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11:00 AM
how many years @O0oO0oOO0ooO
 
Can you date a girl in Army?
 
@DarkHorse Only if there are girls in the Army; otherwise you have to date a boy, the way they do in the Navy. :)
Wow.
I didn’t know that English had rules about naming of people.
Apparently in Tennessee, it does.
> Messiah was the 387th most popular name for boys born in the United States in 2012, based on applications for Social Security cards filed with the U.S. Social Security Administration.
But that’s weird.
Maybe they’re hoping everybody will stand up when he enters the room.
 
haha
 
haha
 
can we have that as nick name? @tchrist
 
11:11 AM
It’s funny that the judge changed it to Martin instead of to Jesus, eh?
So much for Separation of Church and State.
 
I have a long-standing question, I ever wonder how to find whether he's a boy or girl based on the name, mainly the christian names.
 
There is just one way.
You can use the name.
“Hey Joe, are you a boy or a girl?”
Well, or Sue.
 
but, if you were to tell without asking a question?
 
Look up the name is the list of the most common boys and girls names, and see on which list it occurs earlier in the ranking.
 
haha
 
11:20 AM
Why are you laughing?
What do you think native speakers do?
 
I am not laughing in a satirical way
you are right
 
Hello.
@tchrist I think most native speakers already have a wealth of experience with common names.
 
Morning.
Yes, that’s what I mean.
They have the lists in their heads.
The only ones I get wrong are when it becomes fashionable to give girls boys’ names, or surnames.
Well, or the bisexual names like Kelly.
 
Yes, @tchrist I agree, but I have seen some cases where the names are common
yea
 
This has to be a typo. My sort-of relation just had a baby, 11lbs 15oz.
 
11:32 AM
Did the mother live?
Or is she a giantess?
Definitely kept that one in the oven a long time.
 
Nah, right on time. C-section.
 
@Kit Did you notice that the New York Times has published something in Russian? Быть геем в России: расскажите о вашем личном опыте
 
That's why I figure it must be a typo.
@tchrist Huh.
 
It’s hard to change a 7 or an 8 into an 11.
 
Tell us about your experiences being gay in Russia.
 
11:34 AM
Yeah.
 
I suppose you'd need that in Russian.
@tchrist I'm thinking it was supposed to be 9lbs 15oz.
 
Even so.
 
These children are very unfortunately not-cute too.
I'm not much of a "oh cute baby" person, but these two. Yeesh.
I hope for their sake they grow into their looks.
 
You can’t guess what a newborn will end up looking like. I can’t.
 
Uh, yeah, but her sister is almost two.
They both have upturned noses.
 
11:40 AM
I guess you mean not in a cute way.
 
Shall I find a pic?
 
No, that’s ok.
Well, they’ve edited it, but blah:
-3
Q: Can I say " I ate a few whole chickens"

user45373Can I say," I ate a few whole chickens".Is it correct to use A FEW + WHOLE?.

 
Most people would be too full after eating a few whole chickens to say anything.
 
Yeah.
It used to be four whole chickens even.
 
It was a typo. Turns out the baby was 7lbs 15oz.
I know you were very anxious to know.
 
11:45 AM
7/11 swap!
This happens because they put the 7 key too close to the 11 key.
 
Or because they are exhausted.
That's one of the cuter pictures.
 
7 mins ago, by tchrist
No, that’s ok.
 
Yeah, I know. I disregarded it.
Oh but here's a good one of my eldest and his cousin.
Oh, and during the demonstration on Friday, the first thing the project lead said was "what's lorem ipsum?"
 
@KitFox all babies are kinda squinchy right out of the mom. At about a month you can see their true ugliness.
 
Most kids are pretty cute.
 
11:55 AM
@KitFox Duh. Bath salts.
 
Haha.
 
@KitFox This woman at work put up pictures of here baby that made me blanch. It was hard to disguise my reaction.
 
I feel crappy today. But, I got the kitchen painted.
@Robusto Yeah, that's how I feel about this woman's kids. "Aren't they cute?" "Uh..."
Usually, I can muster an "Oh, adorable."
 
