English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

RegDwight Ѭſ道

15:00

The article on Hermitian matrices uses "an Hermitian".

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Ahh I see!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

It also uses "a Hermitian".

Cerberus

And what is -borg?

user19161

I would just go with TL maybe!

Cerberus

There are some female names on -borg, like Ingeborg (sounds Scandinavian).

Matt Эллен

15:01

ah, well the site didn't go further than that. let me find it again...

Carlo_R.

@RegDwight - Could I ask on ELU how is "spaghetti" pronounced in English. Would you close my question?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@Carlo_R Not if others would close it faster.

Cerberus

@Carlo_R Have you tried looking it up in a dictionary?

user19161

@Carlo_R It is general reference. Check any good dictionary.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus This is where I read it

user19161

15:02

oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/spaghetti

RegDwight Ѭſ道

The article on Hermitian symmetric spaces uses "a Hermitian". I think "a" wins hands down.

Cerberus

Unless you have more questions after reading the dictionary's pronunciation of the word, or you have reason to doubt its accuracy, what information do you hope to gain here?

Carlo_R.

Oh! I have noticed that "spaghetti" is a word of English language.

Cerberus

@MattЭллен Hmm funny. So they claim that the English got it from Helen, but the Dutch from Germanic names?

user19161

Nowadays I enjoy solving rep puzzles or account puzzles on meta.

Cerberus

15:04

Not sure I'm willing to believe that.

Matt Эллен

@Cerberus that's what it looks like

user19161

I am thinking how to pronounce @Cerberus.

Cerberus

You have considerable freedom.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus what? No exhortation about how it was pronounced by dead guys 2000+ years ago?

Matt Эллен

Apparently ellen is an Old English noun meaning strength, courage or zeal

user19161

15:07

I watch the Ellen show now and then, and also the Martha show.

user19161

Interesting how we have both on ELU.

Cerberus

@MrShinyandNew安宇 The current tradition is very important.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus rolls eyes

Cerberus

But the masses are not important.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@WillHunting Where's your Grace, Will?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

15:08

@Cerberus I stopped going to mass years ago.

Cerberus

I thought you still went to placate your parents?

Carlo_R.

Ellen is the real name of the Australian model Elle Macpherson.

user19161

I also watched "If Yan can cook, so can you!"

user19161

His assertion is clearly false because I cannot cook.

Matt Эллен

In soviet Russia Yan cook you!

user19161

15:11

@MattЭллен lol

user19161

But I think we should not play with knives the way Yan does.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus No, not really. I would go at Christmas but the last two years have been inconvenient because the kids nap at that time.

Carlo_R.

What does it happen at 300 reputation?

Cerberus

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Your poor mother...

user19161

@Carlo_R You mean "What happens at 300 reputation?"

user19161

15:14

@Carlo_R Nothing.

Carlo_R.

@WillHunting - Oh! Yes.

user19161

@Carlo_R Actually I was joking. You may check the FAQ.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Cerberus Well, Christmas and Easter were the only times we still went together, since about 1998. So it's not much of an adjustment.

Cerberus

I see.

Carlo_R.

@WillHunting - I am going to see the FAQ.

user19161

15:16

@MrShinyandNew安宇 I guess your parents are religious then?

Matt Эллен

@Carlo_R also the privileges page

user19161

@Carlo_R Very good, do it before the FAQ sees you!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

You get to create tags.

Gigili

@WillHunting Let us not confuse him.

user19161

@Gigili Did you plagiarise that from me?

Gigili

15:19

You say something that you don't do? So sad.

Cerberus

This excludes plain piracy.

> First, patents do provide profits for their owners, so it makes sense for firms to get them. But taking the effect of other firms' patents into account, including the risk of litigation, the average public firm outside the chemical and pharmaceutical industries would be better off if patents did not exist.

patentlyo.com/patent/2008/03/the-costs-and-b.html

Economics can be pretty interesting.

user19161

@Cerberus That is another word whose pronunciation I wonder about. Economics and also economic.

Cerberus

/i/

Though /ɛ/ is probably also used.

user19161

oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/economic

user19161

oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/economics

Cerberus

15:26

See?

Oh, they note the i as somewhat longer.

I prefer /iː/.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@WillHunting My mom is, yes.

KitFox

Oh, Kit, why can't you learn to keep your mouth shut?

Cerberus

What did you do?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

She didn't keep her mouth shut.

Matt Эллен

did some flies get in?

Cerberus

15:38

Outrageous.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

A janitor in Stuttgart has stolen 25 tons of office supplies over the course of the last 25 years.

Photos

Matt Эллен

did he get fired? why did he do it?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I guess he did, and no idea.

