English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

9:14 PM

@JasperLoy I have just seen a co-worker work with it and I like it (Fedora 11). But haven't personally experienced it yet.

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 F11 came out years ago. Your coworker is nuts.

@JasperLoy lol, I know, he knows it too. He just feels comfortable with it

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 There are no more security updates. He should not use it anymore.

@JasperLoy I think the UI has changed too. I like the appearance of F11 more

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 It changed 9000 years ago.

user19161

9:17 PM

Carlo will be back tmr.

@JasperLoy Did you know that 9000 is a meme?

@JasperLoy fedora seems like a strange choice for people who don't like upgrading a lot

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 Yes, that's why I use it too.

@JasperLoy @RegDwight just told me that :D

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 He told me 9000 years ago.

9:19 PM

@JasperLoy Anyway, I will try to find a theme to make my F17 look like F11

user19161

@Cameron Only security updates for 13 months.

@JasperLoy You misremember. It was OVER 9000 years ago.

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 You like GNOME panels instead of GNOME shell, try Mint Cinnamon Desktop instead.

user19161

@RegDwightѬſ道 Yes, the capitalization is thanks to Mr Shiny.

@JasperLoy Is it possible to use it on F16?

user19161

9:21 PM

@MeysamѬſ道 I don't know. You can install Cinnamon on Ubuntu I think, but trying on Fedora I don't know.

@JasperLoy I only know the meme with capitalization. No other variations. But my point was that you forgot the "over" altogether.

@JasperLoy I will try that

user19161

It upsets me that there are more and more flags and insults in SE chat rooms in general. I think we need to think about what we are saying to others. Just my two cents.

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 Try what?

@JasperLoy that would be nice

9:25 PM

@JasperLoy Trying to see if it's possible to install Cinnamon on Fedora

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 Then you might as well use Mint.

@JasperLoy Is it the name of a distro?

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 Ah I see you are new to Linux. Then I suggest you try Mint or Ubuntu. Much easier than Fedora.

@JasperLoy Thanks for the suggestion :)

user19161

@MeysamѬſ道 My favourite is Debian. :-)

9:33 PM

@Meysam I'll second the recommendations of Mint or Ubuntu for user-friendliness.

@JasperLoy Think about what we say? The compleat opposite of strong Sapir-Whorf.

user19161

@Mitch You make me look that up.

I'm beginning to think that there -are- quite a few words for snow in Eskimo, er... Inuit.

0

Q: Inquiry vs. Investigation

When I'm involved in a project with the goal of analyzing (following some previously stated criteria) a set of research papers, which word is more suitable: inquiry or investigation ?! Or none?! If none, please let me know what is your suggestion?!

word-choice

@JasperLoy You're welcome.

9:38 PM

So many punctuations!!!?!?

They're consistently '?!' which has a anme which I forgot.

user19161

@RegDwightѬſ道 Only 3 interrobangs. That is less than 7.

interrobang

jinx

@JasperLoy actually not a single interrobang in there.

The interrobang is a single glyph.

not any more.

user19161

9:40 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 I can see the edit history, hehe.

@JasperLoy that's not what I mean.

These are interrobangs.

!? and ?! are poor women's choices.

From chess, I think !? and ?! mean interesting and dubious, respectively

Why are we dredging up interrobangs. The MLA rejected them decades ago, IIRC.

user19161

@Cameron Yes, I think I can remember that now.

@Robusto Let me reply in Jasper's stead: "We are not the MLA. QED."

9:44 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 Obviously. QED.

QED. QED.

user19161

Very good. QED.

Here's one for crybabies: QQED sniff

That's simple past. What would be the future tense?

WILL QQ

9:46 PM

Where's the grace in that?

Grace wasn't in the PRD.

user19161

Q Q pronounced as the two letters themselves means chewy in Hokkien.

I'm tired of all this scope creep anyway.

@JasperLoy that could come in handy.

I found grace on page 153.

9:48 PM

@RegDwight: I'll bite. poor (women's choices), (poor women)'s choices, or poor choices by women?

@Mitch Seven. The answer is seven.

user19161

@RegDwightѬſ道 Nonsense.

@JasperLoy You can't spell nonsense without sense. QED.

user19161

@Mitch I was also wondering what he meant by that line. Might be a direct translation from an idiom in another language.

Facepalm galore.

You are a direct translation from an idiom in another language.

Poor man's choice is a venerable English idiom.

