English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

simchona

3:00 AM

Will someone please ping me if he explains anything tomorrow (or today for most of you)?

RegDwight АΑA

Sure.

I think he'll ping you himself.

Cerberus

@Mitch Indeed.

simchona

@RegDwightАΑA I actually think he won't. Other people have notified me the past few days

RegDwight АΑA

We'll see!

Spare Oom

@RegDwightАΑA Sorry, you've lost me.

Cerberus

3:01 AM

So exciting.

I hope I'll be able to sleep.

RegDwight АΑA

►

The Funniest Joke in the World

"The Funniest Joke in the World" is the title most frequently used for written references to a Monty Python's Flying Circus comedy sketch, which is also known by two other phrases that appear within it, "Joke Warfare" and "Killer Joke", the latter being the most commonly spoken title used to refer to it. The premise of the sketch is that the joke is so funny that anyone who reads or hears it promptly dies from laughter. Broadcast The sketch appeared in the first episode of the television show Monty Python's Flying Circus ("Whither Canada"), first shown on October 5, 1969. The sketch was ...

Cerberus

Joke killer.

Spare Oom

@RegDwightАΑA I'm still confused. I have seen that many times, but I fail to see the connection.

RegDwight АΑA

@SpareOom my line was a verbatim quote of that joke.

Why are you still alive?

Spare Oom

Obviously, I don't understand German well enough.

Why are you still alive?

RegDwight АΑA

3:05 AM

It's not German, that's why.

Spare Oom

@RegDwightАΑA It's not a very effective killer joke, if it's not any language. :P

RegDwight АΑA

I see we are having a killer joke and a joke killer in this chat at the same time.

Spare Oom

Sorry....

tchrist

3:19 AM

How is it that there is a question on the front page claiming it was updated by Norton S lo these three minutes past?

RegDwight АΑA

Because it's the porn spammer.

simchona

@tchrist Porn.

RegDwight АΑA

Got merged within a minute. A new record.

tchrist

Oh, I see.

Cerberus

Why are you still up?

tchrist

3:21 AM

High on Nutella.

Cerberus

I'm trying to outstay you, but somehow it isn't working.

RegDwight АΑA

A very good question. Is there Sleep.SE yet?

Cerberus

Ah, yes, the sugar.

RegDwight АΑA

@Cerberus nonsense. Sugar makes me sleepy.

Cerberus

So you say.

RegDwight АΑA

3:21 AM

You just can't outstay an owl, dummy.

Cerberus

shakes paw

simchona

Can't the heads sleep in turn?

RegDwight АΑA

I can stay up indefinitely. It's waking up that's problematic.

Also, you've probably been drinking again.

tchrist

You go a little mad after a few days. Well, a lot mad if it's from drugs. And a little mad otherwise.

RegDwight АΑA

Hops are not the solution.

tchrist

3:24 AM

Skipped four nights when I was 19. Hops was indeed the solution, because I couldn't get to sleep when I finally turned in the program. So I drank a pint. Didn't finish. Friends mostly carried me home.

RegDwight АΑA

@tchrist that sounded like it was building up to a but which never happened.

tchrist

But I didn't finish the pint. I was dreaming while I was awake too, or so I was told.

RegDwight АΑA

Wow, they could see your dreams?

Cerberus

@simchona I'm trying to do that now. But it doesn't work.

@RegDwightАΑA I agree on the waking up. Terrible. And I am sober: I have been here the whole time!

RegDwight АΑA

@Cerberus try anti-clockwise.

Cerberus

3:26 AM

I don't drink alone.

tchrist

I apparently talk in my sleep. With my eyes open. I thought they were people they weren't, they said. I remember nothing.

I told you, a little mad.

Cerberus

@RegDwightАΑA I will tie into a knot, no.

RegDwight АΑA

@tchrist That explains everything.

tchrist

So I'm a lot more careful with my indefinite suspensions of sleep. Try never to skip more than two nights.

Cerberus

Try never to sleep less than 8 hours—there's a maxim for you.

RegDwight АΑA

3:28 AM

Stupid.

Six is enough for everyone.

tchrist

Actually, two is just fine.

RegDwight АΑA

And I say that as a frigging owl.

Unhealthy.

Four times a day.

Bad idea.

3:29 AM

@tchrist now that is sick. And will make you just that.

tchrist

Yeah, I know. Did it on the last book. Pretty ragged.

Cerberus

On a book?

Next time try a pillow, and you may not wake up every two hours.

simchona

@RegDwightАΑA This needs to go

RegDwight АΑA

Ugh.

tchrist

@Cerberus ’Twas just me mate and me, separated by a thousand miles as we would go passin the frawlpin back and forth, him battle-hardened from the Afghan Wars to sleep in combat mode.

