English Language & Usage: Multi-Layered Discourse Room

Robusto

2:30 AM

Wow, this place is dead as disco. Chat & main site alike. Did I miss a Super Bowl or something?

Kosmonaut

3:44 AM

What is this:

0

Q: Aren't "senseless" and "irrelevant" synonyms of "unreasonable"?

This question is related to: What does it mean when someone calls himself “non sequitur”? comments to to my answer to Is there a better noun form of “unreasonable” than “unreasonableness?” Is not "unreasonable" synonym to "senseless" and "irrelevant" ? Update: Thanks for answers. I sti...

I read through this question a few times and now I feel like I don't understand English anymore.

5

I am tired of these junk questions

Martha

@Kosmonaut LOL!

Kosmonaut

Also, how did someone get to negative reputation:

english.stackexchange.com/users/5531/arthurrex?tab=reputation

Is that normally possible?

Martha

Wow. I didn't think so, but apparently...

Kosmonaut

Pretty strange.

Anyway, going to sleep!

Martha

Good night!

waiwai933

3:58 AM

@Kosmonaut The 100 rep association bonus is not included in the rep graph.

Billare

5:42 AM

So...what to do about vgv8?

This chat is actually pretty cool, shame no one uses it often.

It seems so uncharitable to ban a user for stupid questions, though. Is that the only fault with him?

@Kosmonaut He gave a huge bounty on one of his questions, and then kept on doing it, I think that's what got him negative. Strangely enough, he had already had pretty good answers on the main question...

Benjol

@Billare, search google for "vgv8"

Billare

Yes, it seems he's a bit of a phenomenon.

He should just be banned, IMO; it's hopeless dealing with him.

Benjol

Very bad for community, as I think I pointed out somewhere on meta. Because newbies who don't know the history jump to his defence.

By the way Public Service Announcement (though there isn't much public here). the EN/FR proposal is in commitment phase now.

Billare

5:57 AM

He seems awfully earnest though...in some questions you can grasp the hint of a good question in there..but most of the time he's clueless, linking together totally unrelated words and concepts.

Benjol

@Billare I'm afraid I'm going to start downvoting. Low quality questions will kill the site and sap the energy of the most kind-hearted

Billare

I know...he's already sucked like 10 rep away from me. Precious, precious rep.

Not 10, more like 5 downvotes, but still way too much for any one user.

Benjol

@RegDwight, @nohat, @Kosmonaut. Ban vgv8 please. (read this first, if you like)

Dori

My 2¢: he's the kind of person long-term bans were made for.

Has he ever showed any interest in changing, or ability to see why so many find him annoying?

Benjol

And @Dori agrees with me!

Nope. And I don't think it's a language/cultural barrier. I hate to say it, but I think troll really does apply in this case.

Dori

6:05 AM

And it's not just on EL&U—it appears to be every online forum he's ever participated in

I'm still baffled by the claim in his profile about being a US patent attorney

Benjol

That's my point. We're not going to be 'curing' him any time soon...

Billare

@Dori Yes, I saw that too. Very strange, as his English is not so good..

Benjol

What I really hate is the way he uses 'questions' to continue the argument.

Dori

@Benjol Almost as much as I hate his "questions" that are actually personal attacks

Benjol

And I also hate that he seems to be totally incapable of entering any kind of constructive discussion, look on his comments here: meta.english.stackexchange.com/questions/728/…

Billare

6:09 AM

@Dori, @Benjol I had not actually noticed a vindictive or aggressive streak with him; I just noticed more and more clueless and badly formed questions were popping up, and then I realize a single user was behind most of them.

Dori

That was the one that led to my answer here

9

A: Why were my questions on English meaning, usage and grammar closed and deleted?

This is not an answer to vgv8's question; instead, I want to ask a larger, related meta question. What I know: He doesn't understand why his questions aren't welcome. He's no stranger to suspensions (and also). His actions are driving others away from this site. What I don't know: Why on e...

@Billare He's one of those people who knows that he's 100x smarter than everyone else and asks his questions mostly to mess with people.

Billare

@Dori There's a sort of analagous user on the Physics Stack Exchange...a VK (name omitted); I don't know physics, but I know that the regs regard him as a crank and downvote many of his answers and questions

@Dori But an essential difference between this user and vgv8 is that he's not a troll; he's just very earnest to discuss things, but he doesn't go hopelessy offtopic, he manages to answer a few basic physics questions from time to time, etc.

