English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Kit

2:00 PM

@Robusto I'm a parent too. I feel you. But I learned a lot from that question.

Robusto

@trg787 — Does Allegra clear out your cosinuses as well as your sinuses? Cool!

Kit

@Robusto thwack

Robusto

@Kit — Nah, I was just poking you with a stick. The question is legitimate, if totally skeevy.

Kit

I have been derelict in my thwacking duties.

@Robusto I'm pretty skeevy. You know, JSB tagged that as "dating-advice" briefly as a joke.

trg787

@Robusto, what's Allegro?

Kit

2:02 PM

I think it's how we met in chat.

@trg787 Allegra is an allergy medication.

Robusto

@trg787 — A kind of antihistamine. Allergy medicine.

Jinx.

Kit

Grace Note

@Robusto I have recoil to that kind of imagery as well, but not for being a parent.

trg787

Do you mean pills? I don't know them. I know only barbitutarares... but at the time abs UNacceccible

Kit

@trg787 Barbituates is an unusual word for an English learner to know <raises eyebrows>

Grace Note

2:06 PM

@trg787 It is a pill. But you can't take it with orange juice.

Kit

@GraceNote Really? I had no idea.

Grace Note

@Kit Apparently.

Kit

Can you take downers with orange juice? Or is that too dangerous?

@trg78 downers = barbituates (and easier to spell)

Grace Note

@Kit I don't know about that. I only know that apparently the effects of Allegra being absorbed are significantly reduced after consuming fruit juices like apple juice and orange juice.

Kit

Must be the vitamin C. But the other part was a joke. ☺

Grace Note

2:10 PM

I should've known. I'm slow today, it seems.

Must be the "Get to work two hours early because everything went to pot last night and you got a new assignment due in 3 hours" deal.

trg787

When I for the 1st(and last time) took etaminal natria I hardly could walk along the hedge, along the street. I walked along the edge because I could1n't walk

When I'm drunk I can walk more or less OK on "walk the chalk". But after etaminal natrium I could walk only along the hedge

If someone interseted: my exact address is: st. Pinskaya, 83. Gomel, Belarus Check it on Googlemap

Grace Note

2:28 PM

Interested in what?

Robusto

0

Q: Using "Ends." to indicate the end of a document

I recall seeing the word "Ends." placed at the end of documents to indicate that, obviously, nothing else follows. Is this acceptable standard usage? It feels rather rather archaic (not that that's necessarily a bad thing), although it does serve a purpose. Are there any alternatives?

word-usage

Better on Writers?

Kit

@Robusto I suppose so. I'm not really sure it's apropos Writers either. Pretty sure it doesn't go here though.

Grace Note

Definitely not here, as it's more of a document convention thing than a language thing. Don't know if that's in Writers' scope, though.

Kit

This pretty well answers this

Oh I see Robusto's already answered.

I like that I just used "black is the new brown." I feel a silly little proud of that.

trg787

2:43 PM

@Grace, interested to see me house from a satellite

Robusto

@Kit — I elaborated on my own answer based on yours, but gave you an up vote. Now you're the form horse on that question.

Kit

@Robusto What's a form horse?

Robusto

Any Brits in chat at the moment?

Kit

And I offered to yield to you if you incorporate my little fun.

@Robusto Not me.

z7sg

@Robusto What's up Robusto san?

Robusto

2:47 PM

The "form horse" is the one touted by a "racing form" (newspaper that caters to horseracing) as being the odds-on favorite.

@z7sg — Was going to ask you to explain "form horse" to Kit, but I went and did it myself.

Kit

@Robusto You mean you weren't going to just quote yourself saying "Gen ref"? You must really like me.

z7sg

Ah OK, I know nothing about horse racing anyway tbh.

Kit

Or not like me.

Robusto

@Kit — Last time I tried that you nagged me about it. See? Being high-maintenance works.

Kit

@Robusto <nonplussed>

I am not high-maintenance. foot stamp

1

Q: Why do we say that a plane is "en route"?

My primary language being French, I can clearly understand what en route means ("on its way"). I can't see, however, why English-speaking people would use this French expression. Why is it used?

etymology

Speaking of which, what's wrong with this question?