Shog9

3:39 AM

@simchona Just a friendly heads-up: expect more of this if you're elected.

RegDwight АΑA

Rats. Forgot all about my laundry.

Shog9

On a completely unrelated note, it's possible that not all of my questions in the THC were entirely hypothetical.

On an extremely related note: stock up on the gin!

Cerberus

@tchrist The whatpin?

tchrist

@Cerberus The frawlpin.

Cerberus

Oh, thatpin.

tchrist

3:42 AM

GR

“Pass the frawlpin, please.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The frawlpin! The frawlpin!”

“I don’t have it.”

“I’ve got it”

“Oh. Why didn’t you say so?”

“Why didn’t you ask me?”

“Sorry. Just gimme. -Thanks.”

“Why do you keep refribbing that job, anyhow? It's ready.”

“Just to pass away the time.”

simchona

@Shog9 Which is why I want to understand it--if there's something I can do better, I would like to.

Cerberus

Are you quoting some Hollywood film again?

tchrist

Most incredibly, this sequence is quickly followed by: CERBERUS YAWNS

I am a man of letters, not of celluloid.

RegDwight АΑA

0

Q: what the use of" at"or"in"?

It is not always easy to come up with a rule to determine the choice between at and in. Some cases are clear cut, as in my first round of examples below. Others are not always so, as in my second batch of examples, for speakers tend to leave a lot of things implied in speech and in writing. Hopef...

What is the question?

If it's at/in university/college, that would be a dupe...

Cerberus

@tchrist Haha, see?

RegDwight АΑA

3:46 AM

2

Q: "In college" versus "at college" versus "at university"

Possible Duplicate: Which one is more correct: “works at a university” or “works in a university”? It seems that only in the U.S. one says that they are or were "in college", even though the person attended a university, such as the University of Iowa. You are e...

american-english

Cerberus

I have commented on your stuff from the future and inserted myself into it.

RegDwight АΑA

3

Q: Which one is more correct: "works at a university" or "works in a university"?

My relative is a fairly big academic and works at a university. Is this correct? or should I have used in instead?

I am everywhere.

@Cerberus De veras.

What?

3:46 AM

Really.

Cerberus

What language is that?

Shog9

@simchona In this particular case, I strongly suspect the only thing you could do better would involve doing a lot of other things worse.

tchrist

Spanish. It's a vestige of an older form.

It's colloquial, too.

It pretty much means really.

Or right. Or indeed.

BTW, I’ve lost my kerberos keys at $job; could you fetch them for me?

nice doggies

Cerberus

Why are your keys mine?

simchona

@shog could you elaborate?

Cerberus

3:48 AM

I know I hold not the key to thine heart.

tchrist

You are not a κυβερνήτης.

Cerberus

No, but down here it is more like the weakest link.

He can stop you, or I.

No, that is Charon.

tchrist

kerberos keys are authentication tokens in the cybernetic world of the electrical steersmen.

Because he is a very good watchdog.

Cerberus

Oh, that must be in my dreams.

There is stuff there.

It is time to find sleep and your keys.

For 'tis nearly 6 am again.

tchrist

Alas, I Babylon.

Cerberus

3:52 AM

Buona notte!

You Babylon?

Shog9

@simchona Ever play croquet? With a kid who, when he was losing would pound the hoops and balls into the ground, throw the mallet, and then suggest starting over? You could: 1) refuse to play with him, 2) let him win, 3) spend a lot of time straightening hoops.

Cerberus

You babble on, you mean.

tchrist

Buenas madrugadas.

simchona

@shog ohhh. Ok, gotcha.

Cerberus

It is hardly buena.

Rainy and dark.

Boa noite!

tchrist

3:53 AM

That’s why the word madrugada seldom appears in either Spanish or Portuguese without an obligatory puta in front of it.

Buenas madrugadas is oxymoronic. Good nighty.

Cerberus

I am glad we understand one another.

Bye!

RegDwight АΑA

Night.

Actually I am thinking about forcing myself to at least log off.

Will probably still stay up till 11am.

In a couple hours it's okay to start playing piano.

tchrist

Why must you wait?

RegDwight АΑA

Cuz them normal peoples is sleeping.

tchrist

You’re in a cohabitation thing, aren't you?

RegDwight АΑA

4:04 AM

Why would that be?

I'm not 14 anymore.

tchrist

I have a grand piano, which I can play whenever I please. Managed to drive everyone else off that way.

I guess it is summer, so windows might be open.

RegDwight АΑA

I was thinking about getting one I could mute, but went with a regular one instead.

tchrist

You have to pay nearly as much for a tolerable mutable one as you pay for an entry level grand.

The Kurzweils are nice and expensive.

RegDwight АΑA

I know. I have tried many an instrument in my life.