@Dori That's what I mistook vgv8 for at first. An eccentric.

Benjol

To me, a sign of these users' non-engagement with sites is that they don't even care if you downvote them.

@Billare That's your definition of eccentric?!

Dori

@Benjol Oh, I think he cares—but he just can't conceive of a world where those objecting to him might actually have a valid point.

Billare

@Billare Well, I mean, he's a crank, but he's harmless I think. He doesn't post bad questions, mostly, mostly bad answers and provocative comments.

Whoops...emailed myself.

Benjol

6:16 AM

I saw :) What I meant is that it seemed like you were saying that someone who thinks they're smarter than everyone else is eccentric. I could think of ruder euphemisms :)

Billare

@Benjol No, this guy isn't like that. He certainly can't sustain a site, I agree, I'd hate to have him during public beta or something, but he's pretty harmless on Physics. He knows the basic material, I think, he uses the ontology of the field. vgv on the other hand, just glues together totally unrelated concepts. His questions aren't just wrong, they don't even make sense!

Dori

For anyone who thinks his questions on EL&U are him honestly trying to learn, compare this

-1

Q: What are synonyms to the "analyst" without "anal" inclusions?

Do the words anal and analyst (analysis, analytical) have common root and/or origin? And why? Should I avoid their usage? What are the possible substitutions/synonyms for the word analyst that don't include the word anal? Update: I am sorry, but I am analyst and should know the possible con...

meaning vocabulary expressions writing-style

Benjol

@Billare Maybe he's someone's first attempt at AI :)

Dori

to this

ProGrama d'Or

@vgv8, wavy omnipresent

Russn Web HomoSec-ty bANALyst~German(w/dictionry), English(w/nobody),French,Portugse,Spanish, Ukrainian(w/girls)~FollowForwardOnly #writeOnly.I ♪♥♫ @KeyCAPTCHA

397 tweets, 621 followers, following 2k users

Billare

How does he have so many followers?

Dori

6:21 AM

Sometimes his questions sound to me like someone used Google translate to turn English into Russian, and the result back into English.

Benjol

> After giving the link to this site in my twitter @vgv8 account bio, I've got to my @vgv8 170 more followers just in 5 hours

His last comment on my answer. What on earth does that have to do with anything?

Dori

He follows huge masses of people, sticks with them for a day or two, and then unfollows anyone who hasn't followed him. Then you pick a new batch, and start again.

Billare

lol.

Right; total non-sequitur about Ourobouros on a recent question of my as well.

Dori

@Benjol When was that?

Benjol

@Dori, 2 days ago: meta.english.stackexchange.com/questions/728/…

Billare

6:27 AM

How do you paste links to questions like y'all have been doing?

Benjol

@Billare, copy, paste, as simple as that. If you paste a link on it's own, it gets 'oneboxed'

try it (once :)

Billare

0

Q: Is "Public Offer" synonym of ToS?

My company provides fee-based online services in addition to a free basic online service and product. We have not bothered until now much with ToS before but with increase of fee-based clients decided to formulate better our ToS. The problem is that ToS in Russian legislature is "Публичная Офе...

marketing legal sales terms-and-conditions tos

Baffling, no?

Benjol

Da da!

Dori

Some other sites also work for one-boxing; Twitter, for instance (as I showed above)

And Wikipedia

@Benjol Ah, I was trying to find it on EL&U—explains why I couldn't

Benjol

@Dori, there's nothing worse than trolls discovering meta (well, I guess there is - them discovering chat :)

Dori

6:31 AM

Although that still makes no sense—he put a masked link to EL&U into his twitter profile, and claims that that got him more twitter followers? Wha?

@Benjol Nah, because you can set your chat to ignore particular users.

Billare

0

Q: customer vs. client vs. user vs. consumer of on-line service?

My company sells fee-based online services in addition to a free basic online service and product. How one would call an entity subscribed for a free service and distinguishably name another that has paid/purchased for a fee-based additional service? What are the differences between the terms:...

software web terms-and-conditions tos

Benjol

@Billare, you're convincing yourself, right? :)

Billare

The fact that his questions are tailored to include buzzwords that will draw initial interest indicts him. He had to know Public Offer and ToS were relevant to Startup people, and then he crafts a nonsensical question to blow people's minds.

Yeah I'm convinced. These aren't just unwitting mistakes, it's willful trolling.

