English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Cerberus

00:03

Aww.

I didn't know you were superstitious.

tchrist

Don’t be silly.

I just know too many pranksters.

Really quite different.

Was trying to figure out who’d snuck into my house.

Cerberus

Fair enough.

Johan Larsson

but is freak out the same as figure out?

Cerberus

Heh.

Johan Larsson

Is writing a soduko solver hard?

I started writing one tonight but it took more than one hour and counting

I'm not bruteforcing

Robusto

00:20

I have no idea. Never thought about it.

@JohanLarsson Not at all the same. Freaking out usually means unraveling mentally or emotionally, and it has come to mean that with negative connotations almost exclusively, but originally it had a sense of exploration and wonder about it.

►

Cerberus

@JohanLarsson It sounds hard!

Robusto

@Cerberus Nah. I'm sure you could do one in AHK in less time than it takes you to choose a tea cosy.

Cerberus

Hmm but that might take quite some time...

I don't like puzzles. I wouldn't know how to solve a sudoku.

Robusto

I too am missing an important piece of understanding about how to solve them.

AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute

Yo!

Cerberus

00:33

@Robusto Which is why one would want to?

@AGirlSaidMySmileIsCute Woof!

Bradd Szonye

01:06

Here's an excellent guide to solving sudoku: angusj.com/sudoku/hints.php

Johan Larsson

can't click that one :)

Johan Larsson

01:43

ok update, was not that hard to write a solver for simple puzzles. Had forgotten about the rules of the game.

now you all think "That is very interesting" :D

the solver handles medium hard puzzles

gonna try a hard then sleep

Johan Larsson

01:58

pushed it nite

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

02:16

@tchrist oh dear.

JSBձոգչ

02:31

but what if i don't want to solve sudoku?

i find the whole exercise tedious and uninteresting

Cerberus

02:51

Same.

So it is more convenient to have a bot solve it, nein?

So we should thank Johan for delivering us from this madness.

JSBձոգչ

yes. all hail johan!

writing a program to solve sudoku sounds considerably more interesting than actually solving a sudoku myself

Cerberus

Quite so.

JSBձոգչ

a computer can probably brute-force a solution in a second or two

Cerberus

The rules were "no brute-forcing".

JSBձոգչ

and what counts as brute forcing?

Cerberus

02:54

I was wondering about that too.

skullpatrol

03:45

Brute-force attack

and Brute-force search

JSBձոգչ

@skullpatrol i know what the term normally means. but i'm saying, there could be legitimate disagreement about which kinds of algorithms count as 'brute force'

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Some dude I follow on twitter but don't know in real life is saying Happy Halloween to all of his followers three at a time.

JSBձոգչ

weird

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

He's up to 30ish tweets.

JSBձոգչ

but good news everybody! i'm so far undefeated in tonight's magic event

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

03:53

magical cards?

JSBձոգչ

magical cards!

theros sealed

online

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

hooray!

JSBձոգչ

holy cow, there's 252 people in this tournament

that's almost 2^8!

and currently i'm #34

which means nothing, really, since that standing is after 1 round

standings after round 2 will be posted in about 7 min

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

:O

JSBձոգչ

do you play magic?

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

04:01

No, but my bf here does.

Er, has.

And probably will again.

Has a lot.

bedtime!

good luck to you!

JSBձոգչ

bedtime!

i sleep once the cards have been slung

good night!

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

good night!

skullpatrol

later

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

later, raider

tchrist

I have names.

skullpatrol

04:07

of?

tchrist

kittens

skullpatrol

icic

tchrist

The peripatetic black tabby shall be known amongst the common folk as Randy. The warm snuggling orange-and-white purr-machine shall be amongst those same commoners known as Lorin.

Both names, of course, are directly derived from the Legendarium, describing their personalities and purpose, their inner natures.

skullpatrol

What is the mother's name?

tchrist

They have longer and more descriptive names, but that shall suffice for those who do not wish to forever wander lost in dream.

