English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

KitFox

2:00 AM

@Cerberus I probably won't be able to tomorrow, if we have a snow day.

Cerberus

@rumtscho Hmm yeah, but, see...

David Wallace

Possum

A possum (plural form: possums) is any of about 70 small to medium-sized arboreal marsupial species native to Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi (and introduced to New Zealand and China). Possums are quadrupedal diprotodont marsupials with long tails. The smallest possum, indeed the smallest diprotodont marsupial, is the Little Pygmy Possum with an adult head-body length of 70mm and a weight of 10g. The largest is the Bear Cuscus that may exceed 7 kg. Possums are typically nocturnal and at least partially arboreal. The various species inhabit most vegetated habitats and several ...

KitFox

@DavidWallace Ours are too.

Cerberus

@KitFox Oh...you won't be able to get to the office, then? So are you there now?

@SonicTheHedgehog OK it's off the page now.

David Wallace

which is completely different from ...

Opossum

Opossums (Didelphimorphia, ) make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere, including 103 or more species in 19 genera. They are also commonly called possums, though that term technically refers to Australian fauna of the suborder Phalangeriformes. The Virginia opossum was the first animal to be named an opossum; usage of the name was published in 1610. The word opossum comes from the Proto-Algonquian aposoum, pronounced *wa˙p- aʔθemw, meaning "white dog" or "white beast/ animal". Opossums probably diverged from the basic South American marsupials in the late Cretac...

KitFox

2:01 AM

@Cerberus No, I am in bed with y'all.

@DavidWallace OK, fair enough.

rumtscho

@KitFox I'm not yet in bed

Cerberus

@KitFox That is so hot. Can't. Breathe.

Sonic The Hedgehog

@Cerb it is still there.

Cerberus

Move that blanket to the left a bit, please.

Sonic The Hedgehog

?

KitFox

2:02 AM

Hahaha.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Aww but they're both cute.

Finally, some cool air!

Thanks.

KitFox

I had one in my kitchen once.

In the middle of the night.

That was not cool.

Cerberus

Hmm that sounds annoying.

Do they bite?

Are they big?

rumtscho

Do they carry rabies?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

We have (o)possums in our back yard, sometimes. They basically resemble dog-sized rats.

Sonic The Hedgehog

2:03 AM

Opossum or Possum?

rumtscho

Or echinococosis?

Cerberus

Ohh eww.

Sonic The Hedgehog

That picture is still there!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@SonicTheHedgehog it can't be removed now

Cerberus

Aren't they like big, cute squirrels?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:04 AM

@Cerberus well, I didn't get a good look at it. It was big, and the tail was rat-like.

Sonic The Hedgehog

@MRS Dude...

Dang it.

rumtscho

Squirrel's tails are rat-like under all the fur.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@SonicTheHedgehog What's wrong with the picture anyway? A sprinkler is scaring away michael jackson! It's what every sprinkler should do

KitFox

@SonicTheHedgehog Dude, chill.

Cerberus

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Bummer. That is hardly squirrel-like.

Sonic The Hedgehog

2:05 AM

Chill?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@rumtscho Yeah and I'm naked under my clothes, that doesn't mean people should be subjected to it. :p

Cerberus

Eww!

Sonic The Hedgehog

I eat chili dogs, but that is not cool.

KitFox

@Cerberus They are really not very cute.

Cerberus

@SonicTheHedgehog No it's OK, I don't mind.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:06 AM

@KitFox now? or not?

Sonic The Hedgehog

I happen to respect the guy.

I mind.

KitFox

You are young and naive.

Cerberus

@KitFox Oh hmm. I suppose the NZ ones did look cuter.

David Wallace

My son is seriously scared of possums. They are really nasty.

Sonic The Hedgehog

He happened to made the music for my game.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:07 AM

@SonicTheHedgehog don't worry. That picture isn't doing any more harm to his reputation than he himself did in real life.

David Wallace

And they're not the slightest bit like squirrels.

