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3:01 AM
Needed more "sex" and less "blahblahblah tenses" in your answer.
That's what I was missing! Ah yes, the oversexualized youth of today
>by your pet's choice
I've never heard that
I'm scared to google.
1
A: What's a good marketing phrase alternative for the phrase "a simple [x] service without clutter" ?

HauserKnowing the type of product/service would help—software or repair service? without rocket science intuitive handling foolproof inspired by Forrest Gump (probably you are not allowed to use this copyright :( ) by your pet's choice

-1
A: "Whose job is to" vs "whose job it is to"?

Tasos Papanikolaoui think both are grammatically right, the second emphasizes on the job, like we don't need no satifaction

Am I being dumb here?
>-1 down vote


i think both are grammatically right, the second emphasizes on the job, like

we don't need no satifaction
I am having trouble understanding what that person is saying too.
I flagged "not an answer" but it's still there...
And it was marked a valid flag
3:13 AM
@Cerberus Help me, ananas, you are my only hope! Surely double negatives are not the same as using "it" to uh, refer to the the referent of "it"? Right?
Doggies prolly sleepin.
I don't know how else to say that double negation != it vs. it is
Must be very late there. I don't know how he does without coffee.
It just...isn't
@aedia Huh?
Question in reference
0
Q: "Whose job is to" vs "whose job it is to"?

LeoI've been hearing the phrase "whose job it is to" quite often lately. Consider these two sentences: We have a guy whose job is to clean windows. We have a guy whose job it is to clean windows. I would prefer the first one because of the less redundancy, though both sentences seem to be gram...

3:14 AM
I have no idea what you meant just there...
See Tasos's answer, and my comments
@Cerberus holds black tea up to your noses
Yay!
In fact I drink that 24/7.
What did you mean by that it and referent and such?
Read the comments on the -1 answer for that question
I flagged it not an answer, which was deemed valid
It's still there
And the OP of the answer is debating some weird thing we can't get
-2
A: "Whose job is to" vs "whose job it is to"?

Tasos Papanikolaoui think both are grammatically right, the second emphasizes on the job, like we don't need no satifaction

3:16 AM
Oh. No, that is completely different.
Besides, I see no two "it"s.
The commenter is all like, oh the not is the same as saying it. And we are like nuh uh you didn't. But we no know how to say.
What she said.
I know.
So...what can be done?
You need to transfer the relative clause into a main clause and see how that works.
? To clean windows is his job.
It is his job to clean windows.
We need the it, at least in traditional English.
3:19 AM
Umm...you want to write that?
As an answer.
ARGH
I don't really understand what that guy means with his no/not.
flag

that I use a double negation is a side effect, I just try to point out that it, job and no, not refer to the same thing – Tasos Papanikolaou 14 secs ago
This from the OP who accepts answers that don't explain anything
Head, meet wall.
Poor kids maybe don't know not to accept answers right away. Maybe they accept the first answer they get. Should take 'em around the block, I say.
3:26 AM
Maybe. But -- this person posts on SO too.
Bravo, @Cerberus
I have no idea what apposition means, but your answer seems sensible
@simchona Uh. Not well.
@aedia I would hope they know how to accept answers at least...
Kit
Kit
0
Q: Conversation/Discourse Analysis (Available Literature)

DerekI have been studying Goffmans "The Presentation of Self In Everyday Life" as well as Jan Svennevig's "Getting Aquainted In Conversation". I was wondering if anyone know's where I could find a collection of recorded conversations? I know that there has to exist something of this nature, I just...

I really did go to bed, but this needs closing.
I flagged it
K, homeward bound
I'll catch up with this all in a bit
@simchona I'll probably go to sleep soon. G'night :)
Kit
Kit
3:31 AM
Kiss kiss.
Hey, do you need a certain rep to chat?
@Kit Yes, I think? But it should be pretty low.
@Kit 20 rep to chat, my privileges thingamajig says.
@Kit english.stackexchange.com/privileges/chat it says no rep needed to listen, just to yip.
4:16 AM
1
A: "Whose job is to" vs "whose job it is to"?

