English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room - 2013-12-10 (page 1 of 3)

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12:43 AM

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American spying agency launches new satellite, with very interesting logo, true story.

Somebody watched too many films.

arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/12/…

5 hours later…

5:54 AM

Oh my god~!

Korean age system is annoying

I'm 23 here but I'm technically 22 (just turned to 22 like few days ago)

in Australia

or any other western nations

Gosh!

I feel like I'm a grandpa!!

PHUCK!

6:08 AM

Life is funny because when you have a concern, somebody also had that concern too. So that person already have asked a question about it on YahooAnswers

answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130407152947AAwwIEG

I agree so many things about this question

"And I'm always the one who starts the conversation and every time I do it I feel like a stalker."

4 hours later…

9:54 AM

@Cerebus Well, I suppose technically. ;) But the plate on the left is the salad plate, top left over the forks is the bread plate. Still, I think I might let it slide this time, especially since you've actually attended a white-tie dinner and I have not. — KitFox May 20 '11 at 20:38

Cerebus, huh?

@KitFox was dissing @Cerberus years before it was en vogue.

0

A: Is there any difference between "offense" and "offence"?

i want to know car reg no cxg 330 gp traffic fine amount and the ticket no.

Matt Эллен

10:32 AM

@RegDwigнt Billare has changed to Uticensis! What is the world coming to?

10:51 AM

What's the difference between need and want.

Like: They need your passport to give you a visa, they want your passport to give you a visa

Matt Эллен

> Those who need what they want and don't want what they need, I want nothing to do with.

— Gnarles Barkley

First, look up the dictionary.

Matt Эллен

quite

I did.

@JasperLoy

It is a very difficult question to answer.

10:53 AM

And I know what they mean. But I don't know the difference between the two in the example above.

What did you find in the dictionary?

Need and Want.

I am thinking of how to explain it...

me too :-)

@JasperLoy Go on. I am here and would love to be lectured by you.

Matt Эллен

10:55 AM

@Noah in your example, there is not enough context to tell you the difference

Say it was from the Consolar office.

Telling you what I wrote.

Matt Эллен

if they want what they need and need what they want then the words mean the same thing

@badass Me too:(

@MattЭллен Geezis, now I am confused.

2 mins ago, by badass

What did you find in the dictionary?

10:56 AM

@badass badass.

What are the definitions?

Matt Эллен

@Noah well, the first step is to form a hypothesis. What might the difference be?

given that you know the difference between want and need

@badass Want: verb
1 [ with obj. ] have a desire to possess or do (something); wish for: I want an apple | [ with infinitive ] : we want to go to the beach | [ with obj. and infinitive ] : she wanted me to leave | [ no obj. ] : I'll give you a lift into town if you want.
• wish to speak to (someone): Tony wants me in the studio.
• (be wanted) (of a suspected criminal) be sought by the police for questioning: he is wanted by the police in connection with an arms theft.
• desire (someone) sexually: I've wanted you since the first moment I saw you.

Matt Эллен

and the whole context within which the statement is made

need |niːd|
verb [ with obj. ]
1 require (something) because it is essential or very important rather than just desirable: I need help now | [ with present participle ] : this shirt needs washing | [ with infinitive ] : they need to win tomorrow.
• (not need something) not want to be subjected to something: I don't need your sarcasm.
2 [ as modal verb ] [ with negative or in questions ] expressing necessity or obligation: need I say more? | all you need bring are sheets.
3 [ no obj. ] archaic be necessary. lest you, even more than needs, embitter our parting.

10:58 AM

In your example, both mean require.

I would use need myself there, using want sounds a bit weird.

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy I think that's what I said ;)

@MattЭллен Would you use want? It sounds weird there

Matt Эллен

@JasperLoy I agree, for a consulate to want ones passport is a bit odd. they're a beuraucratic office, so they only perform a function. they don't have desires.

@Noah Do you see any difference in those two definitions?

