English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room - 2024-05-05 (page 1 of 2)

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tchrist

00:06

Sartorial minds want to know:

1. Should you tastefully coordinate your choice in shoes with the rest of your outfit? Why or why not?

2. Should you tastefully coordinate your choice in socks with the rest of your outfit, or just with your shoes? Why or why not?

3. Should you tastefully coordinate your choice in underwear with the rest of your outfit, or just with your socks? Why or why not?

CowperKettle

00:28

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Bicycling was almost impossible yesterday

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tchrist

@CowperKettle Yes, much too hard to bike in that.

CowperKettle

00:54

@tchrist I should buy a fatbike

A fatbike (also called fat bike, fat tire, fat-tire bike, or snow bike) is an off-road bicycle built to accommodate oversized tyres, typically 3.8 in (97 mm) or larger and rims 2.16 in (55 mm) or wider, designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terrain, such as snow, sand, bogs and mud. Fatbikes are built around frames with wide forks and stays to accommodate the space required to fit these wide rims and tires. The wide tires can be used with inflation pressures as low as 34 kPa; 0.34 bar (5 psi) to allow for a smooth ride over rough obstacles. A rating of 55–69 kPa; 0...

That would work much better in such conditions

Dannyu NDos

So that's the Russian climate.

I guess, even when there's no snow, rasputitsa would prevent vehicles from going?

3 hours later…

CowperKettle

04:03

Nuclear science of the day: electron capture

3 hours later…

CowperKettle

07:14

Plant of the day: zao jia (Chinese honey locust or black locust)

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M.A.R.

07:32

@alphabet that also makes a lot of sense. Wasn't Jordan Peterson or someone related to him also advocating some nonsensical meat diet?

3 hours later…

M.A.R.

10:19

@tchrist what drives a mind to sartory?

1 hour later…

alphabet

11:42

@M.A.R. Yup: theatlantic.com/health/archive/2018/08/…

The milk diet is also high in saturated fat, but the curative properties of milk more than compensate.

2 hours later…

tchrist

13:28

@M.A.R. Sorting one's socks and underwear during regular Saturday laundry chores.

Xander Henderson

13:45

@tchrist 1) No. Who needs more than one pair of shoes.

2) No. Choose two random socks from the drawer. It's fine.

3) No. Who's looking at your undies?

tchrist

Are all your socks of the same color?

Xander Henderson

@tchrist Nope.

tchrist

Your t-shirt, at least, will show near the collar.

Xander Henderson

@tchrist I don't wear t-shirts as underwear.

jlliagre

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Xander Henderson

13:50

@jlliagre This. Very much this.

I keep all my left socks in one drawer, and all of my right socks in another. When I got to put on socks, I grab one from each.

Done.

Who cares if they match?

tchrist

Your socks have chirality?

Xander Henderson

I also buy shoes in pairs of pairs, of different colors. I then wear a mis-matched pair.

@tchrist Yes.

tchrist

Were they born with that orientation, or did they choose it later in life?

Xander Henderson

They were made with it.

Because they have to fit into these: vibram.com/us/shop/fivefingers/men/cvt-hemp-mens/M62_Khaki.html .

tchrist

'swounds.

"Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Kemosabe."

Xander Henderson

13:53

Ugh... I don't want to write another exam... :(

(I just spent three hours writing a calculus final, now I have to write a precalc final).

Maybe I'll just be lazy a recycle an exam from several years ago...

tchrist

Then they'll cheat.

Xander Henderson

@tchrist I doubt it.

My students are not generally that sophisticated.

Also, I don't know that I care.

tchrist

I understand.

Xander Henderson

Precalc is a terminal class for almost all of the students who take it---they are just looking to get their math credit so that they can go on to whatever else they are planning on doing.

So if they cheat their way to a C, does it really matter?

(Keeping in mind that they need a B or better to continue in the nursing program.)

They are also so bad at cheating.

Just... terrible.

tchrist

There comes a point where cheating on the exam for whether you can pack your own parachute correctly becomes self-defeating and self-enforcing.

Xander Henderson

13:57

@tchrist Exactly this.

