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Cerberus
Cerberus
7:00 PM
Again, it is all a matter of definition...
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Anyway, you can take this up with the physicists. There are lots of them, and some of them define the universe one way and some another way.
Multiverse
The multiverse (or meta-universe) is the hypothetical set of infinite or finite possible universes (including the historical universe we consistently experience) that together comprise everything that exists and can exist: the entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them. The term was coined in 1895 by the American philosopher and psychologist William James. The various universes within the multiverse are sometimes called parallel universes. The structure of the multiverse, the nature of each universe within it and the relat...
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
I'm sure.
> the entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them.
This sounds more like the definition of "the universe".
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
so what if there was another (space, time, matter, energy, laws) object somewhere else?
is it not also a universe?
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
It would be a newly discovered part of the universe.
Humans tend to imagine "the universe" as a physical object of limited proportions mentally, because we cannot imagine infinity.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Well, then our local (space, time, matter, energy, laws) object would need a label
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
7:03 PM
And our mental imagery (conceptual metaphors) influence our thinking.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
we've been calling it "The Universe" for a long time, but suddenly it's not "The Universe" anymore, but rather... something else.
 
tchrist
tchrist
13 teeming answers and still riding!
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 If that makes sense, sure. So call it a realm or a bubble or whatever seems most appropriate.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
@Cerberus or call it a universe and make a new label for the bigger thing.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 We used to call the Old World "the world" until we discovered new continents.
So we are sort of doing the same thing by pretending there are two "worlds".
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
7:05 PM
@Cerberus so surely we should fit that rather than some abstract intangible notion of everything? I mean, what is that, even. you can't experience it, so it can't be part of what we call all.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
But we understand it is just a metaphor based on old, incorrect assumptions.
@MattЭллен "Fit that"?
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
fit what we can understand, not what we can't
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
@Cerberus Surely you can think of other examples of things whose name doesn't reflect what it is, but rather what we used to call it.
Like "phone". My phone is actually a computer.
It's more computer than "phone" and spends more time doing computery things than phoney things.
Yet it's still called a phone.
We didn't make everyone change what they call it to make the word more technically correct.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
what about dead people? can we still call them people? I mean they don't think or anything.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
> I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my telephone.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
7:09 PM
Especially since the notion of parallel universes has been pretty widespread, with that name, for decades now. I think the naming ship has sailed on this one.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
indeed
 
Jasper Loy
Jasper Loy
@MattЭллен What are you doing there now?
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
what am I doing where?
 
Jasper Loy
Jasper Loy
Where you are, lol.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
I'm making a sandwich
later I shall be eating a sandwich
 
tchrist
tchrist
7:14 PM
Could everyone who has not yet favorited this question, be so kind as to do Reg the honor of please doing so, that we might thereby have our site’s veriest firstest Stellar Question?
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
but the question is, is the eaten sandwich the same as the made sandwich?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I am making a salad. Later I shall be eating a salad.
@MattЭллен The eaten sandwich is not the same as the made sandwich because it no longer is.
 
tchrist
tchrist
How can this not be a dupe? I remember it!
0
Q: Is "enroute" an acceptable variant of "en route"?

Jon SchneiderIs "enroute" (without the space) an acceptable variant of "en route"?

variants
Perhaps the dupe was deleted.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
19
A: Meaning of the word 'en'

Brian HooperThe en here doesn't mean anything except as part of 'en route', which is imported from French and means 'on or along the way'. See http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enroute. There are other phrases of this kind, such as 'en banc' or 'en prise'. There is another word 'en' which is printer...

That's about all. And mods would see deleted stuff.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@MattЭллен But it is precisely that, the thing we can only comprehend in some ways, but which is nevertheless a useful concept.
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Sure, sometimes it makes more sense to change the concept, at other times to change the name.
But I refuse to call a tower a "desktop".
 
tchrist
tchrist
7:18 PM
@RegDwigнt Right. I was prodding you to check. Thanks. I must be losing my marbles.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
The Desktop of Orthanc.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
And I suspect that you are willing to call your smartphone a computer.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Lord of the Rings: the Two Desktops.
 
