English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

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Robusto

01:15

OK, so here's something weird. My Droid always connects to EL&U and sees images over 3g, but now when I connect via EXCELLENT Wi-Fi it's all text. WTF?

I get lightning downloads from YouTube, but all text from EL&U.SE.

4 hours later…

Kosmonaut

05:14

This is what I get for checking in on EL&U late at night:

Q: Difference between "remember", and "remember this"

Is there a difference in meaning between these two ways of saying things, or do they refer to the same action?

Okay, definitely time to go to bed.

2 hours later…

hippietrail

06:44

that's easy. it's the difference between "forget" and "forget this" that has me stumped

Boob

07:34

@Kosmonaut Let's cry

hippietrail

08:24

),:

2 hours later…

Robusto

09:54

@Kosmonaut — We need a new category for closing questions: "Because this question is so stupid it makes my head hurt."

Alenanno

@Robusto: +1

Robusto

@Alenanno — We seem to be getting a lot of these lately.

Alenanno

We have the "not a real question" option, but it sounds more politically correct than "we close this, feel shame for the question you asked"

Boob

Reputation is a form of life

@Alenanno +1

Robusto

May 14 at 13:54, by Robusto

May 1 at 21:42, by Robusto

Alenanno

10:01

Ahah yeah

Robusto

It's the only way to be sure.

Alenanno

the nuke option

How could I forget about it

@Robusto: You said you committed to Japanese, I did too, but... You did as a student or just as an enthusiast? Or maybe as an expert?

Boob

What about the one who answers that question

foregzample

Robusto

@Alenanno I wasn't aware there were different categories of commitment.

BTW ...

Q: "Lower" vs "Smaller"

Is -9 a smaller number than -8? And is -9 a lower number than -8? What is the difference between lower and smaller here?

differences

There's another one.

Alenanno

@Robusto yes yes there are :D That question is totally off-topic right? It sounds like a math question rather than an English one

ah no wait

but...

still

Robusto

10:06

I hope I have more self respect than to answer questions like that.

Alenanno

forget it lol :D anyway, when you commit, there is a choice with those radio buttons

Robusto

Oh, right. I remember now. But it's been so long.

Boob

@Robusto Should i take this as a compliment or an insult?

Robusto

I committed as an enthusiast. It's been too many years since I've used Japanese every day, and I'm forgetting things now. But I keep up as well as I can.

Alenanno

I see I see, I'm going to ask questions there more than provide answers, I suppose.

Robusto

10:09

@Boob — Let's just say I have the luxury of not needing rep. No disrespect intended.

I'll probably provide a few answers. But mainly I'll be doing it to exercise my waning skills.

Alenanno

waning?

Robusto

If it turns out to be fun, I'll probably hang out there a lot.

Yes, waning.

2 mins ago, by Robusto

I committed as an enthusiast. It's been too many years since I've used Japanese every day, and I'm forgetting things now. But I keep up as well as I can.

Use it or lose it, they say. And they're right.

Alenanno

I know a new word now

Robusto

It comes back, but sometimes I have to look up kanji I used to know as well as I know my street address. And then I get annoyed.

Alenanno

Ahah

Robusto

10:12

Oh, you were asking about the definition of waning?

Alenanno

yes yes

Robusto

Ah. It means fading, ebbing, etc.

Weakening.

Boob

@Robusto I'm trying to get reputation up cause i need to vote to close questions, even once in my life

Alenanno

I checked my Dictionary, I was starting to think it was an invnted term... :D Don't worry, it was interesting to talk about Japanese as well...

@Boob why do you long to possess the ability close questions?

Robusto

@Boob — I had a different motivation.

Feb 16 at 12:35, by Robusto

I'm actually not interested in rep. I wanted the frequent-flyer miles.

Boob

10:15

@Robusto Dunno, I really want to experience it

Robusto

And then I found this out:

Apr 21 at 19:54, by RegDwight

Well, I've changed my mind. That's communism for you, darling. Frequent-flyer miles are for the Central Committee only.

All repped up and nowhere to go ...

Boob

@Robusto Then what's your motivation now?