Dori

@Billare Did you notice he started recently posting at answers.onstartups.com? (another member of the SE family)

Billare

Yes, those are where I drew the last two questions from.

@Dori Yes, those are where I drew the last two questions from.

Hello, @Prashant.

Prashant

6:39 AM

@Billare Hello

Billare

Looking for something in particular? Not that you need to be, of course.

Just don't recognize your name.

In any case, I'm off, gentlemen (and women) ! Good-night.

Benjol

@billare, me too, gotta do some work...

Billare

8:18 AM

...suspension?! till 2013? is our long national nightmare over?

5

RD01

@Billare who's suspended?

Billare

vgv8, boy wunderkind.

RD01

Dec 3 '13. That's bizarre. and long.

oh, that's 1000 days. heh.

Billare

@RD01 quite so.

RD01

8:40 AM

This answer and its comments are like a train wreck. I can't help but stop and look every time I go by:

-4

A: Spelt and Spelled

'Spelt' is correct - regardless of what the dictionaries say, 'spelled' is incorrect. Besides, spelled looks and sounds childish. Unless you are a 15 year old writing something on Facebook, I would definitely use 'spelt', 'dreamt', and 'learnt' instead of 'spelled', 'dreamed', and 'learned'.

~~This answer and its comments are like a train wreck. I can't help but stop and look every time I go by:~~

Doh.

F'x

Don't know who did it and who triggered it, but: thanks for the long-term ban of an annoying user!

trVoldemort

8:56 AM

I knew holding someone tightly with both arms is called "embrace" or "hug". But what's that called when you stretch one of your arms and put it behind his back, and he put his arm behind your back.

you know, like male friends always do

hi! anybody?

RD01

@trVoldemort I don't know that I've ever called that anything but:

Pound hug

A stylized greeting, exclusively performed between two people, the pound hug (also referred to as a "pound shake," "one-armed hug," "dude hug," "homie hug," "shug," "hetero hug," "bro-grab," "bro hug," "thug hug," "man-hug" or a "hip-hop hug") consists of a combination of a handshake and one-armed hug. Unlike the traditional hug, which symbolically and effectively removes interpersonal barriers and unites the two persons embracing, the male hug—performed by keeping the right hand locked in handshake while the left arm wraps around the other's shoulder—interposes the obstacle of the two righ...

I'd have to raise an eyebrow if I heard almost any of those terms though. I'd go with man-hug if I had to select one.

trVoldemort

no, that's not what i meant

the guys have to be standing parallel

stand shoulder by shoulder

RD01

Facing the same direction?

trVoldemort

yes

god, i must find some picture to demonstrate this

what is this called

RD01

9:11 AM

No idea.

Billare

The story of vgv's banning must be related at length in the 'morrow.

trVoldemort

@RD01 then if you are asked to describe this action, what do you say?

Billare

Do you guys often find you've picked up peculiar phrases, and have no idea where they came from?

RD01

@trVoldemort I would probably just say that two people had their arms around each others shoulders.

trVoldemort

@RD01 thx, i think that'll do

RD01

9:30 AM

@billare Will there be a bard reciting an epic about the banning of vgv8?

F'x

10:25 AM

3

Q: Why is user vgv8 being suspended again, and for so long?

Why is vgv8 suspended till 03 Dec 2013, after just being suspended recently?

discussion

I wasn't part of this decision, but support it heartily; if you do too, your comments are welcome

as a community, we must show support to our moderators (well, that is, if we support their decision, of course)

what I mean is: don't be the silent majority, chip in!

Robusto

10:39 AM

Damn, all the interesting questions happen in the middle of the night. I'm at a distinct disadvantage here.

Robusto

11:56 AM

"What, could all this flesh not hold in a little life?" — Henry IV, Part Two

RegDwight

Flesh is an egregiously awful misspelling of chat, Mr Shakespeare.

Robusto

Spelling was more fluid in my day, Mr. RegDwight. Look how many different ways I spelled my own name.

And I would take issue with "egregiously awful" as woefully pleonastic.

RegDwight

I was expecting that.

Have at you with a pleonasm! Have at you with another!

Robusto

Umm, I don't know if anybody told you yet, but pleonasm doesn't refer to multiple orgasms.

RegDwight

What? I am egregiously shocked.

Oh, and THWACK, of course.