I mean, this doesn't feel right.

And the answers don't answer it.

It's crap.

Mr. Disappointment

2:54 PM

It just requires an answer that would really be generic for any inherited words that maintain their contemporary form.

Kit

@MrDisappointment Doesn't that make it too general?

Therefore, not a real question?

Mr. Disappointment

Slightly different to that required of an answer to those that have been adapted over time from older languages...

Grace Note

It is really a question of "Why are there loanwords in the English language?"

Mr. Disappointment

@Kit Ultimately, yes, probably.

Grace Note

Not every question has to be about a specific phrase. Whether a question about understanding the concept of the utility of loanwords is acceptable, that I do not know, but that's what it boils down to, and what the question should be boiled down to if it is to be kept.

Well, it's probably more of a "Why are there loanwords for phrases that have perfectly sensible English translations?", actually.

Kit

2:58 PM

I'm trying to write a comment about why I would close this question, and I'm having a hard time.

Grace Note

@Kit I think the answers seem to look subpar to a sense, but I don't know that the fundamental question behind it, is close-worthy. What close reason are you leaning towards?

Kit

@GraceNote It's not answerable as written, so NARQ.

Or at least, the way it is written is eliciting terrible answers.

It is too specific and too broad at the same time.

Mr. Disappointment

@GraceNote The thing is, though I'm not capable of searching for sources right this minute, there are already similar questions, and so wouldn't one of those previous ones be better suited as the 'generic question' with the 'definitive answer'?

Grace Note

@Kit Isolate what about its writing makes it unanswerable/eliciting not-useful answers, and that should make your comment.

rest_day

as @GraceNote mentioned, that is an excellent question on use of loan words in English. Can't it be modified to avoid being specific?

Grace Note

3:01 PM

@MrDisappointment If there are similar questions on the usage of loan words that have perfectly sensible translations, then it's a dupe, plain, simple, and done.

Kit

@rest_day I agree. That's what I'm trying to figure out for the comment.

Grace Note

As long as said dupe actually answers the root question at hand, that is. If it doesn't, then that should be amended.

Mr. Disappointment

@GraceNote OK, so then we forget about the problem that previous ones suffer the same inferiority in new standards?

Grace Note

@MrDisappointment Leaving exceptions is just an invitation for annoyance. Clean up the older question, if one such exists.

Mr. Disappointment

Because, to me, we're just jumping on bandwagons with such decisions.

I see^.

Kit

3:04 PM

It looks like some other questions are related, but I can't see any that are actual dupes.

@GraceNote Oh and I stole your example question.

Grace Note

@Kit Happy to help ♪

Mr. Disappointment

I don't think you'll find any dupes in terms of one being about en route, but the underlying question that could be generalised, ...sure there's at least one somewhere.

Kit

@GraceNote Speaking of helping, what's your advice on handling a user that keeps reviving really old questions with his own poor to mediocre answers, even though the questions already have an accepted answer?

@MrDisappointment I looked a bit and didn't see anything.

Mr. Disappointment

@Kit No worries - I'll hunt a little when I get home.

Grace Note

@Kit Depending on the scenario, it may warrant posting on your Meta to note that you're concerned. Alternatively, privately flag one such answer from that user to tell... Dwig... about the problem.

Mr. Disappointment

3:08 PM

@Kit Vote accordingly, leave a persuasive comment, flag if required.

Grace Note

It's a bit easier to figure out what should be done with examples of the behavior in question.

Kit

@GraceNote I'm pretty sure Reg is aware. The irritating thing is, the user isn't really being naughty. He's just not offering much of value.

And I hate to comment "Knock it off because your answers are useless."

jcolebrand

@Kit why do you hate to comment that?

Grace Note

@Kit If it's just consistently poor quality answers, I think that really just downvoting is probably the best solution.

Kit

@jcolebrand Standard social etiquette.

Grace Note

3:10 PM

If it's to the point that it's disruptive, focus on that point - tell him what's disruptive about it (the bumping aspect, for example).

jcolebrand

"Hey you nit, you're not contributing positively to the community. We are a community, and we want this to be a great community, so ... keep your mouth shut or be encouraging"

@Kit pffft, eff that

I was never good at "standard social etiquette"

If someone's being a douche, call 'em out on it

Kit

@GraceNote Yes, I think you are right. Down-voting will discourage that behavior.