tchrist
tchrist
@Cerberus What would you have it called?
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@RegDwigнt PC v. Mac!
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
7:18 PM
@Cerberus lol. Considering that many (most?) desktop computers are in the tower form-factor....
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@tchrist A computer?
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I would not call those "desktops". I mean, I try not to.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
@Cerberus so call that the extended universe, as it's only usefull conceptually.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Almost none of my desktop computer is actually on my desktop. I still call it a desktop.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
When you come down
From your ivory desktop
You will see how it really must be
To be like me, to see like me.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Keyboard, mouse? under the desk. Monitor? mounted on a stand attached to the back of the desk. Tower? on the floor.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
7:19 PM
@MattЭллен Why not the other way around? It makes sense to use the word the way it has always been used.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Only the speakers are on the desk, and those are the least important part of the computer.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
That is one hell of a fine album, BTW.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
@Cerberus it's always been used to explain what we can understand. you want to use it to cover that which we cannot.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Why not call it "floortop", or simply "dustcollector"?
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
7:20 PM
@Cerberus What does "as it has always been used" mean? As a label for the (space, time, matter, energy, laws) object? or as a label for "everything"?
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@MattЭллен No, it has always been used for Everything, infinite.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
@Cerberus Because I use the computer at a desk, and because that's what everyone else calls it. communication, yo. It's what I do.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 The universe was never an "object".
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
@Cerberus not since I've ever used it.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
shrugs
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
7:21 PM
@Cerberus You know what I'm getting at.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
My suspicion is that the seed of the "new" meaning of "universe" that some would favour is our mental incapacity to comprehend the infinite. We subconsciously imagine the universe as a very large, but finite bubble, which lends itself to multiplication and extension.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
If we discover a second universe, then there are two logical ways we could use the word "universe": for labelling the thing it's always labelled, or for labelling both things according to the etymology of the word.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
I think you have the original meaning subconsciously wrong.
It means "all"!
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
@Cerberus No, I don't think I do.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
Do, too!
 
Jasper Loy
Jasper Loy
7:23 PM
I think this universe discussion is getting silly, lol.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
crosses arms
I will henceforth accept no other argument than "I don't!".
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I do!
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
Sinner!
 
Jasper Loy
Jasper Loy
For all have sinned.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Oct 10 at 12:34, by RegDwigнt
You know it's true: everything I do not, I do not it for you.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
7:25 PM
Hibbit.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
You misspelled Hobbot.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of existence, including planets, stars, galaxies, the contents of intergalactic space, the smallest subatomic particles, and all matter and energy. Similar terms include the cosmos, the world, reality, and nature. The observable universe is about 46 billion light years in radius. Scientific observation of the Universe has led to inferences of its earlier stages. These observations suggest that the Universe has been governed by the same physical laws and constants throughout most of its extent and history. The Big Bang theory is...
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Which is Russian for elephant trunk.
 
Jasper Loy
Jasper Loy
With 700, it is time to retire.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@RegDwigнt Hey, it is not I that has rabbit ears.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
7:26 PM
There are several definitions spelled out at that link. You can read them, then gnash your teeth in frustration that not everyone agrees with you.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@Cerberus exactly. You seem to have rabbit eyes, what with the misspelling.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 As I said in the beginning, it's all a matter of definition, and I have made my preference clear.
@RegDwigнt At least I have no hippo eyes.
Although I have to admit hippo ears are kind of cure.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
17 mins ago, by Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Especially since the notion of parallel universes has been pretty widespread, with that name, for decades now. I think the naming ship has sailed on this one.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I am naming, I am naming, home again, cross the sea.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
You think I would give up hope for sailed ships?? How long have you known me?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
7:28 PM
Seven long.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
You are like @Matt, giving up hope for the spaceship 14bly away.
 
tchrist
tchrist
@Cerberus Shrug is a portmanteau of shag + rug.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
Really?
That's horrible!
 
tchrist
tchrist
No rally.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
14bly sounds like a really really really offensive Russian word. Or a shortcut for internationalibly.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
7:29 PM
Billion light yokels.
 
tchrist
tchrist
The nice thing about doggies is they have so many legs to pull.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Mi yodeya.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
*heads
(So, billion light years.)
 
tchrist
tchrist
@Cerberus You should be so lucky.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
So many heads to yank.
 
tchrist
tchrist
7:30 PM
blushes
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
Pah.
 
