English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

user19161

19:00

I also liked the part where the fairy or whatever said to Frodo "If you do not find the way, noone will".

aedia λ

K, back laterz chat peeps. Have to ~~pointlessly train someone to do something small~~ I mean, enjoy an educational opportunity for both of us! A time to learn and grow and develop new, marketable skills! Or something!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@WillHunting fairy? GAH! Nerd rage!

aedia λ

@WillHunting It's a book! Gah! at least listen to the audiobook :P

Kitḫ

yawns

RegDwight Ѭſ道

19:21

A vs. an again, eh?

Can't turn my back on the site for just a second.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Aren't you an owl? shouldn't you be able to just turn your head to face the site, no matter which way you are otherwise facing?

Kitḫ

shrugs

MetaEd

19:37

WAKE UP!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

0

A: What do Americans think of using 'cheers' to sign off an email?

CHEERS IS COMMON ENDING CONVERSATION AND BEFORE DRINKING TOAST,IN GENERAL IT'S INFORMAL EXCLAMATION,IT IS TYPICAL FOR STYLISH BRITISH."CHEERS ALL".

WAKE UP STYLISH BRITS!!!!!!!!!

Matt Эллен

I AM AWAKE

MetaEd

I sign off with Cheers. One data point from an American from the mid-west.

Matt Эллен

I HAVE A STYLE

I used to sign off with cheers, for some reason I've changed to regards

MetaEd

Picked it up from you limeys.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

19:40

I HAVE OVER ())) STYLES!

Matt Эллен

well, we do say the best things

MetaEd

(i (have (a lisp)))

Kitḫ

19:58

looks at computer

looks out window

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Careful, OutLook and Windows are registered trademarks.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Looks like he misspelled CHEERS and EMAIL.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

And also "LookOut", which is a search add-on for Outlook

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto If you say so you must be right!

Kitḫ

I am just wondering how naughty I can be before I will get scolded.

Matt Эллен

20:01

quite naughty

Kitḫ

The boss isn't here.

Robusto

@MetaEd You use Lisp? I have the last half of a Lisp program. Can you figure out the rest of it from the following sample? Here it is: ))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))‌))))))

Kitḫ

My family has gone to the children's museum.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Ah yes. Robusto. Never too tired to make a tired joke.

Kitḫ

I don't think anyone will notice if I leave...

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

20:01

@Kitḫ how naughty are we talking, here?

Matt Эллен

is that where they keep children so other people can look at them?

Kitḫ

@MattЭллен Yes. My children, of course, are the most popular exhibit, seeing as how they are such perfect little angels.

Matt Эллен

@Kitḫ of course! That was my first thought

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 And you're never too tired to complain about it,

Kitḫ

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Sometimes I sneak out a half hour early. OK, a lot I sneak out a half hour early. If I leave now, that's like an hour and a half early.

So pretty naughty.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

20:03

@Robusto I don't complain. I state a fact. Look up the difference in a dictionary of your choice. I'll wait. Perhaps.

Matt Эллен

so what's on at the children's museum?

Kitḫ

Nothing. Just time to be with my boys.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Kitḫ wow it's 3pm already? Time flies when you wake up at noon

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Which one was your "fact"? I might have missed it.

Matt Эллен

@Kitḫ :)

Kitḫ

20:04

I think they still have the Dino Dig exhibit up.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto The fact was that you were repeating a joke you yourself had repeated OVER 9000 times in this room alone. I guess that's what they call copying from the best.

Kitḫ

I launched a new page without approval and the new logo also without approval today.

Matt Эллен

but they liked the new logo and asked for the page?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Kitḫ Better to ask for forgiveness, or smth like that?

Kitḫ

Nobody but me has seen the logo.

Robusto

20:05

@RegDwightѬſ道 Oh, cut me some slack, willya? I'm tired and hitting my daily slump. And I ain't the only one who repeats himself around here.

Kitḫ

And the page is probably OK.

Oh! Right! And I have the laurel-resting privilege!

2

That cinches it.

