English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

user227867

12:02 AM

@Tonepoet It is my hope I can solve one of the remaining six. =)

Tonepoet

@WillHunting What's that! Being On the couch, remembering there's a bag of potato chips in the kitchen and realizing that when you want to retrieve them, there's no app. for that isn't a Millennium Problem?

user227867

@Tonepoet Wait, are you that couch guy? =P

Tonepoet

@WillHunting Nah, I just ate and I'm on the bed. =P

user227867

I just ate a bowl of udon.

user227867

Also, I am currently on the chair.

user227867

12:05 AM

So I am definitely not the couch guy.

user227867

However, I might be the potato.

Tonepoet

A royal picture of The King of Antarctica:

user227867

@Tonepoet I am pretty sure this is not a secret you need to keep. What are your aspirations in life?

Tonepoet

I used to want to run a bookstore but books are poor sellers, so I don't know.

user227867

Maybe we can set up a bookstore together some day...

tchrist

2:19 AM

> It may surprise you (it surprises me) that 400 years of work on describing the grammar of standard English, including the past 50 years of quite intensive investigation, have not managed to settle an issue as basic as whether a distinct lexical category of adverbs should be posited in English.

Tonepoet

3:05 AM

@Mitch I willfully neglected Shakespeare and a few other instances that are commonly stated to be singular they for two reasons. One is because they don't seem very convincingly singular. Those contexts imply an indefinite number of men. The other is that as confounding as it might seem to you given my choice of dictionaries early modern English doesn't really strike me as being quite the same language, with its comparatively complex verb tense structures and orthographic differences.

The pronunciation was quite different too. My choice of Noah Webster's dictionary over Samuel Johnson's is in part because of those factors, and in part because Webster is a more reliable reporter.

user227867

3:27 AM

I have always suspected you @Tonepoet are a descendant of Noah Webster.

Tonepoet

5:37 AM

Hmm, I think the best way to compromise between the opinion of myself and Mitch in an unbiased manner is to simply qualify the statement to the present. My citations should at least support at least that much of a claim is accurate, irrespective of whose opinion of the past is more accurate.

Tonepoet

6:02 AM

@Mitch maybe the present version of the answer is slightly more to your liking? Oh and also, while sorting through the low quality review queue, I noticed a new member decided to use the name Mitch. I thought you should be aware of that.

user227867

7:45 AM

@Tonepoet There are many Mitches on ELU, no need to inform him. Just go to the user tab and search Mitch and you get at least 10 hits.

Tonepoet

@WillHunting That figures, given that it is a common name. However with that having been said, I haven't noticed any other active users with that name.

user227867

@Tonepoet However, if you search for Will Hunting, there is only one, and that is the great one.

user227867

10:05 AM

It is 6 PM here in Antarctica.

M.A.R.

10:47 AM

@Mitch Rubisco changed his name.

On the plus side, I will not be changing names anymore.

Avatars prolly, but not names.

@Will we seem to be of the same race now. Our colors are too similar.

Shadow Wizard

@M.A.R. I do not believe you! ;-)

M.A.R.

8

Q: Let’s choose a definite name for our favourite molecule, in case he gets elected as a mod!

We all know this guy who nominated themself for a moderator position in the upcoming election.[1] Over the course of history-of-chemistry, we got to know him under a number of different names.[2] Notice the comments under his nomination post over at the election site. Of if you’re too lazy to fo...

discussion

I wasn't elected because I didn't have the rep, but I decided to keep one name anyway.

Shadow Wizard

@M.A.R. heh, fair enough! :D

Færd

11:49 AM

Creditor means one to whom money is owed, but it's the debtor who credits money to the creditor's account.

Ironic.

terdon

@M.A.R. Good. I'm sure you lost votes because people didn't know who you were. I did vote for you, for what that's worth.

M.A.R.

@terdon Thank you. I think people voted for the rep though.

Like they always do.

People that never visit the site other than the time of election hardly know who's killing himself on meta.

terdon

Yes, they very often do. I voted for those I was familiar enough with to have an opinion on.

