Domain: m-w.com
Stories and comments across the archive that link to m-w.com.
Comments · 2,532
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Re:The USA uses 40% of the world oil supply...
At first I thought that sociopathic was the wrong word to use but after looking it up at Miriam-Webster it seems quite accurate. "sociopathic" directs you to "psychopathy" which in turn is defined as "extreme mental disorder marked usually by egocentric and antisocial activity"
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Re:The USA uses 40% of the world oil supply...
At first I thought that sociopathic was the wrong word to use but after looking it up at Miriam-Webster it seems quite accurate. "sociopathic" directs you to "psychopathy" which in turn is defined as "extreme mental disorder marked usually by egocentric and antisocial activity"
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Re:countermeasures?
This isn't vigilante justice. A web site that is up, running, and is a financial danger to grandmas everywhere MUST be taken down. A web site that is up, running, and compromised MUST be taken down.
So, who decides which web sites MUST be taken down, and which may be allowed to remain? You? Oh, I see. And this differs from vigilante justice exactly how? Let's take a look:
a member of a volunteer committee organized to suppress and punish crime summarily (as when the processes of law appear inadequate); broadly : a self-appointed doer of justice
Mmm, yeah, just as I thought. It differs not a bit.
Look, Anonymous Coward, if you condone taking any web site out based on nothing more than your own opinion, you open us all up to the same sort of action from others. Someone will shut down your favorite porn site because goodness, think of the children! Infidels.org will be taken down by a DDoS from Christians Without Reason. Shortly after that, coke.com will be taken down by PepsiCo. Nothing will be safe.
Let me be clear: Encouraging a DDoS is vigilantism. There are other ways to deal with the problem. Dissatisfaction with the other options is not an excuse for descending to vigilantism. -
Re:Location is a meat game.
Wait, you mean the Right DOESN'T stand for massive debt, runaway government, censoring scientific research, intrusive laws, lack of oversight, lack of foresight, and a general lack of intellegence (military and otherwise)? That they aren't the ones attempting to descecrate this country's Constitution by converting it into a common dictionary to define a word that already means what they want it to mean? That it isn't about changing your story every time you're caught in an open lie? (so tell me, where are the WMDs? Why aren't Canadians keeling over in droves from their shoddy and impure medicine?)
If you don't like Bush and his Congress are doing, then you should have broken tradition (which seems to be Standard Operating Procedure for the Right, whenever convenient) and held a real race for the primaries.
I'm posting this AC to avoid the obvious karma whoring complaint. I'll bookmark it and check back to see what YOU think the Right stands for. -
If you don't seek help here...
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Re:Planet Triangle
Not only that, but there is a whole class of diseases named for her. Jupiter should be sure to wrap it up.
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Re:Yes, definitely.Straight from Merriam-Webster Online:
usage Though disapproved of by many, pronunciations ending in \-ky&-l&r\ have been found in widespread use among educated speakers including scientists, lawyers, professors, congressmen, U.S. cabinet members, and at least one U.S. president and one vice president. While most common in the U.S., these pronunciations have also been heard from British and Canadian speakers.
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melanin - melatonin
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melanin - melatonin
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Re:Finally, someone who has some truth to them
Hey, I hate to be the one to tell you (ok, I lie, I relish being the one to tell you): your sig is incorrect. "Quoth" is most certainly a word, and "boxen" properly refers to something made out of boxwood. An arguement could be made for "umm", since it's about as valid as most other interjections, but I'll settle for dinging two out of three.
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Re:Finally, someone who has some truth to them
Hey, I hate to be the one to tell you (ok, I lie, I relish being the one to tell you): your sig is incorrect. "Quoth" is most certainly a word, and "boxen" properly refers to something made out of boxwood. An arguement could be made for "umm", since it's about as valid as most other interjections, but I'll settle for dinging two out of three.
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Re:If anything, that crap is counterproductive
so I imagine this is some slang I'm not familiar with.
Indeed. Merriam-Webster indicates the definition of blowout is as quoted below. See #4.
