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1:00 PM
thwack!
"I wish the superfamily descriptive criteria were listed [sic] on that page. Now I'm going to be irritated."
Hey, what's the threshold for an SE site getting out of beta? Is it number of questions, number of responses factored in, what?
@Robusto Moon phase.
Kit
Kit
@JSBangs Oh, cute! Shoot it before it gets into my garbage cans!
1:01 PM
just an adorable member of the arctoids for you to enjoy
@JSBangs Thank you. So much better than babies.
Kit
Kit
@RegDwight What's wrong with "were listed"?
May 11 at 13:35, by Kosmonaut
I recommend just throwing [sic] in randomly when quoting one's enemies. Nobody will want to admit they don't know why it is there, and the damage is done.
Posted by Robert Cartaino on October 20th, 2010

At 90 days into beta, we’re supposed to evaluate each Area 51 beta site and either “pass” or “fail” them as full Stack Exchange sites. Some sites feel they’re not going to make it.

The Geographic Information Systems SE site has one more day of beta. We are Excellent in Qs answered and answer ratio, Okay in visits/day and Worrying in number of questions and number of avid users.

Are the admins planning to shut us down?

Please don’t! We may be small, but we’re good and growing. I’ve been working in the GIS field for almost 15 years and been act …

As I said, moon phase.
Kit
Kit
@RegDwight So what happens when someone does admit they don't know why it is there?
You thwack them.
So they wonder about that.
1:03 PM
@Kit fortunately, this is the Cozumel raccoon which is limited to a single island of the coast of the Yucatan
@Kit They look foolish.
so unless you live off the coast of the Yucatan, i'd say you're safe
Kit
Kit
@JSBangs I thought it looked cuter than usual.
@RegDwight So in other words, there's nothing wrong with "were listed;" you're just being an ass.
user19161
@Kit It looks a bit foxy.
"So in other words, there's nothing wrong [sic] with "were listed;" you're just being an ass."
Kit
Kit
1:05 PM
@RegDwight "So in other words, there's nothing wrong [sic] with "were listed;" you're just being an ass." [sic]
What's wrong with everyone today? Bad moon phase? [sic]
"So in other words, there's nothing wrong [sic] with "were listed;" you're just being an ass." [sic] [sic recte You're just an ass.]
@Kit 'Were listed' is passive voice which is verboten. Read Strunk & White!
Hmmm ... ELU is the top non-programming-related SE site, as far as number of questions goes.
Kit
Kit
@RegDwight I do many things with my Strunk & White, but reading it is not one of them!
1:07 PM
Yeah, you just favorite the authors.
I'm cheating a bit by lumping in Mathematics with programming, but it's kind of an easy fit.
@RegDwight be damned for your prescriptivist ways!
Kit
Kit
@RegDwight And how is that passive voice?
Exactly.
Dingdingding!
But SO has about four times as many total questions as all other SE sites put together.
user19161
1:09 PM
@MrDisappointment An ass is a donkey.
@JasperLoy No, a donkey is an ass.
@JasperLoy — Head = donkeyploded.
9
A: What is Wrong in Strunk & White's "Elements of Style?"

nohatIn the spirit of answering the original question the way he wanted it to be answered, I will summarize the grammar points of Pullum’s essay: Passive voice Elements strongly advises against the passive voice. Pullum has two objections to this: (1) in many cases the passive voice really is superi...