Robusto

12:05 PM

4

Q: What is the origin and meaning of "coyote ugly"?

I overheard two scoundrels discussing one of their dates as being "coyote ugly".

etymology metaphor

I don't understand T-Rex's comment.

Is he a newer, smarter vgv8?

RegDwight

Ain't Maduro an egregious cigar?

Robusto

I don't know, I don't smoke cigars.

RegDwight

That's egregious.

Robusto

Better watch it. I'll sic Mr. Esperanto on your ass. He'll NOAD you within an inch of your life.

RegDwight

But anyhow, obviously he does. Or he just googled for Robusto and made the first pun he could come up with.

@Robusto Haven't seen him round here, lately.

Robusto

12:10 PM

I guess even Mr. Sun & Moon has to sleep sometimes.

So a two-year ban for vgv8? That's more than I expected.

Is the following spam?

0

Q: What does "close to you Behind the Door" mean?

I love this song, its called "Behind the Door" and its by sixth Finger, I love the song, but I have no clue as to what it really means..Any input, is greatly appreciated, Thank You. Here's a link to the song, just in case: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qdFrYRAdfg

lyrics music

RegDwight

I dunno. Could be an honest question. If it's guerilla marketing, it's failing. That video only has 36 views.

And it's been up for nine months.

Robusto

Hence the desperation, perhaps?

Sometimes that kind of marketing works:

Gorillaz

Gorillaz is a musical project created in 1998 by British musician Damon Albarn and British cartoonist Jamie Hewlett. This project consists of the Gorillaz music itself and an extensive fictional universe depicting a "virtual band" of cartoon characters. This band is composed of four animated members: 2D (lead vocalist, keyboard), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, keyboard, and occasional vocals) and Russel Hobbs (drums and percussion). Their fictional universe is explored through the band's website and music videos, as well as a number of other media. The music is a collabora...

RegDwight

Well, frankly, the Clint Eastwood video did look a tiny bit more polished than this one.

Robusto

12:47 PM

Are you familiar with Damon Albarn and his work in other contexts?

►

And here he is collaborating with Paul Simenon of The Clash:

►

RegDwight

Grrr, you beat me to "acted on" by seven seconds.

And yes, of course I am familiar with Damon Albarn.

I think I'll go ahead and suggest to action on.

blogs.msdn.com/b/oldnewthing/archive/2009/08/18/9873193.aspx

Robusto

@RegDwight — The oily bird gets the Würm.

F'x

hi all

Robusto

Bon jour.

RegDwight

@Robusto I thought it was bacon?

Robusto

12:57 PM

Bacon is SO pre-breakfast. I'm into dragon-slaying now.

RegDwight

Summer of the Diabolical Holocaust?

No wait, that wasn't Slayer, that was Dark Throne.

D'oh, always mixing them up.

Robusto

Not a metalhead here. More into hardcore death-emo.

@RegDwight — But, hey, thanks for your vote anyway. =P

F'x

@RegDwight: wanted to congratulate you on your new super-20k powers

but are there any of these powers that you don't already have as mod?

Robusto

@Fx — Hey, Wednesday isn't Suck Up to the Mods Day. That's only on alternate Thursdays and/or immediately after an election.

F'x

@Robusto: everyday is suck up to the mods day!

RegDwight

1:04 PM

@Robusto Well, I didn't say I was going to post that as an answer. Because I'm not sure if the usage is actually invalid. I've been reprimanded by linguists before. Not going down that route again.

Robusto

And getting back to the vgv8 issue, Dec 3 2013 is kind of a random sentence. I could see a year, maybe two years, but 2 years, 8 months and change seems a little arbitrary.

RegDwight

4 hours ago, by RD01

oh, that's 1000 days. heh.

Robusto

Ah. I should have taken more math.

RegDwight

Yes, with your bacon.

F'x

actually, I take offense, why not 1024 days?

Robusto

1:06 PM

@RegDwight — Notice I didn't say it was invalid. Just sounded awkward.

@Fx — Because English is a base 10 language.

Geez, I thought everybody knew that.

F'x

@Robusto would you like two shillings for this opinion?

Robusto

I'm holding out for two and six.

RegDwight

@Robusto Oh well, then you're cleverererer than me. And I see that you've added "dealt with", too. Well then, here's your candy.

Robusto

@RegDwight — I think you just waited till you saw someone else had upticked me. Now you're trying to claim credit.