There's some clever quote how eventually everyone is responsible for the look of their face.
 
This one looked like Chucky.
 
11:56 AM
Which is BS.
Unless you're a drag queen. Those guys are totals artists.
 
"If you're not careful the wind will change and you'll be stuck like that."
 
It doesn't help how she likes to make fun of her daughter's weight, as though a baby is responsible.
 
Exactly.
 
c x
12:08 PM
series, strange word without singular, "one series", "multiple series"
I was going to write serie :D
 
Hey, I need some input. I have a work friend who is having a hard time. Her performance and attitude have been shitty lately. I suggested she go to our Employee Assistance Program, but I was considering talking to her boss as well. I think she has or plans to herself, and I'd like to let her boss know that I'm willing to help if there's anything I can do.
But I'm not sure if that's a good plan or a bad one.
 
I'd butt out.
 
Because?
 
If you have to talk to anyone, talk to her. But don't go to her boss.
 
It's not a matter of having to talk to her. She comes to my office to vent.
 
12:12 PM
Oh. Well, if you don't want her there, have you told her?
 
c x
no being hypocrite, is one good quality, so just tell the things to the involved persons
 
I kick her out when I don't have time, otherwise I let her talk. We've been friends since I started here.
She's been pretty wound up and I am worried she's going to get fired.
 
Have you suggested she get help?
 
I suggested she go to our Employee Assistance Program.
She said she thought she might. She actually called me when I was on my way home on Friday and told me she was in trouble and she wasn't sure what to do.
 
Well, it's hard to give third-hand advice about your predicament regarding her predicament.
 
12:16 PM
True, true.
Thank you all the same.
 
Oh! A remake of the Secret Life of Walter Mitty!
That looks really good.
I loved that story.
And Danny Kaye was a favorite of mine.
 
Yes, and yes.
 
Danny Kaye was weird.
But I have been a Thurber fan almost from the time I could read.
 
I liked him because he was weird. He reminded me of my brother.
 
12:24 PM
This person is bordering on being an asshole:
@tchrist You've heard of it before? It exists. Go found your own language where you are the language authority if you want to ban existing usages. — Marcin 20 mins ago
It isn’t me who says they’re wrong: it’s the National Institute of Standards itself.
 
The White Deer is a 96-page children's novel written by James Thurber in 1945. It is a fairy tale about the quest of the three sons of King Clode (Thag and Gallow, the hunters, and Jorn, the poet) who are set perilous tasks to win the heart and hand of a princess without her memories who had once been a beautiful white deer.
I remember it well.
 
@tchrist Let it go. 12pm is common usage, and that's all he is saying.
 
NIST says not to use it.
And I grew up with 12pm meaning midnight.
Which is clearly a problem if now people think it means noon.
> Are noon and midnight referred to as 12 a.m. or 12 p.m.? This is a tricky question because 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. are ambiguous and should not be used.
 
I would encourage you to write your own answer rather than argue in the comments.
 
Ok.
 
12:30 PM
@Robusto Thag gets the girl in the end. I know it.
 
That way, more people will actually see it.
 
It's a bit weird that 1am isn't 1 hour before noon
 
@Mitch Ssshhh.
@MattЭллен It's only weird if time runs backwards.
 
it's weird in all possible universes
I checked
 
That is as weird as it gets.
But is the converse true? Is it unweird in all impossible universes?
 
12:32 PM
that is something I would have to have unchecked
 
It's simpler if we just agree to use the 24-hour clock, like civilized people.
 
 
Are you pinging Rob?
 
Is that a tiny picture of a ski resort?
 
Haha.
 
12:33 PM
oh!
 
yeah
 
It'#s lucky it means the same in Japanese as it does in Chinese
 
They usually do, more or less.
 
@DarkHorse That is not my avatar.
 
@Robusto his name include a Chinese word which is the mean of dream
 
12:35 PM
*... which means dream.
 
@Robusto You know the mating study with the three kinds of chimps... one aggressive and philanderous, one the family man quiet but helpful around the house, and the other who cares, and the one most sought after was the aggressive jerk. Obviously.
Kit, no qualifying that with facts and stuff.
 