There is a Dunning-Kruger like effect in play. The students who are failing the class because they haven't developed the skills to succeed are the same students who are not going to do a good job of figuring out how to cheat.

Like... they are told not to use a calculator. When I see an answer written to 12 decimal places, it is pretty obvious that a calculator was used. And the question called for an exact answer, so there should have been a square root 2 in there, so you aren't even right!

Anywho, I am going to go work on this annoying exam, now.

jlliagre

#WhenTaken #68 (05.05.2024)

I scored 797/1000 🎉

1️⃣ 📍 64 km - 🗓️ 2 yrs - ⚡ 195 / 200
2️⃣ 📍 2982 km - 🗓️ 0 yrs - ⚡ 140 / 200
3️⃣ 📍 2 km - 🗓️ 11 yrs - ⚡ 182 / 200
4️⃣ 📍 1619 km - 🗓️ 6 yrs - ⚡ 151 / 200
5️⃣ 📍 1406 km - 🗓️ 16 yrs - ⚡ 129 / 200

https://whentaken.com

tchrist

14:19

> HAMLET: Madam, how like you this play?
QUEEN: The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
HAMLET: O, but she’ll keep her word.
KING: Have you heard the argument? Is there no offense in ’t?
HAMLET: No, no, they do but jest, poison in jest. No offense i’ th’ world.
KING: What do you call the play?
HAMLET: “The Mousetrap.” Marry, how? Tropically.

@Mari-LouA I'm having distinctly Hamletish echoes of things that were not said, like unto a trumpet's shrill retort. :)

Xander Henderson

#WhenTaken #68 (05.05.2024)

I scored 908/1000 🎉

1️⃣ 📍 68 km - 🗓️ 2 yrs - ⚡ 195 / 200
2️⃣ 📍 563 km - 🗓️ 0 yrs - ⚡ 183 / 200
3️⃣ 📍 2 km - 🗓️ 1 yrs - ⚡ 199 / 200
4️⃣ 📍 761 km - 🗓️ 6 yrs - ⚡ 170 / 200
5️⃣ 📍 1410 km - 🗓️ 1 yrs - ⚡ 161 / 200

https://whentaken.com

1 hour later…

alphabet

15:47

I'm one of those people who replaced all their socks with identical ones from a single brand, so now I never have to pair them ever again.

I have a few pairs of non-white socks in the drawer with formal menswear. I try to open that drawer as little as possible.

I would like to again complain about how formal attire is uncomfortable and pointless and ugly and stupid.

Xander Henderson

16:10

@alphabet I like to have bright, colorful socks.

But I don't care if they match.

And yes, formal attire is stupid. Which is why, when I have to dress formal, I try to dress ethnically (I have both Scottish and Russian ancestry, so I can wear a nice linen shirt with Russian embroidery and slacks, or a kilt).

Scottish formal tops are not much different from a tuxedo top, which I don't find terribly uncomfortable, and I have an old, well-worn and comfortable pair of brogues.

Unfortunately, I am probably going to have to buy an actual suit in the next couple of years. :(

Cerberus

What do you hate about a suit?

It is boring, but otherwise unremarkable?

Xander Henderson

@Cerberus I find them uncomfortable and stuffy.

And representative of a certain kind of social posturing and conformity that I don't really like.

Cerberus

@alphabet Same, but not from a single brand. All my socks are navy without exception, so I never sort socks.

@XanderHenderson Why uncomfortable? A normal suit should not be tight?

Xander Henderson

About the most rebellious thing you can do in a suit is wear a clashing tie and pocket square.

Cerberus

@XanderHenderson That I understand.

Tradition.

Xander Henderson

16:23

@Cerberus Too many layers, and I don't particularly like suit jackets.

alphabet

@XanderHenderson I refuse to wear shirts with more than two buttons. They require too much patience.

Xander Henderson

@alphabet Heh. I do like a brightly colored, all cotton button-up shirt. Lots of buttons don't really bother me.

Cerberus

@XanderHenderson Just a shirt and a jacket, two layers?

Xander Henderson

(By "brightly colored", I mean a single color.)

Cerberus

What's wrong with a jacket?

Xander Henderson

16:24

@Cerberus Plus an undershirt.