@jcolebrand You're being a douche.

☺

I am trying to cultivate my tact.

jcolebrand

@Kit :-p touché

@Kit gotta use it to figure out what works and what doesn't

Kit

If I knew this user better, I would call him out.

jcolebrand

All I'm saying is, don't bite your tongue to the point of ineffectiveness.

Kit

3:12 PM

Until then, I err on the side of politeness.

jcolebrand

Don't run around screaming at everyone 24/7, but be assertive

and fwiw: I do attend a therapy session once a week, so I have a modicum of room to talk about this :p

Mr. Disappointment

@jcolebrand No screaming? No fun!

jcolebrand

@MrDisappointment right!?!?!

Kit

@jcolebrand Have you read my comments on Meta? I have a powerful yip.

3

@jcolebrand I have also had years of therapy. I'm right there with you.

jcolebrand

@Kit no, I just saw the wavering comment and thought I would ask

Kit

3:15 PM

@jcolebrand I appreciate it. Sometimes I like to try to be nice though.

It's good practice.

Adel

I would happily partake in this verbal revelry, but alas! I must depart, oh yeah - hello everyone! I love you

jcolebrand

@Kit I can appreciate that. I really can. I just generally am good at charming people to be on my side, so when I see someone being a nit, I call 'em on it. And if that means I'm that person's random asshole for the day, then so be it.

So anyways ... I butted into a convo that was going on without me.

I'm gonna go back into lurk

Kit

@jcolebrand Wait a minute—are you charming me?

Mr. Disappointment

@Adel Bye.

jcolebrand

@Kit I .. I would never :-p

Mr. Disappointment

3:17 PM

@Kit Oh, how the tables can turn, eh?

Kit

@jcolebrand Are you charming me?

Well I'm the only one here. Who the f*ck do you think you're charming?

Did you get it? Did you get that one?

Grace Note

This is why I carry around at least 2 protective trinkets on my person. Helps prevent that kind of thing from working.

Kit

My De Niro impression isn't so good over the Internet.

Grace Note

I think I'd stand a better chance of recognizing an impression if I could remember who Robert De Niro was.

user19161

Hello everyone, testing out how chat works.

Mr. Disappointment

3:20 PM

@JasperLoy Howdy.

Grace Note

Welcome, @JasperLoy ♪

user19161

So to notify someone here I also use the same @ syntax?

Robusto

►

Grace Note

@Robusto Office-block'd

Kit

@JasperLoy Yep.

@JasperLoy And you can rollover the comment and click the arrow on the right hand side to link to a specific comment.

Grace Note

3:22 PM

@JasperLoy You can also directly respond to a specific message if you... do... what... @Kit just said...

Kit

Gray arrow on the left will highlight the linked message.

Click on it to move to that message.

Grace Note

(Oh, but while we're at it, unlike in comments, you can hit multiple people with @ syntax, so I can hit both @JasperLoy and @Kit at once, for example)

Robusto

@GraceNote — A pity.

Kit

When you rollover, you'll see the star, for starring all my wonderful witticisms, and the flag, for flagging @Robusto's awful stuff.

@JasperLoy Anything else you want to do, just ask.

@Robusto Thanks. I was in the loo at the time.

Mr. Disappointment

And, if you click on my icon you'll see a pop-up with a delightful option that I'm sure many have selected...

Ignore this user.

Kit

3:25 PM

@MrDisappointment gasp I didn't know we could do that!

You mean, people might actually be ignoring me? Right now? At this very moment? I feel quite overcome...

Mr. Disappointment

Mmya, thing is, the option doesn't appear for me, so no ignoring myself; as much as I'd like to sometimes.

Kit

Nobody reveal my supersecret password!

Grace Note

Too late ♪

Mr. Disappointment

Yikes! Elementary mistake, my dear.

user19161

Honestly what do you guys think of my edited answer to 'gotten over X'? It's alright if you have downvoted it. :)

Kit

3:27 PM

@MrDisappointment It's this chatting while coding remotely...

