The Reading Room

1:52 AM

@Feeds I'm not sure how I feel about that.

2:22 AM

@BESW That was me. Are you uncomfortable because I tweeted your question, or because I tagged you?

Either way I can take the tweet down

(I assumed that was you, because the username and picture match)

It's the tagging; I'm not opposed to having my Twitter identity and my Stack identity tied together (or I wouldn't use the same name and icon on both), but I don't see any reason for tagging me there and so it just feels indescribably odd.

I'm not exactly active on Twitter, there's no useful context provided or multiple communities to bridge.

Q: What does Manfred's character tell us about human consciousness?

4:46 AM

0

I'm currently reading Manfred by Lord Byron and my professor said something that I found interesting. In Act 1, Manfred introduces the idea of humans being 1/2 dust and 1/2 deity. Both link to the problematic consciousness of human beings. Despite that we can create designs, technology, and othe...

6:12 AM

Can we feature this question? (@Mithrandir, @Emrakul, @Hamlet)

We have to get a consensus there to announce the next month's challenge.

Or maybe we don't, but we still need the consensus.

Q: Byron's transition from Manfred to Don Juan

0

Manfred is more serious compared to Don Juan's light heartedness. Why did Byron's writing become more satirical and ironic? What was the transition that might've changed his writing style in regards to the Byronic hero? What does this say about the exiled human?

character-analysis lord-byron

6:39 AM

Looking for webcomics recs? There's some gooooooood good comics in this here thread: https://twitter.com/hannahblmnrch/status/856693235715944449

Tweeted by lbtreiman on April 25, 2017 at 6:21 AM

@Gallifreyan hmmm.

I'm not sure that's necessary; we can decide the same way as any other meta question, no?

7:02 AM

Alright. Want me to write the announcement for the topic challenge? Votes seem to have stabilised, and I think it's good to announce it the same time as the previous challenge (to give people time to prepare)

Sure! I was actually planning on doing it myself later, but I am currently on mobile. Go ahead! :)

Yay!

A: How do weekly topic challenges work?

7:58 AM

I've gone ahead and posted the announcement (thanks for the tag, @Mithrandir). I've also posted about our challenges on the main meta:

0

Literature beta has its own topic challenges as well! It was proposed by @Emrakul, as a solution to [then-]prominent problem of diversity: at the time, most of the questions on the front page were about the works of just 5 authors. Since then, we've decided to have monthly topic challenges sug...

Librarian

8:37 AM

2

Q: Announcing the May 2017 topic challenge: Icelandic Sagas!

In accordance with our meta agreement to have topic challenges, seeing that the votes have stabilised, April is nearing its end, and it's time to announce the next topic challenge! Throughout May 2017, our topic challenge, proposed by Rand al'Thor, will be Icelandic Sagas As with the previo...

discussion featured topic-challenge

1:29 PM

@Shokhet - how's the birthday message going?

Birthday? Where? Why weren't we invited?

@Gallifreyan Michael Northrop's birthday :P

I see.

2:22 PM

I am very tempted to close this question due to the fact that the answer depends on the context that quote is used in (i.e. fans of Harry Potter are much more likely to attribute a quote to Dumbledore, other fans might have different conventions). — Hamlet ♦ 13 secs ago

Feeds

3:12 PM

Happy birthday @mdnorthrop! May you have many happy returns of the day! :)

Tweeted by StackLiterature on April 25, 2017 at 2:42 PM

Q: Why does Samson the parrot figure so prominently in the climax of La Fiesta del Chivo?

3:47 PM

1

In the final chapter of La Fiesta del Chivo (The Feast of the Goat), Samson the parrot plays a recurring role. Here are a few examples: Her reply is a sudden jabbering. The five women turn their heads: Samson is awake and announces it by chattering. [...] Samson, who has been quiet for...

mario-vargas-llosa

4:11 PM

@Shokhet What's with Brooklyn and 'aks'?

user61230

4:35 PM

@Gallifreyan I have an answer to your question. Remind me to post one tonight.

user61230

It might be kind of unsatisfying, though. A lot of Sandman requires a change of mental framework from "why is this here?" to "this is the way things are. Now what?"

