English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

tchrist

12:00 AM

Ambarmetta: the world's ending.

Cerberus

I see.

I doubt whether Ulaanbaatarians see it that way, though.

tchrist

Their antipodean counterpart is at the red dot.

Captain Bohemian

does eyestrain in result of reading on the computer screen occur more likely at night?

Færd

Robusto

12:25 AM

@Færd That is also the map of countries that have landed men on the moon.

Cerberus

12:36 AM

@Færd Consider yourself lucky...

Captain Bohemian

12:50 AM

the dorm is really a boring place. Even a reception room isn't available.

the administration is grim

they seldom provide service but are so readily in demanding money

the rent is really an easy way of making money; it gains money by time rather than doing things.

actually in general theory of relativity time isn't an invariant background on which events take place, but are affected by these events.

time also depends on observers.

it's just that most of events taken place in our daily life are nonrelativistic that we aren't aware of the fact time depends on observers.

also, we are in a weak gravitational field so that time seems to elapse the same everywhere on Earth.

time is thus just a gauge, not physical.

money is also a gauge, not physical, because it's just a token people devise for exchanging material.

Captain Bohemian

1:43 AM

it's bad that we have to follow time, this illusion.

CowperKettle

2:25 AM

CowperKettle

3:44 AM

February fill-dike

== English == === Alternative forms === February fill-dyke (or without a hyphen) February fill dyke, be it black or be it white fill-dike, fill-dyke === Proper noun === February fill-dike A rural appellation for the month of February, when rain or melting snow fills dykes with water. 1837 William Hone - The every-day book and table-book; or, Everlasting calendar of popular amusements Regarding the season, there is an old proverb worthy noticing: February fill dike, be it black or be it white. 1851 Thomas Sternberg - The Dialect and Folk-lore of Northamptonshire January white, February...

CowperKettle

4:40 AM

Moscow School No. 962 has been accused of gay propaganda due to rainbow pictures made by pupils

SmokeDetector

6:38 AM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Hindi character in title, mostly non-latin body, mostly non-latin title, potentially bad keyword in body (212): What is KYC & KYC Full Form? KYC की पूरी जानकारी हिंदी में? by hinduraj bhati on english.SE

CowperKettle

7:00 AM

Faheem Mitha

@CaptainBohemian What is your location? Just curious.

SmokeDetector

9:47 AM

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Bad ip for hostname in body, bad keyword in body, bad keyword in title, blacklisted website in body, link at beginning of body, +4 more (730): How To Sell Cannaboost Wellness CBD Oil by VickierJoy on english.SE

Matt E. Эллен

10:40 AM

@CowperKettle Putin regime arrest rain and sun for creating rainbows

2

Next they'll put sanctions against Greece

Faheem Mitha

10:58 AM

@MattE.Эллен Why Greece?

Matt E. Эллен

@FaheemMitha the isle of Lesbos

Faheem Mitha

@MattE.Эллен That seems an insufficient reason.

Greece seems to have a lot of islands.

skullpatrol

It was newton that started the segregation of the colours

Faheem Mitha

@skullpatrol People certainly say a lot of random things here.

In fairness, so do I, come to think of it.

skullpatrol

:D

skullpatrol

11:19 AM

@FaheemMitha btw

Faheem Mitha

@skullpatrol Yes, someone mentioned that earlier.

skullpatrol

Sorry for the late reply

Faheem Mitha

I thought usage of the word "country" is more restricted than it apparently is.

skullpatrol

Yeah, they get to make the definitions.

Faheem Mitha

I remember someone around 30 years ago referring to Scotland as a country. He was Scottish. I think I told him it wasn't. If I did, I guess I owe him an apology.

@skullpatrol They?

skullpatrol

11:22 AM

The English

Faheem Mitha

@skullpatrol Oh, them. Yes.

That was in Cambridge.

But Wikipedia wasn't around then to set the record straight.

I suppose I could have looked in a dictionary.

But the net is really a whole lot more convenient. And faster.

Being able to look up words has helped to improve my spelling. Which historically has been abysmal.

Also, 30 years ago I probably cared much less about words and their meanings.

But over the course of a lifetime, I've realised they matter more than I hitherto supposed.

If people agreed on the meaning of words, whole areas of political discourse would probably vanish completely.

skullpatrol

Indeed.