RegDwight

Hahahahahaha.

Not that again.

Robusto

1:11 PM

Why do people keep starring the "RegDwight has been ... appointed as owner of this room" comment? Bunch of sniveling little toadies, if you ask me.

I mean, it's a comment made by a machine, people. Not very clever at all.

F'x

and why do some stars appear with white center instead of the regular black center?

Robusto

Those represent hollow victories.

F'x

@Robusto until you've passed a Turing test, you have no right to assert your humanity like that

Robusto

I passed my Turing test and have a diploma to prove it.

They're easier to get in America.

RegDwight

@Robusto Well, I have no idea.

Feb 16 at 13:04, by RegDwight

Hey yo, stop starring me.

@Fx Those are pinned messages. They stay there so everyone's up to date on the latest developments.

Robusto

1:14 PM

"Pinned" messages? As in lavaliered?

RegDwight

2

A: Changing the semantics of starring in chat

☑ Vote the "Pin" Metaphor I like the "pin" analogy myself. The "pinned notice" section to the right should read like the front page of a newspaper or an abstract of a research paper. It says, "If you read nothing else in this chat room, read THIS." The signal to noise ratio in a chat r...

Robusto

Does it mean they're "going together"?

Ayway, it shouldn't be a star then. It should be a pin. Gives the wrong impression as a star.

Hey, but that's just my oinion.

RegDwight

Complaints are to be filed over ------> there

Robusto

I don't file them at all. I just drop them wherever I happen to be.

F'x

and you expect someone to file your droppings? gross

anyone, science can't wait, back to work!

see you

RegDwight

1:18 PM

CU

Robusto

1:29 PM

I'm no scientist, but I do have to go to work. TTYL.

kiamlaluno

1:57 PM

0

Q: Which are the best English Grammar books available?

Can anyone recommend one of the best English grammar books available?

grammar

RegDwight

Ongoing discussion here:

4

Q: Are "Book recommendations" allowed?

I see some questions from time to time which ask about book recommendations. I could not find anything related to the book term on the faq page. Is it allowed or should it be allowed? Some examples I can give: A Good Resource (Book, …) For Literary Techniques/Devices? Learning Phrasal verbs an...

discussion support on-topic-off-topic recommendations

Perhaps we should just post a "Yes" and a "No" answer there, in addition to Brian Hooper's "it's a judgment call" answer, and let the community vote on them...

@kiamlaluno But yeah, "best" is a sign of subjective and argumentative.

Mr. Shiny and New

Is this kind of question really on topic for this site? english.stackexchange.com/questions/12580/creating-a-new-word

kiamlaluno

@RegDwight: It's what I was writing in the meta question. :-)

RegDwight

@MrShinyandNew Some discussion here:

Feb 14 at 16:13, by RegDwight

BTW @Kosmonaut: here's a question that's at 4 close-votes atm:

Click on the "Feb 14 at 16:13" link to read on.

Mr. Shiny and New

@RegDwight Thanks. Finally figured out where to click :)

So I guess that question's close votes expired

RegDwight

2:14 PM

@kiamlaluno Yup, that's not unsimilar to the argument I was making on the Strunk&White question.

"I don't think that it's a bad question. I am merely saying that this site is not a book discussion club. True, S&W is all about English Language and Usage, but so are countless other books, and it's a slippery slope.

"If asking for a list of errors in S&W is on-topic, then so is asking for a list of typos in the OED, and then so is asking for a list of typos in Through the Looking-Glass, or any book, for that matter. We have to draw the line somewhere. And I'm not insisting that we draw it right here, right now, pronto; I am just putting in my two pennies worth."

kiamlaluno

I was going to say "great minds think alike", but then I thought it was not the case. :-)

I guess the main point is that EL&U is a Q&A site, not a discussion site.

I don't understand how to pin a question. I see only the link to star a post as interesting.

RegDwight

Well, we do have this question:

17

Q: What are your favorite English language tools?

To prevent myself from asking an obvious, silly question again, I would like to know which tools you find most useful, besides dictionaries. I found Corpus Concordance English is extremely useful to lookup collocations. Edit: Please, one tool per answer.

learning beginner esl tools

And I think it's okay.

@kiamlaluno I'm not even sure if mods can pin, I'm only certain that room owners can.