KitFox

@Cerberus If you like huge rats, I suppose they're OK.

rumtscho

@KitFox What's wrong with huge rats?

David Wallace

However, they're nocturnal, so we don't generally encounter them during the day.

KitFox

Rodents of unusual size? Frankly, I don't think they exist.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:08 AM

rumtscho

Are they at least intelligent as rats, or dumb as mice?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Frankly I'd rather have more possums in my yard and fewer skunks.

KitFox

shudders

rumtscho

In the frying pan, we have a regular who recently moved to a house with a big garden. The result:

in The Frying Pan, Oct 13 '11 at 16:13, by Sobachatina

@tastefive Can you make a turducken but with a raccoon that ate one of my chickens?

David Wallace

@rumtscho I have no idea how intelligent they are, other than that they walk along power lines in the dark.

KitFox

2:10 AM

@rumtscho Hahaha.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

For living in what I consider to be a fairly urban area, we have quite a bit of wildlife here. owls, possums, raccoons, hawks, rabbits, etc.

@rumtscho I don't think there are too many restrictions on the kinds of animals you put into a turducken, aside from the fact that you'd have to rename it.

rumtscho

@MrShinyandNew安宇 The traditional one is birds-only.

KitFox

I can't believe people actually eat stuff like that.

Cerberus

@KitFox Heh OK, point taken.

rumtscho

There are some pie version where the biggest bird is put in a raised pie crust and the space between bird and crust is filled with pieces of rabbit, but this is an exception.

David Wallace

2:13 AM

I don't think it counts if one of the outer animals eats one of the inner ones. There has to be human intervention.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@rumtscho That's because people don't think big enough

►

KitFox

How are you doing, @Cerb?

Cerberus

@KitFox Better. But could you slant the screen a little bit downwards? I'm looking at it from a low angle, you know.

KitFox

Should I punch the pillow for you, to make it more comfy?

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Is he saying "meat gluten"?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox meat glue, I think

KitFox

2:16 AM

WTF is "meat glue"?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

glue, made from meat?

KitFox

You know what? I don't want to know.

That is quite possibly the most revolting thing I have ever seen.

rumtscho

@MrShinyandNew lots of novelty value, but I don't expect it to taste good

@KitFox are you sure? It is nothing sinister.

You have probably eaten it.

Cerberus

@KitFox Ohh would you do that for me?

KitFox

Meat glue. I just.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:18 AM

@KitFox It's probably not that bad. I'd expect that you'd have to keep the portion size down.

Cerberus

Meat glue is just the kind of stuff they use to glue your meat together.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox probably just ground-chicken with some flour or something.

rumtscho

@KitFox It is glue for meat, not glue made from meat.

KitFox

@MrShinyandNew安宇 No. No. It's. Why? Why would you do that?

rumtscho

It is transglutaminase, an enzym.

KitFox

2:18 AM

Oh. Well. OK.

Still.

That monstrosity.

I shall have nightmares.

Cerberus

@KitFox It turns out many "steaks" here are actually smaller pieces glued together, but you can barely see it.

They do it with chicken and fish too.

rumtscho

If you have ever eaten pre-formed meat (most of the meats at burger chains for example), you have eaten meat glue.

Cerberus

Right, burgers.

rumtscho

No, burgers don't use it.

Cerberus

Oh?

rumtscho

2:20 AM

A burger patty holds without glue. Even a proper cleaved one.

Cerberus

They just use the starch in the ehm what do they use, flour?

rumtscho

And the ones in fast food chains are ground.

Cerberus

In any case, I find it funniest in expensive kinds of meat.

KitFox

thinks about proper cleaved burger patties and feels better

rumtscho

@Cerberus The meat itself is enough to hold. But they add some flour too.

@Cerberus What, the glueing?

Cerberus

2:22 AM

@rumtscho Hmm I usually have a hard time keeping ground beef stuck together...

rumtscho

Molecular gastronomists use it to create novel dishes

Cerberus

@rumtscho Yes.