And my ambitions are not too high right now.

In a couple years I might exchange it for a better one.

tchrist

I had a housemate with one once upon a time. He paid like US$5k for it.

RegDwight АΑA

4:09 AM

That's not expensive.

tchrist

But he got to move it with him into an apartment. I have a Schimmel. Can't do that.

RegDwight АΑA

I'm too young and too noob to have a Schimmel.

It's the first time in like thirteen years that I have an instrument I can play regularly at all.

tchrist

Yes the Kurzweil was cheap in comparison.

RegDwight АΑA

Plus I was thinking about diversifying.

tchrist

Into...?

RegDwight АΑA

4:12 AM

An accordion would be nice. A flute.

tchrist

Tricky to manage both at once.

RegDwight АΑA

Not sure if it makes sense to learn violin this late in life.

tchrist

Funny that you were just too young, and now you're too late in life.

RegDwight АΑA

Context.

That's how language works.

tchrist

I have a friend who is a bit hunched over from starting young.

And being good at it, which means practising incredibly many hours as his spine was growing.

RegDwight АΑA

4:14 AM

It's not exactly good for your hands, either.

tchrist

He can hear pitches much better than me. I just have "piano pitch" kind of thing.

RegDwight АΑA

Whatever happened to my plan to log off.

Actually! I could go play guitar.

tchrist

Music.

RegDwight АΑA

Why didn't I think of that?

tchrist

Yes, my violinist friend has branched off into guitar. I think it is a very good idea.

You will be more popular at gatherings with a guitar than an accordion.

Unless you get a monkey.

They always like monkeys.

RegDwight АΑA

4:15 AM

Depends on the gatherings.

tchrist

Mariachi bands need both.

RegDwight АΑA

Where I come from garmons are rather popular. To say the least.

tchrist

I imagine.

I do think the guitar is a good idea. It is fretted, too, which always helps compared with the unfretted strings.

RegDwight АΑA

A bisonoric garmon, now that would be something.

Better than chess.

tchrist

Housecats are bisonoric. The Panthera genus is not.

The former can purr in both directions, the latter cannot.

RegDwight АΑA

4:19 AM

Oh, and I also have a hulusi now. That thing is fun.

tchrist

Wild thing.

RegDwight АΑA

Very.

Well all this talking and no music makes Jack a dumb boy.

tchrist

Eek I'm pumpkinning.

RegDwight АΑA

And @Cerberus is asleep so I win anyway.

tchrist

So let's be offer.

Good night. Thanks for trying to elevate the townhall meeting.

RegDwight АΑA

4:21 AM

Oh right.

That was like yesterday.

Night whoever's still alive.

Ouvert et haut !

Mahnax

Goodnight.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

4:39 AM

So I just read the town-hall chat

Mahnax

And what do you think?

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

trollololololo

Mahnax

Ah, OK.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

all we needed was nortonns in there for the troll quorum

Mahnax

Yeah.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

4:43 AM

between Carlo interpreting every single one of simchona's statements as a personal attack on him, and Evan interpreting the whole world as a giant conspiracy of Stackexchange trying to oppress him, I hardly knew which way to laugh harder.

Mahnax

I thought it was pretty entertaining.

I went out for ice cream and monetary deposits and missed most of it, though…

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

I was painting grout

it sounds more exciting than it is.

Mahnax

Hahaha.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

so are you starting gr 12 in august?

er, sept

Mahnax

Nope, grade 11.

In September.

I am quite excited for the school year to begin, though.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

4:48 AM

any idea what you're going to do after high-school?

Mahnax

Well, I was considering going to university overseas somewhere for a few years, but I'd need a bunch of scholarships/a full scholarship to afford that.

If I'm not able to come by the funds, I'll probably go to a university in the States, or maybe in Toronto or Quebec.

After I get my bachelor's degree, I might work for awhile and then try for a Ph.D.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

studying in the US is expensive

Mahnax

So I've heard.

BTW, found @Reg.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

looking a little wet.

Mahnax

Indeed. I guess Matt must've sent him some rain.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

4:53 AM

we could use some rain here. my grass is all brown

Mahnax

We had a torrential downpour the other day, followed by hail and a thunderstorm of grand proportions.

Well, I'm off to watch a movie.

Good night.

Mr. Shiny and New 安宇

yeah I should go too. cya

Jez

7:08 AM

maybe im missing something, but Evan Carroll is cutting a really rather sad figure right now

all the lobbying to be a mod and he's, well, in bad shape

skullpatrol

7:20 AM

We should label this election as the olympic games of ELU 2012 :-D

skullpatrol

7:31 AM

Jez

is Evan the badminton player who isn't trying to win?