Mr. Shiny and New

@RegDwight I think a distinction could be made between discussing grammar/usage errors in grammar/usage book vs typos (in any book). Errors of fact are different from errors of publication.

kiamlaluno

@RegDwight: Oh, I thought that pinning was the replacement for starring a post.

RegDwight

@kiamlaluno No, if you want to look at it humorously, white stars are the "real" stars, while black stars are the "pity stars" @Robusto kept asking for.)))

kiamlaluno

2:21 PM

I wonder why the Lion keeps to zoom when I don't want to. :-)

@RegDwight: Do I take the "white stars" are done by you?

RegDwight

@kiamlaluno Not all of them, no. In fact, I think I've only ever pinned one. That's why I'm wondering who else has the rights to pin.

kiamlaluno

Sigh! Right now that I wanted to ask him what he means by "I am write-only", he has been suspended.

Robusto

@kiamlaluno — E&U.SE is a QA site? No wonder we find so many defects.

kiamlaluno

Oh, the blue badge appeared again, but this time it was on the left side.

RegDwight

@kiamlaluno "I do not read literature I am 'write-only'". – vgv8 Feb 7 at 7:59" I think the mystery has been solved.

kiamlaluno

2:26 PM

When I clicked on it, I was asked if a post was offensive.

RegDwight

@kiamlaluno Yes, but it's on Gaming.

kiamlaluno

@RegDwight: Thank you. Now he can be suspended until December 2013. ;-)

Robusto

The world will be over by then.

kiamlaluno

@RegDwight Do you mean the post I have seen?

RegDwight

@Robusto He'll be back for Christmas in the year 1 of the new era.

@kiamlaluno Yes.

Robusto

2:28 PM

@kiamlaluno — Keeps zooming. Work that present continuous.

Kosmonaut

Wow, 2013.

December no less.

RegDwight

Is it worth it, let me work it.

Robusto

Or I should say, "Keep working on it."

kiamlaluno

I hope not. They already tried that with "1000 and not more 1000".

RegDwight

Is it worthing on it, let me working on it?

Robusto

2:29 PM

Work that grammar, baby! Oh, yeah! Just like that! Who's your daddy?

Kosmonaut

2:45 PM

If vgv8 is "write only", doesn't that mean that he should only read literature?

And never speak?

kiamlaluno

It seems to me he means he just writes literature, and he never reads it.

RegDwight

Well, that was the confusion.

That's how many people misunderstood him, including those who answered his question on whether it was acceptable.

Kosmonaut

Don't you kind of wish you could meet him for like 5 minutes in real life?

Just to know if he was for real?

RegDwight

5

A: Is "I'm write-only" comprehensible?

You could certainly say that, although it would probably be best to restrict it to when you're in the company of computer geeks. Without any context, I would assume that you are indicating that you can keep a secret: someone can tell you something and you'll remember it, but nobody will be able ...

kiamlaluno

I still have to understand which literature he writes, but that is another topic.

RegDwight

2:48 PM

@Kosmonaut Believe me, you don't.

Be careful what you wish for.

kiamlaluno

Most important, remember you have just three wishes.

Kosmonaut

And you've already wasted two wishes by asking for a cheeseburger and then asking for a coke afterwards.

RegDwight

Haha. Yes. — What's your wish, master? — First, I wanna meet vgv8! — And your second? — OMG, I never want to meet him again! — And the third? — I really, really, really want to just forget he exists.

Kosmonaut

haha

kiamlaluno

(I wish I would be on Port Jeff right now, and take the ferry to Massachusetts, and not read about vgv8; are those three wishes?)

Kosmonaut

2:51 PM

There is a ferry from Port Jefferson to Massachusetts?

Benjol

@RegDwight, @nohat, @Kosmonaut, I don't know how pressed the button, but thank you very much whoever it was!

Robusto

@Kosmonaut — Just as long as it wasn't a Diet Coke.

Kosmonaut

@Robusto: It was because you didn't specify! The genie assumed this would be healthier!

Robusto

Genies are pricks, everybody knows that.

kiamlaluno

@Kosmonaut: I asked to the ferry to go more distant of where it usually went.

Robusto

2:53 PM

Being cooped up in a bottle for thousands of years does that to a supernatural being.

RegDwight

Don't pay the ferryman!

Kosmonaut

@kiamlaluno Haha, ok! Makes sense!

Genies are what you get when you give a troll godlike powers.

