English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

@Cerberus How so? I periodically post a link to one of my own articles in reply to a question. If one has already written the answer, why would one write it again?

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Why don't you copy-paste the relevant part of your article, then?

Not saying plugging your own website is necessarily bad—I just added that bit because I was in a whiny mood.

David Wallace

@Mitch LOL!

I thought I heard a dog whining. What if the article is really long, is useful in its existing context, and is really long?

Cerberus

If it is really long twice, then you may link to it.

David Wallace

Anyway, I don't have my own web site.

tchrist

John links to his answers.

Cerberus

4:24 AM

Your own articles, then.

tchrist

@Cerberus Could you please check something for me?

I need another 10k user to look at something with me.

Cerberus

What is it?

tchrist

Check this link:

meta.english.stackexchange.com/a/3080/2085

It is a deleted post. Does it say why for you?

You have to click the edited link history to see the sim deleted it. This is weird.

I checked this with two different browsers, too.

But it is in pink, so deleted, but no marking as to why.

David Wallace

I wish to know the secret algorithm for determining whether someone is Nortonn S.

Cerberus

No, it doesn't say why.

Is it supposed to?

tchrist

4:26 AM

Yes.

All deleted posts say when they were deleted and by whom.

I thought.

@DavidWallace It is not secret.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace It's easy. You need to ask the same question several times, and make sure to post your question in the following format:

> This was done in support of the coalition.

Mahnax

C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER!

David Wallace

I thought I would experiment, by creating sock puppets, having them post Nortonnesque questions, and seeing which ones get converted into Nortonn S.

Cerberus

> This was done supporting the coalition.

@Mahnax Ahhh your evil brat!

tchrist

He always uses bold italic.

And he poses diametric questions, very short.

Mahnax

4:28 AM

@Cerberus :-)

David Wallace

I knew about the bold italic. But does that mean that we assume that anyone who uses bold italic must be Nortonn?

Cerberus

That was my question.

Mahnax

I knew exactly how you planned to do that, and so I decided to prepare a combo breaker.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace We're not statisticians, so we have to.

David Wallace

In S/B/C, "brat" means "brother".

Cerberus

4:29 AM

@Mahnax Baaahhh shakes fist just you wait!

Who's S/B/C?

And why does she have three slashes?

David Wallace

You know.

Mahnax

Serbian/Bosnian/Croatian?

David Wallace

And Mahnax evidently knows too.

Cerberus

Ohhh you mean S-C, shoulda said so!

Mahnax

Aha.

Cerberus

4:30 AM

I had no idea.

David Wallace

The B is important to me.

Cerberus, my friend, we had a long debate over it, over on another site. Don't you remember?

Cerberus

I thought you meant something like "in South Australia / Birmingham / Christchurch".

I.e. a place.

David Wallace

Yes, because South Australia, Birmingham and Christchurch are all so similar to each other.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Why do you think I said "you mean S-C" as soon as I realized what you meant?

@DavidWallace Very.

David Wallace

Anyway, I want to find out whether anyone posting questions with two opposing lines and certain words in bold italics will get turned into Nortonn. It would be interesting. Don't tell @simchona.

Cerberus

4:34 AM

(I won't. I'll be quiet like a truck.)

tchrist

Lorrie.

David Wallace

I thought the idea was that somebody indicated a suspicion, and then the administrators went and checked the IP address, or something.

tchrist

Lorito.

Mahnax

Dorito.

"Do you carry the Dorito taco shells?"

"Do you see them on the menu?"

tchrist

No, only employees have IP info.

David Wallace

4:35 AM

Yo quiero Taco Shells.

Cerberus

@Mahnax Poor, traumatized boy.

Mahnax

@Cerberus It's ridiculous.

Cerberus

But what if I like Dorito taco shells?

Mahnax

Then go to the US where they have good Taco Bell, my friend.

tchrist

No Dorito-specials chez Taco Bell by you?

Mahnax

4:36 AM

TB Canada is rubbish compared to TB USA.

Cerberus

To be honest, I don't know what they are.

David Wallace

Sorry, you'll need a better reason than that for me to set foot in that country.

tchrist

I find that hard to believe.

Be nice, David.

David Wallace

You must be thinking of someone else.

Mahnax

@tchrist Do you ever eat Taco Bell? You don't seem like the sort to eat fast food, but I figured I'd ask.

Cerberus

4:37 AM

I've never been there either.