M.A.R.

A lot of people did. I wouldn't even have ended up third, considering how I haven't posted on the main site for some month.

I'm usually doing stuff behind the scenes.

Reviewing, commenting on homework dumps that no one ever reads etc.

Færd

@M.A.R. Congrats (on not being elected).

M.A.R.

11:55 AM

Haha well.

I'm a jerk sometimes, and mods aren't allowed to be jerks.

Other than Will.

user227867

I forgot whether I even voted or not

user227867

I forgot whether I could even vote or not

user227867

I just had a huge dinner. I had chicken rice, and a cheese cake, and a butter cake. I am on the path to obesity, LOL

user227867

@MattE.Эллен Perhaps I should stop using the term Maria. Perhaps if I change it to Nastya, I will have better luck, so I shall use that from now, LOL

Færd

12:42 PM

@terdon Wouldn't it be better if one does not vote when one does not know all the candidates?

SmokeDetector

[ SmokeDetector | MS ] Few unique characters in body: Adjective to describe someone who thinks everyone is driven by self-interest by Kamal1 on english.stackexchange.com

Færd

The way I do not upvote an answer unless I take a look at all the answers to the question.

terdon

12:54 PM

@Færd First, that's what I did. That said, no, that's the whole point of the nomination post. The potential mod describes their approach to modding and why they'd make a good mod. You can vote based on that.

@Færd Huh? Why? What do the other answers have to do with anything? If an answer is good, upvote it, whether or not it is better/worse than the others is irrelevant.

Færd

It's just better to know how you're changing the order of the answers and making some of them more likely to be overlooked.

I should confess I don't always do that.

terdon

1:10 PM

Remember that the order also depends on user settings. It can be either by votes or by age or by activity.

Færd

Yes. But I guess not many people change the default settings, or are more interested in options other that 'most upvoted'.

user227867

I have a friend who names his sons after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Cerberus

1:28 PM

@terdon I don't know: actions speak louder.

terdon

?

Cerberus

I sometimes vote based only on a candidate's programme, but usually I refrain from voting if I don't know this person.

user227867

Sometimes, words speak louder than actions. Sometimes.

terdon

All I was saying is that you can vote for someone you don't know if you find the program good.

Cerberus

You can, but...

user227867

1:30 PM

I think I am quite superficial. If you look like Laura Ramsey, I will vote for you as a mod.

Mitch

@WillHunting The proof of the pudding is in the eating

mmm... pudding

user227867

@Mitch It's not always about puddings.

user227867

Hello @Kit!

Kit Z. Fox

Hi.

user227867

amazon.com/gp/review/R33OIG1IKK6VEE?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl

user227867

1:34 PM

That is my review of the AHD on Amazon, LOL.

Kit Z. Fox

Quite glowing.

user227867

@Mitch Anyway, I don't like puddings. In fact, I am not really sure what they are.

user227867

@Cerberus Interesting that computer program is spelled program even in BrE.

user227867

@mitch I have seen Enderton's Computability Theory, but it is too short for me. The whole book has less than 200 pages, including the appendices and the final chapter which is only a sketch. I might go with Davis's Computability and Unsolvability, whose appendix 2 is on the unsolvability of the halting problem I think, a valuable addendum.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Morning, peeps

user227867

1:46 PM

Good morning, Aruba!

Cerberus

@WillHunting Not by everyone.

Matt taught me that programme is also used, which is more logical.

So I switched to that.

Morning!

user227867

@Cerberus Ah, depends on what you mean by logic.

user227867

I was looking up the meanings of Central America, Latin America, North America, South America. I think I finally got it all sorted out. Phew!

user227867

@Cerberus Why is the Netherlands also called Holland when Holland seems to be only a small part of the Netherlands?

user227867

Josh will probably be No. 1 on ELU by the end of this year.

user227867

1:50 PM

He even prepared for this victory by changing his name from Josh61 to J O S H .

Cerberus

@WillHunting Because was the most important province.

Like England in Great Britain.

user227867

@Cerberus So is it wrong to call it Holland, or right, or acceptable today?