Main Entry: blowout
Pronunciation: 'blO-"aut
Function: noun
1 : a festive social affair
2 : a bursting of a container (as a tire) by pressure of the contents on a weak spot
3 : an uncontrolled eruption of an oil or gas well
4 : an easy or one-sided victory -
versus versus versesMerriam Webster entry for "verses"
Main Entry: 1verse
Pronunciation: 'v&rs
Function: noun
(3) : POETRY 2 b : POEM c : a body of metrical writing (as of a period or country)
3 : STANZA
4 : one of the short divisions into which a chapter of the Bible is traditionally dividedMerriam Webster entry for "versus":
Main Entry: versus
Pronunciation: 'v&r-s&s, -s&z
Function: preposition
1 : AGAINST
2 : in contrast to or as the alternative ofWhile it's possible the "Verses" in the article title was a subtle pun/play on the fact the Bible is creationist and consists of "verses", I am apt to believe it wasn't so.
/spelling_nazi -
versus versus versesMerriam Webster entry for "verses"
Main Entry: 1verse
Pronunciation: 'v&rs
Function: noun
(3) : POETRY 2 b : POEM c : a body of metrical writing (as of a period or country)
3 : STANZA
4 : one of the short divisions into which a chapter of the Bible is traditionally dividedMerriam Webster entry for "versus":
Main Entry: versus
Pronunciation: 'v&r-s&s, -s&z
Function: preposition
1 : AGAINST
2 : in contrast to or as the alternative ofWhile it's possible the "Verses" in the article title was a subtle pun/play on the fact the Bible is creationist and consists of "verses", I am apt to believe it wasn't so.
/spelling_nazi -
Impressions
[What's even more fascinating] Is that people whine about spelling so much.
Maybe because not making the effort to use proper spelling and grammar demonstrates a lack of respect for the reader? Nobody's perfect, but even without a spell checker you can catch the vast majority of your errors by just re-reading your post, and if you don't know the spelling of a word, there's a handy thing called a dictionary (there are even online dictionaries) to help you out. I'll agree that criticizing another's errors is generally uncalled for, but the nature of Slashdot (an "informal Internet forum", as you put it) doesn't mitigate the impression your post makes on readers--especially given the emphasis many people here seem to put on proper spelling and grammar.
Just a thought . . .
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Re:Osama makes more sense than either Bush OR KerrThe word you are looking for is: imperialism.
Wow, do you really think the opposite of isolationism is imperialism?
The word I was trying to think of was internationalism.
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Re:YES! or Learn what drill means
Your argument has a huge logic error in it. First lets define drill, according to webster, then do a little search and replace on your sentence.
drill:- to bore or drive a hole in
- to make by piercing action
Now for a little search and replace, They do not bore or drive a hole in the baby's skull. They insert a pair of scissors, then open it to enlarge the hole. Now surely you can say Hey, I am comfortable with the notion of putting holes into a baby's skull. with out having to teach someone a lesson that ultimately you were wrong about. Tip to you: worry less about propaganda and more about logic.
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Re:Nigging out?
No matter what I do I can't even figure out from the context what it's supposed to mean. I can't think of any words that it might be a typo of either.
Perhaps he was thinking of reneged? -
Re:Superiority....
bloodsucking isn't hyphenated, at least according to the merriam-webster dictionary:
bloodsucking
blood-sucking
Just thought you'd want to know :-) -
Re:Superiority....
bloodsucking isn't hyphenated, at least according to the merriam-webster dictionary:
bloodsucking
blood-sucking
Just thought you'd want to know :-) -
Re:Define irony.
Ironically nothing in that song is actually ironic.
Classical irony it is not, but I think meaning 3a applies here. I call it irony lite. -
Re:Why do people use the word 'meme' so often?
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Re:There is hope for my waning faith in Americans.
They weren't jailed for non-violent protest. They were arrested and released (no jail time) for trespassing.
[emphasis added]
arrest: : SEIZE, CAPTURE; specifically : to take or keep in custody by authority of law.
HTH
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Concerning your sig
The word you're looking for is ternary. The "bin" in binary comes from the Latin distributive numeral bini (meaning two each). Of course, the word decimal is derived from the ordinal decimus (meaning tenth), so you might also make a case for using tertial to describe a base three number system, but there's no need to do that when the word ternary has already existed for a long time.
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Back to Basics
That is hardly exceptionalism. Please study and learn the term before debating further.