@Robusto Well language is the stuff of thought
It's sad that you weren't around. You're missing the references.
1:11 PM
Hm, lunch time, bye for now.
user19161
@MattEllen Good language is the thought of stuff.
@MattEllen — Yet language also represents the thoughts of stuff.
Kit
Kit
@Robusto Thought language is of the good stuff.
I thought language was nothing more than an anagram of "LAN gauge" ... another programming term.
1:13 PM
@Robusto aye. it's probably so. Computers rule us
all our thoughts are simply a way for the singularity to figure out its bandwidth
back in the dark ages it was stuck with 9600 baud
user19161
Advertisement: Have a break. Have a @kit kat.
hAAAAAAAAAAAA
slaps Jasper Loy on the back NICE ONE MAN
user19161
@Mana I thought the sound you make is maaaaaaan.
@JasperLoy That was more of a laugh, though
@JasperLoy I was experimenting in sounding less like a stoner and more like that jovial friend of yours who laughs just a bit too loud.
user19161
1:25 PM
@Mana What friend? The chicken?
hAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
kicks @JasperLoy off a cliff
@Mana — Lucky you. My jovial friends laugh way too loud.
Laterz
Later, @Robusto
So uh. What's up?
@Mana Pencils. It's like I'm in school again.
user19161
1:37 PM
@GraceNote What about pencils?
Them's up.
@JasperLoy They're up.
@JasperLoy duuuuuuuh
Haha Grace misspelled "them".
@RegDwight hi-fives
1:39 PM
Doh
user19161
I am really not getting this joke, if there is one. I only know pens down. What is pencils up?
@GraceNote don't worry I do it all the time. Them has strange rules in here
@MattEllen Nice double there.
@Mana hi-tens
1:40 PM
@JasperLoy I asked what's up, Grace says pencils. You ask what's going on with pencils, we tell you them's up.
But who was phone?
@JasperLoy A common joke is to respond to "What's up" with what is literally up - usually the common ones are "The sky", "The ceiling", "The opposite of down"
"Was geht ab?" — "Alles, was nicht angebunden ist."
user19161
@GraceNote I see, but pencil doesn't work too well here. Maaaaaan.
@GraceNote Wow that is next level comedy!
1:42 PM
@Kit Huh? Wha? [rubs sleep out of her eyes] Ok, can't be bothered to figure out who to thwack, so: everybody who's in the chat right now who has been committing puns, consider yourself THWACKED.
@z7sg Previously on next level...
In certain schools, especially ones with those soft ceiling tiles, the common action of the bored student is to throw a pencil up and see if it sticks in the ceiling. There is a pencil in the ceiling of my office building.
Damn Grace, you done took it to a whole 'nother level!
@Martha See @Kit, you've got thwacked by Martha herself.
user19161
For the third time, I will say I have not received any thwacks yet.
1:43 PM
"you've got thwacked" is ungrammatical.
tsk tsk
@JasperLoy Did you commit any puns?
@JasperLoy is it plugged in to both the power and the phone line?
also do you have any paper in the machine?
@Martha!!! He made a thwack-worthy remark about Medusa yesterday!
@GraceNote Wow you have buildings with paper walls and soft ceilings, and then people wonder why hurricanes are so devastating...
user19161
Oh dear the replies do not make sense. Never mind, I will give myself an almighty thwack!
user19161
1:44 PM
Now I have been thwacked!
@z7sg He did? Ok, then: @JasperLoy, THWACK!
@RegDwight We don't have paper walls here
@GraceNote Wow, progress!
@GraceNote do you have walls?
(Not to mention, there hasn't been a serious hurricane here in years)
@MattEllen They finished putting up the glass on Monday.
1:46 PM
See, correlation = causation.
@GraceNote Tornadoes, wasn't it?
Titty twisters.
@z7sg We had swirls of funnel clouds yesterday, as it were.
Nothing touched down but threw us a storm all the same.
Usually you don't expect hail in July
user19161
I remember watching the movie Twister. We sat in the front row as there were no more seats. It really twisted all our minds.
1:48 PM
....
@RegDwight what.
We were talking twisters and movies.
I...I know that. But...what is...what...oh forget it.
Somehow I hear that all the time...
user19161
@Mana I think lots of interesting things go inside Titty Twister. Wanna take a look?
@Mana Dusk til Dawn?
1:50 PM
What else?
@RegDwight it sounded wrong in my head
@Kit you just got a new answer to your cribbage question. Can't say as it's an improvement over the other answers, however.
user19161
@MattEllen But such places are usually open from dusk till dawn, approximately.
Four answers to a question about "eleventy" and not a single one of them even bothers to mention the logical extension from how the majority of 10s numbers are formed in English?
1:52 PM
@JasperLoy No! They must open at EXACTLY dusk and close at EXACTLY dawn, or I shall sue them for false advertisment
user19161
@MattEllen You misspelled till, but that might have been a typo.
@JasperLoy til is an abbreviation of until, so I misspelled 'til
Interestingly, while it is commonly assumed that till is an abbreviated form of until (the spellings ‘till and ’ til reflect this), till is in fact the earlier form. Until appears to have been formed by the addition of Old Norse und ‘as far as’ several hundred years after the date of the first records for till.
"What does 'cheese' mean? For example, in the sentence 'I like asparagus'." still cracks me up.
user19161
@z7sg Ya I think I read that in one of the questions here.
1:55 PM
I'll use til until till is used more often.
@JasperLoy although as the title of the film, I did misspell till From Dusk Till Dawn
Jul 15 at 12:52, by RegDwight
@GraceNote BTW, you're welcome to, how should I put it, answer questions on our site. From time to time. Not too often. And not during the raptchah. But yeah.
@z7sg starred! the more I know
@RegDwight It got mentioned in a comment, actually.
13
Q: What is the difference between "till" and "until"?