Matt Эллен

crazy

RegDwight Ѭſ道

The article said he just kept it all in his flat, never sold anything.

The police hauled it off in three trucks.

Matt Эллен

15:44

how sad. 25 years of stuff and then nothing

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Haha. Right. An empty 100m² flat.

Cerberus

Haha.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Or a 10m² cell.

Cerberus

Poor guy.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Millions of individual stuffs. Worth several hundred thousand monies.

Quite an accomplishment.

Matt Эллен

15:47

indeed

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I think I have like three pens from my work at home. After twelve years.

And they are merchandise anyway. I guess I'm supposed to take more and pass it on.

Matt Эллен

there is a story of a postman in the UK who kept complaining that his route required two people. eventually he started storing the letters he couldn't deliver on time at home. He got caught when his garage was full

they fired him and brought on two new guys to take his round

RegDwight Ѭſ道

How unfair.

Matt Эллен

this is the story

KitFox

O meatball sub, you didn't make it back to my office, such was the strength of my hunger. I have not left even the tenth part of you, my delicious eatings, my joy, my lunch.

Matt Эллен

15:52

sounds yummy :)

KitFox

It was good. I wish I had another.

> drink driving

That a British expression or a typo?

Matt Эллен

British expression

RegDwight Ѭſ道

There were a couple expressions like that in the article.

KitFox

> He didn't place himself under the doctor...

Matt Эллен

Well, it is a Bristol paper. They might be online, but they're still local ;)

RegDwight Ѭſ道

15:54

I had to parse several sentences twice.

KitFox

Weird.

> The court heard after a marriage split father-of-one Harris either lived with his mother or in youth hostels.

What?

That is really confusing.

Matt Эллен

yeah, that's badly worded

RegDwight Ѭſ道

I like it how Kit quotes the exact same stuff I had problems with.

Matt Эллен

@KitFox don't really know what that's meant to mean. maybe it's UK solicitor speak

KitFox

Maybe he was dating a doctor?

RegDwight Ѭſ道

15:56

We have a site. Let's ask!

Matt Эллен

yeah! we should get Yoichi san to ask

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Why outsource to Japan?

Matt Эллен

they do it best

KitFox

He couldn't possibly have stayed in a youth hostel. He would have been much too old.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

@MattЭллен That's not very British of you.

Matt Эллен

15:59

@RegDwightѬſ道 true. I should stand up for my nation and ask what is going on!

RegDwight Ѭſ道

A whole generation of politicians has lived off the idea that everyone but Britain sucks arse. And as you well know, politicians do what's best for you. Follow their lead!

KitFox

What's all this, then?

@RegDwightѬſ道 Kinda creepy like that.

RegDwight Ѭſ道

Commute. Laters!

Matt Эллен

me too!

CU

KitFox

Bye!

Matt Эллен

16:08

0

Q: What does mean "place oneself under the doctor" mean?

I was reading an article about a struggling postman where it quotes his solicitor explaining some trouble the postman was having: Mr Arthur ... told the court: "He was assigned a number of different walks. (delivery rounds). He struggled with those and he didn't complete the work. He didn't p...

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@MattЭллен too localized.

It only applies to Britain.

KitFox

haha

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

16:24

wait! If that chart is correct (and why wouldn't it be, it was shared on facebook) then that means that when Sideshow Bob said "Die, Bart, Die!" is German for "The Bart, The" then his German was actually wrong! mind explodes

KitFox

Unless there was more than one Bart, or he was insulting Bart by calling him feminine.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox could be. It's still possibly the best Simpsons episode ever.

KitFox

Is there one?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

one what? one best episode?

KitFox

Um, yeah.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

16:29

As in, one and only one best episode? I dunno. But possibly. and if so, the one where Sideshow Bob is paroled and the Simpsons go into the witness protection program must be among the top contenders.

KitFox

How is it that I am still hungry and cranky?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

have you eaten enough yet?

KitFox

I ate a meatball sub about 45 minutes ago.

That really cheered me.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

maybe you need to eat more

or go home

or go home and eat more

and watch old Simpsons episodes from the golden years

KitFox

I think I do need to eat more.

But how, is the question.

I need minions.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

16:33

onions?

KitFox

Hey, my husband just called to tell me that he looked up the asking price for the slightly-smaller, only-one-measley-storey house on a single acre lot across the street from us.

@MrShinyandNew安宇 No, minions.

So I can send them out for food.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox "single acre lot" yeesh :)

KitFox

Yes, minions. They are all the rage these days.

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Well, we've got two and a half.

And they are asking $30,000 more than what we bought our house for. So that's (probably) good news.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox Nice

I think I might maybe have 1 acre. But my property is considered large for the nieghbourhood and it's triangular so it's not as useful an acre as one might expect.

