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12:00 AM
Caption: Kevin-Wotan H., Rechtsberater: "Echt doof: Mein Kampfhund hat mich gebissen, als ich versucht habe, seinen Schwanz zu kopieren."
Is a Kampfhund like a Rottweiler or a pit bull?
 
Seriously, Rob, where did you learn German?
 
@Robusto These would be two examples, yes.
@Cerberus Seriously, Cerberus, read the transcript.
Feb 18 at 20:24, by Robusto
@RegDwight: When I was getting trained in Germany for a job with a U.S. branch of a German company, I had textbook German going in, and the Vice President of the division would compliment me on my German, how well I spoke. But I didn't speak well at all, because all my co-workers spoke slang, which I didn't understand.
 
On the Internet, nobody knows you're a Kampfhund.
 
Well, we do know that Cerberus is.
 
12:07 AM
Where's the other two heads?
 
They're off being better than one.
 
Hah.
@Reg: Thanks for that transcript. Now I know!
At least for a while.
 
Well, you have to thank Robusto.
 
@Cerberus — What do you know?
 
Not at all!
I know your essence.
And in your sleep I will devour it.
 
12:08 AM
BTW, there's a chance I could be an actual Kampfhund and I'm making up all this Robusto shit.
 
My apologies, I am reading a fantasy book.
 
Apr 5 at 10:22, by Robusto
You are destroying my Purity of Essence. Especially if I laugh at your jokes.
 
@RegDwight — Stop quoting these ancient sages.
 
I know his weak points.
 
You know them now. You will forget.
 
12:10 AM
Absolutely!
But I can't say "I am knowing them", now, can I?
 
Three heads and he can't hold onto a single thought.
 
This silly language. Tssk.
 
I have one head and I can hold onto three thoughts. All at the same time!
 
Stegosauri had brains the size of a walnut, if I'm not mistaken. Didn't stop them.
 
8 hours ago, by Robusto
@RegDwight — I am grateful. I'm too old to waste my time on things that don't involve sex, drugs, or rock 'n' roll.
See? Three thoughts.
 
12:12 AM
I would so love to close this.
6
Q: "Let's" vs. "lets": which is correct?

jeffamaphoneSay I'm promoting a product. Which is correct? [Product] let's you [do something awesome]. [Product] lets you [do something awesome]. Or neither?

 
@RegDwight — I would so love to snark it up before you close it.
 
But the problem is that the phrase is just wrong.
So closing it as a dupe doesn't help.
 
But it would help me.
 
Agreed.
Why don't we call a certain, ehhm, reputation escort service to provide a quick and dirty answer? Do you know of any?
 
I would so love to tell this guy "I'm not your thesaurus monkey, dude."
0
Q: Is there a word for "Someone who/Something that caches"?

RowanCache is defined as: noun a collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place : an arms cache | a cache of gold coins. and has the following synonyms: hoard, store, stockpile, stock, supply, reserve; arsenal; informal stash. I'm looking for a word for som...

Or at least say I don't do server-side programming.
 
12:15 AM
Cachering? :-)
 
@Cerberus I am so tempted to just post "Neither" and leave it at that. Alas, I am not in a position to ridicule.
 
I never understand why people even bother with answering word requests. So utterly boring.
 
@Robusto Hey, I posted not one but two most excellent suggestions on that!
 
@Reg: That is why I suggested this service... but it is apparently oblivious to my call.
 
@Cerberus They used to be very interesting. Then they quickly deteriorated.
 
12:16 AM
Hmm ok.
 
@RegDwight — Well, not to be outdone, so did I?
 
I wish we had a reason "not interesting enough".
 
@Robusto You one-upmanshipper, you.
 
"Too basic" would be a start.
 
@Cerberus — Native speakers would just say: "Boring!"
Or the more imperative: "Boring! Next!"
 
12:18 AM
@Rob: Are you suggesting we need not employ euphemisms any more?
 
@Cerberus — You can employ them. Just don't pay them.
 
@Robusto What about polite native speakers? Or don't you have any of those?
 
I am almost tempted to go see "Suckpuncher."
 
Hah. Employ them I shall.
 
@RegDwight — I don't need politeness lessons from a Russian.
 
12:19 AM
@Reg: They would speak a different dialect.
 
@Robusto Point taken.
God what's with all this sudden activity on the main site?
 
(As alternative, I could watch "KickAss.")
 
@Robusto TS;CD.
Too small; couldn't decipher.
Squinting doesn't help, either.
 
Control +
Magnifying glass.
Squint harder.
 
12:22 AM
@RegDwight — Huh?
 
You just drag it up and press control +.
 
@Cerberus Zoom/enhance doesn't work IRL as it does on CSI.
 
Oh, wait, you don't have awesome FF extensions.
I have news for you: Internets /= real life.
Never mind.
 
If it was a graph of some obscure statistics dump you can bet he'd find a way to zoom/enhance.
 
Exactly!
 
12:24 AM
I wouldn't have to zoom in, I would just read the raw data.
 