Sure.
 
@MattЭллен I'm sure you missed one.
 
I was fused by that
 
12:36 PM
Confused?
 
Nope, fused.
 
@Mitch were you hiding one?
 
^_^ I was confused by the pronounce of the word at the end of your nick name
 
Oops. I just accidentally stepped on it.
 
all those stars!
 
12:40 PM
Did you notice how the meteor shower stopped? Me again. Sorry.
 
@Robusto It's the simplified version of the character.
 
Simple dreams for simple people. And I must commute.
 
@Kit 1: Answer submitted. 2: Assholeness confirmed.
 
Kthx.
 
@Mitch I thought there were only 2 kinds of chimps.
 
12:48 PM
those that can understand binary and those that can't
 
U so funneh, orc.
 
:D I try my best
 
I changed this stuff around and now I canna figure out how I planned to hook it back up.
 
can you find the hooks?
 
No.
That's a problem, innit?
 
12:52 PM
but you know where the holes are?
 
Careful!
 
@MattЭллен Some of them.
 
Maybe if I take my shoes off, I could think better.
 
it sometimes helps me
 
12:55 PM
Maybe a dictionary...
Or just a plain old list.
 
store it all as a string
 
This should not be this difficult. I can think it, I should be able to code it.
 
I often find myself thinking the same thing
about me, I mean
 
haha
OK, now I'm wondering why I did this in two steps anyway.
 
to make it more flexible?
 
1:02 PM
Background music.
 
Foreground explosions.
 
The country/western two-step, often called the "Texas two-step" or simply the "two-step," is a country/western dance usually danced to country music. As with other country/western dances, there are different versions of two step. Even the same dance may go by different names depending on the area of the U.S., and even in the particular dance hall. There may be no one "correct" way to do a particular dance. Texas Two-Step The two-step is a partner dance, consisting of a "leader" (traditionally a man) and a "follower" (traditionally a woman). The leader determines the movements and patte...
 
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. Supersonic explosions created by high explosives are known as detonations and travel via supersonic shock waves. Subsonic explosions are created by low explosives through a slower burning process known as deflagration. Causes Natural Explosions can occur in nature. Most natural explosions arise from volcanic processes of various sorts. Explosive volcanic eruptions occur when magma rising from below has much dissolved gas...
 
1:04 PM
Deflagration?
It makes it not smell so nice?
 
@MattЭллен That guy has great expressions.
 
He does.
 
"introducing a new species to an ecosystem"
 
How have I gone so long not knowing this person?
Good morning @Mr.Shiny.
 
1:09 PM
Wheezy Waiter? I don't know. But now you do!
 
1 hour ago, by KitFox
user image
 
ah, crocs. The official footwear of modern childhood
 
I'm glad you recognized it. Getting crocs was a HUGE DEAL in our household.
Of course, the youngest did not want them, but the eldest. Holy mother, the drama of childhood. The excitement! The eagerness!
 
they look like they were having fun in that picture
 
1:13 PM
Yes. That was an Ocean Spray cranberry bog walk.
So different from our own bog walk, what with the poison ivy everywhere.
OK, I almost have this figured out, but I am having trouble with how to persist my counter. Can you help me think it through?
 
me? yes
 
To the jQuery room!
 
(not currently visible)
 
(imagine that like Adam West saying "To the batcave!")
@MattЭллен I just thawed it.
 
(I did :D)
 
1:16 PM

 I can haz jQuery?

Programming chat
 
my office feels cold
 
Did you want me to thaw that too?
 
that would be great! I'll pop outside while you fire up the flame thrower
 
1:26 PM
@MattЭллен why isn't there something in between? Not an explosion, but not exactly not an explosion. a slow explosion. A fast expansion, but not an explosion. faster than a soufflee. slower than... than an explosion.
 
Slower than a flan.
 
like when you burst a ballon?
have you ever seen a pudding crawl?
 
I did. I laughed.
 
