
 
 
1 hour later…
5:52 AM
in lɪŋˈgwɪstɪks, 23 mins ago, by pensator
I suspect Ron Maimon is the same person as this person who was banned from Wikipedia. Same obsessions (physics, Piraha recursion), strident tone and penchant for name calling.
 
 
1 hour later…
6:58 AM
@Cerberus Woah!
 
 
3 hours later…
10:18 AM
@Cerberus I wonder if he's like that in real life. People do take themselves to extremes online
 
Hard to tell whether it's the same person or not. The thought of Ron Maimon being let loose on Wikipedia makes me shudder to the bone.
You might find that in RL, he's witty, charming and sophisticated though.
 
10:49 AM
0
Q: Can I use "whose" to refer to things (not people), or do I need to use "which"?

Pietroo Possible Duplicate: 'Which', 'whose' or something else? Is the word 'whose' referring to an inanimate object correct in this sentence? Usage of “whose” not referring to a person. Referring to some attribute of an inanimate object — use “who's”? What is the po...

FOR GOD'S SAKE
 
Deep breaths @RegDwight!
 
All the air in the world won't suffice.
 
It's just a question and answer site. Not a life support system for the entire planet.
 
Hey I'm dedicated like that.
 
besides, @RegDwight, what would you do all day if people didn't post questions that deserved closure, downvoting, or general all-round mockery?
 
10:58 AM
Play with LEGO, duh.
Which is what I was going to be doing right now as well.
 
Speaking of lego - I often see it used as a count noun. For me it's a mass noun. Am I peculiar?
I mean, others talk about "legos", where I would say "lego blocks" or even "blocks of lego".
 
17
Q: Legos not LEGO?

xiaohouzi79I've seen many people make reference to LEGO as Legos. e.g. "I enjoy playing my Legos". But from my understanding this is incorrect and should be referred to simply as LEGO (in capitals as per company standards) i.e. "I enjoy playing with LEGO". There is no reference to the terms Legos on the o...

 
Fuck, it seems like everything I say these days is a duplicate of something!
 
Mar 1 at 19:27, by RegDwight Ѭſ道
This room contains everything. Including the known Universe.
You see, I don't even have to link to that question. I could quote a post from this room.
 
Aha, (re Lego), Americans butchering our language again!
 
11:01 AM
Jun 27 '11 at 20:05, by RegDwight
11
A: Legos not LEGO?

nohatOwners of trademarks are free to make whatever pronouncements they like regarding how people should use their trademarks. Users of the English language, however, have the final say of how the English language works. Just as watches made by Rolex are “Rolexes”, Apple computers are “Macs”, shoes ...

 
... and here I go resuming my quest to offend everybody on the Internet.
 
What, there was a point at which you stopped?
 
and what, exactly, is a Britishism? Isn't this entire language a Britishism?
 
Well the American language is full of Britishisms. Contemporary British English not so much.
Steven Pinker has a nice list in his book.
 
11:09 AM
It's true.
 
No, it's hilarious.
 
I wouldn't be surprised to learn that NZ English, too, has a whole bunch of archaic stuff to which the Brits have long waved good-bye.
 
Words and phrases that came into American from English!
@RegDwightѬſ道 This would surprise me somewhat, since there are so many modes of speech in Britain; anything you can find in NZ English is bound to be found somewhere in the Home Countries.
 
Even so, it would have developed independently.
Just because some person in Edinburgh speaks with a NZ accent, doesn't mean that the NZ borrowed their entire language from there.
 
I don't think that's what I meant.
 
11:13 AM
Yeah, but that's what I meant.
Other people meaning stuff never stopped me before.
 
You sound like Winne The Pooh.
We are NOT talking about gorse bushes!
 
You sound like Christopher Robin.
 
... in other words, I was trying to be Owl.
 
You almost succeeded. But then you did the other thing.
 
Yes, I frequently find myself doing the other thing. What other thing?
 
11:18 AM
In this particular case, not succeeding.
But it differs!
 