Does that mean that the CSI telefilm is a big lie?
 
Hey people, seriously, no close votes on this?
2
Q: Is past tense correct here?

FixeeMy wife and I were disagreeing about this today: (A) Did you know Fred was a doctor? (B) Did you know Fred is a doctor? I was arguing for (A) based on what seemed to "sound right." My wife claimed that, since Fred is currently alive and still practicing medicine, present tense should be used...

 
Onwhich?
 
Oh I thought thou wouldst do that for us, My Liege.
 
Hey, I voted. Didn't you see my purple thumb?
 
12:25 AM
@Cerberus I said, take your picks.
 
Close it, I say!
Pick whichever is the oldest question?
 
@Robusto I got the reference, thank you.
 
Yeah, I know. I'm not a woman. But that's not a thumb, either.
 
This sounds dupish, too.
0
Q: "In cases when" vs. "In cases where": does it matter?

Dan TaoThis is one I struggle with from time to time. Which is better? Methodology X is more suitable in cases where users' needs are well understood up front. Or this: Methodology X is more suitable in cases when users' needs are well understood up front. Obviously "better" is a sub...

But I might be imagining it.
The closest thing I could find so far is this:
0
Q: Should "when" or "where" be used in this sentence?

language hacker Now that I think about it, it was from that moment where I started to have doubts about him. Would it be better to use the word "when" instead of "where," or are they both equally valid word choices? Is there any difference at all?

Which is to say, not close at all.
 
12:27 AM
@RegDwight — Umm, why do you think we elected a servant class to act as, uh, moderators here?
 
@Rob: Hear, hear!
I like the euphemism "elected" most of all.
We used to say "took".
 
Posted by Jeff Atwood on May 17th, 2009

We believe deeply in community moderation. That’s why we appoint Pro Tempore Moderators and, ideally, democratically elected community moderators for every site in our network. But what do community moderators do? The short answer is, as little as possible!

From the very first version of Stack Overflow faq way back in mid-2008, our goal has always been to give power back to the community:

Stack Overflow is run by you! If you want to help us run Stack Overflow, you’ll need reputation first. Reputation is a (very) rough measurement of how much the Stack Overflow community trusts you. Reputation is never given, it is earned by convincing other Stack Overflow users that you know what you’re talking about.  …

 
Of course the natives had to be lured towards the ships with placards promising little work and ample payment.
But upon arrival...
 
@Cerberus — Trouble is, when they found out about the lies they disappeared. Except for the dumb one.
 
12:29 AM
"But what do community moderators do? The short answer is, as little as possible!"
These are the terms on which I volunteered.
 
@RegDwight — Hey! That's MY job description!
 
@Rob: Intelligence is not a quality generally appreciated in servants: it hinders their effectiveness and their obsequiousness.
In short, I think Reg is doing a great job.
 
Hear, hear!
 
Thear, thear!
 
12:32 AM
Aww. I actually think @Reg is very productive in removing duplicates, which I loathe as much as cleaning the bathroom.
By the way, "productive in"? What preposition to use there? At? With?
 
Actually, I was in the middle of the most important process to which I like to refer as "trying to find my bed" when you guys had to show up and them other guys had to start posting dupes upon dupes.
 
None seem appropriate.
That will be all.
 
@Cerberus Instead of?
 
@RegDwight — Did you look in the bedroom? I mean, that's where I usually start ...
 
That sounds more appropriate in light of Alenanno's comment.
 
12:34 AM
Instead of... keep to your cleaning or I'll have your head?
Eh all those obscure references...
 
@Cerberus No. "I actually think @Reg is very productive instead of removing duplicates".
 
I can't even remember my own comments.
 
@Cerberus — You mean your own Communists.
 
@Reg: Ah! How droll.
 
@Cerberus That's why we have those handy grayish arrows and that handy quoting service by the name of RegDwight.
 
12:35 AM
@Rob: Them neither!
@Reg: I keep forgetting the arrows too. Every time.
They aren't really visible on most of my monitors.
 
That's why I remind you of them. I could do it more often, but you don't want that to happen, believe me.
 
2 mins ago, by Robusto
@RegDwight — Did you look in the bedroom? I mean, that's where I usually start ...
 
Besides, they require the mouse, don't they?
@Reg: I appreciate it.
 
Um, there might be a shortcut...
 
But you use the mouse.
 
12:37 AM
@Robusto See? I don't even have time to reply to that.
Not even a simple thanks.
 
I prefer to switch devices as little as possible.
 
I apologize. And not just because I'm at step 9.
 
Of the going to bed?
 
No. Apologies.
 
(So, no decent preposition for "productive"? Not even "at"?)
 
12:38 AM
@Cerberus No.
Apr 13 at 18:30, by RegDwight
Okay, disregard everything. Back to square one. Hi me's John. Sup? ASL?
 
A twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from , compulsion, or other behavioral problems. Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism in 1939. The method was then adapted and became the foundation of other twelve-step programs. As summarized by the American Psychological Association, the process involves the following: * admitting that one cannot ...
 