Robusto

My favorite genie cartoon has a middle-aged American couple who have just rubbed the proverbial lamp. The genie has appeared and is giving them a puzzled look. The caption is. "Well, all right ... if you want plastic slip covers I'll give you plastic slip covers!"

Kosmonaut

Did any of you ever watch MST3k?

Robusto

OF COURSE!

Kosmonaut

2:56 PM

Did you ever see the short "Case of Spring Fever"?

Robusto

Riff-Trax just isn't the same.

@Kosmonaut — I've seen them all, so yeah, but I don't recall that one specifically. One of the shorts before the feature presentation?

Kosmonaut

►

kiamlaluno

(Everybody could take the ferry to go to Bridgeport, but few people can demand to reach the Massachusetts without to take a longer trip.)

Kosmonaut

It was a short

In the Sci-Fi era.

This guy just reminds me of trolling genies.

Robusto

@Kosmonaut — I do remember this one. It is *so*1950s.

Kosmonaut

2:59 PM

Mike sums it up at the end, he says something like, "this guy makes an offhand complaint about springs and this guy alters the entire course of history just to be a dick to him"

Robusto

"So ... one clod says one thing and the whole world plays?"

Yeah, who knew springs were genies too? You can't be too careful.

Martha

@Robusto Echoing RegDwight, but: THWACK!

Kosmonaut

@Robusto LOL

Robusto

@Martha — I thought there was a time-limit on thwacking. Thwackable posts should decay like close votes.

I miss MST3K.

Kosmonaut

@Robusto Me too, although in my opinion, RiffTrax is reminiscent enough that I think it is better than nothing. But I really, really miss the bots.

Martha

3:02 PM

@Robusto The statute of limitations on thwacking only starts when I read the post.

Robusto

@Kosmonaut — The bots and the mads made a big difference, IMO.

Kosmonaut

Yeah, the missing host segments.

It also depends on which MST3k era you preferred.

Robusto

I liked them both.

I thought I wouldn't like Mike Nelson, but he actually did a great job.

But Joel Hodgson had some great bits. Remember the "Junk drawer starter kit"?

Kosmonaut

Yes, haha.

I liked them both as well, and I even came to like the "new" Crow

Robusto

Yeah. But Trace Beaulieu is definitely missed.

RegDwight

3:10 PM

@Robusto: and the bounty goes to...

0

A: Mrs. Malaprop = Malapropism - any other examples

I think the American version of 'malapropisms' is 'Archie Bunkerisms'.

Robusto

Wow.

I bow in Oosterwal's general direction.

Martha

Isn't a bounty on a community wiki question a contradiction in terms?

RegDwight

Well, yes and no. The decision on whether something should be CW is up to the community. The decision on how you spend your precioussss rep is up to you.

Robusto

I guess that's why they call bounty "the quicker picker-upper" ...

RegDwight

I mean, Elendil just threw ~4000 points away.

Robusto

3:23 PM

[cringes]

Martha

THWACK! Thwack thwack thwack!

Robusto

Hahahaha.

Martha

@Robusto That's right, boy, cringe away. You ain't escaping your just punishment.

Robusto

Took ya long enough.

Martha

I'm trying to do this thing called "work".

Robusto

3:27 PM

Um, can you speak English, please?

And stop using foul language.

Martha

I'm sorry. Not my fault. Need the paycheck.

RegDwight

@psmears no response from Writers so far. But I don't think they want to have it anyway.

Robusto

Work is a four-letter word.

RegDwight

I think it was posted before Writers even existed.

Robusto

They should have called that one "Writer's Bloc" ...

RegDwight

3:30 PM

Writers on the Storm.

Robusto

Nice Doors reference.

RegDwight

Stupid me put in a typo. Now it doesn't look anywhere as cuil, with that stoopid pencil there.

Kosmonaut

Depending on your accent, writers and riders could be pronounced exactly the same

But in other accents they are not

RegDwight

Universal truths are universal.

Robusto

It's a slant rhyme. Close enough for rock 'n' rolls & puns.

And notice he didn't get thwacked?

RegDwight

3:35 PM

I'm waiting just for that to happen.

Kosmonaut

@Robusto I know... I was just (gasp) trying to start a conversation about English language and usage :D

Robusto

@Martha is afraid to thwack you now.

@Kosmonaut — That's so adorable. I admire your optimism.

Gotta go to stand-up. BRB.