Cerberus

It's perfectly fine.

People do it all the time.

Probably even more often than England.

user227867

OK. I take your answer as AUTHORITATIVE.

Cerberus

Good.

It all depends on context.

But we normally say Nederland when it's not in an international context.

user227867

1:54 PM

Yes, that is the Dutch word, of course, like Deutschland for Germany.

user227867

You know what is funny?

user227867

When I installed Ubuntu 16.04 earlier this year, it did not even allow me to select my city as location for the time zone, LOL.

user227867

I had to select a nearby city to get the same time, LOL.

user227867

So every time I log in, I am stuck with seeing the name of that other city in the clock.

user227867

Seems that Ubuntu is declining.

user227867

1:58 PM

And 16.04 is meant to be a flagship release, a long term support version used by companies.

Mitch

@WillHunting Oh, it's all about pudding.

But pudding isn't as good unless you have dinner beforehand. Just save room.

user227867

@Mitch There is a user in another room who likes to say 'No meat, no pudding' and I copied him ever since then

Mitch

@WillHunting Contrary to the direction I was leading, I don't particularly care for pudding too much either. Too thick. I'd rather have cake.

@WillHunting That sounds like a line from Pink Floyd

Cerberus

@WillHunting That's odd. I should think it was an important enough city.

user227867

@Mitch My dinner cakes were only one dollar each, very small.

user227867

2:01 PM

@Cerberus Yes, very odd. It is a very rich city as far as material riches are concerned

Mitch

@WillHunting Too short? I think he explains things very well without going on at length obscurely.

user227867

@Mitch I think he did not want to go too deep. But also, he wrote it while he had cancer.

Mitch

But Davis is also pretty good (the little I've skimmed it). But it seems weird that the Halting Problem is in an appendix.

user227867

He just added it into a later printing.

Cerberus

It's also a country. Everybody knows it.

user227867

2:03 PM

Not everyone knows it. I know many Americans never heard of it

Mitch

@WillHunting 'The Netherlands' is just annoyingly too long.

user227867

@Mitch At least Nederland omits a few letters...

Mitch

@WillHunting wait...never heard of what?

user227867

@Mitch Never heard of the city I live in.

Mitch

@WillHunting Everyone has heard of the capital of Antarctica

Cerberus

2:05 PM

@WillHunting They're idiots.

Mitch

It's strangely 'Antarctica' though which may be confusing for some.

user227867

@Mitch What is the capital of Antarctica? Antarcitca?

Mitch

Yes

Cerberus

It is a very well known city.

Mitch

You would know.

Cerberus

2:06 PM

Unlike, say, Wuhan, which is probably even bigger.

user227867

Ah, I should know, since I am the Emperor of Antarctica

Mitch

13 mins ago, by Will Hunting

OK. I take your answer as AUTHORITATIVE.

Even if it wasn't right before, what you say goes.

user227867

I was emulating Mr Shiny's use of caps.

user227867

It's quite funny.

user227867

Now every time I use caps, I think of @Mr.ShinyandNew安宇.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

2:08 PM

@WillHunting that's a DUBIOUS honour

Mitch

He's a CAP kind of guy

It's weird that there are still people (admittedly very few) who will type on the internet in all caps.

user227867

Anyway I am not a cap guy. Never wore any hats or caps. Too hot and smelly, LOL

Mitch

even old people (>60? Is that old now) learn immediately to not use caps, and frankly 70year olds have had computers since the late 90's (when they were a youngish 40)

user227867

Maybe those who use all caps are nuts? After all, caps and nuts end with the letter s

Mitch

@WillHunting You're not supposed to put them on your face after you take them off your head.

@WillHunting The nut doesn't fall far from the tree.

Ooh. dad joke/riddle...

How do you catch a squirrel?

Climb up a tree and act like a nut.

!!rimshot

user227867

2:11 PM

I don't. It's not nice to catch a squirrel, since they should be free animals.