@JasperLoy Paste a link please.

Mr. Disappointment

Don't store passwords in code.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy I recall reviewing this earlier but getting sidetracked by someone being a jerk to you in the comments.

Mr. Disappointment

...I know, I know.

Kit

@MrDisappointment No, of course not. I just have to keep logging back into the remote machine.

Grace Note

@MrDisappointment That better or worse than, say, calling your new debug page "pharm.aspx" because it's for cropping the fields of a list?

user19161

3:29 PM

How do I paste a lin to a question here?

Kit

And sometimes I forget to make the remote desktop active first.

Mr. Disappointment

1 min ago, by Mr. Disappointment

...I know, I know.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy Just copy the URL and paste it in to the textbox. Like so:

5

Q: Meaning of "I've gotten over X recently", where X is a tool

I came across the phrase "I've gotten over [tool] recently" in an article written by someone who had tested the tool. From the article's context, it seemed that the author was not particularly fond of the tool and that therefore the phrase means something like "I stopped using [tool] recently". I...

meaning idioms

Kit

@JasperLoy For your answer, go to your answer and select the "link" hyperlink that's at the bottom of it. Copy and paste.

@GraceNote Jinx.

Mr. Disappointment

@GraceNote Well, that has to be better than providing oracle-like messages in error pages, I guess.

Grace Note

3:30 PM

@Kit We actually can't have Coke here because they compete with Pepsi and Pepsi was a client of ours.

user19161

OK got it, more or less.

Kit

@Jasper I can see you've put a lot of work into this answer.

Mr. Disappointment

AFK.

Kit

I hope Joe Blow didn't get under your skin too much. That guy is a jerk.

user19161

My answer currently has 4 upvotes and 4 downvotes. I think there is a difference between wrong usage and uncommon or metaphorical usage.

user19161

3:33 PM

And Kit I just discovered by reading the transcript that you are female. :)

Robusto

@GraceNote — Anent "Meaning of 'I've gotten over X recently', where X is a tool": Don't divorced people already consider their exes to be tools?

Kit

@JasperLoy Yes, but how did you discover that?

Grace Note

That's a non-sequitur revelation.

Kit

@GraceNote Sort of. I believe Jasper has referred to me as "he" before though.

user19161

Someone said Kit is a woman so trust her, in reference to your guess about some sockpuppets if I recall correctly.

Grace Note

3:35 PM

@Kit Eh. I was never one to care what pronouns people use to refer to me.

Robusto

3

Q: Which phrase is correct: "dependent on" or "dependent upon"

which sentence is correct? my project is dependent upon your project completing my project is dependent on your project completing.

grammaticality prepositions word-usage

0

Q: 'Depend upon' or 'depend on'

Is there a difference between the usage of 'depend upon' and 'depend on' or is one considered improper usage? Thanks!

phrases word-usage

The latter dupes the former, no?

Grace Note

But I guess I'll keep it in mind for you in the future.

Kit

@GraceNote Me neither.

Grace Note

@Robusto Seems like it to me.

Kit

@JasperLoy Oh, yes, I remember that.

Right. Lunch. Crossing my finger for taco salad day...AFK. TTFN.

user19161

3:41 PM

I figured out how to log into chat only just now. I had to follow the workaround suggest by pasting the url after logging in. I think a lot of people will have this problem too.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy Did you check out the link on the chat FAQ?

Or was it Help? Let me see...

@JasperLoy Try using or suggesting the following URL if you have login troubles: chat.stackexchange.com/help

user19161

@grace I had to follow the method in the last paragraph of that page, even though all tests were OK.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy I see

user19161

So Kosmonaut has really left, or is he still thinking?

Grace Note

@JasperLoy He really left. You'll need to hope for a return, not a reconsideration.

user19161

3:51 PM

@grace Sorry I don't see you on the users page. You are one of the moderators?

Grace Note

@JasperLoy Nope, moment...

RegDwight

I would post the link but Grace is hiding on purpose.

user19161

@regdwight What does your user name mean since it's not your real name? Is it some character?