I don’t know.

EnglishMaster

05:01

I realised there are many stupid people say "Java sucks" then when I ask them "Why does it suck?" then they say some weird facts they read online but the truth is nowdays it's easier to get an entry job in Enterprise development with skills with .NET or Ruby on Rails than Java so they call it suck (because others say it sucks too!)

skullpatrol

Money talks

Ethan

@EnglishMaster Do you know of any synonyms for Semordnilap?

This is clearly subjective, but do you think it would be 'okay' to use the word 'reverse anagram' instead?

EnglishMaster

No sorry, I'm heavily wasted right now

2

RegDwigнt

06:01

New tag time! With a stupid name, too! range-inclusion. Everyone please have a look, lots of potential dupes in there.

tchrist

@EnglishMaster Stupid people say anything. That doesn’t matter. The issue is that smart people say Java sucks, and them you should pay attention to.

tchrist

07:33

Should this really have been closed as “off topic”?

3

Q: Confusion over “family name” in English: what about double-barrelled last names?

How do you fill out an official form in English that asks for just one last name when you instead have a surname which comprises more than one word? I currently live in a Latin country, where we have names which have “two last names”. One of these “last names” is the father’s surname and the ...

RegDwigнt

08:08

Jul 4 at 22:03, by RegDwighт

Knock-knock.

Chris's sis

08:22

Hi

Is any around?

uday sagar

10:46

how do we say etcetera
etc or etc. (trailing fullstop)

Matt Эллен

/ɛt ˈsɛtərə/

that's how to say etc.

if you want to write the abbreviation, then you use a full stop

e.g. "It's the darkness, cold, etc., that I really don't like"

uday sagar

Okay. Thanks. @MattЭллен

skullpatrol

Abbreviations need a period after them.

Matt Эллен

no problem

skullpatrol

11:11

@MattЭллен Do the British use a period after the abbreviation for an inch? i.e. "in. or in"

Matt Эллен

yes, I think so.

I don't have much cause to use it

skullpatrol

how about feet, ft. or yard, yd.
the metric system does not use periods in millimeter, mm or centimeter, cm

Matt Эллен

11:32

I think it's a matter of style

KitFox

12:33

@Matt, @Mr.Shiny, are you writing yet?

How about now?

JSBձոգչ

I IZ NOT WRITING YET

but i will be soon

KitFox

Oh, I thought you weren't going to this year!

Excellent.

MετάEd

I am writing. I just wrote six^h^h^hseven^h^h^h^h^height^h^h^h^h^hnine^h^h^h^hforget it.

Cerberus

France is going to make visiting prostitutes illegal, even though prostitution itself is legal.

How stupid is that?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

It's like that here.

The actual act of prostitution is legal. However everything else that goes around it is not legal.

@KitFox tonight, I hope.

so @cerb. Your phone isn't getting KitKat. :(

KitFox

12:50

I got a "Hey, so the big boss noticed you leaving five minutes early on Wednesday..." talk this morning.

rolls eyes

Mitch

@Cerberus Shit. I mean Dammit... uh Dammit?

JSBձոգչ

that makes no sense

Mitch

@Cerberus So the prostitutes should be live-in? Nice!

JSBձոգչ

(the prostitute thing)

@Mitch aren't those just called "wives"?

KitFox

Is that what you think?

Mitch

12:52

Dude! WTH!

KitFox

makes note to tell @JSB's wife that her husband thinks she's a whore

JSBձոգչ

snerk

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 But that's stupid! x2

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus And most of those laws were recently struck down as unconstitutional. So I'm not sure how they stand at the moment.

Cerberus

@Mitch Very well, I'll write that down in the box next to your name, then.

Mitch

12:54

@KitFox Is this new job or job that is ... hmmm...I don't want to give anything away.

Cerberus

@Mitch Marriage is already legal, I think.

Mitch

@Cerberus I'd prefer 'dammit'. 'shit' is a mess.