David Wallace

All the published Perl authors that I've ever met have eaten insane quantities of pizza.

tchrist

Yes, it’s one of the few fastfood places that has vegetarian food on crosscountry roadtrips.

Mahnax

Oh, are you a vegetarian then?

tchrist

No, but what I am there is no nice word for.

2

Cerberus

We know.

Don't make us say it.

David Wallace

4:39 AM

@tchrist What does that have to do with your vegetarianism?

tchrist

Piscivorous sounds pissy, and ichthyophagous sounds faggy.

See the problem?

Cerberus

Not what I was thinking, but OK.

tchrist

Sushitarian works better.

David Wallace

How about "a fish eater"?

Mahnax

Mmm, fish.

tchrist

4:40 AM

‘I don’t think Lord Varis likes fish pie.’

David Wallace

I don't think "ichthyophage" sounds faggy.

Just hard to spell.

tchrist

It’s because of the inadequacies of the Latin alphabet for representing Greek words.

David Wallace

(I'm assuming that by "faggy" you mean "smokes too much")

tchrist

Too many extra h's.

David Wallace

I see the title now. "The Hitchhiking Ichthyophage".

tchrist

4:41 AM

But the problem is that if people learn you eat fish, they expect you to eat it constantly, with every fucking meal or snack. Drives me nuts.

Mahnax

So what is the reasoning behind being an ichthyophage? I am curious.

David Wallace

Eating it while fxxxing people? I don't think you have to do that!

Oh, that's right, just invalidate me why don't you?

tchrist

It’s probably best to count it as a religious persuasion or sexual orientation: not a valid topic for analysis and debate.

Mahnax

If you say so.

tchrist

It’s best, trust me.

David Wallace

4:44 AM

Most people would assert the same about their religious persuasion and their sexual orientation.

Cerberus

And right they are!

David Wallace

Is there a word for someone who eats fish and bird meat but not mammals?

tchrist

I don’t wish to be convicted of corrupting youth.

For I can be quite persuasive.

I don’t want to do that.

Look at Socrates.

I also consume invertebrates on occasion.

Usually while biking.

Quickly.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Now you've made me hungry.

I've eaten only, what, 1450 kc today.

tchrist

One of those skinny boys, are ya?

David Wallace

4:48 AM

By today, I assume you mean yesterday?

Cerberus

Skinny to be. Hopefully soon.

My days are not bound by mortal time zones.

tchrist

Anorexia nervosa is not a pretty sight.

Cerberus

Believe me, that is not the case.

Mahnax

I hold a rather interesting position on the consumption of different animals, actually.

David Wallace

Does anyone know whether Cerberus is a pretty sight?

Cerberus

4:49 AM

You refuse to east dogs?

Of course I am.

Mahnax

@DavidWallace Yeah, he is.

Cerberus

Can't you see my picture?

My BMI is 24ish.

tchrist

I see a four-headed dog.

David Wallace

You mean your avatar here?

tchrist

Without a sock.

Cerberus

4:50 AM

@tchrist Then drink less. Or more.

David Wallace

@tchrist for certain definitions of four.

Cerberus

@DavidWallace Yes.

tchrist

Well, it’s that or a capon.

Cameron

@DavidWallace bleem

ΜετάEd

I thought the trendy word was piscatarian.

simchona

4:51 AM

@tchrist mods can see IP info. Referring to your previous NS discussion.

tchrist

Oh, ok.

Thanks.

I thought piscavores ate fishermen.

@sim How come the deleted stuff on meta doesn’t say that it was deleted?

Mahnax

If I accessed EL&U via TOR, would they get suspicious?

Cameron

@tchrist No, just people born in March

tchrist

Of what?

Mahnax

I'm not sure. Everything.

tchrist

4:53 AM

I often access it from different IPs.

simchona

@tchrist not sure. I can see that it was deleted. Maybe conversions to comments show up differently.

tchrist

I can see that it was deleted, but it does not say when/by-whom unless you click the edit link.

I thought that was odd.

David Wallace

Maybe Nortonn lives in a not-so-common country.

Mahnax

He claimed to be from China.

tchrist

Do we know where he lives?

Mahnax

4:55 AM

Apparently he's in the USA right now.

tchrist

There is no end of IPs in China.

@Mahnax Oh?

David Wallace

So if you see suspicious Nortonnesque behaviour coming from New Zealand, you'll know that it's not he.