I was already typing, then I thought of the grey arrow! It works. Let me click it now.
 
Step 9: "Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others."
 
Ahh...
Such people?
 
Mar 4 at 13:42, by RegDwight
I think it just kind of clashes with our design. The arrow is much more visible in other rooms.
 
12:40 AM
@Reg: Ah! I see.
 
Incidentally, do you guys use the Greasemonkey script that add a "reply" button to comments?
I highly recommend it.
Brb, cat arrived, wants food.
 
Dog runs after cat. How original.
 
Dog bites man, though. You gotta give him credit for that.
 
It's "dogs run after cat." The poor cat doesn't have chances.
 
12:43 AM
I always mix up those possessive S'es on verbs and nouns.
 
In other news, I've engaged interlibrary loan to procure me a copy of The Discovery of Heaven. It had better be worth the trouble.
 
We'll see.
 
Oh dear...
 
Yes, honey?
 
Oh him...
 
12:44 AM
I found the first half entertaining. The second half is a bit Brown-ish, I believe, though I've never read Brown.
 
Um.
WUT?
 
Have I offended anyone?
 
Are you out of your gorram mind?
 
looks about
 
@Cerberus Charlie Brown?
 
12:45 AM
Of course I am.
@Kiam: Dan.
The angels are well done, and the dialogues between the main characters are great. But the adventuring part... I don't know: it didn't appeal to me at the time. But I was 17 then.
 
Seriously though, I see what you mean...
 
@RegDwight — Snakes and Ladders? IDK ...
 
@Cerberus Hey now, will you let him read it? No spoilers.
 
It is just that every semi-fantastical-Indiana-Jones-like adventure pales in comparison to Jack Vance, my true love.
 
Did either of you ever read The Magus by John Fowles?
 
12:48 AM
No.
 
Is it fun?
 
It's great.
 
Genre?
 
Literature.
 
Oh dear.
 
12:48 AM
But I'm not trying to undersell it.
It's also a mystery.
 
Oh him.
 
A mystery novel?
 
Not a traditional mystery.
 
What's with this "oh him" meme, @kiamlaluno?
 
I have nothing against mysteries.
 
12:50 AM
Nichts wirksames.
 
Was? Wogegen?
 
Mysteries.
 
@RegDwight I don't know; @Cerberus keeps to invoke this "dear."
 
When I first read it I was 17 and I stayed up all night reading it. On a school night. Then Fowles brought out a revised edition later on, because the first one had been edited too much (and he didn't have enough clout to prevent it), so when he was famous he released the "Author's Cut" and I thought I would look at it, and wound up staying up all night again reading the damn thing.
 
Original language?
 
12:51 AM
British.
 
Old Aramaic.
 
The plot does sound intriguing.
I will add it to my list.
 
Done just that.
Amazon list, that is. Not the imaginary list with the trash can icon on it.
 
@Cerberus The plot, the sound, or the intriguing?
 
(Is reading Der Prozeß right now, liking it so far.)
@Kiam: "it", obviously.
 
12:53 AM
@Cerberus The older I get, the less I understand how I could ever read anything by Kafka.
 
Really?
How so?
 
The novels just don't make sense. Some don't even end.
 
The atmosphere is a bit Dostoevskyesque so far.
 
I won't be spoiling.
 
Oh, to be honest, this is my first novel.
 
12:54 AM
@RegDwight — You have to read them in the original Aramaic.
 
@Robusto I have!
 
You could say the same about Dostoevsky.
 
I also read all of Kafka's diaries.
 
The Brother Karamasov? No decent ending.
 
@Cerberus — You have to read Dostoevsky in the original Aramaic.
 
12:55 AM
Still a great book in my opinion.
 
Heck, I couldn't swing a dead capitalist right now without hitting a Kafka book.
 
Isn't there a word derived from "Kafka" used to mean "absurd"?
 
@Rob: Oh, they scratched the endings in the Aramaic versions?
 
@RegDwight — FWIW I never had much enthusiasm for Kafka except as an adjective stem.
 
Kafkaesque?
 
12:56 AM
@Robusto We get it. You can read Aramaic. You're old. Now let's move on.
 
@RegDwight — No. You have to understand it in the original Aramaic.
 
@Reg: Do you like your fellow countryman whose name I refuse to spell again for laziness?
 
Putin?
 
@Cerberus Do you like him for laziness? What kind of a question is that?
 
Hah.
The "for" was supposed to be archaic sounding... fail?
 
12:57 AM
That's a deeply German question.
 
Laziness is an art!
 
As in, "for fear of".
 
Ich mag ihn für X.
 
@Cerberus — You have to say it in the original Aramaic to sound archaic.
 
No, @Reg, that would rather be "vor": ich gehe hin vor Angst?
Or am I confusing things.
 
12:59 AM
@Robusto He does. But the chat automatically converts anything Cerberus says in Aramaic into written English.
 
@Cerberus — I never really got Der Hungerkunstler either.
@RegDwight — How clever of it.
 
What? Is that a book?
I don't know much about Kafka...
 

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