English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room - 2012-04-20 (page 1 of 4)

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12:01 AM

@Vitaly What do I need to do, exactly?

@Robusto Express your agreement in the forum thread.

Link?

2 hours ago, by RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Cerberus http://www.kongregate.com/forums/65-tyrant/topics/259854-petition-make-the-components-buyable-for-50-loyalty-each

@Vitaly OK, done.

Thanks.

12:12 AM

Not like it will do any good. But we're on record at least.

12:28 AM

@KitFox Heh, I can't see a picture of a fox anymore without thinking "Hey, Kit likes foxes."

2 hours later…

2:34 AM

user image

> April 16's M-class solar flare erupted with a CME that could dwarf the Earth, shown here to scale. (NASA/SDO/J. Major)

2 hours later…

4:17 AM

The last message scared everybody away.

False.

True.

Prove it.

Why?

Well, you've said something that doesn't seem to have much credibility.

I think you should reinforce your statement with some evidence.

4:20 AM

2 hours later...

Yes, but there are still people here.

Not everyone left.

They just stopped talking.

As well, this is traditionally a slow time for EL&U chat.

user image

There are still people here, this is traditionally a slow time, your statement is false. QED.

2 hours later...

You are dodging the points made above.

Also, it's 2 hours later… not 2 hours later...

Because it was a joke :D

I know.

I'm being all nitpicky and pedantic because I have nothing better to do.

Which is pretty sad.

4:24 AM

2 hours later...

@Rob No, no! 2 hours later…

Look at the ellipsis!

... is three full stops, which is wrong.

… is a horizontal ellipsis, which is what is used in the message.

What about the ellipsis? is that not typed as three periods ? Where is the ellipsis key?

If you have a Mac, alt + ;

No, no no

no Mac

4:29 AM

you have to type three full stops really fast

@Rob If you have a PC running Windows, alt + 0133

@Cameron False.

if it doesn't come out as an ellipsis, you didn't do it fast enough

It's like double clicking.

Oh, you mean autocorrect does that for you?

no, I think every keyboard does it

just try it

really fast

2 hours later...

4:31 AM

Still wrong, @Rob.

Come on, I gave you the alt code!

not fast enough?

I think Cam is lying to us.

nope, not fast enough

Shush, you.

pshaw, I would never do that

4:32 AM

ꙭ

You can trust me exactly as far as you can throw me

How much do you weigh?

about 180 lbs / 85 kilos

Hmm… I could definitely lift you.

If you're telling the truth, of course.

erm, I guess that's closer to 81 kilos

4:34 AM

But I couldn't throw you very far.

I would probably end up dropping you on my foot.

what if you are allowed to use a trebuchet

?

That's cheating.

Well, we've already established that I'm a liar, so we may as well allow trebuchets

2 hours later...

No.

4:38 AM

My computer makes a ringing sound and will not type anything after I press "alt"?

Hold the alt key and type 1033 on the number pad.

nope

samething

Do you have number lock on/off? I can't remember which one lets you actually use the number pad.

I don't have a number pad.

1234567890

Well, there's your problem.

You could just copy & paste from a site full of characters.

4:44 AM

That's not my problem it's the keyboard's problem :D

Oh, a shame.

2 hours later...

Still not right.

2 hours later…

1 hour later…

6:12 AM

@MattЭллен I hate to be pedantic, but 32 ones gives you 2^32-1, not 2^33-1. Just think - two ones gives you 3, which is 2^2-1, not 2^3-1.

@DavidWallace I won't believe you unless you give me a proof by induction :)

Please yourself.

Not doing that on this particular site.

As a friend of mine used to say -
The first time I encountered the principle of mathematical induction, I found it boring. Every time I encounter the principle of mathematical induction, I find it more boring than the time before. It follows with an elegant inevitability that I shall never find the principle of mathematical induction interesting.

seems pretty airtight to me

7:07 AM

@Cameron: and @Robusto: and @JasperLoy: and @KitFox: anybody here

Matt Эллен

7:52 AM

duplicate:

0

Q: origin of the expression "there is more than one way to skin a cat"

what is the origin of the expression "there is more than one way to skin a cat"? I can't find a good reference for it.

etymology expressions

4

Q: Origin of the phrase, "There's more than one way to skin a cat."