And why on earth would someone in Edinburgh speak with a NZ accent, unless they were either a New Zealander or a bad actor?
 
It's a free town.
 
OK, but how would someone from Edinburgh be capable of speaking with a NZ accent?
 
Physically.
 
Well, I didn't mean emotionally.
 
11:20 AM
Good for you!
Mar 3 at 16:57, by RegDwight Ѭſ道
It was clear from the context, the moon phase, and Tuesday.
 
Speaking of Tuesday, how many series of That Eighties Show were made?
 
0
A: abbreviation ARE

David SchwartzThere's no way we could know. It could refer to a contract with a company whose initials are "ARE". It could refer to a product whose initials are "ARE". It could be a code name. It could refer to a contract involving the United Arab Emirates. Without full context, all we can do is guess.

Why is this an answer?
@DavidWallace Never watched that one.
 
Oh, only one. That explains why I can remember only one.
 
And I suppose Wikipedia has a dedicated article on every single one of them.
 
Almost. Chyler Leigh was hot in that. But not in Grey's Anatomy. Funny.
 
11:26 AM
No one is hot in Grey's Anatomy.
It's an axiom.
 
Sara Ramirez and Kate Walsh are counter-examples to your axiom.
 
Never saw her there.
 
Too much playing with LEGO?
 
And Kate Walsh is hideous.
 
A chacun son gout.
 
11:28 AM
She's got too much of that I-am-so-beautiful-and-totally-aware-of-it attitude.
She should keep it low.
And I dunno, start acting for a change.
 
I never said she could act.
 
But that's the thing.
All she does right now is wear her face.
And if you don't like her face, you're left with nothing.
 
So, you seriously don't find ANYONE in Grey's Anatomy hot?
 
Not even Katherine Heigl?
 
11:29 AM
Gah.
 
So whom do you find hot?
 
I don't have a prepared answer to that.
 
The whole idea is not to have a prepared answer. The idea is to have recently looked at someone and thought "wow she's hot", or "wow he's hot"; and then remembered their name!
If it's someone from television or a movie, there's more chance that I'll have seen them too, and be able to agree or disagree.
 
First of all, I really can't think of anyone right now except Brad Pitt.
 
Fair enough - you wouldn't be alone there!
 
11:35 AM
Secondly, no matter whose name I mention, two minutes later someone way hotter will occur to me, but it will be too late. The first name will stick forever, in this chat and your memory alike.
Lastly, and I find that difficult to believe myself, but tastes change.
I remember how I was never a great fan of Julia Louis-Dreyfus when I was young. These days, she no longer seems unattractive to me at all.
 
Of course. Mine certainly have. I call it old age.
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 Wow, you say it and suddenly Robusto appears. Coincidence? Hardly.
 
Schicksal.
 
Aye. It were ever thus.
 
But hey, it's too late now. Brad Pitt now sticks forever in the place you could've been in.
 
11:40 AM
@RegDwightѬſ道 Give it another twenty years and you'll be rubbing one out to Helen Mirren.
 
Not unlikely in the least.
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 I've had to live with that for a long time. I can bear it now.
 
I call it old age.
 
So I have three 6's in my rep again. That's gotta be worth something.
 
It's worth seven.
 
11:42 AM
Numerologically speaking, my rep is a 9.
 
Somehow David always evaporates as soon as you sublimate.
You should cut it out and become bestest good friends.
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 Water ya gonna do?
 
You misspelled vodka.
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 Hey, if you're hot for David I can leave.
 
My stove is hot.
I've been meaning to scramble some eggs for the last thirty minutes.
 
11:44 AM
Anyway, tell him that I don't notice his presence anyway, so it doesn't matter.
And he is free to respond in kind and put me on ignore.
 
Dann geh ich mal futtern.
Чего и тебе желаю.
 
Mahlzeit.
 