Jasper Loy
Jasper Loy
@RegDwigнt So many heads to wank, lol.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
@Cerberus out of sight, out of mind
 
tchrist
tchrist
I don’t think he affects a yank accent on any of his heads.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@MattЭллен ! Blasphemer.
Meanwhile, it is so cold here it feels like we're drifting towards the edge of the universe. What if we penetrate its outer hull??
Morgoth may sneak back in!
Or any of a hundred other daemons cast out of this world.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
7:32 PM
@Cerberus i think current model universes are double hulled to keep the dark matter from leaking out
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Morgoth is in the Void.
I don't think you can pierce from here to the Void
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@MattЭллен Out, or in? And can't you have a hull breach with a double hull?
Photon torpedoes can penetrate hulls...
 
tchrist
tchrist
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Not without getting past Eärendil first, for he has been set to guard the Door into Night.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
@Cerberus yes, but it's less likely
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 Where is the Void if not just outside the universe?
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
7:33 PM
@tchrist wait, what? he guards the door to the Void?
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@tchrist Oh, I didn't know that.
 
tchrist
tchrist
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 He does.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
@MattЭллен Only if you can reverse the shield polarity...
Or what was the usual phrase?
 
tchrist
tchrist
Door of Night
In J. R. R. Tolkien's fictional universe of Middle-earth, the Door of Night was a place set at the utmost West of Arda, near to Avakúma, the void. It was vital in the cosmology of Middle-earth, forming the border between Arda and the void, as well as being the final prison of the renegade Vala Morgoth Bauglir. Other names of the Door of Night include Moritarnon and Tarn Fui. Creation In the earliest versions of Tolkien's legends, the Door was created by the Valar as a gateway for the Sun to pass through. The following text describes the creation of the Door: Thus came it that the Gods ...
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
@tchrist Must be a dull job
 
tchrist
tchrist
7:35 PM
> But Morgoth himself the Valar thrust through the Door of Night beyond the Walls of the World, into the Timeless Void; and a guard is set forever on those walls, and Eärendil keeps watch upon the ramparts of the sky.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
Hmm.
"And".
 
Stack Exchange
Stack Exchange
Limerick Machine: There once was a fish on the land That was trying and trying to stand It’d feel complete If…
posted on December 30, 2013 by sgdi

There once was a fish on the land That was trying and trying to stand It’d feel complete If it just had some feet But things didn’t go quite like it planned

 
Cerberus
Cerberus
Guard — watch, walls — ramparts.
 
tchrist
tchrist
I figure if Ancalagon the Black couldn’t get past Eärendil, what chance could He Who Arises in Might have — once this lattermost had been brought low?
@Cerberus You understand why he did that, right?
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
It is a bit ambiguous.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
7:38 PM
So there is an actual door to go to the void.
 
Cerberus
Cerberus
I'd probably read it as all being Eärendil.
 
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
Mr. Shiny and New 安宇
I wonder if opening that door makes all the air get sucked out, like when you open a door in space. Is there an airlock on the Door of Night?
 
tchrist
tchrist
Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Anor, for the Realm of Sauron is ended for ever, and the Dark Tower is thrown down.
Sing and rejoice, ye people of the Tower of Guard, for your watch hath not been in vain, and the Black Gate is broken, and your King hath passed through, and he is victorious.
Sing and be glad, all ye children of the West, for your King shall come again, and he shall dwell among you all the days of your life.
And the Tree that was withered shall be renewed, and he shall plant it in the high places, and the City shall be blessed.
 
JSBձոգչ
JSBձոգչ
where is that from?
 
tchrist
tchrist
The And repetition is to mimic the KJV.
@JSBձոգչ It is from the Eagle sent by the Lords of the West to the City of the Tower of the Sun once the Ringerbearers complete their quest. To sing and rejoice, psalmically.
 
JSBձոգչ
JSBձոգչ
7:41 PM
from which volume, i mean?
i don't recall it in LOTR
though i don't recall many of the poems well
 
tchrist
tchrist
And so they stood on the walls of the City of Gondor, and a great wind rose and blew, and their hair, raven and golden, streamed out mingling in the air.
And the Shadow departed, and the Sun was unveiled, and light leaped forth; and the waters of Anduin shone like silver, and in all the houses of the City men sang for the joy that welled up in their hearts from what source they could not tell.
And before the Sun had fallen far from the noon out of the East there came a great Eagle flying, and he bore tidings beyond hope from the Lords of the West, crying: ....
The first is from the BBC radio adaptation.
The second is Tolkien himself reciting it.
If you’ve not listened to the BBC Radio adaptation, with Ian Holm as Frodo, then you simply must.
 
