English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

KitFox

6:00 PM

Yes, I think that must be it.

So project management, I guess.

Johan Larsson

would make sense

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox AX? or Aix?

Johan Larsson

in C# on Stack Overflow Chat, 19 secs ago, by Pheonixblade9

@JohanLarsson Microsoft Dynamics.

KitFox

Oh! Aix. Maybe that's what he said.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Microsoft Dynamics AX

Microsoft Dynamics AX is one of Microsoft's enterprise resource planning software products. It is part of the Microsoft Dynamics family. History Microsoft Dynamics AX was originally developed as a collaboration between IBM and Danish Damgaard Data as IBM Axapta. Axapta was initially released in March, 1998 in the Danish and U.S. markets. IBM returned all rights in the product to Damgaard Data shortly after the release of Version 1.5 before Damgaard Data was merged with Navision Software A/S in 2000. The combined company, initially NavisionDamgaard, later Navision A/S, was acquired by Micr...

KitFox

6:02 PM

Now I have no idea. Aix I have at least heard of.

But would anyone still use that?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Banks and insurance companies, mainly

KitFox

I'm kind of hoping that this woman will call me regardless. I'd love to talk to her. The HR guy was telling me that she's been there since the beginning. She used to be their only IT person, maintaining AS400 servers and writing code.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

hm. AS400s run AIX.

KitFox

Since the beginning of their IT dept, I mean.

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Hence my confusion.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Or maybe they run OS/400.

> In 2000, in accordance with IBM's eServer initiative, the AS/400 series was rebranded as the eServer iSeries.

So I guess there haven't been many new "AS/400"s in over a decade. They are something else now.

KitFox

6:06 PM

Oh iSeries...why do I know that? I've had experience with iSeries...

But where? What? Damn.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

my last experiences with IBM stuff like that was when I worked in insurance software.

KitFox

Oh! I bet it is what the Factor DB runs on!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

The insurance company's guy was writing an XML parser from scratch in COBOL

Needless to say it wasn't very XML compliant

KitFox

Oh. Well, from looking at her profile, it's the Microsoft Dynamics AX option.

feels slightly disappointed

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

I'd be surprised if AIX develoeprs were in high demand

I mean, they are in demand wherever AIX is still used, but that's fewer and fewer places

Johan Larsson

6:12 PM

in Anime and Manga, 7 hours ago, by Madara Uchiha

Someone had too much free time: https://github.com/turkishdelighthorse?tab=contributions&from=2012-11-06 nsfw

KitFox

Weird.

Johan Larsson

I post stuff like that at a too high frequency

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

someone timed their checkins over the course of a year so that a graph would form a picture of a penis.

I guess I've seen it all now.

KitFox

I have a complicated thing to think about. Anybody feel like thinking about it with me?

Johan Larsson

I'd love to waste your time

Matt Эллен

6:22 PM

@KitFox shuuuer

KitFox

So this customer I'm working with, they'll need to develop their own reports of this data source, but for validation purposes, I think I need to write an example query for her tax audit to make sure it comes out right.

She needs essentially a list of transactions, and within that list, a list of products sold, a list of the methods of payment used, and a list of the taxes paid.

These come from different tables.

I can't think of how to do this efficiently.

Part of the issue is that I can't imagine that this is an effective means of auditing.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

It sounds like you need to make lots of queries.

Matt Эллен

seems like it would tell you everything about their transactions, apart from to whom they were selling things

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

You could just do it the brute-force way.

for each transaction in transactions do get_list_of_products; show_payment_methods; done;

How many transactions are you dealing with?

KitFox

A very large number theoretically.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

6:29 PM

1000? 1,000,000? 1,000,000,000?

KitFox

50,000,000 or so, if my estimates are correct.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

that's a lot

KitFox

Which is why it is hard to imagine they really want it this way.

Johan Larsson

what are they selling?

KitFox

But my director is here. bbl.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

6:30 PM

how many tables would this be querying?

I'd be inclined to just generate the report by processing the tables in some order.