I'm taking off.

Matt Эллен

see ya!

have fun :)

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

bye

Kitḫ

Thanks!

Bye!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto At no point was I not cutting you slack.

Robusto

20:07

Apr 17 '11 at 20:41, by RegDwight

I'm here to help.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Oct 19 '11 at 21:33, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

I am so glad I am here to help.

Matt Эллен

me too

MetaEd

Mar 11 '11 at 13:56, by RegDwight

Cut him some slack, he's @Robusto.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

See. I even advocate cutting you slack in my absence!

MetaEd

Quotediving.

Robusto

20:09

Mar 10 '11 at 2:13, by Robusto

Nah, you're a narcissict blerg, why would I ask you?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

May 13 '11 at 13:44, by RegDwight

@Cerberus Don't make me search the transcript, because you know I will.

Anyhoo. Only 11 minutes left. Ima go find us teh next prey.

Robusto

Mar 11 '11 at 12:46, by Robusto

Well, I suppose what you do is all right if done behind closed doors with consenting adult.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

yesterday, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

Yes, yes.

MetaEd

I have never seen a door with a consenting adult.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

That's because you're always behind it.

And it's closed.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

20:17

@MetaEd what about an adult, with a consenting door?

Robusto

Mar 11 '11 at 16:48, by Robusto

@RegDwight — I'll handle the snide remarks around here, tyvm.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Door rental advisory.

@Robusto Yeah right, and when are you planning to start?

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 As soon as you step back and give a man some snide-remark-handling room.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

That'll be in 40 seconds.

Robusto

I can wait.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

20:22

I sure hope you can.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 More insincerity from +1 GMT.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

There, I'm off to a new war. This room can now be handled the hell out of.

Matt Эллен

I think you just flirted with the whole room, @RegDwight

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Well, I never said "no flirting with this room".

Matt Эллен

:D

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

20:28

Q: Difference between _with_ and _in_
Who is RegDwight prohibiting from flirting?
[tag:prepositions]

dammit, format!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Robusto is dominating the dojo.

Matt Эллен

no magic with the multi-line, @MrShinyandNew

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Ssssshhhhh ... you'll jinx it.

Matt Эллен

Oct 31 '11 at 15:00, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

No flirting in this chat.

so, I guess, everyone

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@MattЭллен You read too many into that one.

Matt Эллен

20:32

I see. does it only apply to the people you say it to?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

May 9 '11 at 13:41, by RegDwight

I could tell you, but I have to charge.

Matt Эллен

OIDC

RegDwight Ѭſ道

AHA! ROB'S VERY LAST SHOT GOT JINXED!!

Matt Эллен

but he's on your team

aedia λ

It was the three lines
Automatically et--
All lick'd, tags and bold

Robusto

20:34

@RegDwightѬſ道 Still ahead of you, though.

Matt Эллен

that shouldn't be a source of joy for you

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto Not by the number of losses, though.

Robusto

I like the way the wins decrement and the losses increment going down the list. Each adds up to 10. Ain't math beautiful?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

And now I got us OVER 1000.

And your order is all biased.

This is the order.

But I think a couple days ago it was even more impressive. Hold on.

Yup. That was nice.

Robusto

Yeah. My perfect score was pretty nice.

I could leave the mopping up to you and Vit.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

20:38

I actually left at that point.

Robusto

I left before that point.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

So I couldn't take another screenshot an hour later.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 You actually save screenshots from these wars?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

No.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Lies!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

20:40

Only from those ones I turn out needing a week later.

This war's the only one I have taken a screenshot of since, well, forever.

In fact I have four versions of it.

I started at a lower score.

And then checked back every ten minutes to see if it got even more impressive.

But then I had to leave, as stated.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 That's a lot of explaining.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I am bored.

So don't tease me, lest I upload all four versions just because I can.

Robusto

What's that, a preemptive upload? I didn't tease you.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I am bored.

So don't not tease me lest I do stuff.

Matt Эллен

are you a member of the board?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

20:44

Seven.