Matt Эллен

but colloquially saying want is OK

11:01 AM

@noah Go with need in that sentence. I am not sure want is correct there.

a strong enough want becomes a need :-)

Matt Эллен

an obsession is not a need!

it's a form of addiction

Matt Эллен

you might call it that, but I would judge you

looks all judgy

@badass addictions are complicated

indeed they are

Matt Эллен

11:05 AM

sometimes an addiction changes obsession into need

because of physical changes in the body

Off topic, but I need a miracle in my life this December...

I really hope I can get over my current obstacles and get better...

Matt Эллен

any miracle in particular?

I hope that, too

On topic, just believe...

@MattЭллен No, specifically getting better, somehow.

Matt Эллен

ah, so not a miracle that saves the lives of a million bacteria...

11:07 AM

Thanks guys.

Matt Эллен

Warships, Noah

Exactly.

...never underestimate the power of hope.

@MattЭллен what do you call a bad quality image?

So, I asked my mum to ask my dad to move back @matt

Matt Эллен

11:09 AM

@JasperLoy is that wise?

@Noah What kind?

Matt Эллен

@Noah one with lots of artefacts

@MattЭллен Well, I don't think he would make me any worse now. I am mostly dealing with other things now.

Matt Эллен

OK

My meds really decrease my libido to almost zero, lol

Matt Эллен

11:11 AM

going on

@JasperLoy that must be nice

It is said that in the higher god realms, the gods fulfill their desires not by sex but merely by glancing.

I have not traced that down to the exact sutta though.

O_o

What do you think of this email: The last one is not of good quality. You can see for yourself if you zoom it in.

Matt Эллен

it is short

What would you write?

Would be good if you can rephrase it a little bit.

Matt Эллен

11:16 AM

It's fine. It's short. There's nothing wrong with short emails

By the way I am talking about an image.

The last one is not that good, you can see for yourself if you zoom in.

Would you say zoom it in or zoom in

Or zoom in on it.

zoom in

I would say zoom in.

I am not sure about the other variants.

11:18 AM

@MattЭллен what would you say>

Matt Эллен

zoom in

"but zoom it in" is fine too.

Is the you can see for yourself part polite?

It is fine.

I don't think I'd really ever use "they want your passport to give you a visa".

Doesn't sound natural to me.

Same here.

11:19 AM

or zoom in on it

@RegDwigнt What would you say?

The need variant.

Okay.

Or whatever.

Matt Эллен

@Noah It could be taken as a little brusque. "Zooming in on the picture shows up the problem" is politer, but not much more so.

11:20 AM

It's just that they never want to give you a visa, and by extension they also don't want your passport.

Matt Эллен

:D

They couldn't care less about you.

It is you who wants something from them.

@MattЭллен nono, that came out wrong, I'm not jesting.

You want the visa, and what they need for that from you is your passport.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt I know. I don't only laugh when people jest.

I am now thinking of where I want to reborn in my next life...

@MattЭллен You are such a rebel. My god.

Matt Эллен

11:21 AM

:D

I wonder if I will recall that I was JL then.

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt It's all in the way you tell it

So here is the email. The last one doesnt seem to be of good quality. Zooming in on it shows up the problem.

What do you think now

It is fine.

Zooming in on it will show up the problem

11:23 AM

Also fine.

Matt Эллен

Yeah, that's fine

I used to think I know English until I came to this site.

Then it became not so clear which is right and which is wrong.

So, this site has made my English worse.

QED.

LOL

And can you send us the correct version can you send us the improved version * can you send us something better*

Which one?

Anything better?

can you send us the improved version

The last two seem better than the first.

Matt Эллен

11:28 AM

I'd go with improved

Same.

new and improved :D

Matt Эллен

@RegDwigнt I'm not laughing at you, by the way, just at the thoughts what you said conjure

Can you send us an improved version?

Yes, good.

11:32 AM

@MattЭллен that's a bummer. When will people finally start laughing at me?

@RegDwigнt Most of your jokes are too hard for me.

That's what she said.

Geezis.

Matt Эллен

There you go! Assuming people who talk are female! Demoting males to silent hulks! so sexist.

When did I assume that people who talk are female? Also, the people who talk are female. Men grunt. At most.