Mahnax

in Discussion, Jul 21 at 6:22, by Nortonn S

I live in the united states, as a citizen of the united states.

tchrist

Pretty lame English for a cit.

David Wallace

@Mahnax That proves it!

Mahnax

4:56 AM

in Discussion, Jul 21 at 6:15, by jokerdino

Aww. What do you do for the living then?

in Discussion, Jul 21 at 6:15, by Nortonn S

government

…right.

tchrist

He’s on the dole.

Figgers.

Cameron

Being the government is a hard job, no wonder he has no time for learning English

tchrist

It works for Mycroft Holmes.

ΜετάEd

He could be a disgruntled postal worker.

tchrist

Who opens people’s mail and gets confused.

Mahnax

4:59 AM

A disgruntled postal worker? Nice.

in Discussion, Jul 21 at 6:47, by Nortonn S

i'm progressive

tchrist

You are so fleeting.

Candle in the wind.

Mahnax

I couldn't make up my mind.

tchrist

A firefly.

Mahnax

Thanks.

tchrist

I like lightning bugs.

They make me happy.

Mahnax

5:01 AM

I have never seen one.

tchrist

Do you not have them?

Mahnax

We do not.

tchrist

They are common at home, but rare here. There are only two swarms in Boulder County.

They do not like the plains.

Not moist enough, or something.

Mahnax

You're lucky to have any at all :-)

tchrist

Back home they are the sign of summer evenings.

Yes, I know.

I can see children telling fairytales about them.

Mahnax

5:04 AM

They don't really get talked about here.

We just whine about mosquitoes.

Which we have in abundance.

ΜετάEd

Nortonn S is all about the freedom to write anything without being oppressed by any kind of rules, and anticommunist. Evan Carroll is all about the freedom to write anything without being oppressed by any kind of rules, and he's communist. Let's try to avoid them ever coming into physical contact. There's something about matter antimatter reactions which worries me.

Mahnax

Oh no.

David Wallace

@Cameron Seriously?

Cameron

@DavidWallace Well, I guess not, I don't really think there's an integer between 3 and 4, but I did like the story

What did you think?

ΜετάEd

What's the word for a person who speaks three or bleem different languages?

Mahnax

5:12 AM

Tribleemoglot.

Obviously.

ΜετάEd

Can't be. Bleem is not a Greek root, obviously.

Dammit, don't mix your Latin and Greek parts.

Especially don't mix your Greek parts.

David Wallace

@ΜετάEd could be!

Mahnax

@ΜετάEd Tell that to the homosexual televisions.

David Wallace

Are you referring to my former colleague's fax machine?

Mahnax

I'm not, Ed might be.

ΜετάEd

5:14 AM

Bleem!

Bleem! (styled as bleem!) was a commercial PlayStation emulator released by the Bleem Company in 1999 for IBM-compatible PCs and Dreamcast. It is notable for being one of the few commercial software emulators to be aggressively marketed during the emulated console's lifetime, and was the center of multiple controversial lawsuits. History Bleem! was PlayStation emulator software designed to allow people to play original PlayStation games on their PC computers or Dreamcast gaming consoles (the Dreamcast version was called Bleem! for Dreamcast). It was released in March 1999. The company th...

Cameron

I feel the need… the need for sleep. Bye all!

David Wallace

bye

Mahnax

Bye!

Cerberus

Wait!

I'm going with you.

Goodnight, all!

Mahnax

Bye Cerby.

Cerberus

5:19 AM

Ciao!

@Mahnax By the way, I was not entirely surprised.

poof

Mahnax

@Cerberus When?

Nooo!

You know.

No, I don't though.

Sure you do.

No, I don't.

5:20 AM

I can't say it.

Mahnax

Can you e-mail it?

Cerberus

Yes, but you should just get what I mean!

stamps foot

Mahnax

But I don't!

It's late.

Cerberus

Why aren't you telepathic?

Mahnax

I'm sorry.

Cerberus

5:21 AM

"It".

Mahnax

?

Cerberus

You don't want me to say it.

Mahnax

Don't I?

Cerberus

You said you didn't.

Not yet anyway.

Mahnax

Oh, that?

Cerberus

5:21 AM

Yes.

Mahnax

Oh, I thought you were referring to something more recent.

OK.

Cerberus

For me, it's recent.

Mahnax

Yeah, it is. It just slipped my mind, I guess.

Well, thanks for clearing it up.

Cerberus

I was hoping the total lack of context would help, but no, hehe.