The meaning is clear, but where did this phrase originate? Was it always such a gruesome reference?

etymology phrases

8:26 AM

My mother used to say "there's more ways to kill a cat than choking it in butter".

In fact, she probably still does.

No, it was "choking it with butter".

Matt Эллен

9:07 AM

There's another one, @Cerb, I don't like choked cats

user19161

9:36 AM

@MattЭллен Boo! It's Friday again!

Matt Эллен

I know! these days just keep coming

user19161

2012 is the end of the world, don't worry...

Matt Эллен

apparently the Earth sped up by 0.1 millisecond per day from the 8th November to the 20th November 2009

RegDwight Ѭſ道

So we measure speed in seconds now, huh.-

Matt Эллен

this was due to currents in an ocean, south pacific maybe, I can't remember

user19161

9:40 AM

Amazing. Soon Einstein will be superceded just like he superceded Newton.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@MattЭллен actually it was due to the Earth losing mass thanks to Koreans shooting off stuff off of it. Off.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightѬſ道 where did they shoot it to?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Now imagine what things will be like once the Isranians join in the feast.

user19161

I happened to read about the recent rocket launch failure.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

We will be rotating like one giant dervish.

Matt Эллен

9:43 AM

the Satellite didn't launch, @JasperLoy?

user19161

@MattЭллен North Korea rocket exploded soon after launch I think.

Matt Эллен

awwww

RegDwight Ѭſ道

See. That explosion propelled us even more.

Matt Эллен

The pictures I saw did make it look half baked, it didn't look big enough to hold enough fuel to reach orbit

user19161

Seriously I think I should try to call Kim and tell him to open up his country.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

9:44 AM

What Kim?

Matt Эллен

L'il Kim

user19161

The new Kim.

Matt Эллен

Slim Jim Kim

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Did you know that the old Kim's actual name was Yuri Irsenovich Kim?

user19161

Shh, only you know...

Matt Эллен

9:46 AM

TIL

RegDwight Ѭſ道

He wasn't even a Korean. He was a Russki.

Matt Эллен

I'm not even Korean

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You're not even anything. You're just odd.

user19161

Sonic is moving to Korea I think.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightѬſ道 a lot of people tell me that

user19161

9:47 AM

More kimchi for him there.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

0

Q: Which is correct : ""In/On list"?

Here is the sentence: If i ever make a list,not only you'll be "IN/ON" it,you'll top it too. Shall i use IN or ON?

word-choice grammar

Gah. Formatting sins.

user19161

I only have 2.0 GiB RAM on my laptop, but it's still pretty good.

user19161

I think the new ones come with 4 these days.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightѬſ道 "not only you'll be on it" is wrong but I can't explain why. "you'll be on it" is fine

is "not only will" an atom?

user19161

@MattЭллен These questions really leave me wondering what is right and what is wrong sometimes. Now I am not sure.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

9:52 AM

@MattЭллен oh haha jinx. I just commented to that extent.

"I" must be capitalized. There must be a space after each comma. "Not only you'll be" should be "not only will you be". And a comma before "too" would be nice. This stuff matters, and if you don't pay attention to it, choosing between "in" and "on" will be the least of your worries. — RegDwight Ѭſ道 1 min ago

user19161

@RegDwightѬſ道 Have a cookie.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You should ask a linguist. I think we briefly touched on that inversion somewhere on this site, but I wouldn't be able to find it. In German it's all over the place. In English it's become rare.

user19161

@RegDwightѬſ道 Though I usually write it without the comma myself.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Yeah.

There's a question for that as well.

user19161

@matt What was the computer speed test link we had last time?

Matt Эллен

9:58 AM

the javascript test? hmmm, I can't remember off the top of my head

user19161

"Computer speed test link" is a very interesting phrase. It is the link to the test for the speed of a computer.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

6

Q: Sentences using: [something] + have + they

I have seen this construction quite often: Online ads have been around since the dawn of the Web, but only in recent years have they become the rapturous life dream of Silicon Valley. What is the rule there?. When your sentence doesn't start with pronoun + verb, invert them as verb + p...

grammar verbs pronouns construction

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy sunspider

user19161

@MattЭллен Thanks! I will take the test again now.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwightѬſ道 thanks!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

10:01 AM

Well thank Daniel. Or the OP.