Or with game.

snickers

KitFox

@Cerberus Do you use egg?

rumtscho

For example, a steak which is half cow, half pig

Cerberus

@KitFox Yeah, usually, and that helps quite a bit!

But even then.

rumtscho

2:23 AM

@KitFox Egg is good for holding a patty together, but it is considered a different kind of patty then.

Lol, I feel bad.

Cerberus

Remember, Rum came to us from Cooking, hehe.

KitFox

I'm just saying about hold ground beef together.

I'm not going to argue that it makes something else.

rumtscho

The people in the Frying pan accuse me (together with some others) of always being off-topic and never speaking about food there

KitFox

Ironic.

rumtscho

Now I come here and make your chat off-topic by speaking of food.

KitFox

2:25 AM

Our chat is never on-topic.

Or it's always on topic.

Cerberus

@rumtscho And I have spoken out against this silly assertion!

@KitFox Yeah, we are way off-topicker than the Pan.

KitFox

Aug 9 '11 at 0:51, by random

This room was placed in timeout for 2 minutes; the topic of this room is "aka The Incomprehensible Room" - conversation should be limited to that topic.

David Wallace

It would only become off-topic if we ceased using English.

Cerberus

Hahaha oh yes, that was brilliant.

@DavidWallace Dammit! Don't crush our dream.

rumtscho

@Cerberus You have only seen us on some very relaxed days.

Cerberus

2:26 AM

@rumtscho Hmm...people always say that!

rumtscho

@DavidWallace Wenn es darauf ankommt, helfe ich gerne.

Cerberus

Aber natürlich!

Du bist so über-freundlich.

rumtscho

Do Dutch use über the way Americans do?

KitFox

Aber ich spreche keine Deutsch.

Cerberus

@rumtscho Yes.

KitFox

2:28 AM

Peut-etre nous pouvons parler francais?

David Wallace

Es tut mir leid dass ich sprach.

Cerberus

Ah, oui, très bien!

KitFox

Sauf je n'ai pas les accents...

Cerberus

Parlons Français.

KitFox

@DavidWallace Warum?

Cerberus

2:29 AM

Je vous recommenderais l'Autohotkey, mais je ne l'oserais pas...

KitFox

Pourquoi pas? Je l'ai deja.

Cerberus

hears the rustling of Google Translate boxes

@KitFox Tu as déjà mon programme favori?

KitFox

Zut que je deteste que je suis sans accents.

rumtscho

@Cerberus Interestingly, it isn't coming from me.

KitFox

@Cerberus Oui, bien sur. Tu ne te souviens jamais nos conversations.

rumtscho

2:32 AM

Although I don't speak French.

Cerberus

Je vous pourrais donner mon scripte...

rumtscho

But your conversation sounds easy enough to mostly understand.

KitFox

Non, non, merci.

Cerberus

@rumtscho Brava!

David Wallace

@rumtscho You're hearing it? Do you have a screen reader?

KitFox

2:33 AM

Je sais quelque choses de mechaniques de ordinateurs.

Cerberus

@KitFox Mais si, je me souviens tout! Quelle conversation est-elle dans laquelle tu me disais que tu utilises l'Autohotkey?

David Wallace

What's an ordinateur?

KitFox

@DavidWallace Computer.

rumtscho

@DavidWallace No, I'm not particular about distinguishing between actual sensory paths of information input and so sometimes use the wrong word for them.

KitFox

@Cerberus Tu me recommends quelque mois passe.

Cerberus

2:35 AM

@KitFox I just love those French words. Voiture. Télécharger.

David Wallace

It would be cool if there were a screen-reader that could read conversations here, and assign each speaker their own accent.

rumtscho

I wouldn't understand even "oui" if I was actually listening to a conversation in French.

Cerberus

@KitFox Ah, oui, si c'est ça que tu signifies...

KitFox

Je l'ai downloade pour te donner l'assistance.

Cerberus

@KitFox Vraiment??

David Wallace

2:36 AM

Interestingly, the Maori word for French is Wiwi.