Faheem Mitha

Also, the built-in spell checkers that browsers have are helpful.

Though I have no idea what dictionaries they're using.

I'm talking about that red line underlining feature.

@skullpatrol Indeed to which part?

skullpatrol

The political discourse.

Faheem Mitha

@skullpatrol Ok.

Should it be "what dictionaries" or "which dictionaries"?

I sort of have the impression that "which" is reserved for people.

skullpatrol

11:31 AM

"Which" sounds better to me.

Which particular dictionary.

imho

Faheem Mitha

127

Q: "Which" vs. "what" — what's the difference and when should you use one or the other?

Most of the time one or the other feels better, but every so often, "which" vs. "what" trips me up. So, what's the exact difference and when should you use one or the other?

> England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are not themselves listed in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) list of countries. However the ISO list of the subdivisions of the UK, compiled by British Standards and the UK's Office for National Statistics, uses "country" to describe England, Scotland, and Wales.[8]

So possibly British usage.

skullpatrol

The word "Britain" has an interesting etymology also.

fyi

Faheem Mitha

@skullpatrol BTW, are you yet another American?

@skullpatrol That's an ancient word.

I seem to remember Celtic in origin.

Matt E. Эллен

12:08 PM

@FaheemMitha but only one that was home to the original Lesbian, Sappho

user 6232128

wtf, how can there exist an "original" homosexual. It takes two to tango.

Matt E. Эллен

12:24 PM

yeah, I couldn't think of the right word.

user 6232128

"of Greece"

comes up on google

Matt E. Эллен

2 hours ago, by Matt E. Эллен

Next they'll put sanctions against Greece

1 hour ago, by Faheem Mitha

@MattE.Эллен Why Greece?

1 hour ago, by Matt E. Эллен

@FaheemMitha the isle of Lesbos

M.A.R.

@CowperKettle Just like that? Moscow School No. 962? No names?

They made us draw rainbows when I was a kid.

Matt E. Эллен

Rainbows are an essential part of the Christian mythos. They're the signal that God's finished punishing the whole of humanity

2

user 6232128

the original lesbian of Greece

and it was now newton's turn to punish students with the calculus

2 hours ago, by skullpatrol

It was newton that started the segregation of the colours

user 6232128

12:44 PM

who claimed, on his deathbed that dying a virgin was his greatest achievement

(not sure about the "greatest achievement" part :)

but, he was not a nice guy

Have you seen the new university challenge matches @MattE.Эллен with plexiglass between the contestants?

Faheem Mitha

@MattE.Эллен Sappho was a poet. Or poetess, if you prefer.

@MattE.Эллен I thought it was water droplets refracting light. Silly me.

@user6232128 Oh, is University Challenge back again? And still with Paxman?

user 6232128

Yup

Faheem Mitha

I'm sure Paxman would look very dashing with a mask.

user 6232128

He's aging a lot.

Faheem Mitha

Presumably Oxbridge is still beating the crap out of everyone else.

@user6232128 These are hard times. Are you British, or just a fan?

user 6232128

12:58 PM

I'm a fan of competition.

Faheem Mitha

Not too fond of competition, myself. I prefer cooperation. Or collaboration.

M.A.R.

@user6232128 Who cares.

A lot of people are "not a nice guy" because of one thing or the other they said or did.

I'm not sure there are any nice guys left with those standards.

user 6232128

@M.A.R. his "standards" involved division by 0

Matt E. Эллен

@FaheemMitha aye.

M.A.R.

@user6232128 well I'm not defending him specifically, just saying.

user 6232128

1:12 PM

np :-)

M.A.R.

Any time someone comes up, you will, thanks to the amplitude of information, always have the "but he's not a cool guy though, check out what he did twenty five years ago" comment.

To the degree that when you don't, it's often because of a lack of information rather than them being a saint.

user 6232128

sure, there are no living saints

Faheem Mitha

@user6232128 Division by zero?

Matt E. Эллен

@user6232128 ha! no. sounds entertaining just to have students in boxes

user 6232128

@FaheemMitha yup, that's what the so called "infinitesimals" were

@MattE.Эллен I'm wondering if they still have a live audience?