JSBձոգչ
JSBձոգչ
@tchrist i'll take this under consideration
 
tchrist
tchrist
@JSBձոգչ It is especially recommended for those in whose mouths Peter Jackson has left a sour taste of disapppointment. It will cleanse your palate and bring you joy.
Which is a word I use surpassingly rarely.
 
JSBձոգչ
JSBձոգչ
i don't hate the Jackson films, but they certainly have flaws
 
tchrist
tchrist
Right.
2 days ago, by Robusto
The reviewer in The Globe described The Desolation of Smaug like this: "Second verse, same as the first / A little bit shorter and a little less worse*.
The radio version is lovely, and special in a way that was lost to film: it captures the aspect of music and song that was so important to the book.
 
JSBձոգչ
JSBձոգչ
7:53 PM
oh, god, i hate this vocal performance
the instrumentation is excellent, though
 
tchrist
tchrist
That singing one, yes.
 
JSBձոգչ
JSBձոգչ
yes, the BBC version
 
tchrist
tchrist
But you should listen to the battle of the Pelennor, with the backdrop of the alliterative verse.
There are more song excerpts here.
And they got to use Bilbo’s Last Song, which the Estate denied to Jackson:
The March of the Ents:
Shadowfax:
 
JSBձոգչ
JSBձոգչ
the march of the ents is really good
 
tchrist
tchrist
Yeah.
Sibley also got to use stuff from Unfinished Tales, like when Gríma was caught by the Nazgûl.
Because the Estate was a lot more pleased with Sibley’s work than with Jackson’s, so they let them use stuff not in the original rights.
Which was a kindness.
 
Hugo
Hugo
8:04 PM
@tchrist dunno if these are the same, but here's a couple of podcasts with Tolkein's own readings: podcasts.resonancefm.com/archives/5100 podcasts.resonancefm.com/archives/5105 The second includes some Beowulf. I also recommend going through the back episodes of Voice on Record, all recordings of the human voice from vinyl. Lots of good stuff there.
 
tchrist
tchrist
Thanks.
Repcapped again. Time to go back from lunch.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
8:16 PM
No, no, not lunch. You're thinking of the guy named after a hanging.
 
tchrist
tchrist
@Hugo I really don’t know how to pronounce Old English, alas.
 
KitFox
KitFox
@MετάEd Lynch? No, I'm pretty sure it was that member of the Addams Family.
 
Hugo
Hugo
@tchrist I don't think anyone really does!
 
tchrist
tchrist
> The question generates more than 30 answers (15 on Super User and Programmers, 60 on Code Golf). In this case, the question and all answers will enter community mode, as will any future answers.
@Hugo Apparently there is one (and only one?) “rhyming” poem in OE.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@tchrist /oʊld ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/
Glad I could help.
 
tchrist
tchrist
8:19 PM
The Rhyming Poem
The Rhyming Poem, also written as The Riming Poem, is a poem of 87 lines found in the Exeter Book, a tenth-century collection of Old English poetry. It is remarkable for being no later than the 10th century, in Old English, and written in rhyming couplets. Rhyme is otherwise virtually unknown among Anglo-Saxon literature, which used alliterative verse instead. The poem is found on folios 94r-95v, in the third booklet of the Exeter Book, which may, or may not, be an indication of composition. Many scholarly attempts have been made to decipher the collation of the Exeter Book and to deter...
@MετάEd That /g/ doesn’t always manifest.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@tchrist Hey! Spoilers.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
This salad here is very very good.
Even if I say so myself.
 
KitFox
KitFox
wishes for salad
!!define nomenclature
 
KitSox
KitSox
@KitFox nomenclature (obsolete) A name.
 
KitFox
KitFox
sighs
clicks through
 
Travis J
Travis J
8:24 PM
@KitFox - So did you finish the edit feature ?
 
KitFox
KitFox
What? @Johan said you were doing it.
I was just being crabby about it and stalling, I thought.
 
Travis J
Travis J
You told me you would look at it and not to make a pull.
 
KitFox
KitFox
I did? Was I drunk?
 