Grace Note

@RegDwight No, I'm just on the phone

RegDwight

@JasperLoy Have you tried googling for Reg Dwight? :P

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, composer and pianist. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriter partner since 1967; they have collaborated on more than 30 albums to date. John was named a CBE in 1996 and received a knighthood from HM Queen Elizabeth II for "services to music and charitable services" in 1998. In his four-decade career John has sold more than 250 million records, making him one of the most successful artists of all time. His single "Candle in the Wind 1997" has sold over 33 millio...

Mr. Disappointment

3:54 PM

@JasperLoy Hint: Funny glasses.

Oh, well, there you go. And he got all sensible and shiii.

He looks all prim and proper in that picture, as opposed to his more colourful years.

RegDwight

His most colourful years are yet to come.

Mr. Disappointment

What? With that baby? I bet.

user19161

Oh, I know Elton John though.

RegDwight

Aye.

Mr. Disappointment

He's the one that taught me Saturday night is all right for fighting.

It still scares me half to death to try, though.

RegDwight

3:57 PM

The Bitch Is Back

"The Bitch Is Back" is a rock song by Elton John, written with Bernie Taupin. It was the second single released from his 1974 album Caribou, and reached number 1 in Canada (his sixth in that country), number 4 in the United States and number 15 in the United Kingdom.. The song has been identified as is one of Elton John's best hard rock cuts. The song was twice recorded by Tina Turner: once for her Rough album in 1978, and again for the John/Taupin tribute album Two Rooms in 1991. Turner also performed the song in her live show in the late 1970s, and with Elton John at the VH1 Fashion a...

Kit

@RegDwight Ah, yes. I remember Bernie Taupin. I had sexual relations with him once.

rest_day

they have taken down our site? :)

user19161

@regdwight Since you are a moderator, do you know if profile views include self views? I searched for the answer on meta SO but there was no definitive answer, though there were many answers.

RegDwight

@rest_day Hah.

Kit

@rest_day I bet it's our moderators' fault.

Too much deletion.

RegDwight

3:59 PM

@JasperLoy I don't know the answer myself, but if I visit my profile twice in a row, the number doesn't go up.

Mr. Disappointment

@Kit Our moderators = Reg Dwight, so ... it must be @RegDwight's fault.

RegDwight

Perhaps we will start from scratch in a minute.

Jez

RegDwight

Welcome to Linguistics.SE!

rest_day

guess the delete site button was too close to delete questions button

Jez

4:00 PM

lol

Kit

@rest_day Exactly. Gold star.

RegDwight

@Jez Click "No". Except in that one window at the left, cause that one is an error.

user19161

@regdwight I think there are too many factors and possibilities to ever know for sure. One will need to understand how the system works by looking at the code and so on.

Kit

@RegDwight Wow, man, your zen is impossibly huge right now.

Michael Myers

@Kit It looks black from here.

Grace Note

4:01 PM

Profile views do not include self-views

RegDwight

@Kit No flirting in this chat.

Kit

@RegDwight Oh, right. I never do that.

RegDwight

62

Dating

Proposed Q&A site for people seeking to improve their dating and relationships, and for researchers in those fields."

Currently in definition.

Go define a site or something.

Kit

@RegDwight "researchers" in those fields. ahem

@MichaelMyers Yes. Black is the new gold. Very trendy.

RegDwight

@Kit That's the new lingo, haven't you got the memo? "I will thoroughly research you".

user19161

4:03 PM

@grace But how do you know if it is self-view? If I have several computers at home (sharing the same internet connection) it would all count as one person (me)?

Kit

1 min ago, by RegDwight

@Kit No flirting in this chat.

@JasperLoy Sneaky. ☺

RegDwight

21 secs ago, by RegDwight

@Kit Quotes enclosed in quotes are usually meant as quotes.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy By being logged in and presumeably by IP as well. Making sure "narcissism" was blocked was a very early Meta Stack Overflow request.

Kit

@RegDwight Shouldn't that be "Quotations enclosed in quotes are usually meant as quotations"?

RegDwight

Was that you, Grace? Don't make me go ABBA!