@Cerberus But doesn't that surround prostitution?

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Ah OK, let's hope they will be annulled or whatever it's called.

@Mitch And so it shall be.

@Mitch Surround?

Prostitution is not in once place, it's pretty hard to surround.

Mitch

@Cerberus Nice! Let it be. So be it. Thy will be done. Adds a lot of class to the whole thing.

KitFox

@Mitch "It's not a problem, but it's better if you just let me know..."

Cerberus

12:56

Great!

KitFox

Damn right it's not a problem.

Mitch

@Cerberus What? there's no fence thing to it? We're talking about the kind of prostitution where...

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox Lol. srsly? How early were you leaving? Are you on a punch clock?

Mitch

... where the guy is on horseback (it's almost always a dude), and he's going after this heifer and he ropes her down and scores.

KitFox

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Not on a punch clock. It was about 5 minutes early than I usually leave every day for the last three years, which is 30 minutes earlier than I'm scheduled to leave.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

12:58

@KitFox rolls eyes

Cerberus

@Mitch Pro-stituo: "put in front". It's where toys are put in front of greedy children.

KitFox

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 And the big boss who commented to my supervisor is the guy who comes in an hour and half after the scheduled start time every day.

Mitch

@Cerberus Little bastards.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox yeah it's always like that.

KitFox

I said "Oh, yeah sure of course will do."

Cerberus

12:59

Yeah, well, if they can't get any toys through other means, and the toys put themselves at the front...

The problem is that many toys are forced to do so by the evil toy smugglers.

KitFox

Which naturally means that I will remember to go out the back.

Cerberus

It's like...Toy Story, which is really about prostitution.

Mitch

@Cerberus What? I thought it was an allegory of WWII.

KitFox

Woody, who goes all limp when Bo Peep is around, because she likes Buzz, the shining, battery powered toy.

Mitch

You know, Woody is the beleagured British and Buzz is the Americans. I think Mr. Potato head is the French.

Cerberus

13:02

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Care to help? change.org/petitions/…

Mitch

Oh right, so Bo Peep is the Russians...cuz you know how that turned out afterwards.

Cerberus

@Mitch What did you think they did at the FRONTlines during the many months of waiting?

I've actually never seen the film.

Mitch

Visited the 'prostitutes' obviously (the toy shops).

Cerberus

Hehe.

KitFox

@Mitch They were all hot and sexy and then it was like 'wtf?' and no one wanted to talk anymore and awkward and we were all like 'you were just somebody that I used to know' and they were all like 'whateves.'

Cerberus

13:03

@Mitch So "prostitution" is a euphemism for toyshoppery?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus lol. signed. for whatever good it will do

KitFox

Big boss called the whole group into the regular monthly meeting that he usually cancels.

He decided this at 9:30 last night.

I am wondering if he is going to assign me the project that isn't assigned yet.

Today is just miserable.

I want to go home and climb in bed.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

13:26

So this new computer virus: inects your computer by inserting a usb storage device; burrows into the firmware; makes it so you can't boot from external things like CD-ROMS, and communicates with other infected hosts using ultra-sonic networking over your system's mic/speakers.

2

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I know.

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Ultrasonic, eh? That's pretty cool. Where can I get this?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Oh, I forgot to add, it's multi-platform. Infects, Mac, Windows, BSD, Linux.

Cerberus

And how can it disable booting from a CD? Does it infect the BIOS?

Matt Эллен

@KitFox I just popped out for some lunch. I'm 1000 in

KitFox

I saw, in The Overlook.

I'm itching to start, but I have stuff to do! Stuff!

I can't believe it's only 9:30.

Matt Эллен

13:32

I laugh in the face of stuff

I can't believe it's already 13:32

time has flown

KitFox

I am wound up today! Wound! And cold!

Matt Эллен

!!

KitSox

@MattЭллен Are you excited? Or did you need help with my workings?