LifeH2OWhat is the difference between till and until? When to use till or until? Please explain with examples.

1:57 PM
Also that risks putting me above 200. Then I'd have to suffer English being forced into my top sites list since I'll be at the threshold.
user19161
@MattEllen Looks like a good movie, I'll try to find it.
You have no business starring things in this chat unless you also upvote them on the main site. :P
@RegDwight but it's wrong
I'm bored of the main site! I'm only going to ask questions here from now on.
unless you can substitute until in "I shall till that field tomorrow"
2:00 PM
I don't agree with @Robusto that "I am not going to pay the rent till my landlord fixes the plumbing." is wrong.
@z7sg you're a bit too late to the party, though.
Mar 4 at 17:14, by RegDwight
@Kosmonaut Excellent. And thus, another amazingly awesome question was asked and answered behind the scenes.
well, I suppose "mostly" does cover it
user19161
Interestingly, dawn occurs before sunrise and dusk occurs after sunset.
Hm. Apparently 12 hours ago I broke 200 anyway. That kinda ruins my excuse.
The coolest kids are always late to the party.
2:01 PM
@z7sg I've never been one of them :(
2
Q: "Late to the party" vs. "late for the party"

FedorI've heard both versions, usually in similar contexts. Which one is correct or more correct — or more prevalent — in the USA? He: This deal ends at 7 p.m. She: Sucks, I am late to the party.

unless by late you mean not invited :D
user19161
@GraceNote Now you are 'great again' and not 'once great'.
Once great again.
@JasperLoy Not really. I'm still not answering, for example.
user19161
2:02 PM
@GraceNote Well, now that you have reached the magical 200, you can rest on your laurels.
While we're discussing parties,
Feb 24 at 2:36, by Kosmonaut
At parties, I find that if you locate a nearby lampshade, put it on your head, and yell "woo!", people will respect you.
@JasperLoy That implies some measure of past success.
@GraceNote is 200 not a measure of your past success?
@MattEllen I wouldn't call it enough for laurels
@GraceNote perhaps you can rename yourself Laurel, then ;)
2:05 PM
@MattEllen Isn't that a boy's name?
@GraceNote It's a surname (Stan Laurel) but I don't know about forenames
user19161
Or you can call yourself L'oreal the shampoo.
Ooh, hexes, it's actually unisex as a given name.
yay!
remain ambiguous
user19161
@MattEllen Cute!
user19161
2:07 PM
I learnt yay from aedia and cute from cerberus.
@JasperLoy flirt ;)
I'll stick with Grace.
Faux, but first all the same.
@Grace So I guess now that you've reached 200, next you'll be aiming for
user19161
And I just learnt hexes from grace.
@z7sg Any coffee left?
2:10 PM
@Mana You cut off the wings from Second. That's cruel
I'm sorry, they just didn't work with my artistic vision @Grace.
@Mana I'll be sure to rip off your arm the next time I work with you, too.
user19161
I watched 300. It is too violent for me, no good.
Ooh, free ice cream
woooooah, okay this isn't Xenosaga, calm down
no need to go into hyperviolence all of a sudden here
2:12 PM
Wait what, this is not Xenosaga?
I'm out.
lame :(
user19161
@Mana Is that a game?
@RegDwight this is chat, no hyperviolence, just violence
Correct! A game which starts off pretty pleasant and then suddenly becomes horribly violent.
Whoa, H&B's recalced rep is 11333. We didn't delete enough of his answers, apparently.
user19161
2:16 PM
psmears msg having 11 stars, it seems it will stick on the right side forever, till this site closes.
@JasperLoy also, it's pinned, not just starred
user19161
@Martha If he deletes his answers with minus votes, he can get more rep.
user19161
I only recently learnt about the manual rep recalc.
user19161
Well, not that recent.
user19161
@aedia I have some coffee here for you, since z7sg does not seem to be around at the moment.
2:20 PM
Ahh... the advantage of working in the food industry - they will dispatch an ice cream truck to your office and distribute free ice cream to all employees.
@JasperLoy Yay!
@Mana Next time don't rip out a poor girl's wings, then!
@GraceNote //envy
@Martha I shouldn't bring up the complimentary crate we got when working with Cadbury, then.
(Pennsic starts this weekend, and once again, I'm not going, so I won't get the lovely free ice cream at Herald's Point. Sniff.)
2:23 PM
Oooh, that's disappointing.
@GraceNote Eh. Never much liked Cadbury's chocolate. It's too sweet and not chocolate-y enough.
Jez
Jez
i'm at work, and i'm really tired.
too hard to concentrate. :-(
@aedia You missed out on this round! :( I just went and fetched myself a fresh cappuccino.
user19161
@Jez That's why you shouldn't be here.
Oh, coffee! That's what I'm missing! BRB.
2:24 PM
@Martha It usually struck me as being just too much, myself. The crate actually predates my own existence ('twas for my father before he met my mother) but it's always the most impressive gift when the subject comes up, usually.
Ah, I see coffee is sorted after all for the pink one. :)
user19161
@z7sg Then you must be called the blue one.
Yesterday I actually found our stash of coffee candy. It brought back memories of high school.
> Caffeine is the drug no one cares about because everyone is addicted to it
user19161
Hello @F'x a rare chatter!
user19161
@GraceNote Ya I think we are all unknowingly addicted to it already.
2:29 PM
@JasperLoy Well, those who consume it at least
@z7sg Indeed. And I was lucky enough to have time for a bagle. But now I wish I had some dark chocolate.
Jez
Jez
i dont usually need a tea in the afternoon
im so darn sleepy
@GraceNote indeed. I can't be called an addict unless once a fortnight counts
@Jez I'd suggest light physical activity. Usually that gets me up with enough of it, as long as I've had a reasonable meal already.
Jez
Jez
im at a desk, at work.
user19161
2:32 PM
@Jez Probably the post-lunch effect.
man that hits me hard. especially today
@Jez Step out. Stretch. If you're tired and unproductive, you'll lose a lot more time than what you'll lose by taking a momentary breeze walk
Jez
Jez
hah. i'd rather work from home :-D
that'd make me more productive
user19161
@aedia And how are you supposed to use it?
user19161
2:34 PM
@Jez That's what we would like to think, but may not be entirely true...
Jez
Jez
shhhh
it's true
;-)
0
Q: Word for "self-fulfilling prophecy"

