Slashdot Mirror

Not necessarily.

But then, it being US American, are you sure it isn't "ten to the ninety-seventh power", by analogy with billion ?

For something very much like that, you'd probably do just as well with the Totally Official Alt.usage.english Summer Doldrums Competition. (Also, there are no $1500 clues on Jeopardy.) :0

HTH, HAND.

Whereas you would probably have preferred Oxford or Cambridge to Harvard. "Gotten" is a word on one side o f the pond at least:
http://alt-usage-english.org/intro_d.shtml#Gotten

Here's a hint to everyone. Whenever you use a word or phrase, even a simple one you've used since you were a child. Look up it's meaning.

Was your typo for comic irony? If not, you might want to read parts of The alt.usage.english FAQ.

I say this because you clearly care about prescriptive usage rules - personally I don't care how someone spells something, as long as I can understand.

I was told the phrase "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey" relates to the three balls that pawn-broker shops had hanging outside as their shop, which is referred to as "the monkey".

From English usage:


"cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey"
We have examined various explanations for this phrase; some we reject as
impossible, and others suffer from lack of evidence. In particular, the
story that it relates to cannonballs stacked on a brass frame on board
ship has no historic or scientific support. Without repeating the flawed
theory in detail: the word used for a cannonball stand was "garland,"
not "monkey"; garlands were not brass; and it would have been most
unlikely that balls were stacked in such a way that daily pitching and
tossing of the ship would free them (which would have to have been the
case if the tiny effect of metal expansion from the cold was thought to
jar them loose).

For all intensive purposes, they're near enough.

How is that begging the question?

Er, no, it doesn't 'beg' the question. It raises it without answering it, certainly; but that's not what begging a question means.

Begging a question is assuming it, using it in a circular argument.

[pontificate mode: on]

I find it strange and depressing that a community which is, in general, so careful and precise about its use of computer languages, should be so cavalier in its treatment of human ones...

The ideas of Descriptivism vs.
those of Prescriptivism; an agrument as old as language study itself.

Yes it does.

"if they think that they can raise the price on me just because I don't buy full CDs anymore, they've got another thing coming"

Argh. I'm sorry if this it nit-picky, but really. I'm so frustrated at the poor writing I see on Slashdot and other sites. Let's all just try a little harder, hmm? With a little bit of work writing good english is not so difficult.

Here's a link explaining the "What's a billion?" thing better than I did.

Begging the question.

The decade that Andrew was the most popular name is the 1980's. In that decade, 1.4% of all American males were named Andrew (source). We can also assume that he speaks English as a first language, which makes him one of roughly 326,652,000 people. Halving this (because we're assuming male), we get roughly 2,300,000 people. Now we just need to eliminate the proportion that have the ability to write a virus.

If we make some reasonable assumptions - that he's between 14 and 22, and has an interest in computers, is fond of Linux, tends to be interested in, and good at maths and Sciences, and has near exclusive access to his own computer - we could eliminate a lot of these 2,300,000. Still probably leaves several quite a few people though.

Personally, I'm done renting DVDs.

I've rented about a dozen DVDs in the past year. In more than half those cases, I've gotten halfway through the movie only to find the DVD was scratched -- either I can't watch a given chapter of the film, or I can't finish watching the movie altogether. In one case, I exchanged the defective copy for a replacement, only to find the replacement was scratched, as well.

VHS cassettes had one big advantage over DVDs: protective casings. Sure, people dropped and mishandled VHS tapes, but you could still watch them afterward. DVDs are more easily damaged, which makes rentals a far less reliable market.

Consequently, I've given up renting movies. Between Amazon and Newbury Comics (a retail chain here in Boston), I rarely pay more than $15 for a DVD. That's about ten bucks more than I'd pay to rent. For my extra money, I get: (1) to own the DVD; (2) to watch the DVD as many times as I like; (3) no worry about deadlines and late fees; and (4) a guarantee that no backwoods, toothless hick family spilled macaroni and cheese on the DVD the night before.