My heart leaps up when I behold
a pudding or a pie:
Or yummy things in cooking pans,
A Danish, tart, or shortcrust flan,
Custards creeping within their mold,
And shall I try
To wrap it up in marzipan
And I could wish my days no less
Bound each to each by sweet stickiness.
 
1:29 PM
applauds
 
From here, my first blog entry.
 
I thought it was familiar
 
Certainly tastier than Wordsworth.
 
The time haz come to use one of this to blow off dust out of my laptop..!
 
I started having a go at editing my book yesterday. I'm about halfway through
 
1:32 PM
 
@MattЭллен Really? That's great!
 
It felt good to do it, too
 
It was a good story.
 
thanks. I'm going to have to spend a fair amount of time on the ending
 
Are you reconsidering it?
 
1:34 PM
0
Q: Is it “good English” or “correct English” or something else?

bhatkrishnakishorIs it appropriate to say “I speak good English” or “I speak correct English”? I believe there can be varied replies depending on context, so let me narrow it a little; let’s say I want to convey how well I speak English.

I don't get this question.
 
yeah. everyone who reads it thinks it could be better. I thought it could be better as I was writing it
 
I was thinking that maybe it all remains a mystery to them, but we get the epilogue where the dirty hippie is drugging someone else similarly.
 
hmm. that's not a bad idea
 
I remember thinking the climax was done very well.
 
Under which circumstances would you possibly use "I speak correct English" if you are not sure if the very words "correct English" are correct English?
The question is really, "how do I lie about my proficiency?"
 
1:36 PM
in a play where the character thinks that, but you don't.
 
Buying a new laptop vs clean with canned air vs air compressor, which one would you decide?
 
Um. Do you need an air compressor?
 
@MattЭллен so the play would have to be written by someone whose command of English is sufficient to express that.
 
@RegDwighт Well, could be first-person to express a generic case.
 
Yeah, apparently Compressed air (generally referring to canned air) is very different than air compressor
 
1:38 PM
Quite a bit different.
Still very useful if you own a house or car.
 
@KitFox why would you word it first-person?
 
damn, I don't own a car. I just want to clean my laptop
 
@RegDwighт yes.
 
@O0oO0oOO0ooO Well, only one of the options you gave will accomplish that goal.
@RegDwighт I suppose he could have said "Let's say I have this friend..."
 
@KitFox that's what I'm saying, yes.
3 mins ago, by RegDwighт
The question is really, "how do I lie about my proficiency?"
 
1:40 PM
I'm sorry; I suddenly just stopped caring.
 
Oh, you began?
 
Migrate it to ELL.
 
I don't even care that much.
I was just pointing out the illogicalities.
 
14:41 It's a palindromic minute
 
Oh, hey, I think it's Of Mice and Men in the Walter Mitty trailer.
 
Matt doesn't always fix his orthographical mistakes, but when he does, he does it one at a time.
2
 
@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 I demand a larger lab.
 
@RegDwighт yeah that one sells for $250 too.
 
1:43 PM
Whoa, hwat?
I could buy a real meth lab for that kind of money.
 
Well yeah. No proof it actually sells.
$250 is like 2800 parts. I'm barely seeing 300.
 
hehehe "barely" and "300"
 
They had no tuxedoes in Sparta.
 
true. no bowties, either
 
1:52 PM
No. No. No.
And I was so happy about Walter Mitty.
 
@MattЭллен Is that like a pub crawl?
 
Is that Eva Green?
She still alive?
 
@Mitch I wouldn't laugh to see a pub crawl. I'd be too drunk
 
It's just...fucking call it "Xerxes" not "300 2."
Gah.
 
I wasn't aware a second part was in the works at all.
 
1:55 PM
Old Timey Sea Battle
Mediteranean Rim
 
GIving Xerxes more screen time only denigrates him.
 
Frank Miller wrote a sequel, I guess.
I didn't know they were making a second one either.
 
Mmm, Lucky Strikes.
 
"I'm so toasted"
 
1:59 PM
*We do not say Luckies reduces flesh.
 
Do you think this woman is good at pitching?
 

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