I am pretty sure that I don't have more than an acre.

wait

No I've made a terrible math error

I have nowhere close to an acre

KitFox

Oh no! Not maths!

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

16:41

yeah. So I don't have an acre. I have 1/10 acre.

KitFox

That's more usual for an in-town lot, from what I understand.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox yeah

so I take it you live out in the boonies

KitFox

A good amount of our property is swampy, so not as impressive as it sounds.

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Kind of. It's actually conveniently located. We're less than a mile to the interstate.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox nice

whoops time for me to get lunch. bbl

KitFox

It takes about five minutes to get into a nearest large town.

And our grocery store is about two miles away.

But unfortunately there is a lot of truck and motorcycle noise, since we're on a state route and two miles in the other direction from the interstate is a Harley shop.

But we have an apple orchard!

And the town finally made our neighbors tear down their abandoned trailers.

Cerberus

16:52

@KitFox Is this it?:

KitFox

No, our apples are for everyone.

Cerberus

Ohh I see.

If they're cheaper, then they must be worse quality.

And susceptible to worms.

KitFox

They taste good in pies.

Cerberus

And with weak cores.

KitFox

Can you see two of those?

Cerberus

16:55

Yes.

Strangely.

KitFox

Weird error.

Cerberus

Odd.

I typed Odd twice, but it collapsed.

Gigili

I want to go to bed, finally. Good night.

Cerberus

Good luck!!

Matt Эллен

17:12

sleep well Gigili

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

18:16

moo!

aedia λ

baa?

KitFox

La-la-la

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

tents fingers together eeeexcellent!

KitFox

There, now we are Sandra Boynton.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

I had to look that up

KitFox

18:18

Really? You don't own them all?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

nope

KitFox

Hippos Go Berserk was my eldest son's first favorite.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

oh, Barnyard Dance, I think I've seen that one

KitFox

We love that one.

But not for bedtime.

Do you happen to know how to link servers off the top of your head?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox No. I'm not sure what that means.

KitFox

18:22

Huh. I should have figured there was a gui for that.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Is it an ASP thing?

KitFox

No, must be a SQL Server thing.

Damn. I won't be able to reach it.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Just stand on your tip-toes

KitFox

I am really nervous about using backup/restore with the production data.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

backup should be ok. Restore is risky

KitFox

18:24

But the boss says that's the fastest way to bring the production data over to the test server.

Have you moved data like that before?

aedia λ

@MrShinyandNew安宇 No! Get someone to help you carry the ladder!

(For no good reason, I just had to sit through a training on ladder safety)

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox Oh. yeah, if you're restoring to a different server, it should be fine.

@aediaλ That's good advice.

Also, make sure your belt-buckle stays inside the ladder. If you're not wearing a belt, put one on.

KitFox

Shit.

My belts are all at home.

Holding my husband to the bed.

aedia λ

Mine too.

Ahahahaha!

KitFox

giggles

aedia λ

18:30

Not that.

KitFox

Just kidding. That's not safe.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox of course that's not safe. otherwise you might fall off a ladder!

I can't believe you guys have such reckless disregard for your personal safety.

KitFox

:D

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Luckily, I brought belts for everyone.

hands out belts

KitFox

Oh, thank goodness.

straps belt around neck

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

18:33

That's better.

Give the other end to aedia to hold, just for extra safety

aedia λ

gnaws absentmindedly on belt leather

KitFox

I can't figure out how to get this DB off.

Um, I mean, move it off the secure server.

I don't wanna have to ask my boss. whines

Jez

actually as a Brit, I'd say it's closer to whinging

KitFox

whinges

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Jez I'd say it's closer to Washington.

KitFox

18:36

washes

And why is my transaction log so huge?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

So how are you Jez? still angry at Scotland? :)

aedia λ

@KitFox Stop touching it!

kiamlaluno

Kills the boss, after asking the question.

KitFox

But it feels good!

aedia λ

Maybe it'll get smaller on its own.

2

KitFox

18:38

grr

Matt Эллен

lol

kiamlaluno

Haha! :)

KitFox

Ah, fuck it. brb

Jez

@MrShinyandNew I was never angry at Scotland. Just most of Scotland.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@Jez Ah. gotcha.

KitFox

18:47

My eyes are so tired, they are burning.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Step 1. get a fire extinguisher. Step 2. spray your eyes vigorously. Step 3. ??? Step 4. profit.