CerberusThe version with it is the one most style guides will probably recommend. The other version one is also acceptable, but it is probably considered less formal and less traditional by most. You will probably hear that one more often in casual speech. To analyse the sentence, it helps if we trans...

What do you think? I've given it some thought.
yawns @Cerberus whatcha doin' awake? It must be like, morning almost over there.
I upvoted it. It's a great answer
@aedia It's only 6 am.
@simchona Thanks! Was I hard to follow? I felt perhaps I was theorizing a bit too much...
0
A: Is 'set phrase' a set phrase?

Tasos PapanikolaouWhen you talk about the White House you talk about a subordinate, a specific, that's not the case with set phrase. Maybe people say it fast, more often than just phrase and it brings a specific idea to your mind, it has a special meaning to you. Set is an adjective and phrase a noun, and together...

@Cerberus I'll need to read it again to fully grasp it, but you managed to take the issue and fully explain why one is better
More so than "it sounds right"
And I brought up the "set phrase" question because one answer isn't an answer
Well, it was an invalid flag
I still can't understand the answer
@Cerberus I don't know how you manage to keep the same hours as me almost. Students. Pfft :P
4:21 AM
@aedia Hehe, that's it.
@Cerberus I think either I missed something or you accidentally a word in your 2nd to last sentence: >That is probably because it is his job is a fixed expression focus is in the right place.
Let me see...
@simchona coughcough setphrase Say it fast! See? It must um, mean something special. Like, "I can't believe you forgot our setphrase!"
@aedia Ah, yes, stupid, I have added an and. Thanks!
@Cerberus Those words are hard enough for me; I couldn't figure out what was missing.
4:31 AM
@aedia I had to read it twice myself!
Focus is cameras. Also fixed is fixed-focus. And expression is like, ":) or :(" so um. Yeah. This was going to be a thought, but it didn't get baked fully in the oven.
Must... sleep...
@aedia Eh... have you sprinkled water on it first?
Or, sparged, I should say.
@aedia So must I... let's go to bed!
Ok. I will no more internets if you will not.
Even though so many things.
Must read all the things.
No. Wait. Opposite of what I'm supposed to do.
@Cerberus I can't cook, remember? This is why Oven and I don't get along.
@aedia Hehe... you are not good at this, are you? Neither am I...
@aedia Aww... well, that must be Oven's fault.
@Cerberus Washing Machine was distracting me that one time, anyway.
4:39 AM
Well, he is hard to resist!
Dishwasher says hi, btw.
I petted him for you.
My little one says hi back, in a shy voice.
Yay!
Oh, he is going to bed.
@Cerberus Aw, yours is tiny? My Dishwasher is a big one, under the cabinets. Almost larger than I need (but don't tell him that).
Hehe, he might get insecure.
Mine is tiny and at the same level as the counter top, roughly.
No bending over required here.
That's cool!
4:46 AM
I can recommend it!
Unfortunately I need the surface on top of my fridge, or I'd put it up on a low table.
I did that for my father, and he wondered, "this is heaven, why didn't I think of that 40 years ago?".
I wish your and your Machines good night; mine and I are going to bed at last.
Adios!
@Cerberus I feel I would need a detailed kitchen diagram to understand that. Maybe not. But fridges in apartments here are nearly always giant as well (I mean, nothing can be put on top of them other than some junk you never use).
@Cerberus G'night! Sleep well. I am sleeping momentarily too.
@aedia Ah, I see. No, mine is the same height as the counter top; I need to put my cook top (or whatever it's called) on top of it.
Night!
poof
Goedenavond! also, Goedemorgen ;)
back
5:12 AM
Morning!
Please forgive me my cat photos...
1
Q: What does ‘peer around something’ mean?

totoroBroadly speaking, peer seems to have two meanings, looking intently and being partially visible. a). She peered into the darkness. b). The moon peered from behind dark clouds. However, I have difficulty understanding ‘peer’ with ‘around something’ as follows. Would you help me? (‘Arou...