KitFox

Haha.

rigole

Cerberus

Ahh tu, tu renard!

rumtscho

In German, Wiwi is a common abbreviation of Wirtschaftswissenschaften (economic sciences).

Cerberus

@rumtscho That's probably because they use liaison: they stick words together.

KitFox

@Cerberus Renarde, s'il te plait.

Cerberus

2:38 AM

@KitFox Hmm, cela, c'est un vrai mot?

David Wallace

So a university student studying economics might say "Ich muss nun wiwi gehen" Cool.

KitFox

@Cerberus Oui, je crois.

Cerberus

Bon.

KitFox

Maintenant, au plus.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Das klingt ein bißchen ewww.

David Wallace

2:39 AM

Does that mean that if I'm speaking English, I should call you a vixen?

rumtscho

@DavidWallace no, not used in this way. Students learn special disciplines, not the whole area.

It is used for saying things like "Er ist in der Wiwi Fakultät."

KitFox

@DavidWallace Wenn du willst.

rumtscho

I think I will go to bed after all, I start feeling sleepy.

@KitFox Gute Nacht, liebe Fähe

KitFox

@rumtscho Bonne nuit.

rumtscho

and good night you three-headed-dogs and lawn-owners.

Cerberus

2:45 AM

@rumtscho Gute nacht!

Es ist Zeit für dich zu gehen?

Für mich auch.

Liebe Grüße nach Amerika und Neu-Seeland!

David Wallace

спокойной ночи

Cerberus

Thank you.

KitFox

Good night to you too, poochy.

Cerberus

Good luck on your work!

Try to finish before midnight.

Bye!

poof

KitFox

i iz haten den werk.

David Wallace

2:50 AM

Is that real German, or are you stringing me along?

KitFox

iz lolcatz u speek lolcatz?

David Wallace

Yeah, when in Rome and all that.

KitFox

Ah. u no codez?

Oh, of course. You are from SO.

David Wallace

Obviously not the same sort of code as you.

KitFox

Really? What do you code?

Oh! You are Javaman.

David Wallace

2:54 AM

I see I am being checked up on. It's mutual, of course; I was just reading your question from last year about P.U.

KitFox

Haha.

David Wallace

And yeah, my current contract is programming Java.

KitFox

Not really checking up. I just looked at your profile.

I didn't Google you or send you a friend request or anything.

David Wallace

But I'll program whatever I'm asked to, really.

KitFox

Oh great.

I've got some pages I could use another pair of hands on.

:D

David Wallace

2:56 AM

Huh, good luck googling me. My name is far too common. If you got a hit which was actually me, I doubt whether you'd realise it.

@KitFox Umm, are you asking me for help with something?

KitFox

Well, if that's your real picture, I might could find you.

@DavidWallace No, not really. I was trying to be funny.

Is it morning there?

David Wallace

It is my real picture. And there's precious little information about me anywhere on the web.

It's about 4pm here.

KitFox

You're in NZ?

tries to do math

That doesn't seem right.

David Wallace

So what do you mean, on your profile, when you say "not affiliated with Knight Industries"? I could say the same thing.

Yes, I'm in Wellington, New Zealand, where the time is 3:58 in the afternoon.

We're currently in daylight savings time.

KitFox

Only six hours difference, but you are farther west than Hawaii. This is what my tired brain is having trouble with.

David Wallace

3:00 AM

But it's 5pm in Hawaii now.

Only, it's yesterday there.

KitFox

May 20 '11 at 17:21, by Kit

@RegDwight I have no affiliation with Knight Industries.

It's a long running joke.

@DavidWallace Now that's just cruel.

David Wallace

How is that cruel? I could have said "it's tomorrow here"; with much the same meaning.

KitFox

:D

David Wallace

Which also means it's autumn here and winter there.

KitFox

That can't be.

Autumn and winter are not orthogonal.

David Wallace

3:06 AM

Yes. Today is the first day of autumn. But Hawaii is still having yesterday, where it's the last day of winter.