Matt Эллен

it's a bit cold today

KitFox

It's rainy and cold today and my heat is off, for some inexplicable reason.

It's like they try to make my work environment as unappealing as possible.

Matt Эллен

13:34

The heat is off. It's off the street

KitFox

Hahaha

I remember my brother playing that song on clarinet in the fifth grade.

Matt Эллен

:D

Andrew Leach

Call the police. They can sure put the heat on.

KitFox

I was thinking of putting some coffee on, but I have had a lot already.

It just doesn't stay warm.

Hey @Matt, are you sharing your progress as you go this year?

I wish I had a scarf.

Matt Эллен

that's why they inventend usb coffee warmers

KitFox

13:36

@MattЭллен I meant my body.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox did I last year? I can't remember. I wasn't planning on it, just sharing the finished products

KitFox

You didn't, except when I begged you for a read.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox oh, you shouldn't put coffee on your body

@KitFox oh :D well I expect that would work

KitFox

You are rather a sucker for my begging.

Matt Эллен

indeed

KitFox

13:38

Or maybe that's a beggar for my — oh goodness, look at the time! brb

Oh nice friend let me borrow her space heater.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus yes.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox good news!

KitFox

I have to hide it, of course.

Since they are not to code.

Matt Эллен

oh

oh dear

KitFox

I'm so annoyed today that I am going to work on production.

Matt Эллен

13:44

the good thing about working in a factory is that I can just ask for something to be PAT tested

@KitFox don't do it!

KitFox

What does that mean?

@MattЭллен Too late. commits changes

Matt Эллен

it's the test that electrical equipment must past before it can be used

KitFox

Oh. We have stuff like that too.

Matt Эллен

!!wiki pat test

KitSox

Portable appliance testing

Portable appliance testing (commonly known as "PAT", "PAT Inspection" or "PAT Testing") is a process in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia by which electrical appliances are routinely checked for safety. The correct term for the whole process is "in-service inspection & testing of electrical equipment". Similar procedures exist in other countries, for example, testing of equipment according to BGV A3 in Germany. Health and safety regulations require that electrical appliances are safe to prevent harm to workers. Many types of equipment require test...

KitFox

13:45

We're not supposed to use space heaters because they can't trust us to operate them safely.

But then they turn off the heat, and complain if we leave.

Matt Эллен

They can't have it both ways!

KitFox

I'd say my work morale is low today.

Matt Эллен

yeah. it doesn't help that there's a book to be written, I'll bet

KitFox

It doesn't help that I am really, really hoping to get a job offer soon.

Matt Эллен

:D

yeah, that too

Cerberus

13:47

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 How is that even possible...

I don't remember what I had to do last time I flashed a new BIOS.

MετάEd

@Cerberus Probably go to jail if you were caught at it.

Cerberus

I don't think I'm in jail.

KitFox

Nah, that's a misdemeanor, unless there's touching and-or laughing.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus It's possible. In fact in the article they mention in-lab viruses that can infect other firmware, like the firmware on a network card.

MετάEd

@KitFox Do not touch the BIOS.

Cerberus

13:48

Nice.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

So MS, Apple, and others have launched a huge patent war against Google

Cerberus

The French campaign against making visiting prostitutes illegal is called "ne touche pas ma pute".

Signes by "343 salauds".

KitFox

Charming.

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Horrible.

> The complaint against Google involves six patents, all from the same patent "family." They're all titled "associative search engine,"

Google should move to Brazil or something.

Away from the corrupted patent systems.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus wouldn't help. The patent laws would prevent selling in the US.

Cerberus

13:52

Well, fuck the US, then.

Let them have their Iphones.

Matt Эллен

but won't google just search for prior art and find it? I mean, that's what they're famous for (search)

Cerberus

Let's hope so! It should be possible.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@MattЭллен One of the patents is older than google.

Cerberus

Doesn't mean they can't find prior art.