shinynewbikeI'm looking for a word, if one exists, to describe a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have only prediction at the moment, but it does not fit the context which is exactly that of a negative self-fulfilling prophecy, but a bit short of a curse. Usage (in negative sense): Whenever she comments about ...

This is probably as good a place to start with getting strict about single-word-requests
4
Q: Against single word requests

JSBangsWe've discussed single-word-requests before: Are single word requests always welcomed questions? Are word requests allowed? The consensus of earlier discussions was that these questions are on the low end, but not specifically disallowed. However, the last few months of experience have started...

@JasperLoy You eat 'em.
Allows one to get coffee without any of those pesky brewing steps.
Also, with a coating of delicious.
yesterday, by RegDwight
I dunno what I'm missing, but it appears that the OP is looking for a word for something he already knows the word for.
I do notice this stuff. But I can't be closing everything unilaterally.
Jez
Jez
didnt know you could eat raw coffee beans
aren't they hard?
2:38 PM
Depends on the type. Mocha coffee beans are soft-ish
Mar 29 at 14:05, by RegDwight
@Billare Careful, mocha means "piss" in Russian...
user19161
@aedia I really didn't know you can eat coffee beans like that. I thought you had to grind them. So the chocolate really confused me. I guess you get chocolate-flavoured coffee if you grind them.
@Jez They're not exactly "raw", as far as I know. They're roasted first, much the same as they would be for coffee.
@RegDwight Sure. So if this will help: I now authorize you, @RegDwight, to close this question.
My point is that we have 70 3k users now.
At this point I shouldn't even be in the business of closing trilaterally.
I shouldn't be in the business of closing at all.
user19161
2:41 PM
It is interesting that mocha can mean a kind of coffee bean or coffee with chocolate. The two are quite distinct.
Jez
Jez
@aedia so they're a bit like eating coal
@RegDwight Crepes, you have more closers than we do on Gaming, and I rarely have to lift a finger there. That is a bit disconcerting.
@RegDwight Yeah. I am not so much disagreeing with you I just want this stuff closed.
@RegDwight Hey a new word! моча - piss
Thanks buddy.
@MrHen I didn't see your close vote on that question, BTW.
2:43 PM
@RegDwight Haha, funny. I thought I already had. I forgot JSBangs was back and just assumed the single vote was mine :P
@Jez Caffeinated coal.
@MrHen See, this is precisely what I'm talking about.
The fact that people see a single close vote and assume it must be theirs...
Only @Martha actually tries to close stuff twice.
And only nohat succeeds.
5
Q: Using Multiple Sentence Stoppers?!

Atømix Possible Duplicate: Is there a standard ordering for the question mark and the exclamation mark used together? When writing an exclamation-question like: What you you mean, I'm fired Don't you think you've done ENOUGH today Should you end the sentence with ?!, !? or just ! ...