Matt Эллен

you did the finding for me :)

apparently I've already upvoted the question!

user19161

@MattЭллен You may give him a cookie.

user19161

OK 498.0 ms is the result of my javascript test.

@Reg Is this me, or is the dissenters' English less intelligible than the supporters' English in the Kong thread?

user19161

Mr Shiny and Matt are on their way to 10k.

user19161

10:10 AM

Hi @rob!

@JasperLoy Hi Jasper!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

10:30 AM

@Vitaly yeah

1 hour later…

11:58 AM

> Only go to the websites that you need to do your job.

Damn.

@KitFox What if you "need" ELU Chat the way you need coffee?

I do. I really do.

Here's one I am sure they can't enforce, for password requirements:

> Not be a standalone word or common abbreviation in any language, slang, dialect or jargon, etc.

Hahaha. My mother-in-law's boyfriend has done this one at least twice:

> Don't be fooled by scareware programs that fraudulently inform you your system is infected and recommend that you download their product to fix it.

Omegle will cure any adults coffee-like "need" for internet chat ;-)

> Keep white boards and notice boards with sensitive information out of public view

Wow, people really are dumb, aren't they?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

What is u quoteing?

12:04 PM

My security training.

I'm sharing it with you this morning.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I'm in the wrong business. I should be doing security trainings.

What do these folks demand, like $OVER 9000 per minute?

I could do that.

"Don't be fooled" is such excellent advice, I could churn that out by the dozen.

I have no idea. They will probably tell me that I must report my passwords and employee ID so they can tell my employer that I have completed the training.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Don't be fooled this, don't be fooled that, bang, thousand bucks.

@KitFox That's so that they can sue you if somebody gets into your account, steals all the confidential stuff, and they find out later that your password was "hello".

> We hope that you've gained some useful information to help keep you and your computer systems safer.

"Don't be stupid." I don't think that's going to help many people.

12:10 PM

You'd be surprised how many people panic when they see one of those fraudulent pages that tells you about all the viruses you've got.

And my Dad fell for the one that tells you to delete bits of your operating system.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Well of course people fall for them. That's why they exist in the first place. Saying "don't fall for them" won't fix shit.

Yay! I got 100%!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

It's like asking on ELU, how do you spell "through", and getting the answer "correctly, you moron!"

@KitFox Yay; ask them for a chocolate fish.

@RegDwightѬſ道 or better still, "Correctly; how about you?"

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Indeed.

12:15 PM

I want to know how to get the virus salespeople in Southern Asia to stop phoning me.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Just stop getting their messages!

Now pay me 30 bucks for that valuable advice.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Ghantastic.

How can I stop getting their messages?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

1. Stop.
2. ...
3. Pay me.

0

A: Opposite of 'Midas touch'?

2 words..... Stinky Finger:D use idioms that describe what she's doing... metaphorically ...5 finger discount pickpockets hand....

Sorry, your answer had to be deleted because it didn't contain enough punctuations.

People will try to save two characters by typing "2" instead of "two", but then....... they''''''''''ll go ahead to....... post OVER................ 9000!!! other useless characters LOL

12:21 PM

Maybe they type 2 because they don't know how to spell two.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@DavidWallace Nah. "Two" is spelled 2. So are "too" and "to".

That part is actually easy.

Or maybe they get !!!!!!!!! because they're typing really slowly and they don't lift their finger in time.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

But why only with punctuation? Why donnnn't they multttttiply raaaaandom letttttttttttttttttt

I get annoyed with my son, who regularly asks me the difference between they're, their and there. I'm tempted to answer "closed as a duplicate".

@RegDwightѬſ道 proza.ru/2009/02/26/1068

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:27 PM

Funny.

Les sanglots longs
Des violons
Du printemps
Blessent mon cœur
D’une langueur
Monotone.

That makes me feel sleepy.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Spiegel Online have a video about fucking on their front page right now.

user image

spiegel.de

@RegDwightѬſ道 A disclaimer? Or a boast? Or just a town name?

That would be the Austrian type of Fucking I assume?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:31 PM

Well don't you see the image?