Matt E. Эллен

1:28 PM

I would expect not, but I don't know

Faheem Mitha

@user6232128 No, they weren't.

user 6232128

Find the number in between 0.999... and 1.000...

Faheem Mitha

Yes, Paxman seems to have aged around 20 years overnight. I wonder what happened to him.

@user6232128 There isn't one. What's your point?

user 6232128

There can be no "infinitesimally" small real number

9 mins ago, by user 6232128

@FaheemMitha yup, that's what the so called "infinitesimals" were

Faheem Mitha

@user6232128 Did someone say there was?

user 6232128

1:38 PM

Therefore, you are dividing by something with no size; which is 0.

CowperKettle

@M.A.R. There are names in the news report, but I was busy translating.

I still need to look up some terminology

user 6232128

@FaheemMitha yes

Matt E. Эллен

2:13 PM

@user6232128 what about 0?

user 6232128

@MattE.Эллен that would mean you're dividing by 0

Matt E. Эллен

I'm always dividing by zero.

user 6232128

how so?

Matt E. Эллен

I meant it less as a statement of fact, more like "impossible is nothing"

also, ironically, because I'm never dividing by zero

user 6232128

:D

Matt E. Эллен

2:25 PM

:D

CowperKettle

2:36 PM

How to Pronounce Worcestershire

►

Matt E. Эллен

wuhstuhshuh

Robusto

2:53 PM

@MattE.Эллен In Massachusetts it's wooster.

Also, @Matt, re rainbows and punishment, I don't think we're done being punished yet.

Matt E. Эллен

@Robusto yeah. no rainbows for us yet

Faheem Mitha

3:17 PM

The Indian judicial system in all its glory.

thequint.com/news/india/…

Could give Russia a run for its money, I think.

@CowperKettle By which I'm not suggesting this is a competition. Heavens forbid.

Also indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/…. But you get the idea.

CowperKettle

3:59 PM

I ordered a book on BetterWorldBooks, and it shipped on 12th Sept but still hasn't arrived.

The first book I ordered in the spring arrived in a mere two weeks.

@FaheemMitha Yes, very sad

> Iran's most senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has been assassinated near the capital Tehran, the country's defence ministry has confirmed.

WOW

Faheem Mitha

@CowperKettle Wow. Breaking news.

@CowperKettle I suppose Amazon doesn't deliver in Russia?

I realise that many people dislike Amazon, and with good reason.

But if one is living in India, it's really quite helpful.

The other Indian online shopping sites are... not great.

CowperKettle

4:15 PM

Amazon does, but it's expensive

I wonder if there is a way to download this image in a single file in good resolution: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/core/lw/2.0/html/tileshop_pmc/…

I try but only get chunks

Faheem Mitha

@CowperKettle So there is no Amazon Russia?

CowperKettle

@FaheemMitha I dunno

Faheem Mitha

@CowperKettle Looking at the source is not very helpful here. You could give SuperUser a try.

CowperKettle

I'm trying ))

M.A.R.

@CowperKettle I never fully found out who to blame for these. The government says Israel is behind it but naturally I'm taking that with a grain of salt.

CowperKettle

4:31 PM

@M.A.R. Because Israeli agents would have hard time getting into Iran?

M.A.R.

Then again, this is not the first time an Iranian scientist is being assassinated. It's gonna be conveniently swept under the rug like the rest of this sort of news.

@CowperKettle I doubt that, I have no idea who else to blame.

Stuff like this is why it's so laughable for me when Israel is portrayed as the victim internationally.

It's either Israel or Saudi Arabia, I guess.

CowperKettle

In the USSR, Israel was portrayed very badly. "Israeli militarists, the henchmen of the USA", etc.

Soviet anti-Israel caricatures were like something taken out of Der Sturmer

tchrist

6:39 PM

0

A: Subjunctive Mood with the Type 3 Conditional or "could with the perfect infinitive" expressing ability, theoretical possibility, etc. in the past

You’ve asked about the verbs used in your quoted paragraph’s last sentence. Among patients in his study, “some of them had gotten flu in the past, and we’re looking to see if the autoantibodies could have had an effect on flu.” There are no conditionals here at all, just a modal perfect past in...

blames lockdown follies

M.A.R.

6:56 PM

@CowperKettle sure, and it's almost purely political

They don't care about Jews or hating Jews.

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…