And for those movies I'm curious about but hesitant to buy, I've got Comcast digital cable with On-Demand service. Sure, new releases don't show up until a few weeks after they're available on DVD; but I control the start time, pause and rewind -- and again, no late fees or defect concerns. As an added bonus, On-Demand costs a dollar or two less than Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. In other words, it rocks.

My two cents.

crib

Since when is calling a spade a spade unprofessional?

a) Prompts the question. *Prompts* the question. To *beg* the question is something like:

"The Bible must be true, because God wouldn't lie to us; we know God is trustworthy, because it says so in the Bible"

b) Wolfenstein 3d. My brother and I debated four a couple hours over whether to get it, was it a trap, did it have a virus, etc.

Took us an hour (an hour! for a megabyte!) to download it on our 14.4 (?) modem using PROCOMM PLUS. Turned out it *didn't* have a virus... but the *map editor* did. :P

(I just pulled it down again from an IRC channel. Took me ten seconds. God I love academic 'net connections.)

what exactly does it mean to be part of either the UK or Great Britain in the first place?

Keep trying.

I know, I used that on purpose to illustrate the to/from difference.

These little annoyances are no doubt seen as nitpicking by those who don't bother with the details of the language, but awkward phrasing and word use cuts into easy comprehension.

Sheesh, maybe I should just buy a lifetime membership to a.u.e.

You must be smoking some good shit

I thought the misassociation of a famous confidence trickster's words to PT Barnum was common knowledge... I mean this was stated in the A&E biography by numerous historians, as well as in the History Channel recanning of the same interviews.

However, just because PT didn't say it, doesn't mean it wasn't true. But really, we're the suckers in the end... Since we've all got to pay higher rates now.

This book is filled with great tips and advice on finding the "right" job. Moreover, apart from specific suggestions, its approach will get you thinking outside the box, so to speak, and you'll come up with your own ideas.

I've had some great ideas, over the years. Some have proven successful, and others had led to spectacular failure. But I've never regretted being creative in search of a good job, because it's always landed me someplace worth being.

Keep your resume and correspondence brief and sharp. You're almost always in competition for a prospective employer's attention, so you have to stand out from the pack. A four-page resume with solid blocks of text is a bad idea. Plan your resume visually, just like an advertisement -- because that's exactly what it is.

Do whatever you can to bypass the wall of "human resources," and get to the people who are empowered to recognize skill and talent. The primary purpose of an HR department is not to hire, but rather to screen. The first thing an HR employee looks for, when picking up someone's resume, is a reason why this person can't be right for the job.

Remind yourself of some basic marketing tips and techniques. I recommend all three of Harry Beckwith's books, starting with Selling the Invisible. Everything, from your cover letter to your interview, is about selling yourself. Mention your skills, but focus on yourself. At the end of the day, in most cases, an employer isn't hiring a resume or a set of skills: He's hiring a person. You. The first three seconds of the interview are the most important, so smile and offer a firm handshake. Dress just a little bit better than is appropriate for the job; don't wear jeans, and don't wear a tux. Carry a "Thank You" card with you to the interview, and drop it into a mailbox as you leave.

Instead of trying to prove that you're the best choice, convince the employer that you're a good choice.

My two cents.

false. but thanks for playing.

This is utter nonsense. A writer KNOWS what font he writes in makes know difference, the magazine/publisher will likely decide this. This is akin to blaming the existance of pencils and electric sharpeners for his incessant pencil sharpening.

Some years ago, I noticed that I was doing almost none of my writing in Microsoft Word. I used Word to save and to print, but I was writing most text in AOL documents. When I realized this, I started using Apple's Stickies software, and I've found that to be the best solution. I don't have to look at even one foolish toolbar, and I can easily open, re-size, re-color, and re-arrange multiple windows -- allowing me to essentially write on digital 'notecards,' which is particularly useful in speechwriting.