Matt Эллен

11:35 AM

2 mins ago, by RegDwigнt

That's what she said.

you could have said "that's what they said"

No assumptions there. Only pure, distilled truth.

I was thinking Reg was referring to how his wife said his XXX was too hard for her, lol.

Matt Эллен

you're clearly genderising your speech to increase the matriarchy's hold over our minds

@MattЭллен I do not perform mental sex change on previous encounters just to suit listeners' tastes.

Matt Эллен

people who speak don't have sex

11:37 AM

Well. Yes. Women.

Men grunt. See above.

So previously I did it every day, but with the meds I only do it once a week now @matt, lol

Matt Эллен

ever so slightly TMI, there, @Jas

See, some people don't even do hims or hers, they do its.

Honestly, I am not sure if the meds really help me, but I should continue taking them.

Matt Эллен

you need to record you mood and take the meds for a prolonged period to find out

11:39 AM

There are too many factors. There is no control test.

There can't be two me's in two universes.

You could give some pills to strangers on the street.

Yes, I think many people on the streets are probably crazy too.

Matt Эллен

but you don't need a control, you just need to see how you are progressing

Well he hasn't deleted an account in days!

Matt Эллен

true :D

11:44 AM

I even used a brand new email to sign up for it.

So this time it did not associate to my old network ID.

11:56 AM

Is there anything, anything at all, better than Apple Mail?

I just love this client and I cannot seem to think of any other alternative. But now I need to configure a work account on some other client and I am looking for some decent alternatives.

Matt Эллен

I prefer roast pork with roast potatoes, crackling, gravy and veg to Apple Mail.

every single time. even if I really need to communicate with someone

I'll take lunch over Apple Mail no matter the cost.

I may be biased in that I'm quite hungry right now

i will buy you lunch, but you give me something better.

Matt Эллен

better than lunch? there's no such thing.

No better than Apple mail

Matt Эллен

12:12 PM

how about just an apple? I have one of those. you could plant the core and grow a tree that gives you more apples. way better than apple mail.

Yeah, but it won't grow mail?

And I won't be able to have some mail.

Matt Эллен

you can't eat mail

apple mail is bett'r than lunch, thou cat'r-cousin of mineth

right. but you can taste it.

Matt Эллен

how is it better than lunch? it won't sate my huger, nor give me the energy to carry on with the day. it can only give me email.

I already have emails

@Noah oh! what sorcery is this?

12:45 PM

@MattЭллен There is no app that gives you roast potatoes, crackling, gravy and veg on the iPhone? Perhaps you should try the Android app store.

Matt Эллен

That would be a game changer for all the people who prefer food to email!

I can imagine them switching in droves from iPhone to some android device

Food Over IP

Food is a need, while an IP is a want :D

Matt Эллен

indeed

-1

A: Using "utilize" instead of "use"?

I always thought it was used to make people sound smart as well. Thanks to The Raven, I will reconsider my stance on this. Although I still don't understand why anyone would "use" anything if they didn't think it would be profitable for them. I mean "profitable" doesn't have to mean just money...

Holy moly @Matt, did you read the entire thing?

Matt Эллен

I skipped some of the parentetical bits and then stopped at step 3

because WTF ever

12:54 PM

Luckily for you, step 3 was profit.

That was close.

:-O

Matt Эллен

lol

yeah. prophets are overrated

irrelevant is the right username

Matt Эллен

hmmm. I suppose I could edit it to the relevant bits

You only suppose that until you notice it's been deleted.

Matt Эллен

1:00 PM

:D

well, then I suppose that I won't

IP ban this troll before he gets in here

Matt Эллен

they can't get in here with just 1 reps

"before"

Nah he's not a troll. Just a misguided... fairy?

(-:

1:07 PM

Snow expected here this afternoon. Bleh.

I may have to utilize the snow machine.

Matt Эллен

because you needlize snow in the morning?

I thought you spelled that needlise.

Or needless.

Matt Эллен

I think it's a loan word from AmE

it hasn't standardised yet

or CaE

If you standardise it, you might win a prise.

Matt Эллен

1:10 PM

:D

Step 3!

Profit.

Eine Prise Salz?