Haha
That was the cutest answer I've ever seen
Yeah, I'm sorry, cheap trick.
Well, nobody would realize you included cats unless they opened the question
Also, do you ever sleep?
Not enough... I should go to bed! I was going to, an hour ago...
I should know this by now, but are you a mod?
5:20 AM
Have a great morning! And I just realized that you are a cat! What am I making excuses for.
Nope.
Mods usually have a little diamond by their name.
Have a good...morning sleep?
Thanks!
Adios.
 
4 hours later…
9:32 AM
@Kit looks like I didn't have to! Great answer @simchona
@simchona Here in chat, mods' names are shown in blue. This includes mods from other sites, e.g. Grace Note (Gaming) or Mr. Disappointment (Astronomy).
@OghmaOsiris I was thinking the same thing. In all the other rooms I frequent there is a little RSS feed overlay that pops up when something happens on the main site. Maybe it needs to be enabled here.
Someone posted a comment on the main site.
On the main site, someone posted a comment.
Someone posted a comment on the main site.
You really should look now.
Wow, another comment.
Also, someone posted a comment on the main site.
@RegDwight it's more for when questions are asked or answered
not comments
Someone posted a question rather than a comment on the main site.
9:47 AM
@RegDwight exactly
12 hours ago, by RegDwight
And not every question is noteworthy, let alone problematic.
@RegDwight but you won't know unless you look
If everyone is forced to look at every question ever, everyone starts ignoring every question ever.
This is like this random stuff popping up on your Windows PC "updates are available".
You show it to me five times, the sixth time over I won't even notice it.
@RegDwight there is no forcing, the overlay is partially transparent (if you get what I mean) small, and easily dismissed. Questions don't changes so often that you see them a lot.
Especially if I'm engaged in three parallel discussions with twenty people.
You said this is enabled in a number of rooms. Which ones would you recommend that I check out?
9:51 AM
@RegDwight that's ok. you don't have to always notice it. I guess if different if you're always here, but for me it's good because I like to see when there are new questions without leaving chat
@RegDwight on SO chat I think it's in all the language specific rooms, e.g. Python
Hm. Interesting.
I visited the PHP room a few times, never seen that.
it is also available in programmers.se
Don't they get like a hundred PHP/Python questions per second, on SO?
We tolerate questions like this, and why not?
17
Q: Where is the wordplay of "A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion"

Saeed NeamatiI saw this sentence as an example of pun or wordplay. But I couldn't find out where the wordplay is. Any idea?

But why do people upvote? :(
Also I didn't quite mean it had to be enabled, as in it should be enabled, I meant that for us to see it the chat room might have an option to turn it on
9:53 AM
17 people think that is useful. It is not.
@RegDwight I'm waiting in there now to see if it happens
@z7sg I have left a comment.
This particular OP, above all, should know better by now.
Also, there are actually 21 upvotes (and 3 downvotes). It probably got multicollidered, plus people like to upvote stuff when other people complain about it getting downvoted.
@RegDwight Thanks. It's the voters I'm angry with! And the multicollider!
Everyone is mad with the multicollider. You're so mainstream. Sheesh.-
3
How about I go get Jeff to delete that question?
He'll be up for it!
10:04 AM
Harhar.
Actually, lemme check something...
Ayup.
Sure enough, this is Stan Rogers's top voted answer.
He has provided a metric ton of awesome answers in the past, but what gets him the monies is a two-liner about a mediocre joke.
I wish I could lock questions without locking the answers.
@RegDwight SO started off about quality, but many SE sites degenerate into what is pleasing over what is good. Ahem programmers.se Ahem
@MattEllen Actually — and I am not a regular there at all, so this is only my impression as an outsider —, Programmers.SE has made some astonishing progress for the better.
I still remember the, well, crap they used to have in the first two weeks.
They were about to fail miserably and get closed.
Instead, now even very serious proposals get merged into them.
@RegDwight I have to admit, I've not participated properly with P.SE for a couple of months
@RegDwight Yes I noticed that already!
I kinda participated in those first two weeks, grew tired and left, seldom to return. So did thousands of other people.
10:13 AM
I just remember a lot of answers being copy/pasted from from pragmatic programmer over and over
or people just say "Quit your job, man!"
Haha.
a bunch of unsubstantiated rhetoric
the mods do one hell of a job though
Yes, this is primarily where my impression of the site stems from.
Q: I hate my job! [sic] A: Quit.
I rarely visit, but I constantly run into Mark and Anna.
@z7sg Sound advice is sound.
Meanwhile...
0
Q: What's a good marketing phrase alternative for the phrase "a simple [x] service without clutter" ?