Mitch

sigh I've used up my joke quota for the day. So you're all spared some really good poop jokes

@WillHunting What if you want to make stew?

free squirrel stew

user227867

I have thought for a while about the ethics of killing animals. I will kill animals only for food and if they are pests, and I will do so painlessly and quickly.

user227867

@Mitch Oh, well, I would rather not have squirrel.

Mitch

wild animals are a questionable food source. they're not noble savages, they're sick and parasitic and lame and all sorts of gross. cook them really well first.

user227867

I will just stick to chicken and fish.

Mitch

2:14 PM

@WillHunting same here. If I had to kill an animal with my bare hands I probably wouldn't want to eat it (unless there was absolutely nothing else around)

@WillHunting Who? Enderton or Davis? I'm guessing Enderton because I think Davis is still lecturing and writing.

user227867

It's strange that in the past the news here translated New Zealand as Niu Xi Lan in Mandarin, but now it is Xin Xi Lan, LOL

user227867

Niu sounds like New, and Xin means new in Mandarin, LOL

Mitch

The latest chinese slang for 'awesome'

user227867

@Mitch How is the vegetarian food in the US? Here in Antarctica, they often use non-meat to make things that look like meat, instead of giving you real vegetables. So I can't really eat the vegetarian food here either.

Mitch

@WillHunting just checked the table of contents on Amazon. app 2 is Hilbert's 10th problem, which is not the same as the Halting problem. You get the Halting problem in ch 5 sec 6 'A set which is not rec enum'

user227867

2:24 PM

@Mitch Oh sorry. Mixed up Halting and Hilbert. They both start with H

Mitch

the Halting problem is to decide if a given TM halts on any given input. Hilbert's 10th problem is to decide if a set of polynomial equations has a solution in integers. They are of course convertible one into the other, but the machinery is very different (TMs vs integer polynomials).

@WillHunting oh. haha. I think you'll like Davis (but also Enderton, if you ever want a 2nd opinion)

user227867

@Mitch Mmm, traditional medicine versus internet protocol lol.

user227867

@Mitch OK, I will consider Enderton again, since I already got 2 of his 3 texts.

Mitch

computer viruses may cause human illnesses by hacking your pacemakers URL

user227867

OK, so back to the vege food.

Mitch

2:27 PM

Oh.

Right.

In the US vegetarian food is famous for being boring and tasteless.

user227867

I just prefer real vegetables to flour products

Mitch

tofu has the potential to be made tasty, but in the US when it is put in a dish it takes away taste

user227867

It's very unheealthy to keep eating flour that looks like meat.

Mitch

@WillHunting is it any worse than eating the same as meat?

user227867

@Mitch At least meat gives you protein that you need.

Mitch

2:30 PM

grains all have protein too (maybe just not as concentrated as in meat)

user227867

Oh. OK. I don't know anything about food actually

user227867

I want to share my three favourite yellow foods.

user227867

They are: bananas, eggs, and instant noodles.

Mitch

and meat: salty (bad for hypertension), cholesterol (bad for atherosclerosis), fat (more atherosclerosis), undigested meat (diverticulosis, bowel problems)

@WillHunting those are all good

user227867

In my life I have probably eaten over 9000 bananas, 9000 eggs, and 9000 packets of instant noodles.

Mitch

2:33 PM

in moderation

user227867

I think my above sentence deserves a star.

Mitch

the spices that come with the noodles are very salty. good for taste, but shouldn't be had every day

That one?

user227867

No, the 9000

Mitch

that one?

user227867

No, the 9000, lol

Mitch

2:34 PM

There. got it.

user227867

Very naughty, lol

Mitch

That's what I'm here for.

user227867

So my favourite instant noodles is Nissin Chicken Flavour.

user227867

BUt these few days I have been eating some cook yourself udon instead

Mitch

I like... mi goreng. can't remember the brand. but it comes with like 6 different spices. of which I use them all

user227867

2:36 PM

Ah, mi goreng is not good for you lol

Mitch

haha.

what?

Really?

coughs up mi goreng

user227867

I don't know. Most mi goreng here looks unhealthy.