My two cents.

crib

Of course SUV drivers don't have a higher survival rate than other cars...

I drove a Ford Explorer in high school. In my senior year, I flipped it over. I was driving on the highway late at night, and made the mistake of using cruise control during icy conditions. I hit a patch of black ice, and the cruise control tried to accelerate. The Explorer bounced off the guardrail, which tore a chunk from the front driver's wheel, and the truck flipped five times.

I was with two friends. One friend was unharmed, and the other just had to have his eyes flushed as a precaution. I was pretty banged up, and have glass "shrapnel" in my elbow and knee to this day...but none of us suffered any major injuries. We were all able to climb from the wreck on our own. Frankly, aside from my concussion, the worst part was waiting in the cold for help to arrive. (And the fright of looking out the windshield and seeing the world start to tilt. That's a sight I'll never forget.)

Now, take that anecdotal evidence for what it's worth. Today, I drive a sedan, and I don't think I would buy another SUV. But I really don't have any safety concerns about them, and my experience proved (to me) they can be as safe as a Volvo. I wrecked one about as bad as possible, and I barely missed a day of school. I certainly don't consider it "common knowledge" that bigger isn't better. And while I wouldn't have flipped in the first place in a lower car, I doubt I'd have survived a similar accident in certain automobiles.

My two cents.

A few helpful links from Google.

Which begs the question: was she the only one?

Standards and practices are one thing; federal regulations are quite another. Yes, chess should remain as it is: to play properly, one must remember how the pieces move. However, if you and I choose to sit in Starbucks and tinker with a chess set, skipping our pieces randomly across the board, we don't worry about being fined by the FCC.

Now, true, chess is a game, rather than a communications tool; and our "tinkering" doesn't affect others, whereas a broadcast can be picked up by anyone. But we're not talking about someone's right to trample across the airwaves yelling, "LiMp BiZkiT RuLeZZ!!!" One operator's inability to use Morse Code won't significantly detract from someone else's ability to use the airwaves.

There's another element, as well: consistency. In 1999, the United States Coast Guard stopped monitoring the Morse maritime distress frequency, and the International Maritime Organization dropped a requirement that ships over 300 tons have telegraph capabilities." (Source.) If the government is taking steps to recognize the obsolescence of Morse Code, shouldn't FCC requirements for radio licenses be first on the trash list? It seems foolish, to me, to require that people learn a code which is so out-of-date that our own government has stopped listening for it.

Personally, I'd go the other way. I think Morse Code's advantages in a potential catastrophe warrant its being kept alive. Suggesting that students learn Morse Code in school migh sound foolish, at first...but it's more practical than the redundant (and required) "cursive" script, isn't it? And with the quality of public education in this country, oughn't we give due consideration to almost any suggestion, before laughing it off the table?

But in the meantime, if our government doesn't even bother monitoring Morse Code, the only reason I see for requiring it for FCC licenses is to maintain the "elite" nature of ham radio. And while I agree that there are benefits in erecting chickenwire to keep out the riffraff, I certainly don't think that's an appropriate job for federal legislation.

My two cents.

Try again tough guy. It's 'all intents and purposes.'

Unfortunately the meaning appears to be changing, gidds and I (and probably others) are familiar with with the original usage and the new form grates. See The Skeptics Dictionary and The alt.usage.english Home Page for explanation of the original (and correct!) usage, while World Wide Words for a discussion on the changing meaning.

If something has a value that is 'inestimable', 'too great to be measured', 'incalculable', 'beyond estimation', or however you phrase it, then there's simply nothing to compare. One object's value can't be 'more incalculable', or 'further beyond estimation' than another. If you can't measure it, estimate or calculate it, then you can't compare it.

'More invaluable' is, as I said, a meaningless phrase.

('Inflammable' is a different case, with a very different history.)