David Wallace

Yeah, it's crystalline now!

Cerberus

5:23 AM

Well, good night!

Mahnax

Yes, good night! I should sleep soon as well.

David Wallace

boa noite

Cerberus

Bye Dave.

Somehow I think you hate it when I call you Dave.

David Wallace

Many years ago I went by Dave. Not recently.

Cerberus

Ah OK.

David Wallace

5:24 AM

But since I usually call you Cerby, I can't really complain.

Cerberus

@Mahnax That's not Dutch.

@DavidWallace Very true.

Mahnax

@Cerberus I guess.

Cerberus

Okay, good night!

@Mahnax I like how your censored your censored line.

David Wallace

and I can't really retaliate by using your real name without the final letter.

Mahnax

@Cerberus Danke.

Cerberus

5:25 AM

Which didn't contain anything anyway.

@DavidWallace That was what Mahnax was trying.

Mahnax

In the interest of your privacy, I felt it was amust.

Cerberus

God forbid anyone see those underscores!

Mahnax

gasps

Cerberus

Noo cover that!

Mahnax

You delete that right now!

Cerberus

5:26 AM

phew

Mahnax

9? Really?

David Wallace

I have to go and watch 11 year olds playing basketball. Later everyone!

Mahnax

Bye!

ΜετάEd

You can perform this action again in ȥ seconds.

Matt Эллен

8:43 AM

There's something about watching birds
While eating a bowl full of curds
That makes you quite fat
Probably since you're sat
On your arse, you big birdy nerd

user19161

9:06 AM

@MattЭллен Boo!

Matt Эллен

Hello, Jasper!

Matt Эллен

9:57 AM

I can't look at our close queue any more. my brain is unlearning prepositions

ЯegDwight

This is... fascinating.

Matt Эллен

it's coloured as if deleted, but it doesn't say it's deleted

ЯegDwight

It does say "undelete".

But not when it was deleted or by whom.

Matt Эллен

> Seagulls

@ЯegDwight ah. I don't have such privileges

ЯegDwight

10:15 AM

AFK.

KitFox

10:56 AM

@tchrist Deleted things don't one-box because only 10K+ are allowed to see them.

And to answer your question:

-6

Q: Why is the following answer converted into a comment?

Why is the following answer being converted into a comment? "See the FAQ" someone said to me; but in the FAQ I found nothing! Can anybody express a possible explanation? -- Prepositions pose more communication problems for learners of English as well as for native speakers than any other...

Matt Эллен

@KitFox does that answer say who deleted it and when? I can't see that info

I used to see it

KitFox

Oh, I thought he was asking why it was deleted.

Matt Эллен

Good morning, BTW :D

KitFox

Morning.

You are right, it doesn't say now.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox he was

user19161

10:59 AM

@KitFox Your fox looks like a whale. The ears are the tail.

KitFox

Indeed.

Matt Эллен

the info seems to have gone from all deleted things

KitFox

Just meta, or everything?

user19161

@KitFox Though I must say it pseudo-answers the question.

Matt Эллен

meta and main. not checked the rest of SE

KitFox

11:01 AM

Probably ought to check Meta.SO. Maybe it's a new thing.

Matt Эллен

@WillHunting sudo answer the question

KitFox

@WillHunting You are welcome to discuss it in his meta question.

Haha. Jinx

user19161

When an answer lies on the boundary of what is an answer and what is not, there are endless arguments over this. It is simple: people choose different sides of the fence; there is no absolute right or wrong.

user19161

So for me, there is no need to discuss this anymore.

KitFox

OK, then.

user19161

11:03 AM

If I posted it as an answer and it was converted into a comment, no problem.

user19161

If it was not, also no problem.

KitFox

I just want you to know that I am open to the discussion, should you desire to try to convince me.

Robusto

11:37 AM

Hola.

0

Q: Stack English Bulldog

What has Stack English got to do with a bulldog? I know that all the natives of these Isles are imbued with the bulldog spirit, but what has this got to do with Stack English? What is a Stack in this context? I've decided to show Lizzy. She is 4 months old now and I've been working with her...

meaning

Is this really an ELU question? Don't we have pets.SE or something like that?

BTW, I have discovered that there is a form of English discourse lower than ELU Lite. It is called "YouTube comments" ...

Nobudduh here, huh?

Matt Эллен

Ohai!

youtube comments are certainly the worst thing I've come across that isn't actually illegal

in terms of comments, that is

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…