Grace Note

4:04 PM

♪

Jez

lol

6

Q: Why do common swear words have four letters?

As a non-native speaker I always wondered why most (common) swear words have four letters. I know this is shifting and more words are araising and traditional swear words lose their "harshness", but where does this "4-letter" thing come from? Is it historical or did it just evolve?

etymology history

Ohhhh dear, hope Jeff doesnt see that

RegDwight

Well, if they restarted the site from scratch and left that one up...

user19161

@grace Thanks but I know almost nothing about computers. So if I use different computers at home (may or may not be logged in) that doesn't add to the number?

RegDwight

Ooops, gotta run.

CUlaterz!

Grace Note

@JasperLoy I assume there's some measure against that. I only know that one of the very early requests was to handle that kind of scenario, and it is status-completed

Kit

4:07 PM

@Jez I can't figure why this isn't closed. But also can't figure how it ought to be closed. Seems like a false premise, but maybe not.

user19161

@grace Thanks. Not that it bothers me, but I'm just wondering why my profile has so many views when I don't have a particularly high reputation and when I am not Taylor Lautner or Justin Bieber.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy Unless you frequently visit your profile every day from a set of computers, you are largely not going to have anything remotely resembling an impact on your profile views.

Mr. Disappointment

Day is done here, too; TTYS.

Jez

@Kit seems like a reasonable question on the English language.

perhaps 'most common swear words'

Grace Note

I mean, I'm a fairly non-standout user in the grand scheme of the network, but I, too, have a strangely high number of views that is not reflective of my reputation or presence on the site (not on English, no one looks at my English profile).

Kit

4:10 PM

@Jez Yes. Maybe if they specifically listed the swear words, I'd feel more comfortable with it.

user19161

@grace Speaking of that, where is your profile on english?

Grace Note

@JasperLoy 8566

Jez

@Kit lol, i can just see Jeff opening the supercollider

"Fuck, shit, cunt, damn, ..."

Jeff's face goes a purple hue

Kit

It might make his head explode.

user19161

@grace well, 19 is pretty small. Mine is 4947. :)

Grace Note

4:14 PM

@JasperLoy Like I said, no one looks at my English profile.

(Also, if it's 4947 for you, that's definitely not by your own doing. That's way too much even with over 10 machines to use per day)

user19161

@grace OK so you are not a mod. But I seem to have seen your name somewhere on some SE blog or something. Maybe I recalled wrongly.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy I'm just a fairly non-standout user.

user19161

What do the avatar icons on the right mean? Those that are blurred out left the room, and those that are shown (blurred or not) represent the last posters?

Kit

@JasperLoy Blurred out is inactive, but still in the room.

user19161

@Kit And inactive means?

Jez

4:21 PM

-9

Q: Chat messages should be previewed in WMD editor

As chat markup is very similar to the markup used for the questions, I think there should be a preview WMD editor beside the input textfield in the chat. It would be useful; the markup is used less rarely in chat than in questions, but it's still used quite a lot, and I regularly find messages no...

feature-request status-declined chat

Can anyone tell me what's so bad about this?

Grace Note

@JasperLoy Hasn't spoken in the room for a while

Jez

I have acres of spare blank space to the right of my chat input box

Kit

@GraceNote What she said.

Jez

It would be ideal space for a preview

Grace Note

@Jez I don't have acres of spare blank space.

Jez

4:22 PM

Well it could only kick in if you had enough horizontal space

Grace Note

On some machines, I can only see 3 stars worth of posts as well.

@Jez Which weakens the utility of the feature. I think people feel that the bulk of throwing it in there, combined with all other notions, just makes it too much for not enough gain.

Jez

'all other notions'?

Grace Note

@Jez Lack of space, need to determine whether it can be shown there, the fact that there isn't all that much prettifying done for chat messages...

In essence, chat is similar to comments, which have equal sensibility to dropping a big preview window.

user19161

@grace One more question. If your name on English is XXX, how do you make your name appear as Grace Note in chat?

Grace Note

@JasperLoy Because my name on other sites is Grace Note, and my chat account is attached to one of those accounts.

user19161

4:26 PM

@GraceNote Ah I see, brilliant.