I'm not so sure. I don't think the OpenGroup has been sloppy/lazy enough:

criteria for trademark loss

one that lists Unix

However, just to freak you out, find unix as a trademark for things other than operating systems

If we help him out, any symbolic victory of theirs is lost...

I doubt we're getting the whole story -- here, or with the other four students who settled last month. I'd like to see someone ask them one question: "Did you have any pirated music?" I've never used Napster/KaZaA/etc. in my life. (I'm a Mac user.) If the RIAA came after me for writing one of these programs, you can bet that would be the first thing out of my mouth to any reporter who'd listen: "I have never traded music."

The software may not be as devious as the RIAA is painting it; but if these kids did in fact have pirated MP3s, then it's going to be pretty tough to convince a jury that their hands were squeaky-clean.

And BTW, did anyone else notice the kid's father beaming with pride? "He has stood up to the schoolyard bullies that are pulling this," he says of his son. The kid forked over his life's savings, without a hint of protest. It's pretty hard to keep a straight face listening to the nerd tell you how he beat up the bully, while his nose is still bleeding and his lunch money's gone.

One final note: This kid was a college student at a polytech school, with $12,000 in his bank account. You know a lot of college students who are sitting on $12,000? If you want to donate your money to charitable use, that's commendable; but there are better fronts to fight in this battle, and I suspect there are more needy victims than little Jesse Jordan.

My two cents.

crib

Misattributed, and always with the context misunderstood.

Marie Antoinette never said it. And even if she had said it, it would carry anti-monopolistic implications against the bakers.

excerpt

well, if something doesn't 'pass muster' then it doesn't 'cut the mustard' maybe thats what you were thinking of ? :)

Oh, never mind, this page explains it far better than I can.

This expression meaning "to contribute one's opinion" dates from the late nineteenth century. Bo Bradham suggested that it came from "the days of $.02 postage. To 'put one's two cents' worth in' referred to the cost of a letter to the editor, the president, or whomever was deserving". According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the first-class postal rate was 2 cents an ounce between 1883 and 1932 (with the exception of a brief period during World War I). This OED citation confirms that two-cent stamps were once common: "1902 ELIZ. L. BANKS Newspaper Girl xiv, Dinah got a letter through the American mail. She had fivepence to pay on it, because only a common two-cent stamp had been stuck on it." On the other hand, "two-cent" was an American expression for "of little value" (similar to British "twopenny-halfpenny"), so the phrase may simply have indicated the writer's modesty about the value of his contribution.

I think you'll find that different "implementations" of English have different rules.

Colour, LASER, aluminium?

Curiously, he doesn't

It's always hazardous to change a well-established standard that is attached lamprey-like to everyone in the culture.

I recall a guy who proposed changing all postal codes to a latitude-longitude-altitude system. It would work anywhere, produce unique addresses, and allow distance calculations ... but everyone would have to change, addresses would be a generic series of numbers, typos would be easy to make, and local routing problems would remain the same.

Remember the Dvorak keyboard? Enough said on that issue.

I recall an article in Scientific American or Discover long ago, that proposed changing the English alphabet to a 40-character version to allow a much more phonetic language. It is a great idea, except for the utterly impossible job of changing the mother-tounge of 326 million people. And what about all that legacy information in the old alphabet? People would have to be bilingual in their own language for hundreds of years. It can't work.

We use our current time system for some sound reasons. The hour was a sensible division of the day; the minute (minn-it) was a minute (my-noot) form of the hour, and the second was the "second minute" or second smaller form of the hour. It's mostly cultural, but there's probably something genetic in there somewhere ... the second, minute, and hour being good time intervals for various Human functions.

I think these proposals are symptoms of a certain, greater disease that I don't have a name for. There is a diseased desire to optimize for calculations while letting other factors (arguably Humanistic) be downplayed. Is there any particular advantage to using 100-minute hours and 10-hour days over what we have now? I mean, it's not as if we use e, pi and radical-2 for measuring time. The closeness of the Human to the time he is immersed in seems to make the particular choice of numbers irrelevant (as far as the large integers go). We might just as easily use 18 hours in a day, 48 minutes to an hour, and 52 seconds in each minute. If anything, using 24 and 60 (Babylonian, Sumerian or Mesopotamian legacies?) gives us a good selection of -- er, I forget the exact term ... subfactors?: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc.