> One patent filed in 1997, for a "navigation tool for graphical user interface," describes a way of navigating through electronic documents. Another describes an "Internet protocol filter," and a third patent describes an "integrated message center."

Matt Эллен

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 if they're software patents then they're already invalid :p

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

13:56

@MattЭллен sadly, not in the US.

Matt Эллен

indeed

Cerberus

> "Pretty much anyone out there is infringing," said Rockstar's CEO, John Veschi.

KitFox

I thought they determined that software could be protected under copyright, but not patents.

Cerberus

Nope.

KitFox

In the US.

Not that I care, or wish to be involved in this discussion.

Cerberus

13:57

Software can be patented if you add "on a device" to the description.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

no, recently the EU made some moves towards disallowing software patents. but they're totes okay in the US.

Cerberus

Not totes, not in theory; but, in practice, they are.

KitFox

Maybe it was the other way around then.

Again, not that I care, etc.

Cerberus

No, software can be copyrighted in its entirety.

And the EU is iffy too, though it is not as bad at the moment; the new European patent court may push us down the same hill America was pushed down from when it got its specialised patent court.

Uhh right.

KitFox

The Lego Movie.

Huh.

Matt Эллен

14:02

:Þ

ha!

KitFox

Yowser.

Matt Эллен

being on linux means I need to learn new things sometimes.

KitFox

You are on today, my friend.

Matt Эллен

:D

Have you read "the Pixar theory"? it's kinda funny

KitFox

I don't believe I have.

Matt Эллен

14:05

I'm a find the original post...

The Pixar Theory

KitFox

It's not really a theory so much as true.

Matt Эллен

!!

KitSox

@MattЭллен Are you excited? Or did you need help with my workings?

Cerberus

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 What Google should do is forbid all evil patent lawyers and their entire firms from using any Google products.

Refuse to deliver e-mail to them.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus de-list their law-firms from the SERP

Cerberus

14:08

Add to their service agreement, "user shall not try to destroy progress, innovation, and the Internet".

SERP?

And, more importantly: block the IP addresses of those firms from watching Youtube videos!! That'll hurt them.

"This video is unavailable to immoral businesses. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience you may suffer by missing out on the latest cat videos."

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus search engine results page

Cerberus

Ah.

Yes, just add a blacklist against all immoral businesses.

KitFox

@MattЭллен phew That is a long read, full of spoilers.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox yeah I had to stop reading it, since I haven't seen all the movies on it.

Matt Эллен

14:24

I don't plan on seeing them all. Although Brave sounds interesting

KitFox

I want to bury my face in her hair.

JSBձոգչ

@Cerberus surely you're aware that google itself hires tons of patent lawyers

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@JSBձոգչ how did it go last night?

JSBձոգչ

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 lost round 3 due to mana flood

but i was happy overall

Cerberus

@JSBձոգչ Hence "evil".

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

14:29

@JSBձոգչ :( :)

Andrew Leach

Where did the "Too Localised" close reason go?

-1

Q: Why is the conclusion to the following paragraph what it is?

I'm preparing for a logic based examination, and the following practice question seems a bit weird to me: It asks the following: The correct answer to the conclusion of that paragraph is that : Continued unrestricted population growth will lead to extremist political parties benefiting at the...

writing-style essay argument-structure

JSBձոգչ

@AndrewLeach eaten by wolves

Andrew Leach

Great. Someone should have fed them earlier.

JSBձոգչ

but magical times are over! until christmas!

will be nano-ing all of november, so no time for games

and december is advent

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@JSBձոգչ oh noes! Glad you are nano-ing.

KitFox

14:58

Why is this page taking so long?

The sproc takes hardly any time at all.

Oh ffs. Meeting. Later!

Matt Эллен

@KitFox disobedient webs.

Mitch

15:52

@KitFox That's exactly what I wrote for my senior thesis on the long range affects of WWII on the World economy. The Woody, Buzz, Bo Peep triangle has -everything- to do with the price of tea in China

@Cerberus !!urban toyshoppery

JSBձոգչ

I IZ WRITING NANOES. RITE NOW.