Mitch

I'm sure actual mi goreng is one thing, and the ramen flavor is quite distinct.

user227867

And because it is not hanyupinyin, they usually write it as mee goreng

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

Donald Trump singing Mahna Mahna song

►

Mitch

2:38 PM

I'm surprised they don't have Thanksgiving dinner flavored ramen. You can make ramen taste like anything with the right spice pack.

@Mr.ShinyandNew安宇 that's putting me off my mi goreng

@WillHunting the package of mi goreng that I usually get has a picture of an egg on top. There's no egg actually in the package, but it makes it seem so luxurious that I want to buy it.

but then I don't make an egg to go with it. That would be against the spirit of the whole thing. the convenience

user227867

Let's offer Donald some mi goreng

user227867

I am going to nap, bye

tchrist

        Men are four:
He who knows not and knows not he knows not, he is a fool—shun him;
He who knows not and knows he knows not, he is simple—teach him;
He who knows and knows not he knows, he is asleep—wake him;
He who knows and knows he knows, he is wise—follow him!

        Lady Burton—Life of Sir Richard Burton. Given as an Arabian Proverb. Another rendering in the Spectator, Aug. 11, 1894. P. 176. In Hesiod—Works and Days. 293. 7. Quoted by Aristotle—Nic. Eth. I. 4. Cicero—Pro Cluent. 31. Livy—Works. XXII. 29.

Cerberus

I should say the fourth man thinks he is wise but is a fool or a god.

Mitch

@Cerberus I know. Isn't the usual pattern 'to switch the 2nd and last?

Cerberus

2:49 PM

Umm, what?

Mitch

"he who knows not and knows that, is wise"

It's the known/knowns table by Rumsfeld

tchrist

-1

Q: What's a word for a bigot who doesn't realize they're a bigot?

"Not to be racist or anything, but [insert incredibly racist thing here]".

single-word-requests

I didn't look up the Cicero or Livy.

If the Brits call Livius Livy, why don't they call Cicero Kicky instead of Tully?

asks on Latin Language

Cerberus

Tully is a common French surname. I don't know whether it's from Latin, probably not.

But Livius is Live in French.

tchrist

> Gens Tullia was an Ancient Roman family. Tullius was its corresponding nomen. The feminine form was Tullia. Tully, especially as another name for Cicero, is an anglicized form now considered antiquated.

Oh.

> Not all those who have the nomen are related by blood; Cicero himself did not believe that he was descended from Servius Tullius, though at one point he referred to their shared gens.

Cerberus

But the French name?

tchrist

3:00 PM

@Cerberus ...is difficult to pronounce. :)

Cerberus

How so?

tchrist

/tyʎi/

My mouth feels like it’s trying to blow kisses.

Or mimicking Alec Baldwin’s parody of Donald Trump saying "butthole".

@Cerberus This troubles me, greatly, and I have no idea how to fix it.

It is 50 to 75% worse than when I last looked into the matter with Jon Erickson’s help.

Cerberus

@tchrist Is this more difficult for you than the average foreign word?

@tchrist You mean the general closure ratio?

tchrist

Some may be unjust or overly reactive, but there can be no doubt that the tide grows stronger, and I feel we stand as likely to be successful when we bid it cease as the fairytale of King Canute.

@Cerberus I but tease. It does not.

Cerberus

OK.

tchrist

3:12 PM

@Cerberus Yes. We're at 60% overall, and there are times it surges to 70% and even 80% in the secret charts.

Cerberus

I think you know what the only two ways to deal with this are in theory.

tchrist

Since the closure rate is increasing, at least one of two things is true: we are either getting more close-worthy questions or else our coilective patience has gone down.

Cerberus

Either you stop closing so many questions, or you accept that you close so many.

tchrist

I understand that.

Cerberus

I think most closed questions should not be closed.

Half of which should probably be migrated to ELL.

tchrist

3:14 PM

Could you do me a small but sincere favor?

Cerberus

Only if it doesn't involve bureaucracy...

tchrist

Show me three closed questions that you feel should not have been closed so that I can better understand.