PacerierWhat's a good marketing phrase alternative for the phrase "a simple [x] service without clutter"? By "without clutter" I mean without additional unnecessary stuff that the users usually don't bother with. It's a service that does the job without troubling the user with unnecessary details. The ...

10:19 AM
@reg this is what I mean:
A-ha! Thanks.
I'll go hang out in there some time.
XBlast time! Laterz.
@RegDwight cya. must do work!
 
1 hour later…
11:23 AM
@RegDwight I upvoted the answer, because it is correct, but I didn't up vote the question, because it is paltry.
Kit
Kit
11:40 AM
Morning!
Fuchs ahoi!
Myttin da!
Kit
Kit
Did I miss anything of note?
No, in fact your timing is excellent.
Certain things run out in 15 and 21 minutes, respectively.
Kit
Kit
That soon?
Well, I better get my coffee then, before the shit hits the fan.
user19161
11:55 AM
Shit, Reg beat me to it. Ya, HB and JB suspension ends in a few minutes...
Suspense! Tension! Everyone comb their hair and look stern!
6
Kit
Kit
Yay! I joined a union today!
@Kit what kind of union?
also, hello!
Kit
Kit
National Education Association
(ultimately)
@Kit So you've started paying your protection money
Kit
Kit
12:05 PM
Yep.
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tension, apprehension,
And dissension have begun.
(http://tenser.typepad.com/tenser_said_the_tensor/2004/03/a_word_of_expla.html)
Kit
Kit
...And someone posts a question about "eleventy-seven" and everyone in the room jumps!
I jump all the time anyhow. When I come down I sometimes hit the wrong letters on the keyboard, or the wrong language.
Kit
Kit
12:34 PM
0
Q: Is there an english word for "the cover of a group's photo" on which we can usually write names ?

snowflakeAt school or at family events, we can sometimes get photos of the group we represent. Such photos are often placed in a paper/card cover on which are lines ready to write the names of the persons that are on the photo. Is there any single term to represent this object ?