So if you say "I live in fucking Germany," it's not immediately apparent what you mean.

@RegDwightѬſ道 That could be an advertising hoarding outside a whorehouse.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

That would be "Ficken".

1

Q: "I who has" vs "I who have."

Am aware it is correct to say "I have written..." and "I am a doctor who has writen..." I have, however, severally come across the sentence "I, Tertius, who have written...". Shouldn't it be "I, Tertius, who has written..."? Related

I smell a dupe.

The original was about "be" rather than "have", though.

"I, who am blah..."

5

Q: What rules make “Remember me, who am your friend” grammatical?

An acquaintance recalled this specific example from an English textbook, but it is jarring to my native ear. Is this an example of prescriptive grammarians gone wild?

grammaticality syntax

Das war etwas komisch, aber ich muß zugeben, angetörnt hat mich das schon.

@RegDwightѬſ道 I was more likely to hear bumsen instead of ficken. Regionalism?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Bumsen is kind of childish.

12:37 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 Kind of euphemistic for the sake of "polite" company?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

It also still has a widespread main meaning of "hit" or "crash", so it's a double-entendre, while "ficken" has long lost is original meaning of "move fast" and only means "fuck" now.

@Robusto nah, in polite company it would be hysterically funny.

I meant "polite" in the sense of mixed company.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Even so. I don't think anyone would use it except in jest, full aware of how stupid it sounds.

Ah, OK.

Does scharf still carry the connotation of sexual desire, as auf jemanden scharf sein => "have the hots for someone"?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Yeah, though it's gathered dust.

12:41 PM

Like my German.

@RegDwightѬſ道 It's not obviously in a Germanophone country.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Like, the 80s called kind of dust.

25 secs ago, by Robusto

Like my German.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto no, I will not like your German. End of story.

I thought the cognitive of "fuck" was "vögeln" - is this not right?

12:43 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 Dir hat man wohl ins Gehirn geschissen.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I guess vögeln is more popular than bumsen.

@Robusto Gehirin? Is that like Aspirin?

To me "ficken" sounds a bit silly. I can imagine getting angry and using "vögeln" though.

@RegDwightѬſ道 Type O

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto here's a new phrase you should learn.

Wie heißt Uwe Seeler?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:46 PM

Uwe Seeler. He used to be a football legend.

Uwe Seeler (born 5 November 1936 in Hamburg) is a former German football official and retired football player. He played for Hamburger SV and also made 72 appearances for the West German national team. Playing career (1954–1978) Seeler followed in his father's footsteps as a player for Hamburger SV, making his first team debut in 1954 in a German Cup match, aged just under 18, scoring four goals (8–2 vs. Holstein Kiel). In later years, despite tempting offers from Italian and Spanish clubs he remained loyal to Hamburg, working on a second career as a merchant besides playing football, a...

Goddamn it, I can't fucking type today.

Ficken ein chicken in der micken mit der sticken.

Now I'm hungry.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Robusto I can only guess that you meant "Wer ist Uwe Seeler".

@RegDwightѬſ道 Yes, of course.

I am particularly stupid this morning. Woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't get back to sleep. Sorry.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

12:49 PM

Ich habe heute verschlafen.

For the first time in months.

I woke up hugging the alarm clock.

@RegDwightѬſ道 What had you been dreaming about?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Actually my wife woke me up, asking "do you know how late it is", and it was at that point that I discovered I had been hugging the alarm clock.

@RegDwightѬſ道 Alarm clocks are notoriously unhuggable.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@DavidWallace nothing. I woke up from a bottomless pitchblack hole of no dreams, rest or recreation.

@Robusto Me too. I dreamt I was giving birth in the living room.

12:53 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 Alarm clock / wife - it's supposed to be the other way around.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@DavidWallace I was already way too late to sort that out.

@KitFox to the twins?

No, just one baby this time.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Oh well. Chi va piano, va lontano.

Stupid Friday meeting! Laters.

TTFN

@KitFox Does the recurring theme of your dreams bother you?

12:57 PM

Yes.

What does your husband think about it? Tell me it's none of my business if you like.

He thinks it is funny, I guess.

Oh.

I would probably be a bit freaked out if my wife started having dreams about being pregnant and/or giving birth.

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