Cerberus

You don't need an undershirt.

alphabet

@Cerberus But surely the slightly mismatched colors and fabrics must drive you insane.

Xander Henderson

@Cerberus I live in a hot and arid place. I don't want to wear a jacket.

Cerberus

@alphabet Nope! The colours are close enough that you can't tell once they are on.

And the fabrics are extremely similar too. Just the cheapest I can find, smooth no texture.

@XanderHenderson OK sure, if it's hot then a suit is bad.

alphabet

@XanderHenderson The best kind of jacket, one that doesn't keep you warm but does make you itchy.

Xander Henderson

16:25

@Cerberus Yes.

Cerberus

Maybe try a linen suit.

Xander Henderson

I do like linen a lot. :D

Cerberus

@alphabet A suit jacket is quite warm, tightly woven wool!

@XanderHenderson But the wrinkles.

Xander Henderson

@Cerberus Not too hard to iron.

Cerberus

So why do you wear shoes with separate toes?

@XanderHenderson Ah OK.

I haven't ironed in many years.

Xander Henderson

16:27

Most of my clothing is all cotton, which require some ironing, anyway.

alphabet

@Cerberus That would drive me insane.

Cerberus

@XanderHenderson Really? I never iron.

@alphabet Why?

Xander Henderson

@Cerberus And your shirts are not all wrinkly?

Cerberus

No, I hang them after washing.

Quite good enough.

Xander Henderson

I do, too.

But they still get wrinkly.

alphabet

16:28

@Cerberus They're not nearly as warm as, say, a typical sweatshirt; I think even most raincoats are warmer than a typical suit jacket.

Cerberus

@XanderHenderson They won't be perfect, but quite good enough.

@alphabet They have a big open collar.

Xander Henderson

In any event, my biggest complaint about suits is not comfort (though that is an issue), but the cultural significance of them.

Cerberus

I mean, between the lapels there is a lot of room for heat to escape from.

alphabet

@Cerberus A suit jacket leaves almost the whole front of your body, not to mention your head and neck, entirely exposed.

Cerberus

Yes.

I haven't worn a suit years.

I guess only for funerals.

At weddings, I will wear a nice blazer which is of course very close to a suit jacket.

Oh, I did wear my dinner jacket earlier this year.

alphabet

16:31

I just own the same polo shirt in a few different colors, and the same T shirt in several different colors. And a few miscellaneous extra ones.

Cerberus

I only wear suits and dinner jackets when it is compulsory.

Xander Henderson

For weddings, I have a couple of really nice embroidered linen shirts, khaki slacks, and decent brown shoes. For commencement, I have my formal academic robes and a kilt.

alphabet

Blazers are just suit jackets made to be slightly less ridiculous.

@Cerberus Yeah, that has to be the single worst part of going to a funeral.

Cerberus

@alphabet Yes, although I don't know whether one is based on the other.

@alphabet I get that you don't like it; but do you really think about it all the time once it's on?

I will just forget I'm wearing it.

Except if my collar is too tight. So make sure your shirt's collar is the right size.

alphabet

@Cerberus The funeral thing was a joke, if it wasn't obvious

Also you have to wear a tie, which makes me feel like I'm slowly suffocating no matter how loose it is.

90% of my clothes come from the same 3 brands, which are not sadistic enough to produce blazers.

CowperKettle

16:42

I'm glad I did not take off the studded tires from my bicycle for today's ride

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Saved me some cuss words

alphabet

So @Cerberus, I would like to know why it is fairly easy for me to attract 60-year-olds who want to pay me for sex, but impossible to find guys my age looking for dates.

It is a paradox.

I suspect something about me says "walking disaster."

(Unintentionally attract, mind you. Those offers have never been solicited.)

CowperKettle

AI and the End of the Human Writer

alphabet

Jun 14, 2023 at 21:52, by alphabet

Men are trash. And I say that as a man

Vikas

@M.A.R. 👍🏽 Thanks

Cerberus

17:06

@alphabet I'm still jealous of all the paid offers!

It says you are attractive.

People who pay are critical; they don't pick just a random person, because money can get them anyone.