Cerberus

Very well.

tchrist

I don't mean to argue here, and shall not. I mean only to learn.

Cerberus

I'll go to the main page and start with the newest questions.

tchrist

3:16 PM

That would be good.

MetaEd

@tchrist It's healthy.

Cerberus

-1

Q: What's a word for a bigot who doesn't realize they're a bigot?

"Not to be racist or anything, but [insert incredibly racist thing here]".

single-word-requests

This can reasonably be answered, even if the answer is not what the asker wanted to hear.

Examples:

> A bigot is what you mean, because bigots don't realise what they are.

MetaEd

@Cerberus That's a one line question. No effort went into asking it, or at least none is shown.

Cerberus

> Some other word I can't think of at the moment.

tchrist

I think it's the "no effort" thing that gets to me.

Cerberus

3:17 PM

@MetaEd I think effort should only be required when the question is defective from lack of effort.

MetaEd

Probably doesn't belong either here or ELL. ELL has the same basic research requirement that ELU does.

tchrist

It’s our ɢɪᴍᴍᴇ ᴅᴀ ᴄᴏᴅᴇᴢ.

Cerberus

The whole "effort" criterion is i.m.o. abused.

0

Q: Help or Helps? (As a noun)

I've heard some people use "helps" as the plural form of "help". Is that correct? Or are there any exceptions?

grammar word-usage

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

well, for one thing, this isn't swr.se, it's English.se. So we have rules, and one rule is you need to provide a sample sentence.

Cerberus

This one should be put on hold.

MetaEd

3:18 PM

The "effort" criterion has been underlined for us by the site staff numerous times in bright red crayon. If anything, we are still not imposing it strictly enough for them.

Cerberus

The lack of effort makes a question that could be answered unanswerable.

tchrist

I put it on hold because I did not understand what he was asking, and requested examples.

Mitch

To be honest, these kinds of questions are ... dumb. Like you said, 'bigot' is the answer. Questions like these make one feel like 'Just think! Why are you bothering us with silly questions?'

Cerberus

-5

Q: Fill in the blank with a preposition

o god! keep me_ sin. The village was destroyed _ fire.

prepositions

tchrist

¿Una más?

jinx

We get a lot of test questions every day, too.

Cerberus

3:20 PM

This one should be closed based on the "no homework" and "no multiple questions" rules, which are perhaps arbitrary and could be rescinded, but which i.m.o. serve a legitimate purpose.

-1

Q: What does it mean when someone says you are special or unique because You Are You Meaning

I ask what makes me special. Someone replied, "You are You". What does "You are You" mean? And in what way.

meaning

This question is OK.

MetaEd

@tchrist The "gimme da codez" characterization is kind of right on. The problem here is we have a widely adopted technology (English) and a huge number of people who are trying to use it at a very basic level. We should expect a much larger rate of very basic questions than on nearly any other SE site.

Cerberus

It is clear what the OP is looking for.

Perhaps it could be migrated to ELL.

-1

Q: "was + past participle" construction with future meaning

The injunction would remain in force until a full trial was held. Why does author use such a construction "was held"? Is it common? Can I say "trial is held"?

phrase-usage construction future-in-past

This is a good question, and interesting to boot.

It definitely should not be closed.

1

Q: Optimization, performance, or efficiency not due to algorithm or strategy

Is there any idiomatic way to describe the aspect of optimization, performance, or efficiency that is not due to choice of algorithm or strategy? I'm not necessarily looking for formal computer science terminology but it shouldn't seem too odd in a casual programming context.

phrase-requests terminology programming

This one should be put on hold.

The lack of context makes it unanserable.

-3

Q: Need to know the right word corresponding here

If I eat by myself in health but they feed me in sickness, then I drink by myself in health but they _________ me in sickness. WHAT'S THE WORD?

vocabulary

This one is doubtful.

It is a clearly a riddle, so it is probably not asking for the verb analogous to "feed".

So there is probably a different verb the riddle is looking for.

Should probably be migrated to Puzzling.