If you can order all the tables by date, or transaction_id or something, then you can just work your way down the whole list

or see if you can build an in-memory model, then just scan the tables one by one and fill it in.

It also depends on how often you expect to run this report.

KitFox

They will want it daily (somewhere around 50 - 100,000 transactions), monthly, quarterly, annually.

I think.

@JohanLarsson Convenience store stuff.

Cigarettes and beer mostly.

So I'm thinking it might be best to output via some code module instead of using some crazy monster SQL query.

But I'm having trouble thinking about it.

Travis J

@kitfox - Which company is working with AX?

JSBձոգչ

AX? AX what?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@JSBձոգչ He's axing Kit a question

Travis J

6:46 PM

sweet, thanks :)

Johan Larsson

Travis is one of my best friends

KitFox

You are welcome.

Travis J

@Johan - you are too kind :D

KitFox

You looking for work?

JSBձոգչ

oh, he meant AIX

which is totally different from aX

KitFox

6:47 PM

No, I mean MS Dynamics AX.

JSBձոգչ

srsly?

Travis J

Nope. I was just curious of the type of company that would use the AX product. I am curious about the production scheduling algorithm that it is using internally.

JSBձոգչ

@KitFox that is the team in MS that i work for

KitFox

Really!? Awesome.

JSBձոգչ

i'm working on MS Dynamics AX right now

Travis J

6:48 PM

@JSBձոգչ you work for the AX team?!

KitFox

I will totally drop that into the conversation if I get the interview.

If you don't mind.

Travis J

impressed

JSBձոգչ

no prob

KitFox

Of course, you don't know my real name. And then I'd have to say how I know you.

Uh. Maybe that's not a good idea.

JSBձոգչ

yeah....

Travis J

6:49 PM

@JSBձոգչ - Do you have a link showing the workflow for creating a production schedule in AX?

JSBձոգչ

and you don't know my full name

I don't?

@TravisJ heh, no.

I thought I did.

@KitFox oh well maybe you do. i can't remember

Johan Larsson

6:50 PM

you can both say you know me

Travis J

@JSBձոգչ - Can the schedule be created based on rules, or is the schedule created explicitly by the user?

JSBձոգչ

@TravisJ the ironic thing is that b/c of where i work within the team, i actually don't know much about about the end-user modules

KitFox

I wouldn't be that specific anyway. You'd be "I know a guy who..."

JSBձոգչ

i'm on the "Presentation" team, so i work on getting the forms to look right and be spiffy and things

KitFox

@JohanLarsson I will also mention you and your excellent photographic skills.

Travis J

6:51 PM

@JSBձոգչ - Haha :) I see

JSBձոգչ

i know next to nothing on how to actually use the Financials module, for ex

Johan Larsson

@KitFox photographic?

KitFox

Yeah. Your dog pics are stunning.

Johan Larsson

oh, ty :D

JSBձոգչ

also, which version of AX are they using? 6.2?

Matt Эллен

6:51 PM

@JSBձոգչ Johan Sebastian Bձոգչ

JSBձոգչ

@MattЭллен OMG UR RITE

Travis J

@JSBձոգչ - Does the AX system print out paper forms for workers to fill out or is the data entry all done through the software?

JSBձոգչ

@TravisJ at some point you have to do it in software

KitFox

@JSBձոգչ I have no idea. I'm not actually interviewing for an AX position.

Matt Эллен

@JSBձոգչ I R SUPA SLOOTH

Mahnax

6:52 PM

@MattЭллен Jean Sibelius Bձոգչ?

Travis J

I hope these questions aren't annoying. But this is interesting software.

Matt Эллен

@Mahnax maybe they're brothers!

KitFox

It would be a business analyst position that uses Business Objects or some such. Data work. w00t!

JSBձոգչ

@KitFox beware that direct SQL against the AX backend is hairy

you usually wind up doing that kind of stuff in X++

Travis J

@JSBձոգչ - Is there integration to have the data entry be done from third party such as a rf reader or a barcode scanner?