Closed by two mods thrice.
@GraceNote I usually double-check. I voted on a bunch of stuff yesterday and apparently lost track :P
2:47 PM
Yeah, I must say that as far as MrHen is concerned, this is a one-off error. He's usually very diligent.
@RegDwight Is it an issue elsewhere, though?
Dammit, my tissue box is still defective. What am I supposed to blow my nose in?
user19161
@Martha You mean you can't pull the tissue out of it?
Mar 3 at 12:33, by RegDwight
user image
Oh and @Martha: THWACK!
@JasperLoy No, like I said, it went defective, probably, what, three days ago? (Empty is defective, right?)
@RegDwight Hey! What was that for?
user19161
2:49 PM
@RegDwight What is that image? Nose wax?
@Martha Grace said "is it an issue", you replied "dammit my tissue".
@Martha It is a defect if the box is empty, so aye
user19161
@Martha Use toilet paper, or toilet water. I've tried both.
@RegDwight Eh? That's a serious reach.
I... would not use toilet water to... blow my... how and why would you... what?
2:50 PM
@Martha Of course you as the thwackee would say that.
That's what everybody always replies.
@RegDwight I'd say it's a serious reach too, if that changes anything.
I am happy to inform you that it does not.
@RegDwight I think you're ascribing characteristics to me that only you possess.
user19161
@GraceNote What I mean is, use your hands to blow your nose, lubricated with some water, and then washed with water to clean up all the mess.
2:52 PM
@Martha I'm not that cruel. Noöne can handle my characteristics.
@JasperLoy Yes, but I wouldn't use toilet water.
@JasperLoy That sounds like... um... how shall I put this... too much work.
user19161
@GraceNote Oh sorry, I mean water from the toilet sink, not the toilet bowl.
@JasperLoy It's a very important distinction
2:53 PM
@JasperLoy Still, that is disgusting.
@JasperLoy Hint: "from the toilet" defaults to meaning "from the toilet bowl".
user19161
Having said that, toilet paper does not work too well as it breaks too easily.
@Martha And "from the toilet bowl" defaults to meaning "from Programmers.SE".
Eau de toilette is a lightly scented perfume used as a skin freshener. It is also referred to as "aromatic waters" and has a high alcohol content. It is usually applied directly to the skin after bathing or shaving. It is considered a "weak" perfume. Toilet water is defined as a dilute perfume. It was originally composed of alcohol and various volatile oils. Toilet waters are usually named after a principal ingredient; some being Geranium Water, Lavender Water, Lilac Water, Violet Water, Spirit of Myrcia and 'eau de Bretfeld'. Because of this "toilet water" is sometimes referred to as "...
I was waiting for mention of that.
2:54 PM
45
Q: Please stop using Programmers.SE as your toilet bowl

Mark TrappStack Overflow users have been using the "off topic - belongs on Programmers.SE" close reason as an alternative to all the other close reasons. It'd be helpful if people actually read the FAQ and the guidelines for six subjective questions before voting to migrate questions like: What's your fa...

@RegDwight I'll have to take your word for that.
They misspelled "start" though.
@Martha Better him than the Porcelain Berserker
@aedia Is the other default toilet water I think of. Does not mean just H2O used to perform one's toilette.
@aedia I still wouldn't use this to blow my nose
user19161
2:55 PM
Well, in my lack of tissue paper outside, I have used both toilet paper and toilet sink water to blow my nose, so I am quite an expert nose-blower.
@GraceNote Russian euphemisms for the toilet bowl include "white friend" and "white telephone".
I could probably pay for a whole cart of tissue boxes to account for the cost of perfume.
@GraceNote You have do take a mouthful of it, then read one of my comments here, so it comes out of your nose.
user19161
I prefer the natural smell of the person to perfume.
Why do you need a euphemism for the toilet bowl? It is hardly an offensive object.
2:57 PM
@z7sg You're hardly an offensive object.
@RegDwight Can't say you have ever elicited that manner of response yet. Robusto, maybe.
@RegDwight I'm working on that.
@GraceNote Your failure on that front is the very reason why I'm posting the how-to.
user19161
There is a study on what people smell like. They say males smell like cheese and females like onions.
user19161
I sort of agree.
2:58 PM
Mar 23 at 18:27, by RegDwight
Jackie Treehorn treats objects like women, man.
Just a warning.
@RegDwight You seem to be missing a few steps on your part.
@JasperLoy I don't know how people can stand to wear perfume. 10 minutes of the same scent and I'm well on my way to a raging headache. Doesn't matter how much I like the scent, either.
@JasperLoy Ew, that's enough to make anyone want to wear perfume.

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