In fact I just checked and it's eight.

I am so bored I'll go fix that awful typo in @MrShinyandNew's Tolkien.

Robusto

►

This is @Reg. Begging not to be teased.

@RegDwightѬſ道 BTW, Orcs are just Tolkien Negroes.

See? You complain about my repeats, but you can't handle my new material.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Bah, MrShiny has quite a bunch of those Tolkeins in his quiver.

@Robusto I'll handle your new material as soon as I am less bored by it.

Oh, and once it's, you know, actually new.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 The fact remains, you don't acknowledge my successes, only my failures. Are you practicing to be someone's wife, or what?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I acknowledge your successes all the time, it's just that you're so obsessed with your failures you couldn't tell an acknowledgment from a hole in the ground if I hit you with it by swinging a dead cat.

Robusto

Still trying to parse that.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

20:52

Mar 23 '11 at 13:35, by Robusto

The fact is, when someone begins a sentence with "the fact is," that sentence will probably contain not a single provable fact.

@Robusto Of course you are. No doubt about that.

Mar 7 '11 at 18:22, by RegDwight

Back to reading comprehension class for you.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Admit it, I knocked you off your chair with that remark. Now you're just blubbering and trying to crawl back on.

Matt Эллен

meaning Q: is remains synonymous with is

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto I can't admit that simply because there is no chair in this room.

Robusto

@MattЭллен Thanks for pointing out the obvious, which is that "The fact remains" differs from "The fact is" in one important particular.

Matt Эллен

it's what I do best

RegDwight Ѭſ道

20:54

See. Now you attract the Wrath of Rhob.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 Move to a country that has chairs. Oh, and DRM rights to YouTube.

Matt Эллен

|_
| |

it's a chair

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto We have rights just fine, it's your RIAA who doesn't acknowledge them.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 No. He is supplying corroborative evidence of your malfeasance. So no wrath.

MetaEd

"Facts are stubborn things". —John Adams
"Facts are stupid things." —Ronald Reagan

Matt Эллен

20:55

:D

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@MattЭллен At best, it's a parody of a pictogram of a chair.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightѬſ道 ok, ok. I can't do ascii art.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

We noticed.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 I have nothing to do with the RIAA.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

That's your problem right there.

Otherwise you could knock them off their chairs for good.

Robusto

20:57

I would rather smack them with the SUBJUNCTIVE.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

It's okay, we all had to start somewhere.

One of our mercs is at 11/0.

Robusto

Yeah, on Fight. I'd rather be 12-1 with 508 points than 11-0 with 233.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You knew I knew you would say that.

Cerberus

Hi.

Matt Эллен

Hi.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

21:00

Wo?

Robusto

Ohai, @Cer.

Cerberus

I have awoken.

Matt Эллен

woohoo!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Mos of Fos have declared war on us.

Cerberus

Oh...

Will I be able to scratch them?

Matt Эллен

21:01

feeling refreshed?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus Don't bother. We'll be happy to accept their cover.

Cerberus

Ahh don't say that word! Card that have Refresh are impossible for me to kill.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Not impossible.

Cerberus

Accept their cover?

Matt Эллен

oh, well, are you revitalised?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

21:02

@Cerberus Yes. We have a main site. Ask there.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Yes!

@RegDwightѬſ道 Hmmm...

Do you mean as in they somehow cover us against another faction?

Oh, well.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

They are above us, so we'll only take a -1 hit, so they are providing us cover from factions below us whom we'd have to fight lest we lose up to 5 pts.

Robusto

@Cerberus While they're beating us up, no one else can beat us up except by incurring infamy.

Cerberus

Ah, I see!

Very good.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

And since I'm leaving in just a few minutes, I'll be happy to take that cover.

And hey, good call on the birds last night @Rob.

^ Acknowledgment.

Robusto

21:04

Thank you. We'll mark that one for posterity.

Cerberus

Gee, what happened, how did you turn into lambs while I was asleep?

Robusto

When I'm feeling blue I can take that out and look at it.