Michael Myers

You can click on a user's name to see which site their chat user is associated with.

Those of us who are moderators on some site or another have to use that site to get moderator access to chat.

Grace Note

@MichaelMyers Even if this weren't the case, I'd just be using my Game Dev or RPG account, not my English.

I mean, no foul to Second, she's adorable, but, well, you've seen that picture Mrozek touts of her.

user19161

It's weird how most users on SE seem to be male, across the network, even on cooking...

Kit

@JasperLoy Most computer geeks are also male, right?

And they'd be the type to frequent this sort of site.

so it's a biased sample.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy I think a lot of this comes from confirmation bias. People see more males easily so that naturally feel that there are more males.

user19161

4:29 PM

@Kit Right, but with the increasing variety of topics, maybe that will change.

Grace Note

Which means that any females seen are recognized as exceptions, which rather than dispelling the conception, merely strengthens it.

Kit

@GraceNote kiss That's very true.

Grace Note

Get known as "The one girl on the site", all that silly jazz.

Kit

Of course, probably a lot of the "girls" are actually guys pretending.

Users in drag, so to speak.

user19161

@MichaelMyers Haven't seen you post for a while. But I know you were a moderator for EL before.

Grace Note

4:31 PM

@Kit Inverse also happens, as it were. Sometimes, as it were, to avoid treatment of the above.

user19161

@Kit I wonder why they wanna do that? Are you one of them?

Kit

@JasperLoy No. I'm only half-male.

One X.

Grace Note

Haha, nice

@JasperLoy There are myriad reasons, actually.

user19161

@GraceNote Do you wanna enlighten me on some of them?

Grace Note

Some do it for sport. Others for conning. Others because they are more comfortable. And some because they majored in acting so they can pull it off. Sometimes it is for the self, other times it is just because they can.

Michael Myers

4:35 PM

13

Q: What is the correct usage of "myriad"?

The vast majority of the time when I see the word "myriad" it is in a sentence like "He had a myriad of things." However I don't like the extraneous words so I normally use it like "He had myriad things." My boss corrected the latter usage while editing something I wrote. I averted an argument ...

meaning word-choice

user19161

@MichaelMyers I read on reader's digest that 'of' should be omitted when using myriad.

Grace Note

@MichaelMyers I use plethora properly, at least.

And peruse. Lots of people use peruse wrong. I use it right, though, I do.

Kit

@GraceNote I just realized I had it backwards. And me, a biologist and every thing. It's because I used to make the joke that all men were half-female, because of the one X. D'oh!

Martha

-3

Q: "I'm Outta Here"

Is this really used by experts in a subject, when they arrive in a place where it looks like their skills and knowledge could be useful to the general populace, only to find that the place is governed by people who want to maintain a status quo that lets them feel important? It seems to be the c...

word-choice

NARQ?

Grace Note

@Kit I figured I'd half-parse it and understand that as a double X, you are only comprised that of half of an XY, so I guess I'm being kinda confusing right now because even I'm confused.

psmears

4:38 PM

@GraceNote You used "myriad" correctly too. Both before and after your edit...

Grace Note

@Martha There isn't enough "Ima" on this site.

Michael Myers

@Kit Oh good, I wasn't the crazy one.

user19161

@Martha Hello Martha. Have you gotten your swag?

Michael Myers

@Kit And yes, I am half-female. On my mother's side.

Martha

@JasperLoy Nope.

(And hello!)

user19161

4:40 PM

@MichaelMyers Oh dear this is confusing. Now I don't know who is male and who is female.

Grace Note

@JasperLoy It's a 50-50 chance of failure. What are the odds you'll get it wrong? ♪

Kit

@Martha Peeving. NARQ.

Michael Myers

@GraceNote Did you just answer your own question before you asked it?

Kit

@MichaelMyers All men are actually more than 50% female. And you have your mother to thank for that.

Grace Note

@MichaelMyers I guess it was a prhetorical question.

psmears

4:42 PM

@GraceNote thwack

z7sg

@Kit I am 100% male and 100% unicorn.

Kit

@z7sg Well, genetically you have one X (female) chromosome, one Y (male chromosome) plus all your mitochondrial DNA is from your mother ergo female.