I am just trying to avoid sexism in speech. And writing.

user19161

9:51 PM

Oh I see!

user19161

And I thought you were using sexism there!

Well you thought wrong. You woman.

user19161

We are on very different wavelengths. Also frequencies.

A: may not vs can not on websites

Can anyone please give me feedback so that I understand why my answer may have been downvoted?

-1

The Legal Department at Cornell University's case law citations all use the word "may" in this case. § 2-211. Legal Recognition of Electronic Contracts, Records, and Signatures (1) A record or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electron...

user19161

@NathanCTresch Don't worry too much about votes. Sometimes very good answers get downvoted and very bad answers get upvoted, sometimes.

9:53 PM

I feel picked on.

:)

@NathanCTresch, I didn't downvote you, but the conclusion you had before your edit was spurious, so maybe that's why someone else did.

@RegDwightѬſ道 Poor man's X is the idiom. As in "RegDwight is the poor man's Robusto."

@Cameron, aye. I changed it as soon as I re-read it, and I was just wondering if there was anythng else. That was prolly it

Thanks :)O

@Reg @Rob if I create a thread with a proposal to make every item buyable for 50 loyalty, will you support me?

@Vitaly Sure, why not?

9:56 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 chiggers can't be boozers. is "poor man's choice" like a Hobson's choice?

@Mitch Do you mean "Hobson's choice"?

Because "Hobson's choice" means you take what we offer or you walk.

Yes. Yes, I do.

Yes. you either get no desert or you get no dinner.

user19161

Why is there a movie called Titanic 3D?

A Hobbesian choice is whatever happens you die at the end.

user19161

@Mitch You mean "dessert"?

9:58 PM

@Mitch No. A Hobbesian choice would be "nasty, brutish, and short."

Anyway, I smell bacon. Gotta investigate.

or just a plain mistake for a hobbson's choice that is quickly edited away before hopefully anyone notices.

@Robusto don't forget solitary! So very solitary...

user19161

Also note it should be "just deserts" and not "just desserts".

@Cameron doesn't that make it more endurable? no one to see how utterly terrible things are?

@Robusto so you're saying Robusto is the poor man's choice? I'm confused!!!???!!!

user19161

10:00 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 bangbangbanginterrointerrointerrobangbangbang

@RegDwightѬſ道 Yes, if by that you mean he smelled bacon.

@Mitch you don't live alone, do you ? :)

Bacon for dessert? :D

user19161

Bacon and dessert are both fat. QED.

user19161

10:01 PM

@JosephWeissman That is very very fat.

@Cameron so if you're living alone, you'd feel like you want everyone else to see how bad things are?

Some foods are not meant to go together.

@Mitch concur'd

is that butter?

user19161

Might be cheese.

Oh. Cheese would be OK.

10:02 PM

Maple cinnamon glaze, apparently

no wjust have the bacon on the side, and we're good.

@Vitaly yeah why not.

I have nothing against having them in the same meal.

Sorry for the de-rail, by the way :) the room sounded hungry

You can't derail this room. Umpossible.

10:04 PM

@Mitch I guess things aren't that bad for me aside from living alone and (therefore) getting lonely sometimes. I think Hobbes' point was more that everyone constantly being in competition with each other is not a very fun way to live.

I meant it as a joke more than anything, but it didn't come across. Stupid Internet, always nullifying my inflections.

Notice how anorexia and panic is closer to autism than asperger's.

@Cameron Use Russian. Their inflections are stronger.

I didn't realize that deleting a post removes all positive rep but leaves negative rep

10:06 PM

@JosephWeissman You are so mean.

@NathanCTresch that's so negative.

Mitch?

What does that mean?

I heard my name.

(don't take hardly any of what I say too seriously.

argh...end paren )

@Mitch, what does that mean?

Oh

I can't think of a better solution, but, that doesn't encourage good behavior at all.

It seems so uh...Hobsonian to have the choice between deleting your question and just haveing negative rep

just remove all associated rep as though it's not there?

10:09 PM

If I have an answer that was upvoted twice and downvoted three times, and I realize that it's not a good answer so I delete it, I'm penalized for keeping the site free of clutter.

So, now I get why no one deletes their posts here.

I'm still going to, because I'd like the site to be neat and tidy

right. I tend to leave bad questions/answers as signposts to the future.

@NathanCTresch I delete everyone's posts here.

hm..but maybe I should delete them.