Meysam

@Jez Maybe inviting him to this chat room and talking to him would make him feel better

Robusto

10:08 AM

@Meysam Of course. Invite a troll into our chat. That could only make things better for everyone.

@tchrist This is not true. For about $2k you can get an astoundingly real-sounding digital piano with a genuine grand-piano action. And it is always in tune.

Robusto

11:44 AM

OK, I've read through the transcript of the Town Hall and I have to say it was quite an unpleasant little clusterfuck. What should have been handled in an orderly way, with each candidate getting to answer each question to a satisfactory degree, was turned into a shambles of name-calling, trolling, troll-baiting, disruption, ill-will, and conspiracy-theory blathering. The Town Hall we had during the first election was a model of elegance and comity by comparison.

Frankly, I'm shocked that with five moderators present there could not have been a little more hands-on management. I know that nobody wanted to appear to be stifling voices, but when several people are standing on a box and shouting nonsense while the rest of the group is trying to conduct an orderly meeting, the process suffers.

Noah

Hello everyone

Robusto

I hate to suggest that what we had 15 months ago was a Golden Age, but it is hard to draw any other conclusion. Whether we enter into the Dark Ages now depends on to what extent we are going to suffer fools and saboteurs.

And hello to you too, Noah.

Noah

@Robusto- So what is the discussion about?

Robusto

Elections. Click the Town Hall Chat (first starred comment on the right) and see for yourself.

Matt Эллен

It didn't go exactly according to plan, did it?

it was almost lucky I was asleep when it happened

Robusto

11:58 AM

Well, I blame you and your need for sleep.

Matt Эллен

I didn't even get enough. That's the irony

Robusto

You never do, kid. You never do.

Noah

I am kind of hungry guys... Need to get a bowl of cereal....

Robusto seems to be a bit off...

What the heck, the whole election chat thing looks like a jumbled up collection of text from google books.

JSBձոգչ

wait, what? i thought that the town hall was tonight

Matt Эллен

1am thursday gmt

JSBձոգչ

12:12 PM

stooopid time zones

Noah

No, I think you are a bit late...

No, I think you were off taking a nap...

Matt Эллен

yeah. they make programming harder, and diary keeping

Noah

Matt, who is the winner?

Matt Эллен

no one yet!

Robusto

We did find out who the losers are, though ...

Matt Эллен

12:14 PM

the election ends in 5 days

Robusto

@Noah Nah, I think I pretty much nailed it. As usual.

Matt Эллен

@Robusto you mean all the eligible people who haven't run or voted yet?

Noah

Dont you have anyone on the inside?, :0

Robusto

@MattЭллен No, the people who disrupted the meeting.

Matt Эллен

oh yeah, them.

Noah

12:20 PM

Shouldnt we publish the chat as a book?

Matt Эллен

it'll get consolidated into a post on meta

which is like a book

only cheaper

simchona

usingenglish.com/forum/ask-teacher/175570-first-love.html

Noah

Who is going to be the main author of the town hall chat?

Here comes @simchona

simchona

5

Q: Experience First Love

If love, as in that feeling (not the person), is being talked about, is it correct to write: he has just experienced a first love ,when love is uncountable, but first suggests countability?

nouns uncountable-nouns

Matt Эллен

@Noah tim stone

Noah

12:23 PM

And @simchona brought us some love...:)

No, it's a troll

How come?

How come what?

the troll

he comes through the intertubes

simchona

12:25 PM

Well they're quite persistent and since they're suspended for a year I would prefer they go away

Noah

Well, they should...

reminds me of Harry Potter 2

Matt Эллен

@Noah Nortonn S, a suspended user, has a typical behaviour: post a question on usingenglish.com and then post it here. He'd be fine if it weren't for the fact that he is suspended.

Noah

I thought he was zoning out...

simchona

Why HP 2?

Noah

Cant we just kick him out once and for all

Matt Эллен

12:28 PM

he keeps coming back under new names and from different IP addresses

Noah

@simchona- Trolls are part of HP2.

He is probably running a cluster of his own...

Robusto

@simchona I have a feeling that once you're elected you will become the troll bane.

In fact, that can be your superpower.

Noah

Yea, she is a therapist, i am sure she can deal with it...

Robusto

So far we have three mutants with super powers. @Reg is The Twister, because he twists everything you say. I am Nuance, because I make fine distinctions between meanings of words (but I only use my power for good). @simchona can be Trollbane (or a nicer-sounding name). Oh, and @MattЭллен is on his way to becoming The Sloth, who sleeps his way through election meetings.

Noah

We probably need Newt Gingrich

Robusto

12:35 PM

Nobody needs Newt Gingrich.

Noah

I know, but he can take us to space...

Robusto

You want space? You want unbreakable space?   QED

Matt Эллен

Sleeping through election meetings is a power?

Noah