11:57 AM
The rhyme-as-reason effect is a cognitive bias whereupon a saying or aphorism is judged as more accurate or truthful when it is rewritten to rhyme. In experiments, subjects judged variations of sayings which did and did not rhyme, and tended to evaluate those that rhymed as more truthful (controlled for meaning). For example, the statement "What sobriety conceals, alcohol reveals" was judged to be more accurate than by different participants whom saw "What sobriety conceals, alcohol unmasks". The effect could be caused by the Keats heuristic, according to which a statement's truth is eva...
 
I would find that easier to believe if the article rhymed...
 
12:47 PM
Huh, Kosmo no longer has mod privileges.
 
@Vitaly This is news?
@RegDwightѬſ道 He may never know that.
 
@Robusto The article itself is 4 days old.
 
@Vitaly O. J. Simpson got away with murder based on rhyme-as-reason.
 
Look at the monkey!
 
1:12 PM
@RegDwightѬſ道 That doesn't rhyme either.
0
Q: There is a new search of which I've become aware / .. I've become aware of?

PietrooI would like to know which is correct and why: There is a new search of which I've become aware. or There is a new search I've become aware of.

Not a dupe? Really?
uhh
44
Q: When is it appropriate to end a sentence in a preposition?

Brian KellyLike many others, I commonly find myself ending a sentence with a preposition. Yes, it makes me cringe. I usually rewrite the sentence, but sometimes (in emails) I just live with it. To, with... you know who you are. Should I keep fighting myself on this one, or is it okay in some circumstanc...

 
16 hours ago, by Matt Эллен
it's true because it rhymes
 
MIT student: Can you tell me what this device is for?
HARVARD student: You know you're not supposed to end sentences with prepositions, don't you?
MIT student: OK. Can you tell me what this is device is for, asshole?
 
That's a variation I haven't heard yet of.
Normally it's a professor rather than a student.
 
@RegDwightѬſ道 Wevs. The question has another question that it's a dupe of.
 
That's completely of which unheard!
 
1:22 PM
Can you tell me for what this device is?
 
I can, sort of.
 
what for is this device?
 
For this device is what?
 
For what device is this?
 
What this device for is?
 
1:27 PM
Of what for which is that?
 
this device is for what?
 
I'll give you what for.
And btw, WMT is a game I lately suck at.
 
If it's any consolation, I do too
 
I've completely this war up screwed.
 
1:30 PM
What if I am indifferent to Chilean chinchillas and all their parts?
 
does the rhyming and alliteration not put a smile on your face?
 
@MattЭллен The smile was already there. I blame the drugs.
 
sound advice
toodles!
 
Bai.
 
I use Gorelesup. Not stellar, but works. 400 delta so far.
But now I'm spent and off to run errands.
 
2:33 PM
Been using Gorelesup. Mixed results.
 
2:43 PM
@MattЭллен Yes, like solitary confinement...but I think really nice people in real life never get like that?
 
 
1 hour later…
4:13 PM
Where does the saying 'This just in: <news>' come from? It sounds so awkward.
 
it's a shorter version of "this is just in"
 
@MattЭллен a
 
or perhaps "this has just come in"
reporters like to take out words so it seems like what they're saying is of the utmost importance - i.e. so important that they don't have time to speak in full sentences
@Mahnax ta :)
 
@MattЭллен Pardon?
 
@Mahnax ta -> thanks
5
Q: Where does "ta!" come from?

PekkaWhere does the expression "ta" come from? Wikipedia has only this to say: "ta!", slang, Exclam. Thank you! {Informal}, an expression of gratitude but no additional information or links about its genesis. I have only ever heard it from englishmen and -women. Is it used anywhere else in the...

 
4:24 PM
@MattЭллен Oh. I've never seen that before.
 
@Cerberus yeah, that should be the case. I guess some people hide their frustrations in the offline world and let them out online
@Mahnax glad to be of service :)
 
@MattЭллен Ta.
 
Heh.
 
Hello, I have question about English language again.
 
4:34 PM
Okay.
What can we do for you?
 