Travis J
Travis J
Or at least that was my interpretation
 
Johan Larsson
Johan Larsson
I did not ask before, spur of the moment thing
 
Travis J
Travis J
8:26 PM
Anyway, I finished the feature in a test version. But didn't incorporate it into Zirak's bot.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Speaking of drunk.
159
Q: Stack Overflow is getting a place of its own

Tiny TimWe've grown considerably as a network since the days of the original trilogy, when the prospect of growing into a network of over 100 thriving Q&A sites was a distant glimmer in a cloudy night sky. Today, Stack Overflow continues to graciously host discussions about the entire network on its extr...

discussion featured stackoverflow meta per-site-meta
 
Travis J
Travis J
Yes, that seems to be an interesting thing. Will the meta.SE have the rep that mSO accounts had, and meta.SO have your SO rep?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I have read through this three times now. It is very detailed and helpful and good. But I still do not understand the first thing about what exactly will happen.
 
Travis J
Travis J
Me either Reg. It seems like it will be really hard to pull all that content apart without tearing a bunch of it to shreds.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
8:45 PM
the MSE site will start up
it will have reputation not tied to any particular site, like MSO does now
MSO will become SO's meta site with rep that is tied to the SO account
there will be a lot of post jigery pockery wrt old posts
 
Travis J
Travis J
@MattЭллен - So all mSO rep will be dissolved?
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
Somebody wind the Reg. It's run down.
winds up the Reg
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
@TravisJ no, it will be transferred to MSE
@MετάEd don't put the wind up Reg!
 
Travis J
Travis J
Cool. That means I will get privileged user status on mSO :)
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
 
Travis J
Travis J
8:59 PM
@Ste - I voted on your meta post :D Perhaps you could check mine out? meta.stackoverflow.com/a/212746/178816
 
tchrist
tchrist
9:13 PM
@Reg Your bustling question is now 60% to CW, what with its having ¹⁸⁄₃₀ answers and all.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 No no no no no. It's just a door. You open the door, scary music plays, the Void is behind it, and Morgoth tries to claw his way back in. Just don't open the door, OK? Also, the cats will get out.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
60% is not OVER 9000.
 
tchrist
tchrist
No, but 18,000 milliänswers is.
@Mitch What with his Ring now unmade and all, the erstwhile Tevildo, Prince of Cats, is of so little consequence that he doesn’t even need a cat-flap installed on the Door of Night: Melkor’s kitten is an ex-Ainu, pushing up daisies way down deep in the depths of Underearth.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
1600 views.
 
tchrist
tchrist
It seems like much ado about cat-swinging.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
9:25 PM
Urgent. Need help. Somebody may be wrong on the internet. 1) What does 'civic institution' mean? 2) Is the Chinese communist party a civic institution?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I only know civic from the eponymous Honda.
So I've no idea.
!!wiki civic institution
 
KitSox
KitSox
Civic Institutions Historic District
The Civic Institutions Historic District in New London, Connecticut is a historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It includes six contributing buildings over a area. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut References External links * With [http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Photos/90000602.pdf accompanying photos]
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
!!wiki Chinese communist party
 
KitSox
KitSox
Communist Party of China
Zhōngguó Gòngchǎndǎng | lang1 = Chinese | name_lang1 = 中国共产党 | newspaper = People's Daily | logo = The emblem of the Communist Party of China. | leader1_title = General Secretary | leader1_name = Xi Jinping | leader2_title = Politburo Standing Committee | leader2_name = Xi JinpingLi KeqiangZhang DejiangYu ZhengshengLiu YunshanWang QishanZhang Gaoli | founded = 1 July 1921 | ideology = Socialism with Chinese Characteristics | headquarters = Zhongnanhai, Beijing | youth_wing = Communist Youth LeagueYoung Pioneers | membership ...
 
tchrist
tchrist
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
9:27 PM
Exactly one mention of civic in the party article.
Hm.
Someone take over from here.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@tchrist ooooh...evil.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
Nobody?
!!define civic
 
KitSox
KitSox
@GlenTheUdderboat civic Of, relating to, or belonging to a city, a citizen, or citizenship; municipal or civil.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
!!define civil
 
KitSox
KitSox
@GlenTheUdderboat civil (not comparable) Having to do with people and government office as opposed to the military or religion.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
9:41 PM
@tchrist Presumably a cat-o-nine-wraiths.
 