KitFox

6:53 PM

@JSBձոգչ I looked at the Wiki blurb and was mildly frightened.

JSBձոգչ

@TravisJ sure. i know we have barcode scanner integration, probably also rf readers

rf reader through 3rd party if not natively

Travis J

@JSBձոգչ - Is any of the software open source?

JSBձոգչ

@TravisJ i doubt it. certainly none of the core, and i think the 3rd party vendors are all proprietary

the sorts of companies who buy AX are not the sorts of companies that want to use a lot of OSS

Travis J

Understandable, there is a lot of proprietary business logic that would be built into their instance.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

lol @ proprietary business logic

most businesses place a high value on "secrets" when in reality they are doing things exactly the same as everyone else

Travis J

7:00 PM

That is funny because for the most part that is true. It is that 1% difference that sometimes makes or breaks a company.

If you really want to see the disconnect between "secrets" and "public domain" then a good place to start is an industry conference. Academia for the industry will produce their findings, published in the public domain. Their findings are usually for some edge case that cannot be done on a large scale.

However, they are rarely corrected or pointed out because the solutions exist as "secrets" discovered by commercial entities. When a commercial entity produces their findings for the public domain, they tend to be very innovative.

@JSBձոգչ - Does every AX installation see the same instance of data, or is each install its own scope?

JSBձոգչ

@TravisJ each has its own backend

unless you have configured multiple server instances to use the same DB

which you can do (and which is pretty common)

though technically i believe that what you have in that case is one notional AOS, which just happens to be served from multiple machines

ie. all clients will show the same AOS name regardless of which server they connected through

(if you care about those details)

Travis J

I like all the details :)

cyberskull

7:23 PM

@Cerberus I accepted your answer :-) thanks.

JSBձոգչ

btw @Cerberus, congrats on finally becoming a Magic card!

tchrist

@JSBձոգչ At least it doesn’t have Trample.

JSBձոգչ

(i always mix up the markdown for links)

tchrist

But semi-unblockable 6/6 is harsh.

Travis J

I mixed them up for so long. I think writing them on a chat wiki helped me to remember.

JSBձոգչ

7:26 PM

a limited bomb, for sure

probably not a constructed staple

unless you find a way to really abuse that last ability

Matt Эллен

@JSBձոգչ nice

tchrist

Combos, but those are fragile.

It rather bothers me that it isn’t Legendary. How many of them are there, like?

At least it gets torched upon death.

JSBձոգչ

@tchrist man, that's a good point

there's also the two-headed Cerberus, so evidently "Cerberus" is a generic name in this setting

tchrist

Weird,

Ouchy double-strike.

JSBձոգչ

first common double-striker ever

Matt Эллен

7:30 PM

> This card is not playable in any formats.

tchrist

Red, green deck. Giant strength on common double-striker. Ouch.

Take THAT!

And THAT!

JSBձոգչ

@MattЭллен false. i suspect that it's quite good in Theros limited

especially w/ the Aura theme

Matt Эллен

@JSBձոգչ oh. It's the ruling on gatherer

I guess they've not updated it yet

tchrist

Pay G and get an 8/5ish critter.

Matt Эллен

ah. it's not september 27th yet

tchrist

7:33 PM

Not even in Kiwivania.

JSBձոգչ

@MattЭллен hah, lol. i thought that was someone commenting on how "good" it is (referring to bad cards as 'unplayable")

but no, it's not technically legal yet

tchrist

@JSBձոգչ But not a critter type. That’s Hound.

KitFox

Please reassure me that I have the strength to come through this intact and retaining the appearance of professionalism.

JSBձոգչ

@KitFox you have the strength. what is this about, again?

Matt Эллен

You have the strength to come through this intact, and rip out his jugular

KitFox

7:38 PM

My project lead is leaving for a new position on October 1.

JSBձոգչ

@KitFox hooray!

you can make it until then

KitFox

He gave his notice on last Friday via email to my director who was on vacation in Hawai'i at the time.