And the Y chromosome is smaller than the X too.

Given that the Y is really a defective X.

Grace Note

@Kit I never actually knew that tidbit

Kit

@psmears Did you get thwacking privileges?

Michael Myers

86

Biology

Proposed Q&A site for biologists, including biochemists, molecular biologists, cell biologists, physiologists, and ecologists.

Currently in commitment.

Kit

4:45 PM

@GraceNote It's actually why men see color more poorly and are more prone to color blindness.

Grace Note

@Kit Interesting...

Martha

@Kit Precisely!

psmears

@Kit Apparently so! See @Martha's comment here...

Kit

@GraceNote Now realize I say that with absolute authority, but it is very possible that I established this firmly in my mind at some point based on logical evidence and then never reviewed it later.

psmears

18

A: Is there a double-meaning to "picking my belly button" in this context?

In Catholicism (and indeed many other branches of Christianity), the six weeks leading up to Easter are a time of contemplation and purification before the major festival. This period is known as Lent, and it is common to deny oneself something (say, sweets, chocolate, or playing computer games) ...

Adel

4:46 PM

@Kit - AHA! That's why mens restrooms are in worse condition! They can't even see where the pp is goin!

Finally, a slight validation for my gender

Grace Note

@Kit I trust you on this.

Kit

@Adel Well, no. That has nothing to do with color vision. That's because men are afraid to touch themselves in public, so they don't bother to aim.

Grace Note

My Biology lessons consisted of learning how certain species of moths can "camoflag" on "dissidious" "mapple" trees.

Adel

Hmmm, partly laziness too. I don't see why they don't use the urinals anyway - must be laziness

Grace Note

I'd be more lenient on this teacher for the accent if she couldn't pronounce Archaeopteryx perfectly without missing a beat.

Martha

4:49 PM

@Kit A men's bathroom I was cleaning once had a sign that I loved: We aim to please. You aim, too, please.

Adel

LOL that's clever :)

Grace Note

Hah, nice

Martha

(It wasn't a very effective sign, mind you, but I still loved it.)

Kit

@GraceNote I had a very charming Korean chemistry prof who tried so hard to communicate "solubility equilibrium" to us for about ten minutes one day. She was jumping up and down and stomping her feet. She finally wrote it on the board.

z7sg

Btw, who was just saying everyone on SE is male?

Kit

4:51 PM

Damn, she looked good in her overalls though.

Adel

Over the years I've found that the higher you go up a building, the cleaner the bathroom.

Grace Note

@z7sg Jasper said most seemed to be male.

Kit

@Martha This is why language is so important.

Adel

but I envy women for their bathrooms

2

So much nicer

anyways! gotta run goodbye friends :)

Grace Note

@Kit Cute

z7sg

4:53 PM

I see that if the men leave, the conversation quickly turns to how filthy and defective they are. :(

Kit

@z7sg I said nothing about men being filthy or defective.

I said your Y chromosome is defective, which is why you can't see color so well.

If it makes you feel better, it's the same reason that you can see motion better than me.

@Kit Hm...

hello!

@MattEllen Hello!

@MattEllen G'time-of-day to you

Matt Ellen

4:56 PM

if 17:30 evening or afternoon?

that time of day!

Kit

@MattEllen Gloaming.

z7sg

@Kit OK, I'm not defective... I just have defective genetic material. I do feel better being able to see motion better though, I had no idea I could do that!

Grace Note

I always thought evening was synonymous with night, but apparently it's kinda between night and afternoon. So I don't actually know.

Kit

@GraceNote Greater density of rods as opposed to cones.

Grace Note

@Kit Ah

I have really poor ability to track things in flight, is all I know. It pretty much is as if the object disappears right into thin air, be it a frisbee, or a golf ball, or some manner of buzzing insect.

Kit

4:58 PM

@GraceNote Gloaming

Grace Note

Makes playing golf dramatically more difficult, mind you, when you can't tell what direction you even shot at.

Mr. Disappointment

@GraceNote Nah, that's prevening.

Grace Note

@Kit Great, and I thought Twilight and Dusk were completely separate points in time!

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