Finding people for dates: everyone complains about that.

I could advise you if I could see your profile text and/or conversations hehe.

I also have trouble finding attractive men my age.

Most who approach me are much younger.

alphabet

17:44

@Cerberus How old are you, out of curiosity? I'm 27; I'd been curious as to whether you were older or younger than me.

M.A.R.

@Cowp for longer durations of exercise, my prof recommends sports drinks with max 6-8% carbs.

Any more than that and the carbs won't be absorbed fast enough to replenish energy supplies

And @Criggie's advice is also very important: Drink before you're thirsty. Around half a liter for every 30 mins of exercise.

I haven't heeded any such advice myself of course. The max time I've exercised in one sitting in my entire life has been two hours.

@XanderHenderson haha

What I would give to see all the bizarre answers from students

I suppose having to correct papers as part of your work would be like being tortured with slowly boiling water though. I'd rather be a guest

Xander Henderson

@M.A.R. Indeed. I really dislike grading.

M.A.R.

18:00

@tchrist from personal experience, profs that give the same questions as previous semesters are really annoying if you're from the idealist "I wanna learn" type. Otherwise, smart students also quickly figure out to check previous exam questions, and the worst that happens is some degree of grade inflation

I have too often been the student studying too close to the deadline to try such tricks, unlike my friend

CowperKettle

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M.A.R.

I usually land a 17 or so out of 20 and he 19.

@CowperKettle that AI is continually perplexed

@tchrist don't most socks?

Or maybe that's after your wear them a couple of times, not sure

Cerberus

@alphabet 41.

Somehow I am approached mostly by twenty-somethings.

alphabet

18:28

@Cerberus They (well, we) tend to be overrepresented among those looking for dates and/or sex.

(Huh. I'd actually thought you were younger than me.)

Mari-Lou A

@tchrist it's just a new user who has thin skin and interprets comments in the worst possible light; so yes, me thinks the lady doth protest too much.

alphabet

@Mari-LouA We have plenty of existing users like that, so they'll fit right in.

@Cerberus (Granted, I occasionally get messages from 19-year-olds, so...)

alphabet

19:12

@M.A.R. They need to start making socks labelled "L" and "R" so that you don't accidentally use your left-foot socks on your right foot.

M.A.R.

19:38

@alphabet quick patent it before someone else does

alphabet

@M.A.R. Do they have Throx in Iran?

M.A.R.

19:57

@alphabet never heard of it so I guess not

Cerberus

@alphabet I suppose that is probably true.

@alphabet I don't know whether that is a compliment or the opposite...

@alphabet Oh, yes, I get messages from 18 and 19-year-olds too.

Michael Rybkin

youtube.com/watch?v=_XemvaO6rco#t=22m56s and you guys are the MVPs (what is an MVP exactly? Does anybody know?)

Mitch

@MichaelRybkin Most Valuable Player

It's an award given often in US sports

Cerberus

> In Greek mythology, Eumaeus was Odysseus' slave, swineherd, and friend. His father, Ctesius, son of Ormenus, was king of an island called Syra

Mitch

@Cerberus friend? Maybe to Odysseus. Eumaeus still had to call him 'boss'

alphabet

20:08

@Cerberus Me neither.

Cerberus

@Mitch Master.

@alphabet I was supposed to have a date tonight btw.

alphabet

The full analysis is of course much more complicated, but I can't stay to talk about it because I have a date.

You either die a twink or live long enough to become a daddy.

Cerberus

Ugh I am so not into gay lingo or role-playing.

The thing is, if your dating-pool shrinks, that doesn't mean you get less attention.

If you are on an island with one other person, you get attention all the time.

With two others, though, that might be a problem.

alphabet

@Cerberus Kids these days!

Cerberus

Kids always!

I met a 19-year-old once who was after me.

alphabet

20:15

@Cerberus Ah, didn't work out?

Cerberus

It was kind of nice.

We still text occasionally.

There have been times when we almost met again.

alphabet

@Cerberus "Met" can mean many things.

Cerberus

The maximum of those.