Main Entry: exceptionalism
Pronunciation: ik-'sep-shn&-"li-z&m, -sh&-n&l-"i-
Function: noun
: the condition of being different from the norm; also : a theory expounding the exceptionalism especially of a nation or region
I would say your definition of the US system of government to be superior to the vast majority of the world's other democratic systems to be exceptionalism. What definition of exceptionalism are you using?
Also, presenting blanket observations from anecdotal evidence is casuistry, and that's well-recognised as a specious argument. -
Re:Hmph...well-
Yeah but we all know the FBI isn't going to be stopped by small things like jurisdictional issues.
Yeah... whoever heard of things like cooperation among multi-national police agencies or any of them newfangledy legal words like extradition. -
Re:Duplicate or confirmation ?
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Re:This is news?
This word, "ironic", I do not think it means what you think it means...So, unless you think the paper is really FOR Bush, you misused the word "ironic".
You left out the third definition from your link, which fits the use of the word pretty nicely:
3a (1) : incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result (2) : an event or result marked by such incongruity b : incongruity between a situation developed in a drama and the accompanying words or actions that is understood by the audience but not by the characters in the play -- called also dramatic irony, tragic irony
One would expect Crawford's local paper to be pro-Bush. They did not -- hence the irony.
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Re:This is news?
Did you RTFA? It has nothing to do with being in a small town. It's a solid editorial made ironic by the fact its from Bush's home town.
This word, "ironic", I do not think it means what you think it means.
From m-w.com:
Main Entry: irony
[edited for brevity, click the link for the whole definition]
2 a : the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning
So, unless you think the paper is really FOR Bush, you misused the word "ironic". For a good example of what irony is, read some of Mark Twain's political commentaries.
[In the Galaxy Magazine]: I shall not often meddle with politics, because we have a political Editor who is already excellent and only needs to serve a term or two in the penitentiary to be perfect.
- Mark Twain, a Biography -
Re:New taste to acquireAt least you'll be awake
Make that "At least you'll be awake and in the bathroom".
Caffeine is a diuretic. I can't imagine the length of the women's room line once this beer comes out.
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Back-formationThe references you quote also have the word listed without the unnecessary "ariz" in the middle. I get the feeling it's only in the dictionary in it's long form because enough people got it wrong for it to come into common usage.
According to Merriam-Webster, it actually happened the other way around. "Burgle" is a back-formation.
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Re:RSA is far less obscure than physical security
Cryptography is obfuscation. That Is The Point Of Its Existance. End Of Story.
Yes, the mechanism by which RSA works is very well known. It is based on integers calculated using extremely high primes.
But you miss the point.
If the two particular high primes become known, factoring your public and private keys becomes very fast and easy. the obscurity is in those primes and your keys not the encryption and decryption algorithms. Incidentally it's physical security that protects those keys.
I repeat security by obscurity is not as good on it's own as when it's combined with a physical security layer.
I issue the same challenge I gave to hast : If you're so sure relying on RSA (or indeed any private password system) is not security by obscurity, just post your machine IPs, root passwords and RSA private keys here on slashdot and we'll see how quick you get rooted. And as you're defending wireless, how about your zip code to give the wardrivers a heads up?
See where the "obscurity" is yet? -
Re:RSA is far less obscure than physical security
Cryptography is obfuscation. That Is The Point Of Its Existance. End Of Story.
Yes, the mechanism by which RSA works is very well known. It is based on integers calculated using extremely high primes.
But you miss the point.
If the two particular high primes become known, factoring your public and private keys becomes very fast and easy. the obscurity is in those primes and your keys not the encryption and decryption algorithms. Incidentally it's physical security that protects those keys.
I repeat security by obscurity is not as good on it's own as when it's combined with a physical security layer.
I issue the same challenge I gave to hast : If you're so sure relying on RSA (or indeed any private password system) is not security by obscurity, just post your machine IPs, root passwords and RSA private keys here on slashdot and we'll see how quick you get rooted. And as you're defending wireless, how about your zip code to give the wardrivers a heads up?