Mitch
Mitch
One tail to rule them all.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
!!define civic organization
 
Mitch
Mitch
@tchrist Wait... that's totally staged. What kind of cat would wear gingham?
 
KitSox
KitSox
@GlenTheUdderboat No definition found.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
> Tolkien said of the Nazgûl, "their chief weapon was terror. Terror and surprise -- their two chief weapons were terror and surprise, and ruthless efficiency. Their three weapons were terror, surprise, and ruthless efficiency -- and an almost fanatical devotion to Sauron. Amongst their weaponry ..."
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
9:58 PM
Clearly this guy made stuff up as he went along. And didn't even bother editing.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@RegDwigнt If you think that's in need of editing, you should try The Silmarillion.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Sorry, I am still quite occupied with Ulysses.
I am still getting new answers. One every ten minutes. Three in the last thirty.
 
Mitch
Mitch
At least stuff happens in Ulysses
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I am still editing to find out if that is actually true.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@MετάEd "no, no four, they had four chief weapons: terror, surprise, brandy snifters, and, what was the other one... efficiency."
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
10:09 PM
@Mitch Wait. Can you have both brandy snifters and efficiency?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I am pretty sure that if you strip Ulysses off of all the parenthetical thoughts, there will be exactly one sentence left. "Note to self: write a book".
 
Mitch
Mitch
@MετάEd Are you mad? They are mutually reinforcing. Where did you go to school? Harrow? snort
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
And another answer. That's four in the last thirty minutes. Them's accelerating.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@Mitch I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take meds anymore.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@RegDwigнt goes to answer
@MετάEd mmm....meds. well, they're a little bitter at first.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
10:11 PM
@Mitch well some answers I had in mind before posting the question are still up for grabs.
 
Mitch
Mitch
Link please!
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
No such thing as link. Them's in my head.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
Brandy snifters do not lead to efficiency. They lead to delightful wastes of time.
 
Mitch
Mitch
To the question we will try to answer by guessing what you expect.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Oh, that.
23
Q: Idiom or word for a very crowded place

RegDwigнtThere is a popular idiom in Russian for describing a really crowded place: "(there's) no room for an apple to fall" ("яблоку негде упасть"). I struggle to think of anything similar in English, and the dictionaries I consulted were of no help, simply translating it as "crowded" or not even inclu...

single-word-requests russian idiom-request phrase-request
You can't have possibly overlooked it.
 
Mitch
Mitch
10:13 PM
@MετάEd Efficiency leads to the leisure to enjoy snifters. Snifters encourage thinking up efficiency measures. Elementary.
@RegDwigнt ha ha. No. I've read it a bunch. All I can think of is kilkenny cats.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@Mitch Brandy snifters may lead to many things, but rational ideation is probably not one of them.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@MετάEd Rational? Pfft. Are you some kind of hyperrealist? (and I mean that to sting).
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@Mitch Come here and say that. I like your hat.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
I just mentioned that somebody may be wrong on the internet. And you just don't seem to care.
1
Q: Has the Catholic Church lifted more people out of poverty than any other civic institution?

MarkThe New York Times published an editorial on December 29, 2013 about Pope Francis titled "Radical Pope, Traditional Values" which includes the following statement: As a result of its work in basic health and education — and despite its obtuse views on birth control — in the last 50 years the ...

religion poverty
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Huh. Turns out Susan doesn't like sentences to end in prepositions.
-1
Q: "which fruit you are referring to" or "which fruit are you referring to"?

user60928I'm not quite sure which one is correct? It looks like "you are referring to" version seems ok but still, it's a question form so it should be "are you referring to" right?

grammar
 
Mitch
Mitch
10:20 PM
@MετάEd confused: complimented on hat but the tone makes me suspicious
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
See the comment thread.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@RegDwigнt Or science.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@GlenTheUdderboat but perhaps that somebody is you! In fact I am pretty sure it is you because I am it not.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@MετάEd Holy crap. Did you knock off my hat on purpose?
@RegDwigнt Done. You're welcome.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I saw it.
You are silly as usual.
 
Mitch
Mitch
10:22 PM
Ooh...I have another. oh, no I don't.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Perhaps even sillier.
 
Mitch
Mitch
I love that story. It shows cats no mercy.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
I love cats.
13
Q: Origin of the phrase, "There's more than one way to skin a cat."