When I asked him what would happen to the project (that is my entire livelihood), he said "I dunno" very cavalierly.

The whole place is in an uproar, and I am trying to navigate the best path without getting too much involved.

Johan Larsson

you hate him and he hates you?

KitFox

I dislike him and he doesn't notice.

It is unimportant to him what happens to me.

Or anyone else who is depending on this project.

JSBձոգչ

> "foo" instanceof String
> false

wtf, javascript

KitFox

7:42 PM

Single quotes?

64

Q: Why does instanceof return false for some literals?

"foo" instanceof String //=> false "foo" instanceof Object //=> false true instanceof Boolean //=> false true instanceof Object //=> false false instanceof Boolean //=> false false instanceof Object //=> false // the tests against Object really don't make sense Array literals and Object litera...

Oh.

The trouble is that the project lead sucks, but also the director sucks, so I have no safe path.

The project lead treated me like a flunky and I get no more props from the director.

Johan Larsson

In Sweden it would make perfect sense that you became the new lead

KitFox

I'm not a PhD.

It's not my field either.

But I know enough about research and development to put it together so it would work.

Johan Larsson

makes sense then

KitFox

If I knew what their objectives were, I could output the data they need and they could analyze it.

Or find someone who could.

JSBձոգչ

oooh, i hope you get to become the new lead then

or whatever your goals are

Stack Exchange

7:46 PM

Limerick Machine: You sunk my battleship

posted on September 25, 2013 by sgdi

It’s going to go down in flames They’re gonna need someone to blame So hide out down here I’ve pretzels and beer And a huge stash of classic board games

KitFox

@JSBձոգչ I would like to, just to show up the former project lead.

@Matt, was that one for me? I'd love a pint.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox pours you a pint

KitFox

It's frustrating because they won't even consider that I could really do this.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox it was inspired by you :D

Johan Larsson

@KitFox then what is a good strategy?

KitFox

7:47 PM

grins

@JohanLarsson Head down, push on through.

I was looking for a new job already.

Johan Larsson

One bad idea would be to make some kind of up-or-away threat. Say some bs that you want the lead role or you are gone. (Poor strategy)

KitFox

I put my feelers out today. It couldn't be more apparent that they think of me as a staffer.

Johan Larsson

one a bit more elaborate way to do the same thing could be to arrange so that they find out you are looking for a new job.

KitFox

It's not really their fault. Not like I've talked a lot about my research experience or anything.

@JohanLarsson I don't know that I could do that to my boss. He's having a hard time right now.

The director, on the other hand...

Johan Larsson

The project is likely vulnerable now so they should consider offering you something to stay.

threatening to leave is rarely good ide though I think. The 1.a answer to that is "good luck" i think.

KitFox

7:51 PM

It is hugely vulnerable, but they would be confused by an attempt to negotiate.

Johan Larsson

What if you just prepare and walk in there and tell them why it is a huge mistake to not make you the lead?

KitFox

Seriously. I said "I have research skills from the seven years I conducted scientific studies. I am confident I could step in and help out." and the response was "We're not going to stretch anyone outside their current roles. Our focus is on hiring a replacement as soon as possible."

They are excluding me from the initial conversations about the transition plan.

I am a minion.

It's frustrating because I know for a fact that I am better at planning and executing than any of them.

cyberskull

what is smaller than a minion?

KitFox

And again, why do I care, because I am looking for a new job anyway?

@cyberskull Probably a peon.

cyberskull

not a mini-minion :-)

KitFox

7:55 PM

For some reason that makes me think of bagels.

Oh! quitting time, later!

later

CU

UC

Berkley

icic

7:58 PM

Cal

cyberskull

Cal Tech

Matt Эллен

what do you notice in a sub zero morgue?

Icy dead people

cyberskull

lol

Travis J

what do you notice in a swiss morgue?