Matt Эллен

YAY ME TWO

KitFox

16:14

Damn it! I want to be writing NaNoes!

16s to load this page with 327 records. WTF!?

Matt Эллен

try making it load quicker

JSBձոգչ

why are you doing so many things? you should do fewer things. that would make it go faster.

KitFox

I just don't know.

I can't figure out what's difficult about this.

Get the records, bind to the listview. Just like every other g-deasley page.

JSBձոգչ

16:31

double-check: did you accidentally leave something in debug mode?

esp. the sql server. that can make a huge difference

KitFox

Doesn't seem so. All the other pages are loading really fast.

I'm wondering if it might have to do with something mysterious hanging on to the old LINQ object that I got rid of in this version.

JSBձոգչ

so my 3-year-old has somehow gotten himself inside his fleece blanket

as in, actually inside the lining of the blanket

KitFox

Hahaha

JSBձոգչ

17:28

10

Q: What to do with many painted pictures/ handicraft work

Our son produces tons of painted pictures and handicrafted things. We like them very much, but we are not sure what to do with them, as they need a lot of space, storage and time. It is not easy for us or for him to decide to trow some/most of them away, as he often has put a lot of thought and...

pre-schooler primary-schooler

i'm so tempted to say "throw them out, so they learn early that their art is terrible"

aedia λ

Throw them out, so that your child doesn't have to do it themselves when they find boxes of them 30 years later in your attic

Matt Эллен

Throw them out and tell the child this is so that they can make more.

throw the child out

JSBձոգչ

put them in a pile with some matches and kerosene and teach your child the use of FIRE

2

Matt Эллен

:D

KitFox

I put them in a box. We exchange the ones on the fridge almost daily.

JSBձոգչ

17:36

we have none on the fridge. my wife has a deep dislike of things being kept on the fridge

Stack Exchange

Limerick Machine: Hobo chic

posted on November 01, 2013 by sgdi

There once was a man in brown slacks And a quite weather beaten old mack His shoes were worn through Held together by glue And his shirt barely stayed on his back.

KitFox

Ho! NaNo and a limerick. Good on you, @Matt.

Matt Эллен

Thanks :)

KitFox

Now if you could just tell me why this page is so effing slow to load...

aedia λ

I always wanted to be one of those people who doesn't like things cluttering their fridge, or who keeps all their surfaces tidy, with like, one vase. Instead I see a spot and something in my brain says, "I could fit more useful stuff there." Great for packing. Terrible for real life.

KitFox

17:41

Yes, but my problem. frowns

fixitfixitfixitfixit

aedia λ

I've been gnawing on it?

lets go

Maybe that wasn't the right one.

nibbles other pages tentatively

I'm not sure what to do with these. I think I should have had a bigger lunch.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox your problem is that the query takes too long to run?

or maybe formatting the query into the shape of the page takes too long

or maybe that particular page is in slow memory.

memory that used to be normal, but got lazy

KitFox

@MattЭллен It seems so.

But I don't understand it. The query on server-side takes no time at all.

The sproc takes no time.

Just putting it on the page, suddenly it takes 16s to get the data.

Matt Эллен

hmmm

KitFox

And none of the other pages seems to be like this.

OK, I take that back...

Matt Эллен

17:51

oh dear

KitFox

I hate my job today.

Matt Эллен

I hate your job too

KitFox

Oh, well this one at least seems to have a crappy sproc response.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Matt Эллен

awww

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

17:56

My son was very excited to be a monster. But when I covered up his one monster eye and said "you can't see!" he got really mad

Matt Эллен

lol

he hadn't anticipated his inherent weakness!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

we actually came across another kid who had the same species of monster costume, only in a different colour.

I think it might have been from an earlier year because that costume had feet on it while my son's didn't. Old Navy cheaped out on the costume design this year.

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