@JSBangs What about this one?
I can feel this whole room jonesing for a legitimate, interesting question about English.
@Kit reading
in the meantime, i just discovered that hyenas are actually grouped under the Feliformia, meaning that they're more closely related to cats than to dogs, which i did not expect at all
this random factoid has been brought to you by Wikipedia and the letter F
Kit
Kit
@JSBangs Did you also learn about the female hyena's "phallus"?
@Rhodri i miss that blog. i wish he would write more
Kit
Kit
@Robusto Did you see my "his Knobs" question yesterday? I thought that was interesting.
12:44 PM
@Kit — Keeping it lofty as usual, I see.
@Kit i already knew about that, so it's not new knowledge for me today
@Robusto the question is actually quite lofty
@Kit — I did. Took a pass, though.
@Kit I liked the question about poultry more, so I upvoted it 11 times more than yours. Sorry.
@Kit based on the consensus in the meta thread, i'm gonna say that this is allowed because it's (a) specific, (b) objective, and (c) not answerable with a dictionary or thesaurus
Kit
Kit
Oh. My. Lord. Kit, Kit, Kit, Kit, Kit! This is worse than being at home.
@JSBangs I was thinking that too.
12:47 PM
How many bleeping Kits are there?
Let's see .... shoeshine kit, sewing kit ... help me out here ...
surgeon's kit
@Kit Now, now. Certainly nothing can be worse than being at your home, can it?
Kit
Kit
Kit and caboodle
That's three. We need two more.
Kit
Kit
Kit Kat
12:48 PM
Four
Kit chen sink.
First Aid Kit
Ah, and we have it.
@Kit most delicious of all kits
Kit
Kit
drum kit
@JSBangs After me, of course.
12:49 PM
@RegDwight — Oh, if we're going to go all deconstructive, then how about Lord Kit-chener?
@Kit haven't tried, wouldn't know
A veritable kitalogue of Kits
@Robusto I lie kit.
oh, and the caniforms has both the canids (dogs) and the arctoids (bears) as subclades.
Kit
Kit
@RegDwight thwack
12:50 PM
Well, in the parlance of our British friends, we are all kitted out.
Kit
Kit
@Robusto I don't know that one.
It means properly geared or attired.
Kit
Kit
@JSBangs Canids includes foxes.
@Robusto Well, that makes sense.
So anyway, how are things in post-apocalyptic ELU these days?
man, taxonomy weirds me out. so the ursoids, the pinnipeds, and the musteloids (weasels etc.) are all under the arctoids
i would not have thought that bears and seals were so closely related
12:52 PM
@JSBangs — mind = assploded
@JSBangs Well they have three letters out of five in common.
BTW, the Republicans are going to ban taxonomy, so enjoy it while you got it.
Kit
Kit
@JSBangs I knew they were physiologically, but I'm surprised they are taxonomically.
If that ain't a hint you should notice as a linguist...
Kit
Kit
Is the taxonomy disputed? Genetic?
12:53 PM
Arctoidea is a superfamily of extinct and extant mostly carnivorous mammals which include the extinct group Hemicyonidae (dog-bears), and extant groups Musteloidea (weasels), Nothocyon, Pinnipedia (seals, sea lions), and Ursidae (bears), found in all continents from the Eocene, 46 Ma ago, to the present, approximately .. Taxonomy Arctoidea was named by Flower (1869). It was reranked as the unranked clade Arctoidea by Hunt (2001), Hunt (2002) and Hunt (2002); it was reranked as the infraorder Arctoidea by Koretsky (2001), Zhai et al. (2003) and Labs Hochstein (2007). It was assigned to Carn...
@Kit — Has the word "tax" in it.
Hey, I have an arctoidea!
Also taxidermy. And taxi cabs. Fuhgeddaboudit.
Kit
Kit
@Robusto I'm not talking about that ridiculousness.
I'm talking about arctoids.
There's too much thwacking that needs to happen here. I can't do it on my own! Help, @Martha, help!
@RegDwight — An arctoidea is not what you think. It's actually a term to describe the frozen nature of the sigmoid colon of an Inuit in the act of defecation, while said Inuit has a sudden insight or inspiration. As in "Colder than an Eskimo taking a — aha! Eureka!"
And if that isn't proof I'm bored, it'll have to do till real proof comes along.
12:56 PM
@Kit: luckily, this chat puts a handy feature right at your fingertips. Rather than typing "thwack", just click the little star. It's faster and has the same effect.
Kit
Kit
@RegDwight Right. Because I just joined chat yesterday.
I know. That's why we go over these things.
@RegDwight — Kaching.
Kit
Kit
@JSBangs I wish the superfamily descriptive criteria were listed on that page. Now I'm going to be irritated.
Everyone back off. KITT's irritated.
12:59 PM
@Kit thwack!
Kit
Kit
@z7sg What?

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