@Cerberus Baaaa humbug.

Cerberus

You wolf...

Robusto

Jan 11 at 18:35, by Robusto

@Cerberus — You are a sheep in wolf's clothing.

Cerberus

So you still are, huh.

In Dutch we have a saying, a fox may lose his hair but not his tricks.

Robusto

21:12

@Cerberus That seems kind of random. Do you have a lot of bald foxes over there?

Cerberus

It is often said of old people.

Who seem weaker when they get old, but may still be able to rape granddaughters or murder friends.

As in, an old, balding fox will still steal chicken if he can.

Matt Эллен

so, kid, don't trust your uncle

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto Cut him some slack. The original wording in Dutch is, "Ananas ananas ananas ananas, ananas ananas ananastje", so for all we know it's just not a very accurate translation.

Robusto

@Cerberus Wow, is that really how you feel about your elders? Damn, I'm not going to retire in Amsterdam, that's for sure.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Unless you're into that sort of thing, of course.

@RegDwightѬſ道 The diminutive is ananasje.

@Robusto Yeah you would get busted.

Robusto

21:18

@Cerberus Which translates to "pinapple" in English.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus hmmmm, you're not my uncle...

Robusto

@Cerberus For what? Being old? That is harsh.

Cerberus

Too bad you don't have a diminutive suffix.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Well, what pastime do you suggest for Amsterdam, other than rape and murder? The dope is outlawed, and you can't even use those so-called "channels" for anything but storing bodies.

Robusto

@Cerberus We do. How about -kin? A pumpkin is a tiny pump.

Cerberus

21:19

@Robusto No, for the trick that you will no doubt be performing, or turning.

Matt Эллен

and -ette

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus You bite every single time. It's amazing.

Matt Эллен

coquette is a tiny coq

Cerberus

@Robusto You only have a few words that you probably stole from Dutch, like manikin.

Robusto

@Cerberus You know, I don't think I could handle the full extent of your charm.

Cerberus

21:20

@MattЭллен Stolen from French.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus forced upon us, more like!

Cerberus

@RegDwightѬſ道 Dope is outlawed? How so?

Robusto

@Cerberus Well, see if you can get your version of the RIAA to prosecute us.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus For aliens it is.

Cerberus

@RegDwightѬſ道 I was bred to have a firm and ready bite.

@Robusto runs away

RegDwight Ѭſ道

21:21

@Cerberus Bred is Russian for "utter nonsense".

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Hmm well, they only developed that long after you were conquered!

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus bureaucracy is slow but painful

Cerberus

@Robusto Ours is called Brain, and it rarely accomplishes anything. The exception is that they got a lower judge to order two smaller ISPs to block the Piratebay.

Robusto

@Cerberus Hey, easy on the espresso, Beer-and/or-Cheese-Breath. We can handle your normal discourse, but when you start turning on the charm our blood pressure goes up.

Cerberus

@RegDwightѬſ道 Oh, is it? Well, I've never used any drugs but alcohol...

@RegDwightѬſ道 Did I say I ever made sense?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

21:23

@Cerberus I have no idea, because you never make sense.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен You just liked the suffix and wanted to fancy up your language, methinks.

@Robusto How is espresso Dutch?

@RegDwightѬſ道 Then my work here is done.

Robusto

@Cerberus The reference is to your being over-amped since you woke up. I inferred a strong infusion of caffeine.

Cerberus

Ah. Well, the way you were all spewing questions at me was quite exhausting.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus Some Britons may have tried to adapt to the French, so as to get a leg up career-wise, but it was all a ploy!

MetaEd

0

Q: Exclamation before or after the interrogation? Doesn't matter?

Which is correct: Was That Folk!? Was That Folk?! Or both? I always use the former. But the SO FAQ uses the latter.

duplicate

Matt Эллен

21:31

da

Cerberus

@MattЭллен A ploy in which you sold your souls.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus never! we're still Angle at the core

in the end the French in England adopted our language

Cerberus

A continually eroding core...