Robusto

Who says I have motivation?

Boob

Somebody in the coffee shop

Robusto

I haven't had my coffee yet. So ... no motivation.

Alenanno

10:20

This room topic-title is really appropriate

lol

Boob

Stop loling

Alenanno

Why should I obey?

Robusto

Most of the "Incomprehensible" comes from @RegDwight himself. He is a master of obfuscation and evasion. When you press him on a point, he throws Wikipedia quotes in your way, much the same as fleeing suspects in cop shows throw chairs in the path of their pursuers.

Boob

We're damn serious now?

Alenanno

@Robusto ahah I knew he was the one who changed the room topic

Robusto

10:24

There's a new question for the board: What's the difference between "lol" and "loll"?

Boob

I'd like to ask "why it's lol and not lpl" or something like that

lil

Alenanno

laughing in loud as opposed to laughing out loud? :D

Boob

Exactly ; and why laughing, really in such a situation

Robusto

Me needs coffee. AFK.

Alenanno

@Boob what are you referring to?

Boob

10:28

@Alenanno What what what?

Alenanno

Forget it, this conversation is confusing :D

Boob

What's the difference between "forget" and "forget it"

How you want me to forget it

Alenanno

@Boob "forget it" here means "let it go"

@Robusto I'll go offline, catch ya later...

RegDwight

11:02

Justin Bieber

Justin Drew Bieber (* 1. März 1994 in London, Ontario) ist ein kanadischer Pop- und R&B-Sänger. Leben Biebers Mutter, Pattie Mallette, bekam ihren Sohn mit 18 Jahren. Mallette hatte viele Gelegenheitsjobs und zog ihren Sohn alleine groß. Justin Biebers Vater, Jeremy Bieber, heiratete nach der Trennung eine andere Frau, mit der er 2 Kinder hat. Justin Biebers Ur-Großvater väterlicherseits war Deutscher, der nach Kanada emigrierte; daher stammt auch der deutsche Nachname. Karriere Justin Bieber begann seine Karriere mit selbst erstellten Videos auf YouTube, wo er von seinem späteren Ma...

1 hour later…

Robusto

12:20

@RegDwight — I knew it.

Apr 30 at 21:13, by Robusto

The owl is Europe's answer to Justin Bieber. That's why @RegDwight uses it as his gravatar. He is soooo into Justin Bieber.

Vitaly

12:38

I will just leave these two quotes (via LW and PZ Myers respectively) here:

> But if you only believe that each statement in the Bible has some metaphorical interpretation which is true, it doesn't tell you much about the world at all. The Bible asserts that God exists... but since we're only taking things metaphorically now, maybe God doesn't actually literally exist. Maybe he's pretend. Maybe there in fact is no God, but there is a rainforest, and God is a metaphor for the rainforest. Or for the sun.

> The number one most common excuse I have been seeing for Harold Camping's failure, both before and after yesterday, is that he can't possibly forecast the time of the Rapture because Jesus said no one can know. You know what? That's the same stupid reliance on the authority of the Bible that led to Camping's prophecy.

Robusto

12:53

Word.

But it just shows that logical inconsistencies don't bother these people.

3 hours later…

Robusto

15:36

Q: How does one use the word "cum" in a sentence?

I'm talking about the Latin cum, which I've seen used conjuctively as in, A-cum-B. What does it mean, and how do you use it?

meaning word-usage

Already hitting the charts — and it's a tease. Gawd, I despair sometimes. Grow up, people!

Vitaly

Is there a manual/tutorial for getting multicollidered?

Robusto

It's really not hard to do. Just ask a question that appeals to someone's prurient interest, be it sex or C#.

2 hours later…

Vitaly

17:43

Just how did I manage to interpret the Russian translation of Arthur Conan Doyle's phrase “life is too short to read originals, so long as there are good translations” as “Life is too short to read it (life) in the original when there are good translations (as in books describing life)”?

4 hours later…

Robusto

21:22

@Vitaly — I think that means about the same thing as the statement attributed to Otto von Bismarck that fluency in many languages is an excellent skill to have in a headwaiter.

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