Holy dead people

cyberskull

/o/

:D

Matt Эллен

8:02 PM

lol

cyberskull

da dum tss

Johan Larsson

@KitFox ok that is a pretty rude no wrapped in bs

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

8:16 PM

@Cerb I get a wide array of image results for pshh'tok, but none of them seem to be those cooking swords.

@JohanLarsson yeah!

Thank you!

Johan Larsson

wow, huge moment in Sweden!

JSBձոգչ

whatever it is, i'm against it

Johan Larsson

(the possibility of having done something useful in this chat :)

@JSBձոգչ solid starting point!

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@JohanLarsson :D

RegDwighт

8:51 PM

0

Q: Occasion and Opportunity

At the same time, large companies may take ___ of smaller suppliers by delaying payment. The offer continues, so why not take ___ ? The attacker was ideally placed to take ___ of this. Please, I want to choose one of the following to complete each sentence. a) occasion b) opportunity c) possib...

will-be-going

The tag. The goggles do nothing.

Matt Эллен

NSF arachnophobes

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

I have suspicions about Pink Twinkie now.

Robusto

Looks like the government finally cracked down on Bambi.

Do they understand what self-parody is?

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

What a cunty law.

BRB

cyberskull

what kind of law is that?

Robusto

9:04 PM

A cunty one.

Ha, looks like I pushed Lawler into full get-off-my-lawn mode. Not my intention at all. But my language, she not so good, ya knows?

cyberskull

"I'm right and you're wrong, so there."

:D

Robusto

i no rite

See, this is the problem with language. I think "cunty" should describe something good.

> I got the idea of Loving from a manservant in the Fire Service during the war. He was serving with me in the ranks, and he told me he had once asked the elderly butler who was over him what the old boy most liked in the world. The reply was: “Lying in bed on a summer morning, with the window open, listening to the church bells, eating buttered toast with cunty fingers.” I saw the book in a flash.

cyberskull

Cunt

Cunt is a word for the female genitalia, particularly the vulva, and is widely considered to be vulgar. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane. Scholar Germaine Greer has said that "it is one of the few remaining words in the English language with a genuine power to shock." Cunt is also used as a derogatory epithet referring to people of either sex. This usage is relatively recent, dating from the late nineteenth century. Reflecting different national usages, cunt is described as "an un...

Robusto

The source of that quote.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@Robusto That's just, like, your opinion, man.

Robusto

9:17 PM

This aggression will not stand, man.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

I'm the Philosopher until someone hands me a burrito.

cyberskull

here have a burrito

Robusto

So, the burrito is, like, cornbread kryptonite?

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Matt Эллен

mmmmm burrito

cyberskull

9:23 PM

where is the skeptic?

Robusto

So now you contend that burritos are real. sigh

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Sorry I ruin. They got an xkcd feed in the SO sandbox room.

Robusto

If I go crazy will you still call me Superman?

Matt Эллен

if it smells real, tastes real, feels real, and quenches my appetite, it's a burrito

Robusto

You need to punch some ducks.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

9:25 PM

In Minecraft?

Robusto

In deinem Kraft?

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Mmmmm, mac and chee.

@Robusto i suppose the better answer is that I worked at a Baskin Robbins and we were supposed to play the oldies station, which I listened to on my own anyway.

Robusto

Works for me.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Also, I have older parents and a brain that functions like a flytrap for music.

Robusto

Kinda like my brain then.

►

Must. Feed. Cats.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

9:30 PM

sunshine came softly through my / window today

Me too.

►

cyberskull

nice^

Robusto

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 i will bring you gold apples / and grapes made of rubies

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Just don't bring me goober grape.

Robusto

Please.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Okay, so I've never really tried it. But, come on.

Robusto

9:44 PM

Hmm, you didn't pick up on the "The Legend of a Girl Child Linda" reference. Maybe they didn't play deep cuts at your Baskin-Robbins?

►

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 That must be Donovan after he had the surgery.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@Robusto I don't think they ever played Sukiyaki outside of the Sunday night oldies party.

They changed format to 70s/80s about ten years ago, but kept the Sunday night oldies party. Now that's over.