KitFox

And spring doesn't start until next month.

David Wallace

But I'm already having next month.

KitFox

But on the equinox, not the first.

David Wallace

OK, here we count our seasons from the first of the month, not from the equinox. Maybe it's an Antipodean thing.

KitFox

Hmm.

Seems unnatural to me.

crosses arms

David Wallace

3:08 AM

According to Wikipedia "Meteorologists (and most of the temperate countries in the southern hemisphere) use a definition based on months, with autumn being September, October and November in the northern hemisphere, and March, April and May in the southern hemisphere"

KitFox

eyes you suspiciously

David Wallace

I guess my home counts as one of the "temperate countries in the southern hemisphere".

It never occurred to me that different people define the seasons differently, apart from the whole northern hemisphere / southern hemisphere thing.

KitFox

I never realized that either.

Maybe it's just me.

But no, my youngest boy was born on the first day of summer.

David Wallace

So, June 21 or thereabouts by your reckoning.

For me, the first day of summer is December 1.

KitFox

@DavidWallace Exactly then.

My niece was born on the first day of spring that same year. Nice symmetry, eh?

David Wallace

3:16 AM

I'd imagine that takes some planning :-)

KitFox

My brothers both managed to somehow copy me in advance.

Both of my sons are three months younger than each of my brothers' children.

If you can follow that. And if I said it right. I am tired and not paying very good attention.

David Wallace

I had to read it twice. At first reading, I thought it said that your children were younger than your grandchildren. Now I see that "their" refers to your brothers.

I and a disproportionate number of my relatives were born in June. Makes it an expensive month for presents, and an awkward month for planning parties.

KitFox

There. Fixed it.

@DavidWallace I know a lot of July babies.

David Wallace

I missed my niece's 20th when she planned it for the same day as my 40th. Even though we were born 13 days apart.

(By which I obviously mean 20 years and 13 days).

KitFox

Hahaha.

That's neat. My husband's birthday is the day after my nephew's. Plus, um. Some number of years.

35 or so.

David Wallace

3:21 AM

So, you know I'm a java programmer. How about you?

KitFox

Oh no. Other way around.

@DavidWallace Programming? ASP.Net with SQL server backend.

And other odd jobs.

David Wallace

Does that mean you're self-employed and have "other odd clients"? Or just that you flit rapidly from one job to another?

KitFox

I have a day job and do consulting on the side.

So all of the above.

David Wallace

As well as being the mother of two kids! I stand in awe!

KitFox

Ha. Flatterer.

But I'm feeling magnanimous so you may continue.

:P

David Wallace

3:25 AM

If you were not magnanimous, would I have been forbidden from continuing?

KitFox

Uh.

scratches head

Maybe.

Sonic The Hedgehog

@Kit did you find the chick-flick movie you were looking for?

KitFox

I still haven't decided. Did you have a suggestion?

Sonic The Hedgehog

Thought I already suggested you one... But I think you left when I suggested you one.

2 days ago, by Sonic The Hedgehog

@Kit My mom recently watched "The Proposal".

David Wallace

I think I've seen that. But they all seem to blur into one for me.

KitFox

3:29 AM

@SonicTheHedgehog Yeah, I've seen that one. Thanks though.

Sonic The Hedgehog

She made me borrow it from the library, putting it as blue-ray, while we don't have blue-ray player.

I had to search the library for it.

the Librarian claims that it is not here, although computer says otherwise.

KitFox

2 days ago, by KitFox

@aediaλ Can you think of any good sweaty, manly, gladiator-type movies, maybe like the Transporter, but available on Netflix or in my personal DVD collection?

Sonic The Hedgehog

So, I flip the Library upside down, and voila, I find it.

KitFox

Got any suggestions @David?

Sonic The Hedgehog

I take it home, and she does not even watch it.

KitFox

3:31 AM

I thought you said she did?

David Wallace

No, I was just reading the "sweaty manly gladiator-type" comment and silently boggling.