Martha

I think that whooshing sound was a pop-culture reference going way above my head. In other words, who am I supposed to be thwacking, and for what?

RegDwight

Riders on the Storm

"Riders on the Storm" is a song by The Doors from their 1971 album, L.A. Woman. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, number 22 on the UK singles charts and number 7 in the Netherlands. Overview According to band member Robby Krieger, it was inspired by the song "(Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend." The song is played in the E Dorian mode, and incorporates real sound effects of thunder and rain, along with Ray Manzarek's Fender Rhodes electric piano playing, which emulates the sound of rain. The song was recorded at the Doors Workshop in December 1970 with the...

Martha

Oh. Eh. Not really thwack-worthy in my book.

I mean, I can't go wasting my precious energy (and endangering my ruler) on just any play on words.

RegDwight

3:40 PM

Well, I'm not saying it should be. Robusto is.

Kosmonaut

9 mins ago, by RegDwight

I'm waiting just for that to happen.

I submit to you this piece of evidence.

Robusto

@RegDwight — Teacher's pet.

@Kosmonaut — Ooh, good one, Kosmo.

RegDwight

@Kosmonaut I was waiting for just that to happen. But my money was on Robusto, not you.

Robusto

I haven't seen a dime out of you yet, @RegDwight.

Kosmonaut

He doesn't have dimes.

Robusto

3:47 PM

Oh. Kopeks then.

Kosmonaut

He has silly money.

RegDwight

@Robusto And you won't. I've lost it, it now goes to Kosmonaut.

Early bird, bacon, yadda yadda.

Andy

Are there some resources that most of us would agree are good places to suggest to users, on the FAQ or About pages, that can be helpful to users that would ask questions that would lead to site scope-creep, or possibly that can just answer questions that some of us might answer simply by linking to them and citing a relevant passage or blurb? I'm referring to meta.english.stackexchange.com/questions/796/…

Kosmonaut

►

RegDwight

@Kosmonaut No sound, sorry.

Kosmonaut

3:51 PM

@Andy There's this

8

Q: What questions are on-topic and off-topic here?

One of the essential components of the FAQ will be the list of on-topic and off-topic subjects for questions. Following the model used by the webapps site, let’s use this question to vote on what topics should be on and off topic.

discussion appropriate-questions beta-essentials on-topic-off-topic

RegDwight

@Andy I'm surprised nobody's mentioned this:

17

Q: What are your favorite English language tools?

To prevent myself from asking an obvious, silly question again, I would like to know which tools you find most useful, besides dictionaries. I found Corpus Concordance English is extremely useful to lookup collocations. Edit: Please, one tool per answer.

learning beginner esl tools

Kosmonaut

Although I think we might want to reconvene and discuss it again, now that we have more users that have been around a while.

Oh, do you mean off-site places to point people?

RegDwight

Hehe. RegDwight one, Kosmonaut zero.

Kosmonaut

What? At least I have sound.

RegDwight

Hahaha. Okay, okay.

Andy

3:54 PM

In that question, I'm hoping to synthesize some answers (such as in "What are your favorite English language tools?") that we can add. For example, asking "What is a predicate nominative?" (just an example off the top of my head) is a question most of us could answer, but the asker could just as easily find the answer on any of a zillion good English reference sites, or textbooks, or whatever.

@RegDwight: Those are kind of what I had in mind. Could we put some of those, or some others like them, in the About or FAQ page(s)?

@Kosmonaut: Good link as well. I think that's also relevant to this discussion.

RegDwight

@Andy I guess so. This could be somewhat relevant, too:

4

Q: Should we require some reasonable research being done? (aka Questions that can be answered by opening an online dictionary)

Despite the apparent consensus (or lack of dissension) on the “Find in dictionary” topic here, I still regularly see questions on EL&U that I don't think are appropriate for the site, because they could simply be answered by someone checking an online dictionary. I'll give some recent example...

discussion

(But I'm personally torn on that one, don't expect to hear a strong opinion from me.)

Kosmonaut

I'm torn also, because sometimes a question that appears to be simple is actually really interesting.

Martha

@Kosmonaut ^This.

Andy

@RegDwight: Agreed. A lot of questions by, oh, say, @ArthurRex could be avoided. Not that it's not useful to know what a paraprosdokian is.

Kosmonaut

@Andy His questions aren't necessarily simple, they are just usually vague to the point of being riddles.

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English Language & Usage: Multi-Layer…