@MattЭллен I suppose they did. But what if the price is Greenwich?

Oh, I thought you meant the French in general.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Ah, back up again. Stupid chat wouldn't load.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus hmm, well I'm not sure if we still ran Normandy at that point

RegDwight Ѭſ道

21:35

Anyway, I'm out for today. Night all!

Cerberus

Yeah I had some server issue too.

Goodnight!

Fly safely!

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightѬſ道 yeah, I had that. I almost started to answer a quesiton on another site!

cya owly

Cerberus

@MattЭллен I was rather thinking of computer language.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus ha! yes, we do rule in that sense :D

Cerberus

They do use télécharger and écran and souris, I think.

Matt Эллен

21:36

lol

ecran?

Cerberus

But newer terms are perhaps kept as ENglish.

Screen.

Matt Эллен

oh, ta

Cerberus

Latin scrina, I believe.

But the French often turn s before a stop into é.

Matt Эллен

so, we still pronounce Latin better than them

Cerberus

State, état.

Yes.

Though you suck too.

We and he Italians win.

Matt Эллен

21:38

pah! if it was worth anything it wouldn't be dead

Cerberus

We changed the least.

Matt Эллен

the Dutch?

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Baaaahhh dieee!!

Matt Эллен

isn't Dutch more German?

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Dutch, German, and Italian, in pronouncing vowels and consonants.

Matt Эллен

21:38

@Cerberus defends himself with the SUBJUNCTIVE

Cerberus

throws a few indicatives to neutralize

Matt Эллен

counters with something conditional

Cerberus

If I can't have it, then nobody shall! Waaahh! If I was rich...I would demand that he takes his paws off our language!

Matt Эллен

:D

Cerberus

See what you have done?

Is that what you want?

Matt Эллен

21:41

hmmm

it's entertaining for now

Cerberus

Nothing is uglier, except perhaps noun adjectives.

sigh

Matt Эллен

If it were not what I wanted, I would give it back

that's an Appley thing to say

Cerberus

Pineapply?

Stevejobsey?

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus quite. they love their arbitrary style rules

Cerberus

Yeah?

Like what?

Have you worked for them?

Matt Эллен

21:44

there is a document that details them

@Cerberus no, but I know of their rule for applications

developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/UserExperience/…

they won't let you on the app store if you don't meet the guide lines

anyway, what can I get for this subjunctive?

Cerberus

> Adopting the Aqua look and feel helps you provide the best possible user experience for your customers.

You may have this sentence.

How come the first think I read already makes me cringe?

Matt Эллен

I'd like something I can at least agree with

Cerberus

How about fail?

It is a singular verb.

So you will agree.

Matt Эллен

no, it clashes with my self esteem

Cerberus

Well, what doesn't?

If I offer "is master of the universe", you will complain that there may be more than one universe, and what about alternate realities?

Matt Эллен

21:49

no :)

but I'd rather not carry "fail" around with me

it's hardly conducive to thinking I'm not

Cerberus

> A skilled writer can help you develop a style of expression that reflects your app’s design

Such bullshit.

This confirms my impression that much of Apple is bullshit.

Matt Эллен

Well, they rule with an iron fist when it comes to their platform

Cerberus

@MattЭллен I suppose not. Mr Fastidious, huh.

@MattЭллен But their own style is despicable.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus and consistent!

apps for windows are rarely similar to look at

they are all a mish mash of varying styles

no uniformity

@Cerberus perhaps. maybe there are lots of things you could offer me, you just don't want to

Cerberus

@MattЭллен And is that a problem?

But I must admit that the rest of that page of theirs makes sense.

@MattЭллен Probably. Taking > giving.

Matt Эллен

21:55

@Cerberus well, maybe users would find it easier if all apps looked the same. they would be more predictable

@Cerberus OK, then I offer you the subjunctive back. Gratis.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен I suppose. But it shouldn't be a big deal, as long as the application works well. A bad, cluttered interface is of course a disadvantage.

@MattЭллен Yay!! My preciouss.

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…