Robusto

Pronunciation note: the Japanese pronounce it s'kiyaki (like skee-yaki).

And now for some real space-age '60s music:

►

Hey, you brought up "Sukiyaki" . . .

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

Pre-Ventures.

@Robusto noted.

Robusto

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 Preventures. They keep you from getting false teeth.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

@Robusto +1

Robusto

9:52 PM

Talk is cheap. Show me the bling.

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

You've got the Preventures account. Keep this up, and you'll be writing taglines for Lucky Strike.

BBL

Robusto

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 I'd have to be . . . toasted!

cornbread ninja 麵包忍者

L.S.M.F.T.

My dad smoked unfiltered Luckies from approximately 1944 to 2005.

Robusto

Damn.

When I was a kid we used to giggle at LSMFT: "Loose straps mean flopping titties." Kids. You know.

Just like me. Well, in a bit. Still on my first scotch.

MετάEd

♫ and the car was upside down when I got here ♫

Bradd Szonye

10:21 PM

0

Q: Help me name my new sci-fi/fantasy comic book? Name suggestions

Looking for something that means interconnectiveness - that everything is connected. Looking for an old greek word or ancient language that means this. Think how the Force was explained in Star Wars.

names

Not too happy with this migration from scifi.se

Despite the title, I don't think it runs afoul of the “no naming questions” rule here, but it needs some work to be a good fit for ELU.

Travis J

It doesn't seem like it can be saved.

Bradd Szonye

Worded differently, it might make a decent single-word request, but as written I think it's likely to rack up close votes quickly.

Travis J

It is fairly broad.

Bradd Szonye

I'm tempted to take a stab at re-writing it, but I'm concerned that I might change the spirit of the question.

Travis J

I am not used to the close reasons for this site so I am not going to touch it.

Bradd Szonye

10:31 PM

I suppose this is exactly what “on hold” is for – give the original poster time to get the question in shape for the site. I don't know whether that will ever happen though, since the OP is not an ELU user.

This probably should have been migrated to Writers instead?

Travis J

Out of confusion I found answering it was easier than deciding where it belonged :P

Bradd Szonye

Oh I think it's fine to give answers, I just have doubts that the question will thrive or even survive here.

Cerberus

10:46 PM

@cornbreadninja麵包忍者 I ehh...was kidding.

hangs heads in guilty shame

@cyberskull Gracias!!

@JSBձոգչ Thanks, but I have also been recently promoted to moon!

nbcnews.com/science/…

I'm so popular.

cyberskull

@Cerberus If you're interested I received this detailed answer.

Travis J

@BraddSzonye - I like your question about light safety on skeptics. Did you resolve that issue?

Bradd Szonye

Thanks. I accepted an answer that seemed close enough.

It wasn't a deep concern of mine so much as “I read this in a newspaper article and it sounded unlikely.”

Travis J

Yeah, I find it unlikely too. If safety was such a concern, it would seem that increasing the time from red light to red light would be the best bet.

Currently in California it is roughly 2 seconds.

Cerberus

@cyberskull Yay!

I agree with it.

cyberskull

10:54 PM

:D

Cerberus

So we're all happy. My answer was admittedly short and perhaps not very precise.

Bradd Szonye

The guy who answered dug up some interesting research that shows that the pundit cautioning the legislators was contradicting his own previous research. So either he found new evidence, recanted, or was engaging in intellectual dishonesty.

cyberskull

@Cerberus All this started because @KitFox would not tell me why...

...I learned a lot about linguistics :-) thanks

chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/11392781#11392781 @KitFox

Bradd Szonye

I find linguistics fascinating. Unfortunately, when I have checked out Linguistics in the past, I found that I was not nearly knowledgeable enough to follow the questions and answers there.

Cerberus

@cyberskull Would not tell you what?

@BraddSzonye Yeah, there are a lot of questions that dazzle me too...

Like about some very technical thingy, or about a language I don't know.

smallworldofwords.com

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…