-1

Q: Business friendly language name for "suck-up"

I am looking for a business friendly language name for suck-up (teacher's pet, leech, give your pinky they grab your whole arm person, someone who tries to use another person for their own gain without giving back) e.g. John warned Tony that if he went to lunch with his coworker Pete thinkin...

single-word-requests

This question is fine, as far as SWRs go.

It is clear.

0

Q: Word for enjoying disliking something

I'm looking for a word (or potentially phrase) that will work for the state of enjoying disliking something / enjoying the discomfort of a situation.

single-word-requests phrase-requests

This one has little context, but I think it might still be enough. I'd keep it open. Masochism sounds like a good answer.

M.A.R.

@Cerberus We'd close things like that on Chem since we'd expect a clear-cut question.

Cerberus

@tchrist Do duplicates and émigrés count as "closed"?

tchrist

@Cerberus They do.

M.A.R.

3:31 PM

Well they shouldn't.

Counting dupes as closed thingies sometimes conveys the wrong message.

Cerberus

@tchrist OK then I think you should only look at the figures after migration.

Because migration is almost always good.

Duplicates are another matter: I've seen many unjustified duplicates over the years here.

0

Q: Whether to use "is" or "are" in a question

Which of the following is correct? Are any of your kids unwell? Is any of your kids unwell? The online grammar tool shows both as correct, so I am in a dilemma!

word-choice grammatical-number

I think this duplication is legitimate.

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Q: Term for someone who loves to exist?

Is there a word/term for a person who simply loves to exist? Personally, I am a nihilist, and know that my life as well as everyone else's is completely meaningless and that the universe is inherently indifferent. However, that doesn't stop me from finding my own meaning in the things important t...

single-word-requests expressions synonyms

I think this is OK if we accept SWRs.

M.A.R.

@Cerberus Heh, someone who loves to exist?

I'd love to exist too, thank you.

tchrist

@Cerberus You know, it's funny. Migration is for the most part hated across the network. ELU is the counterexample where it is not.

Thank you. I’ve unhammered the two I myself hammered. I don't feel I should do more than that, though.

Cerberus

Hated by migrators of recipients?

(I haven't looked at who closed those questions.)

tchrist

There's a problem on SO where "we don't like this question" leads to migration.

The recipients seldom like them either.

M.A.R.

3:39 PM

Yes.

ELL is whiny about migration from ELU to ELL.

While most ELL questions are themselves not high quality.

~~Programmers~~ Software Engineers have been the pioneers of Migration Whine™

tchrist

@M.A.R. That's one of the very best migration rates on the network.

M.A.R.

@tchrist Do we have a tungsten.SE?

Cerberus

Looks like a good percentage.

M.A.R.

@tchrist FWIW, it's because ELL sucks at moderation.

And I know you know it.

If five ELU'ers go to ELL and start evaluating things, 80 percent of the questions will end up closed and downvoted.

Or prolly even more.

tchrist

@M.A.R. This explains our own 60, 70, 80% close rate of late.

M.A.R.

3:47 PM

plz english help thank u

To take revenge, let's change the world's official language to French.

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We'll see how French.SE enjoys it.

Cerberus

@M.A.R. Or that could mean they are good at moderation.

I think a substantially lower rate of closure is attainable for our site.

M.A.R.

@Cerberus Well, I haven't participated here long enough to judge the close voters, but I'm a close voter on ELL.

Cerberus

Most posters are bad = I'm not crazy, the world is crazy.

M.A.R.

@Cerberus Mind you, that's not my only world.

I'm not blindly evaluating things.

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Q: Correct use of present particples

Does this sentence make sense? For example, bags at an airport are x-rayed to see if any dangerous are inside without having to be opened and looked in each one.

grammar

Cerberus

Mmm the body of the question does not wholly reflect the title.

The title is OK, but the body suggests proof-reading.

The answer does not address the question posed in the title.

M.A.R.

3:59 PM

And there has been worse cases. MUCH WORSE.

I'm ranting not as an outsider or rage-quitter, but as someone with a CV steward there.

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…