Matt Эллен

that's what you get when you utilise your use

@MattЭллен So what's the likely sentence for the jihadist who stabbed that soldier to death in England? I know you don't have the death penalty, but does this asshole walk in 15 or 20 years?

Matt Эллен

it would seem so. I don't know for sure.

1:14 PM

Even a guy who says, "I did it, I'm glad I did it, and I'd do it again"?

Matt Эллен

he could be put away until he dies

but they have to give a certain number of years and he will get a parole hearing after 15 years

he could be given more than 20 years, but he'll still be given a parol hearing in 15

When was the last utilisation of the death penalty?

In Texas? Probably today.

Matt Эллен

oh, actually, if his minimum sentence is all of his life, he won't get parole

Death is too good for some people. Let them rot. Yes, I'll even pay for that with my tax money.

Matt Эллен

1:18 PM

but generally, according to wiki, people who kill for god get minimum of 30 years

> I was not in use to like it.

Matt Эллен

sounds unpleasant

He also reparses "I wasn't used to like it" as passive.

I think.

Matt Эллен

> [The killers of Lee Rigby] are also both accused of attempting to murder a police officer and conspiracy to murder a police officer.

"I was used until I liked it".

People have ideas.

Matt Эллен

1:20 PM

"I was not being used in order to make me like it"

"And like it I did not".

0

A: Roses are red, apples are green

Perhaps we could detect what language the user is coming to the site expecting (the language.navigator property comes to mind) and if its prefix is anything but "en" we could either show them a banner, translated into the requested language, which suggests that they might be more interested in EL...

You cannot annoy me. I am annoyed by default.

@RegDwigнt Agreed. The death penalty is no deterrent, but a life in hell might be.

I am still not finished reading that apples question, by the way.

Not even half way through, to be honest.

1:27 PM

I have annoyed you before, and I will annoy you again.

I sort of deduce it from the answers.

did you read my comment?

I did or did not, but one thing's for sure: I wouldn't remember if it was yours.

oh

@Robusto yeah yeah Gandalf, please take a number.

1:28 PM

@badass is such a negative-sounding name. Have you considered @niceass?

@Robusto not yet

Or really just neutralass.

@Robusto sounds like a girls name

Unpertubedass.

nice bum where you from?

1:30 PM

Anyway, you can see how old @Rob is. He didn't get the memo that bad is the new good. Or he couldn't find his glasses to read it.

@RegDwigнt So a bad ass is more appealing now than a nice ass? Maybe it's a European thing.

@badass Yes, that is the intended humor.

Bad has always been more appealing than nice. Just ask any woman.

What if I can't find my nice glasses, only my bad ones?

Then you eat humble pie without realizing that it's a lie.

But is it a humble lie or a vain one?

1:36 PM

Yes. Also, perhaps.

Matt Эллен

If you lie in vain, maybe it's nice to be bad

As I lie you down to sleep.

D'ah!: Russian expression of consternation and agreement.

Actually, da is a conjunction meaning "and".

Yes.

Matt Эллен

1:38 PM

Yada Yada Yada

user image

You probably think this song is about you, don't you?

No. That song is too annoying to be me, and not annoyed enough.

Matt Эллен

It is about you.

1:40 PM

:D

Why would you want to fornicate with a star? The sheer logistics of it. Some people just don't think stuff through.

Good thing I don't have audio at work. Would only distract from the excellent video.

"I'm sure you guys are just talking about pierogis and snow and shit, but let's cut it out, all right."

@JasperLoy What? You can choose? runs off to make list

1:44 PM

@Robusto that's what Americans always say to Russians discussing pirogi. Why the hell are you guys so annoyed with pastry?

We can't all be discussing your stupid wars 24/7.

Is that suppose to be a walrus?

How do you mean, "supposed to be"?

you can never tell...

Only the Beatles couldn't tell. And that's because they didn't smoke enough.

If they did smoke they would've burnt out like all the rest.

Matt Эллен

1:53 PM

@RegDwigнt pies and puff?

Yeah something like that.

@RegDwigнt Enjoy. And out.

enjoys and outs

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Dec '1310

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