@alphabet Oh, sorry, you replied to today's date. Well, he has a migraine. So tomorrow.

alphabet

We gays are all obligated to do our part in corrupting the youth. (Kidding. I promise I'm not R Kelly.)

Cerberus

So "it was kind of nice" et sqq. was about the 19-year-old.

@alphabet I would never chase a very young man myself.

But if he messages me and is really enthusiastic, and we have a kind of click, why not.

alphabet

20:20

@Cerberus We were talking about the same thing.

Cerberus

Ah OK.

Today's date was to be 32. We met earlier this week for the first time.

What ages do you usually flirt with?

alphabet

@Cerberus "Date" can also mean many things, though I assume you mean the respectable kind.

@Cerberus Skews a bit younger than me because of the large college/grad student population here.

In the past, I had a couple guys diligently ask me if I'm a student at XYZ before meeting up, because they're a TA there and need to follow rules against fraternizing with people they might be teaching.

Cerberus

@alphabet Today's was supposed to at least begin respectably, yes.

@alphabet Oh, hmm. I would say, as long as they are not teaching you at that moment?

alphabet

@Cerberus I think that that's what they were asking; they might not recognize me as one of the many students in their sections. (I only know about this because I asked one of them why some people kept asking me that question.)

They seem like people who wait for a walk signal to cross an empty road.

Cerberus

20:36

I see.

Beautiful simile.

alphabet

@Cerberus The joys of awkward small talk with a stranger.

Cerberus

We had a great first date, actually.

alphabet

I recall you mentioned having a boyfriend earlier--are you no longer together, or in some sort of poly situation? The latter seems to be increasingly common.

Cerberus

We were open.

Now broken up.

You?

alphabet

Sorry to hear that!

Cerberus

20:42

Thanks.

Getting used to the situation.

alphabet

I've...never really been in a serious relationship, tbh.

Cerberus

Be glad!

alphabet

Someday, maybe. Hopefully? I don't know.

Cerberus

Cherish the peace and quiet you have now, I say.

alphabet

Given up on love, have we?

Cerberus

20:45

It is more like, boyfriends cause such trouble, which one wouldn't have otherwise.

alphabet

You might be better off alone; if it don't come easy, you better let it go.

Cerberus

And I have always been perfectly OK single.

alphabet

@Cerberus I wouldn't know, for better or worse.

Well, if you're still looking to date, presumably you're looking for trouble again.

Cerberus

I wasn't really looking for serious dating specifically.

I also told him I may not be ready for that.

But we had nice conversations.

@alphabet Would you be looking for serious dating?

alphabet

@Cerberus Probably. I feel like I should try this whole "relationship" thing at some point to see if it's worth the trouble.

Cerberus

20:51

I understand.

Have you ever had more than a few dates with the same person?

alphabet

Not really.

Cerberus

Have there been people with whom you might have wanted more?

alphabet

I haven't found one yet, but probably they exist.

Cerberus

So when it didn't progress, you were not sad?

I'm sure they will exist, unless you have extremely particular demands.

alphabet

Moreso we just mutually realized that we weren't compatible, so I wasn't disappointed when it ended.

Cerberus

20:55

Makes sense.

alphabet

> The mating season of raccoons generally runs from January to March, although later mating is possible.

Cerberus

I'm glad it is still possible.

alphabet

A bit late for me, I guess. There's always next January.

Cerberus

Or be a rebel.

alphabet

No word on the gay raccoon mating season.

Xander Henderson

20:57

@M.A.R. if you are really an idealist "I just want to learn" type, then you aren't overly worried about the test

At least, not a test of the subscribe kind.

alphabet

@Cerberus Indeed. I just need to find someone with a positive opinion on raccoons, all-milk diets, linguistics textbooks, Palestinian liberation, and Jif peanut butter.

Cerberus

Your only demands?

M.A.R.

@XanderHenderson well, it's still a thorn on my backside when I feel like the grading is unfair

Xander Henderson

Also, there are only so many "recall" style questions that one can ask about the material, and that is about 80% if the exam.

@M.A.R. in what way?

alphabet

@Cerberus The problem is that I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for.

Cerberus

20:59

It can be hard.

Maybe some thing you like in friends + some things you find attractive?

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