Ben L.The meaning is clear, but where did this phrase originate? Was it always such a gruesome reference?

etymology phrases
 
Mitch
Mitch
Cats would eat your face off if you were just a little smaller and they a little bigger.
@RegDwigнt Oh that's nasty cruel business.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@Mitch so? It is I who am bigger.
If granma had balls, she'd be granpa.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
10:25 PM
@RegDwigнt “which fruit you are referring to”. What??? That can only come within commas, I think.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
> If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a trolley car.
@GlenTheUdderboat inversion for question, no inversion otherwise. The question is not asking about questions. It is asking about everything. And the answer to that is, all four are correct in their respective context.
It is literally asking if "you are" or "are you" is correct.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@RegDwigнt when a cat stares you down and lets you win, they're thinking of dinner, one way or the other.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@Mitch a cat may stare at the Reg.
 
Mitch
Mitch
@RegDwigнt Oooh...thank you!
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@Mitch There is no tone. Only Zuul.
 
Mitch
Mitch
10:31 PM
@RegDwigнt done again.
 
tchrist
tchrist
²³⁄₃₀
That’s more than 76 trombones.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
@RegDwigнt I thought and think that 'you are', in this line, is only correct if 'which' means 'that'. (Which feels wrong anyway.)
 
Mitch
Mitch
23 coronets?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Mitch is drunk.
Stop sabotaging my question, I am perfectly capable of that myself.
You are driving it straight into CW land. Everyone will totally h8 you for that, driver.
 
tchrist
tchrist
@RegDwigнt I’m starting to get the feeling she may have other hypercorrective unnaturalisms, too.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
10:33 PM
@tchrist What's the conversion rate between trombones and flutes?
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
@RegDwigнt Or rather: "which is the fruit you are referring to".
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@tchrist Really? Post a photo!
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@GlenTheUdderboat but who was fruit?
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
You, probably.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
You say probably as if you were a mathematician. Are you a mathematician?
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
10:35 PM
Perhaps.
Probably.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@tchrist A Google Image search isn't helping.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@GlenTheUdderboat That is the typical answer of a physicist.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
That I am not.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
You might be Schrödinger's physicist.
 
tchrist
tchrist
@MετάEd It’s not up to me to display a lady’s vanity in public places. You just have to look at her a while till their general outlines jump out at you.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
10:37 PM
@RegDwigнt Alive and not in a box: no.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@RegDwigнt We should add something to English for that.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
(And that is the sound of Mitch posting some nonsense about Schrödinger's cat on my question.)
((Which he really really better not.))
@MετάEd how about sugar? Sugar goes well with everything.
 
Matt Эллен
Matt Эллен
let's rename @Mitch to cat
then we can find out how many ways there are to skin him
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Probably nine.
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@RegDwigнt "wioll haven be"
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
10:39 PM
@MετάEd I wonnot!
What is this Irish?
 
tchrist
tchrist
Hiberno-English, please, not Gaelic.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Gobierno-English.
Gobierno is just a metathesis of this guy:
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
It's Douglas Adams. The same guy who said we should abolish the future perfect tense because it won't be.
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@MετάEd why would I listen to a perfume shop chain founder's opinion on language?
 
tchrist
tchrist
hibernates
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
10:42 PM
Are you saying Hi to the people of the Swiss capital?
1939 views. Someone is about to invade Poland.
Holy crap, we already have 4361 notable questions.
I certainly haven't noted that many!
Even 1046 famous ones.
When did that happen?
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
@RegDwigнt Is Bern still the capital?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Why would it change?
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
@RegDwigнt For obvious reasons...
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
Some people still make do with Washington.
 
Glen The Udderboat
Glen The Udderboat
Isn't Bern a bit like Bonn?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
10:47 PM
Even Washington did not want to have Washington. It specifically requested it be placed as far away as possible.
@GlenTheUdderboat I've never been, but I am plenty sure it's twenty-seven times nicer.
Scratch that, 27×0 is still 0.
It's times division by zero nicer.
Everybody remember that in approximately 18 hours there'll be New-Year Hats in chat.
AFK
 
MετάEd
MετάEd
@RegDwigнt Why wouldn't you?
 
RegDwigнt
RegDwigнt
@MετάEd time constraints. Also, general laziness.
 
tchrist
tchrist
25 or 6 to 4
 
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