(But I sure do wish we'd change that damned Julian calendar. Is the current month 30 or 31 days long? -- I can never remember, no matter how many days hath November, or whatever the mnemonic phrase is. I note that 13 months of 28 days apiece means 364 days, which means every year will be off by about 1.24 days -- we can adjust for that somewhere, since the leap years compensate now for the .24 or so. Changing the calendar radically seems easier than changing the alphabet radically, and the calendar has been changed before.)

I conclude this posting with a GREAT book recommendation: "The Science of Measurement: A Historical Survey" by Herbert Klein. It goes into heavy detail about where all those damned units came from.

Please see:

• This UK page (now moved here
• This UK news site A quote:

  Ten thousand million nucleotides The number of nucleotides in the EMBL Database has now exceeded 10,000,000,000.

  Seems to indicate that 10^10 = 10 thousand million.
• This site, With quote:

  Despite this, the U.S. meaning is still rare outside journalism and finance, its introduction having served merely to create confusion. Throughout the U.K., a common response to the question "What do you understand by 'a billion'?" would be: "Well, I mean a million million, but I often don't know what other people mean." Few schoolchildren are confident of the meaning, though, again, 10^12 seems to be preferred. Many well-educated adults, aware of both meanings, either avoid the term altogether or use it only in the unambiguous phrases "English billion" and "American billion". English-speaking South Africans, Australians, and New Zealanders are similarly reluctant to use a term that has become ambiguous.

  Scientists have long preferred to express numbers in figures rather than in words, so it is easy to avoid "billion" in contexts where precision is required. The plural is still used freely with the colloquial meaning of "a very large number".

  Publications consulted: OED, Editions 1 and 2. Robert, Dictionnaire historique de la langue francaise. P Pamart, "A propos d'une reforme des mesures legales", in "Vie et Langage", (125)1962, pp 435-437.

That's some weird protein weight there. Of course you were right about this one.

> I explained, that it essentially means "eater of raw meat".

This probably isn't true though so many people believe it that it might as well be. It in reality probably describes something to do with the lacing of a snowshoe, and is from the Algonquin language Montagnais rather than an Abenake dialect as was originally believed.

See more or less any online dictionary for more information, also some more detail at:

here

If you haven't dealt with Algonquin languages before, the 'Goddard' mentioned there is essentially the most reknown Algonquinist there is. If there is anyone who is able to correctly speak on things as difficult as dead Algonquin languages it is he.

Of course since the word is perceived as offensive already, there is little else we can do but treat it as offensive. Words such as Inuit are perhaps more accurate, anyways.

It is very rare that a native american tribe actually (historically) has a name for itself; hence so many of them are named by other tribes, resulting in persistant (sometimes true) rumors about the insulting nature of these names. (Most that are still around have of course adopted names from some source by now)

Actually, it doesn't beg the question.

No, it wasn't even royalty. It was Rousseau, from Confessions. You can read more about it here.

More fundamentally, the use of "quality" as an adjective ("quality code") is a somewhat recent invention. I don't mention this to flame or pick nits, and in fact I use the word this way as well; I just found it interesting.

A few words in defense of "I could care less."

www.m-w.com: According to one theory, it's because I could care less has an emphatically sarcastic ring to it when spoken. Since it's difficult to sound sarcastic in print, the older I couldn't care less continues to be used there. But that's pure conjecture.

AUE FAQ has some other opposite idioms and their etymology.

Well, Hemos could be just realizing the possibility of an acquisition and asking if it has already taken place. :-/

(However alive or dead the subjunctive construction may be, if the term baffles you, it's never too late for a brief lesson or two.)