I will talk about Cars, Motorcycles and Big Truck next time. (These/Those) things are very interesting.
 
Big Trucks
 
I want to know when to use these and those when I say something like in that sentence.
 
I wouldn't capitalize them.
 
8
Q: What's the difference between "these" and "those"?

RoflcoptrFirst of all, I'm not a native English speaker, but in school I learned that these is used if referring to something near, and those is used when referring to something far away (temporally or locally). But now I'm sometimes watching English movies and notice sentences like "Have you seen those b...

 
4:37 PM
I will read that question and answers. :)
The answers talk about usage of these and those by distant but when I refer to things that I just mentioned I don't know what is the corrected word to use.
 
I think the answers essentially say "if you feel close to the things in question use these else use those"
In your above example I would use neither these nor those, and I wouldn't say things. I would use they
 
@MattЭллен "They things are…"
 
yah yah
 
Awww haaayeeeell nah.
 
They things are interesting sound strange for me. Is it common usage in English language?
 
4:44 PM
@Anonymous sorry, I just added "and I wouldn't say things"
Mahnax was pointing out my error
so,"they things" is definitely wrong
 
Thank you!
 
no problem :)
 
I am off to bed. It's midnight at Thailand. :)
Have a good weekend!
 
Thank for the 'this just in'. :]
 
you too @Anonymous :)
no probs @Chris :)
 
5:08 PM
I have a question about English. How would you arrange stupid, ignorant, denialist, and creationist by degree of offensiveness?
 
well, it is a very subjective question
my point of view, from most offensive to least: creationist, stupid, denialist, ignorant
I already know I'm ignorant!
 
How is "creationist" offensive in the least? Wishful thinking.
 
Hmm. Someone here suggests that denialist would be the most offensive of the first three: overcomingbias.com/2012/03/todays-insults.html#comment-747715
 
I would find it offensive if someone accused me of being creationist because I hold creationists in low regard
 
5:16 PM
Creationists themselves don't, however.
Anyone would be offended by being called "stupid".
 
no, which is why it's very subjective
 
The n-word or the c-word are offensive no matter what.
 
Doesn't denialist include creationist? They deny the most important part of biology, after all.
 
Anyhow, I gotta run again. TTYL
 
well, it would depend on why someone is calling me denialist. If, on reflection, they're right - I'm denying something when I shouldn't be, I would be less offensive than being called stupid, which is always a generalisation
cya @RegDwight :)
plus, denialist is not a word in common use, so I can shrug that off more easily
 
5:19 PM
One could apply that line of reasoning to creationist, too.
If you were a creationist they would be right in calling you one. Also, it is not really a word in common use either. :P
 
nah, creationist is in common use. it's all over the media. I've only heard denialist today
 
...What?
 
> I've only heard denialist today
 
my spell checker doesn't red squiggly creationist, it does denialist
@Vitaly it's true
 
5:21 PM
Holocaust denialism, climate change denialism… I think those are featured in the media quite often.
Heck, even AIDS denialism.
 
check out this ngram
denialist just isn't that popular.
 
Huh. OK, I was wrong.
 
I really hadn't heard it
although it does make sense as a word, and I'm probably just not paying enough attention
I'm more familiar with "denier"
So, in long, I can cope with being called "a denier" as a generalisation, because I do deny things from time to time. I would hate to be called a "holocaust denier" because that sort of person is horrible. Being called a creationist is similar in that it is a specific form of denial, one that I think is particularly stupid. Being called stupid is a generalisation that calls into question my entire education, but being called ignorant is fine, because it's true, there are lots of things
I am ignorant about
although if I was called ignorant persistently then I would probably get upset
 
Well, denialist is probably not the same as denier.
To quote RationalWiki,
> Denialism is the culture of denying an established fact.
 
5:47 PM
Hi.
 
@Vitaly I see. I would not like to be called denialist then. that would be quite inaccurate.
Hi.
 