@Emrakul Dream and Desire question, I assume? Or the three sisters?

@Gallifreyan Part of the Brooklynite accent is the use of the word "ask" as "aks." As in, "Can I aks you a question?"

@Mithrandir Scheduled for this morning. Did it go?.

@Shokhet scroll up

user61230

@Gallifreyan Nightmares

4:42 PM

@Mithrandir Oh, there we go :)

user61230

Oh wait, that's not yours, that's @Shokhet's, nevermind!

@Emrakul 'Tis @Shokhet's, not mine

Jinx!

user61230

I saw last modified and assumed you'd asked it, oops.

@Emrakul Oh cool. Thanks! :)

Q: Is the house plan in Anne Frank's diary an artistic rendition, or is it sketched by Anne?

0

There is this image in the "Friday, 9 July, 1942" section of Anne Frank's diary; a design of the house which is popularly called the Secret Annex. Did Anne's original diary have a (rough) sketch of the Secret Annex, or was it completely a rendition from the details from the diary?

anne-frank

5:06 PM

Waywords & Meansigns Returns with a Third Volume, Featuring Contributions from FinWakeATX

Always Confused

6:16 PM

3

Bangla

Proposed Q&A site for bangla (or Bengali in English) is an Indian language. The site would contain all aspects... starting from Literature and culture through grammar, spelling, translation to typesetting, font, encoding, optical character recognition; everything.

Currently in definition.

DVK-on-Ahch-To

7:27 PM

@Gallifreyan You really should :)

Maybe right after @Randal'Thor watches Star Wars :)

@DVK-on-Ahch-To I'm just going through all my pings over the last two days and now you add more to the list? :-P

@DVK-on-Ahch-To I assumed it was Russian, given the title of the story, but the comments (based on the surrounding context of the quote) imply it was actually English. My mistake.

@Randal'Thor I spent a day doubting my proficiency in Russian

@Mithrandir Most of that is from my conversations with the user called Bleh.

If you really want someone who "bleh"s a lot, try Ankit.

@DVK-on-Ahch-To Fixed.

7:31 PM

Rand, did you see Ben?

He's getting so big.

And I made him cupcakes

Look Rand, no ping!

@Hamlet I've slapped a "primarily opinion-based" close vote on it. Now it'll go through the review queue, so the community can decide without modhammers being needed :-)

I like that this answer has 5 upvotes before the challenge even started.

@Catija I didn't! New pics? Where?

@Catija :-D

@Randal'Thor Either the Screening Room or The Frying Pan.

She shared some in Mos :'( shivers

7:34 PM

@Gallifreyan That was old.

He really wants his cupcake.

But he's not allowed.

Still scary. Like my mother says: "Babies are cute... when silent." I don't know what she means by that :\

Well, he's very quiet in the photo.

When they scream, they're as scary as Voldemort's nose.

Voldemort doesn't have a nose.

@Catija Awww :-)

8 months old?

7:37 PM

@Randal'Thor Crazy, right!

@Catija exactly.

7:50 PM

@Randal'Thor why why why why why why why can't moderators cast non-binding close votes. I get the "all moderation action is binding" when it comes to say, banning a user, but a close vote on a beta site without a well-defined scope?

@Hamlet I assume you've already seen the main meta FR about that?

@Hamlet Because.

Q: Add a way for moderators to cast a normal, non binding close/open vote

308

I think moderators should have the ability to cast a normal, non binding close and open vote like they were a normal user (while of course retaining their ability to cast a binding vote where necessary). This can be used in "grey areas" where a moderator can choose to give his or her opinion, bu...

feature-request status-declined moderation moderator-abilities binding-vote

This dead horse...

> Like it or not, when a moderator expresses their opinion on SO, it is going to carry additional weight. Even if that opinion is expressed in a comment, even without an explicit threat attached, there's always an implication of potential consequences.

(I was going to make a joke about how often my opinions get downvoted on meta, but then realized that maybe people are scared of me but haven't said anything, so I decided not to.)

8:04 PM

@Hamlet Paraleipsis!

Required dead horse gif?

Beastly Gerbil

8:21 PM

er ok. disturbing.