KitFox

ohshitohshitohshit

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Don't tell me you used the wrong kind of fire extinguisher

KitFox

Oh no, everything's fine. Nothing to worry about.

kiamlaluno

@MrShinyandNew安宇 That would be very worrying.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

18:55

@kiamlaluno Yeah. The wrong kind of fire extinguisher makes the burning worse.

aedia λ

Use the kind with the star! They're for the awesome things!

kiamlaluno

@MrShinyandNew安宇 I can witness that. I much prefer the carbon monoxide extinguishers, for my eyes. They are so refreshing, and you can use them for cooling your drink too.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@kiamlaluno Carbon mon-oxide?

kiamlaluno

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Yes. Carbon dioxide has a strange smell; carbon monoxide doesn't have smell at all.

I still want my drink to smell like a drink, you know.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Hm

kiamlaluno

19:03

@WillHunting Uh, what, why?

Robusto

1

Q: Word like "misanthropic", but referring to Nature

I am trying to write a sentence where a person has very negative feelings towards Nature and the natural world. The feelings would be misanthropic, if directed towards people. Is there such a word? I'd like to use it in a sentence such as this one: Bob deliberately put his recyclables into th...

single-word-requests

Pooped on by pigeons, eh?

kiamlaluno

It is good cows don't fly.

Robusto

@kiamlaluno Carbon dioxide is odorless, btw.

kiamlaluno

@Robusto So should methane.

The store where I go doesn't have odorless carbon dioxide; I have to buy carbon monoxide. I also have the feeling they make me pay carbon dioxide more than carbon monoxide.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@kiamlaluno You actually buy carbon monoxide? It's toxic!

kiamlaluno

19:13

@MrShinyandNew安宇 I worked in a chemical factory; I have smelled more toxic things. ;)

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@kiamlaluno yeah but CO is one of those things you buy a detector for so that if there ever is any around you you know to evacuate

kiamlaluno

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Now you discovered my plan: I am exercising to be able to smell it.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@kiamlaluno mmmkay. good luck! try not to die.

kiamlaluno

@MrShinyandNew安宇 No, no… I just smell small quantities at times.

Matt Эллен

How come no one told me about Kafka the Musical?

That was brilliant

KitFox

19:32

So I scrubbed the names from the production database, but one question still remains.

What do I do with it?

This seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Matt Эллен

is it now a good db for a demo site?

aedia λ

licks clean database tentatively

kiamlaluno

@aediaλ Didn't you say not to touch the database?

KitFox

@MattЭллен Theoretically.

Except I have to figure out how to put my test users on top of it.

...or maybe not.

Maybe i can just rename existing users...

aedia λ

@kiamlaluno paws ground but but I'm just tasting! not exactly touching!

KitFox

19:37

pulls some wires, pokes some stuff

This might work.

kiamlaluno

@aediaλ You can smell it, if you need.

Hey! Who pulled my wire?

Stamps his feet.

Matt Эллен

careful of the wires!

kiamlaluno

Ouch! I stamped on my own foot.

But they are so cute!

Matt Эллен

you have cute feet? good to hear!

kiamlaluno

@MattЭллен I mean the wires. :) My feet are too big.

My shoes are 13, as USA size.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

19:42

@kiamlaluno Does that mean... never mind.

kiamlaluno

Uhmmm… These shoes say 12. My feet have been shrunken.

@MrShinyandNew安宇 No. That is a metropolitan legend.

KitFox

@MrShinyandNew安宇 Yes, it does.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@kiamlaluno You're supposed to say "yes"

KitFox

Big feet = big hands.

kiamlaluno

I dunno. I should measure mine.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

19:45

better not.

kiamlaluno

I mean my hand.

That is 8 inches, and a quarter.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

yeah me too.

KitFox

What story was that in? The guy with the little notebook who measured his unit all the time?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

@KitFox um, what kind of stories have you been reading?!?

kiamlaluno

If I open my hand, from finger to finger there are 10 inches.

KitFox

19:48

It was funny. He was a complete twit, but kept this cryptic notebook with dates and times, and a mysterious number.

kiamlaluno

Wonders about "measured his unit."

KitFox

You don't find out until well into the story that it is only the size of his you-know.

John Thomas.

kiamlaluno

I guess of his thumb.

KitFox

Willywhacker.

kiamlaluno

Now I am going to learn something interesting.

Matt Эллен

19:50

good luck!

KitFox

Damn it. It's not redirecting properly. scratches head

kiamlaluno

Haha… What does willy-willy mean, then?

KitFox

I don't know.

kiamlaluno

It's simply a dust storm, in Australian English. I thought it was something funnier.

KitFox

I suppose it might be, to Aussies.

kiamlaluno

19:53

Those Austrians always ruin the fun.

I was already imagining jokes over jokes.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

grooveshark.com/s/My+Ding+A+Ling/2DtIty?src=5

KitFox

Hahaha. I remember that from Dr. Demento.

Mahnax

Hi!

Transcript for

English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…