So is there a specific meaning of denialist?
 
probably I would put it worse than stupid, because it is stupid and also malignantly devious
@Cerberus the one according to RationalWiki is what I'm referring to
 
So just denying any established theory/fact?
 
Denialism is choosing to deny reality as a way to avoid an uncomfortable truth. Author Paul O'Shea remarks, "[It] is the refusal to accept an empirically verifiable reality. It is an essentially irrational action that withholds validation of a historical experience or event". In science, denialism has been defined as the rejection of basic concepts that are undisputed and well-supported parts of the scientific consensus on a topic in favor of ideas that are both radical and controversial. It has been proposed that the various forms of denialism have the common feature of the rejection of ...
 
5:49 PM
@Cerberus and doing so in a way that confuses lay people into believing you
 
Hmm.
I see.
@Vitaly So are you a denialist?
Yes or no.
 
Vitaly is not the man to unambiguously answer questions anyway. Answering yes or no would be like nails on a chalkboard to him.
 
Hello.
 
Hello.
 
5:57 PM
@Cerberus Umm, even if I were to take that question seriously, it would be a false dilemma
 
@Vit, I have a faction question.
 
@Mahnax Go ahead.
 
@Vitaly I made a faction; the invite link doesn't work. Any other way to get someone into it?
 
@Vitaly Oh, yes?
Because you wouldn't know if you were?
 
there's no such thing as a denialist. science hasn't proven it, my spell checker doesn't even recognise the word.
 
6:00 PM
OMG one of our own!
'Tis a sad day.
 
@Mahnax you can copy the link but you have to make sure you get the full link and not just the visible part of it. there are trailing numbers that are hidden until you try and select the link and then move your mouse without releasing the mouse button. either that, or you haven't looked at applicants, or the applicant hasn't reloaded their webpage
 
Oh goodness.
 
@Cerberus well, duh. i can still make a fairly educated guess that i am not one, but that doesn't come close to yes or no
 
@Vitaly It was the hidden number thing.
 
Isn't it safe to assume that you're at least a denialist of one theory?
 
6:02 PM
Good.
 
@Cerberus contrary to popular belief it is a happy day. The Illuminati controlled media want you to believe otherwise as it furthers their agendas of globalisation
 
Oh noes, not the Illuminati!
shrouds himself in darkness
 
@Cerberus Yeah, can't be too careful
 
@Cerberus i can't remember off the top of my head when i engaged in refusing to accept an empirically verifiable reality
 
That all seeing eye is everywhere
 
6:04 PM
@Vitaly So your mind has become entirely blocked with respect to recognizing your own little denialisms?
Sauron!
 
And the Lizard people
 
Frodo!
Tom Bombadil!
 
Huh?
There is no such thing as Lizard People!
A figment if your imagination!
@Mahnax Yes, those exist.
 
@Cerberus OH REALLY?!
 
@Cerberus Yay! Then you have read the books or heard the legends?
 
6:06 PM
Hey, do you remember what Tom Bombadil was again?
@Mahnax Heard the legends? Where are they told?
@MattЭллен Read the B...I mean the Silmarillion!
 
@Cerberus From folk who have read the books to those who have not :P
 
@Cerberus David Icke ain't crazy, so nor am I
 
@Mahnax Haha, I see.
 
He is master of wood, water, and hill.
 
How...interesting!
@Mahnax But what race?
 
6:08 PM
@Cerberus Human, I suppose.
Or maybe he is a god of some nature.
 
I deny I ever denied denialism
 
No, he might just be god.
@MattЭллен le gasp
 
@Mahnax I read somewhere that he was probably a Maia.
 
@Cerberus Interesting.
 
A lesser Vala, i.e. a lesser angel.
 
6:14 PM
I haven't read LOTR in years :(
I really should.
 
And for @Mr Shiny And New:
@MattЭллен You didn't undeny it.
 
I thought that said Amex and I was thoroughly confused.
 