Q: Vonnegut's "Address at Rededication of Wheaton College Library, 1973"

8:34 PM

1

This essay was published in (perhaps among other places) in "Wampeters Foma and Granfalloons". There are two Wheaton Colleges in the U.S., one in Norton MA and the other in Wheaton IL. Does anyone know (and can you provide a reference) as to which of these two colleges this address was delivered ...

setting

9:43 PM

@Gallifreyan What...*is* that thing?

@Shokhet Lobster on a rock?

Reminds me of chull (I think that's what they're called) in Sanderson's Stormlight books. Giant crustaceans running around in the desert.

@Catija I guess so

@Shokhet THE FUTURE

@Randal'Thor :0

Doom! Death! Darkness! Destruction! Despair! Dread! Damage!

9:45 PM

@Mithrandir Sounds like you're naming Endless :P

...offhand, I think it's Dream, Death, Destiny, Delirium (Delight), Desire,

(missing two...)

(...don't tell me...)

(has no idea what you're talking about)

Okay fine, I give up. I was missing Despair and Destruction.

@Mithrandir See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endless_(comics). In case you've missed it, I'm in the middle of reading The Sandman :p

Ahzzzzzz

(I've asked 6 of the 9 questions we currently have on the series)

Sorry, 5. I didn't add is:q to that search. (I've written one answer)

Gtgtbn

9:48 PM

@Mithrandir Bye

@Mithrandir What're you doing up, anyway? It's almost 1am

(that stands for got to go to bed now)

@Shokhet ♦ing

@Mithrandir Ah. I read that as "gotta go bye now" but missed the T

@Mithrandir xkcd.com/386 ? :)

@Shokhet essentially, yrah

*yeah

I've got that linked in my profile

K. I gtg now also, so gn Mith.

10:16 PM

Last week, I got to see a manuscript where the skin had been so badly prepared, the blood had stained the vessels.… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/856913612325212162

Tweeted by sarahxgilbert on April 25, 2017 at 4:51 PM

Amusing thread:

So many attempts to define literary fiction vs genre just assume that literary fiction is always good

Tweeted by eileencurtright on April 24, 2017 at 4:10 PM

user15026

10:30 PM

@BESW giggles I like this

[grin]

E. B. White declining an invitation: http://t.co/wMteRKRIMS

Tweeted by LettersOfNote on November 4, 2013 at 1:29 PM

user15026

@BESW I agree with all the people who are like "I must decline, for secret reasons" is going to be my new go-to for declining things

I know, right.

It goes on my list of stock phrases, alongside "I have no response to that" and "You might say that, but I couldn't possibly comment."

11:08 PM

Space Unicorns! Behold the Uncanny Magazine Issue 16 @galendara Cover & Table of Contents! With extra essays!… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/856860960249831425

Tweeted by UncannyMagazine on April 25, 2017 at 1:22 PM

user15026

Can I just say I love the stuff you post here that you find on Twitter? :)

2

11:26 PM

[grin] I'm glad it's welcome.

I cultivate my Twitter feed for maximum interesting retweets from a minimum of accounts I actually follow.

user15026

Well, I certainly appreciate it.

Most of what I share here comes to me through @UrsulaV, @SydneyPadua, @JillBearup, @GRAMMARHULK, @indiancountry, and @etangata. (Unfortunately @GalleyCat stopped sharing content before lit.se hit beta.)

(So far everything today came from @UrsulaV and @SydneyPadua.)

@Ash If you want more random, less focused tweet-sharing of things like cave paintings, cute birds, and cool science, I put those in the Not A Bar

It's my "I think people might like this but there's no room with an obvious theme for it" catch-all.

But it's also the pressure valve for RPG General Chat, so the talk can get kinda weird/random/intense sometimes.

user15026

Thanks for the heads up,that's good to know. I spend most of my time in the Bridge, so I am no stranger to weird and random :)

11:47 PM

@BESW I apologize for not following up on this, @BESW. I saw your message shortly after you wrote it, but then forgot about it. Would you like me to delete that tweet?

It's not that big of an issue for me. Just be aware going forward, haphazardly tagging everything and everyone isn't a good look.