0

Q: how to write this phrase

I need to thank our sponsor who is funding my expenses for an event. I am thinking how should I write a sentence saying Thank you for the support will get back with lots of knowledge or insights I am little bit confused whats the right word inplace of knowledge/insights so that it makes the sen...

vocabulary sentence

Yes, it's considered good form to delete them, despite that weirdness.

10:10 PM

sighs

@Mitch I just use from __future__ import *

But, if I didnt care more about rigor and correctness and conciceness than rep, there's no way I'd ever delete a post.

@RegDwight What does that mean? You delete evveryones posts here?

I imagine if you place a priority on rigor and correctness then the rep will follow

besides, a downvote is only -2 rep, it's not that big of a dent, even if you did care

@NathanCTresch well how many alternative meanings of "I delete everyone's posts here" are you familiar with?

Start by naming seven.

Seven.

I named it.

10:14 PM

I delete posts made by people in the chat room, I delete posts made by everyone on the site, I delete all of the posts for people because they are rude

What do I get?

@Cerberus A Klondike bar.

What are those?

Food, I hope?

Yes.

Good.

10:19 PM

Klondike is a brand name for a dessert generally consisting of a vanilla ice cream square coated with a thin layer of chocolate-flavored coating. The first recorded advertisement for the Klondike was on February 5, 1922 in the Youngstown Vindicator. They are generally wrapped with a silver-colored wrapper, upon which the mascot for the brand, a polar bear, appears. In the UK, the generic name for this type of dessert is choc ice. Unlike many similar frozen treats, the Klondike bar does not possess a stick for a handle (see ice pop for comparison), a point often touted in advertising. T...

How is that a bar?

Ah, I see.

@RegDwightѬſ道 I don't know.

It's more of a rectangular prism.

But it's not perfectly straight, so it's not that either.

Is there tex support in this chat?

No.

10:21 PM

— Sir wishes? — I'll have a Klondike bar and a Toblerone circle.

dang. You guys are missing out on a great Klondike bar joke.

@Cameron if it's in TeX then only Knuth will ever get it anyway.

@RegDwight other people will get it too, they just won't know how to put it into a table

Hahahaha. Now that's a great joke about TeX.

@Reg @Robusto done. Oh, and @Cerberus?

10:26 PM

@Vitaly Oh, sure; but what is an item? Any card?

No, that new rubbish stuff.

You haven't seen it.

@Cerberus This new stuff you have to grind for another 5 months to get a single card…

I see.

I will post a support message to your thread if you like.

They've added crafting. So now you have to get 500 item Xs and 350 item Ys to exchange them for a card.

@Cerberus Yeah, thanks. It's been created.

10:28 PM

Linky?

user19161

@NathanCTresch Really? I think the rep just needs some time to take effect.

@Cerberus kongregate.com/forums/65-tyrant/topics/…

user19161

@Cerberus Why would anyone call a link a linky?

@JasperLoy It's a meme.

adios muchachos

10:30 PM

Buenas noches.

user19161

@RegDwightѬſ道 I would imagine only girls trying to sound cute would say linky.

user19161

@Cameron Addio.

@JasperLoy for all you know Cerberus is a girl trying to sound cute.

user19161

@RegDwightѬſ道 Er, I don't think so though! He is a handsome man.

That's what girls trying to sound cute would have you believe.

10:33 PM

@RegDwightѬſ道 Supported.

@JasperLoy I actually don't know. I don't think: I just do.

@JasperLoy Yeah I see that you're right.

user19161

@NathanCTresch I usually am. :-)

user19161

@Cerberus Just do it. Nike.

I'm out for today. Toddle pips.

10:49 PM

Night.

11:02 PM

@Kit: i.imgur.com/FJCAY.jpg

Is that Kit?

Aww.

A: "Skills that are useful" or "skills those are useful"?

11:26 PM

Had to come back because someone is wrong on the Internet.

3

As others have pointed out, in your examples, it is correct to use that, and not those. Why? The that in your sentence is being used as a conjunction, not a pronoun, so it doesn't get pluralized. Here's a helpful definition: that (conjunction) \thət, ˈthat\ —used as a function word to in...

Actually "that" is not a conjunction there. Just do the test, if it can be replaced with "which" or "who" it's obviously not a conjunction. In fact the that in "skills that are useful" is so strikingly different from the that "he said that he was", I am amazed you haven't noticed. What's worse, the that in "that is useful" is not the same as the that in "that skill is useful", either. The former is a pronoun, the latter a determiner. — RegDwight Ѭſ道 1 min ago

Over and out.