@Robusto I deny that I need to undeny anything as I never denied it in the first place
 
6:20 PM
@Mahnax Yeah neither have I. But it made a huge impression at the time.
 
You are virtually living in denial. Literally. And, since @Cerberus is present, liberally as well.
 
@Cerberus It was an amazing series.
 
Quoi?
 
I shall read it again.
 
@Mahnax Yup. And the mythology and history were perhaps the best part.
I even read the appendix to the LotR with pleasure.
 
6:22 PM
@Cerberus I didn't pick up on a lot of it back then.
 
No?
 
Nope. I think I read them four years ago.
 
I may have even drawn a genealogy of some dynasty or other.
 
@Robusto Living? Me? Ha! That's rich, coming from you.
 
I think I was 11 or so.
 
6:22 PM
Oh, me too.
I guess that I wasn't really into the mythology. I just loved the story.
 
I only read the Hobbit later.
 
fine! you're all going to shame me into reading the damn book, aren't you
 
Now I would read the appendix with joy.
 
@Mahnax plus Cerb has gone over the memory hump, and you're about 10 years away from it
 
I remember enacting parts of the story of the LotR with a friend in primary school, when I was 11 or so.
 
6:24 PM
@MattЭллен Heh.
 
@MattЭллен Haha, is that the optimum age to remember stuff?
 
I'm off to clean. Bye!
 
cya @Mahnax
@Cerberus well, when one is about 25, ones memory of ones childhood resurfaces and becomes clearer. things become more difficult to learn from then on
 
It resurfaces? Really?
Interesting.
 
so I was taught
I can't say I noticed
we're generally less aware o' our childhood up to that point
 
6:32 PM
Around age 24, your skull sutures finally tighten fully. That's when your brain stops learning new things as well as it used to.
Also, apparently my project lead sold our stuff to Georgia, so I guess I'll be employed for a little while longer.
 
I suppose.
I'm pleased about the custom control work I did yesterday, and I'm looking forward to learning more about Linq.
 
:D I was so glad to hear you got it working
 
Plus, I realized that I don't know a thing about MVC, except it is on the MS cert test, so I should probably find a way to work that in somewhere.
 
yeah. it's a usefull tool to have
 
6:36 PM
@MattЭллен Only part of it.
 
@KitFox that's how I left things on Friday too
I was trying to get region selection working on the chart, but I couldn't get toggling between region selection and panning working, so I left once the region selection part was working
 
If I can get the whole thing to work, I shall be very pleased indeed.
 
@KitFox good :) it will be a great triumph
 
I need to hook up the controls to pass their events properly and set up the sorting part.
There's much to do, but I think I can do it all, so that's encouraging.
Also, it will save me crazy amounts of maintenance.
 
excellent
 
6:40 PM
I should have done it this way in the first place, but I couldn't get it to work. It seems like I must have just not known enough yet.
 
'tis the programming way
 
Apparently I've learned something in a year.
 
I'm really interested to see if Linq simplifies the system. It certainly shortens the code substantially.
 
linq is lovely. my favourite part of c# for sure
since it generates SQL (when it's talking to a MSSQL DB) and is quite efficient at it, I found it better than writing sprocs
@Cerberus - does this list mostly contain typical Dutchman names?
 
6:47 PM
Oh! I gotta go! Later!
 
oh! cya @KitFox :)
 
@MattЭллен I see mostly Dutch names, but also many I have never seen before.
 
Ah, thanks!
 
Some sound like very old-fashioned names. Or provincial ones.
 
oh, can you give an example?
 
6:57 PM
ABRAM: I would not be surprised to find this variation of regular Abraham somewhere, but I have never seen or heard it.
 
I see. It's quite a religious name. That's what Abraham was called before God changed his name
 
AALT: Never seen this one either. It is apparently short for Adolf. I have seen Aaltje (female), but it is very old.
 
I found that quite odd when I read it in the bible
 
Oh!
Funny.
I had no idea.
 
yeah
@Cerberus thanks!
I could have picked a nicer looking site, eh?
 
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