Sonic The Hedgehog

Then, a week later, the dvd is due, it cannot be renewed. So I had to run to the library 10 minutes before closing.

smh.

KitFox

@DavidWallace Boggling? Like playing Boggle?

David Wallace

As in "the mind boggles", but this was more an all-over body boggle.

KitFox

@SonicTheHedgehog Oh, bummer man.

@DavidWallace Oh right, that kind of boggling.

Sonic The Hedgehog

3:32 AM

@Kit You can say that again.

David Wallace

So, sorry are you asking me to recommend a chick-flick or a sweaty gladiator flick?

KitFox

Either one.

It's for medicinal purposes.

I'm thinking sweaty gladiator flick will be more palatable for my husband.

David Wallace

Sorry, I don't think I've seen one of those for ages. Watching sweaty men has never been my cup of tea.

KitFox

Speaking of whom, he is home, so I should go.

Sonic The Hedgehog

@Kit cya.

David Wallace

3:34 AM

Umm, AFK for a wee while; my son wants me to play some video game or other with him.

KitFox

Good night.

David Wallace

see you. Nice talking to you KitFox.

KitFox

Likewise @David.

Sonic The Hedgehog

Aw come on, I'll be alone in here!

Sonic The Hedgehog

4:00 AM

"I don't already have a Pixton screen name"?

Are you effing serious!?

RAGEQUIT

Mahnax

6:13 AM

The new manager at work has created policies that give us angry customers.

I think she is a buffoon, but I am in no place to say so.

That is all.

William

Anyone here?

I would like it if someone would look over a document for me for grammatical and spelling errors.

ubuntuone.com/0NGofpFhMyHPp1sp0zsW79

Thanks in advance

David Wallace

7:37 AM

@William - OK, page 1, in "procedure", you have the words "sode" and "switchine" which are both incorrect. I assume you intend to use American English - if this is NOT the case, then you have misspelt "fibreglass" many times, and also "colours". On page 4, under "procedure", the use of "you" seems inconsistent with the rest of the paper. Also on page 4, you have a misplaced apostrophe in the second line of "data/observations".

On page 2, you have "I predict fiberglass would work well in conjunction with cotton" which seems ungrammatical to me - an invalid sequence of tenses. It may be OK in American English however, which I don't profess fluency in.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

9:40 AM

0

Q: Present Perfect and past Tense

The English Language rule states that: We use the past simple instead of present perfect when an action happened at a specific time in the past and is not linked with the present. Why is the below sentence correct grammartically? " How many points 'have you scored' this season?" Aren't the w...

grammar

This is funny. I pictured a shrine where The English Language Rule is engraved in some kind of pillar of pure gold.

0

A: Why present perfect in "How many points have you scored this season"?

I cannot answer this using the right english grammer terminology, but when we ask "How many points have you scored this season?", it means that the season is still going on and hence it is like asking "How many points have you scored in this season so far?" While in case of "How many points did ...

This shall be my standard response henceforth.

> I cannot answer this using the right english grammer terminology.

KitFox

12:59 PM

0

Q: Is this a correct use of 'whom'?

"The negative may be insecurity, in lieu of an absolute authority whom can to confirm your beliefs." This is the sentence. I am unsure whether to use who, or whom. Thanks

word-usage

Dupe.

Robusto

@RegDwightѬſ道 DONT U HAVE TEH INTERNETS IN UR HOUSE?

Cerberus

Hi.

That is a weird question.

Robusto

1:22 PM

@Cerberus I see many weird questions. Which one do you mean?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto Sorry, but I cannot answer that using the right english grammer terminology.

Cerberus

@Robusto True; but this one is not only a duplicate, but also incorrect and unintelligible.

Okay, you win.

We have plenty of those.

Robusto

1:49 PM

0

Q: Differences between prurient, licentious, lascivious, lewd, lustful, libidinous

Would anyone tell me the differences, if there is any, between the words prurient, licentious, lascivious, lewd, lustful, libidinous, and all those alike? Thank you so much!