See where the "obscurity" is yet? -
Re:OT, sorry
Merriam webster, online:
Either get a better dictionary, or get an unabridged one. You're information is what's lacking... -
Re:Won't Change
Some people want it to change, some don't, many are not aware that there is a question. It is a democracy, and it is a republic, the two are not mutually exclusive unless you take the strictest form of democracy as your defintion. You're right that part of the public, or even most of the public, wanting something doesn't automatically make it so. But widely-felt opinions do have a way of creeping into politics - such is a representative democracy. Some popular topics, for one reason or another, do get marginalized for various reasons.
You say, "... John Q. Public can't initiate anything ..." but surely that is an overly-cynical point of view?
I should have said, "... Significant change will happen if and when ..." rather than just "when" but my point was that while the obstacles to such major changes may seem overwhelming, they need not be if taken one step at a time.
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Re:Won't Change
Some people want it to change, some don't, many are not aware that there is a question. It is a democracy, and it is a republic, the two are not mutually exclusive unless you take the strictest form of democracy as your defintion. You're right that part of the public, or even most of the public, wanting something doesn't automatically make it so. But widely-felt opinions do have a way of creeping into politics - such is a representative democracy. Some popular topics, for one reason or another, do get marginalized for various reasons.
You say, "... John Q. Public can't initiate anything ..." but surely that is an overly-cynical point of view?
I should have said, "... Significant change will happen if and when ..." rather than just "when" but my point was that while the obstacles to such major changes may seem overwhelming, they need not be if taken one step at a time.
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Re:Bush-speak...
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Re:DIYYour post cites a definition of "anarchy". I don't believe the parent poster used that word once. Here's Merriam-Webster's take on anarchism:
1 : a political theory holding all forms of governmental authority to be unnecessary and undesirable and advocating a society based on voluntary cooperation and free association of individuals and groups. 2 : the advocacy or practice of anarchistic principles.
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Re:Good news
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Re:Good news
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Re:BS Alert!Conspiracy:
1 : the act of conspiring together
2 a : an agreement among conspirators b : a group of conspirators -
Re:Awesome?
I think you think wrongly.
1 : expressive of awe 2: a) inspiring awe b) terrific, especially: extraordinary
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Re:Have you actually looked at the word 'nuclear'?
I have never heard it pronounced the way you suggest. The dictionary has it listed as either new-klee-ur or newk-you-lur.
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Re:Why is a hero?
Why is [Tim] a hero?
... Because he chose not to capitalize commercially on the Web?Well, it's hard to know, only the original poster could say for sure. But here is my guess: Tim could have made the web proprietary and closed off. The result might have made Tim wealthy, but almost certainly would have dramatically limited the impact of the wed. We'd be in a world where Tim was significantly better off, but humanity as a whole was only marginally better off. Because it was free and open, Tim is marginally better off (he still got fame), but humanity as a whole is notably better off. Or something like that.
To be fair, I'm not sure I'd define it as heroism, but "hero" means different things to different people. Given that one definition is "a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities (source), it's a reasonable enough use of the word. I expect the poster admires Tim's achievements and noble qualities.
I understand that many people DO feel that way, but nobody has ever really explained WHY heroism is a necessary consequence of altriusm.
Some people would view altruism as a noble quality and a notable achievement. These people might admire that quality and achievement, and thus view someone engaging in that altruism as a hero.
How is the measure of your altriusm the measure of your heroism?
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Why is someone who makes a profit necessarily evil?
False assumptions. Reread the article; the poster never suggested that.
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Re:mistakes
Wow, if I would have known people were going to get so bent out of shape over a harmless mistake on a message board, I would have been more careful with my words. You have my apologies.
Now, perhaps you should realize that I do in fact understand the difference between a mayor and a governer, and that particular mistake was merely the result of my not paying attention to what I was typing. IMO, whether the mistake is due to a slip of the finger or a slip of the mind, the end result is the same and therefore qualifies as a typographical error.
And here's a bonus definition for all the immature little children out there. -
Re:mistakes
Wow, if I would have known people were going to get so bent out of shape over a harmless mistake on a message board, I would have been more careful with my words. You have my apologies.
Now, perhaps you should realize that I do in fact understand the difference between a mayor and a governer, and that particular mistake was merely the result of my not paying attention to what I was typing. IMO, whether the mistake is due to a slip of the finger or a slip of the mind, the end result is the same and therefore qualifies as a typographical error.
And here's a bonus definition for all the immature little children out there. -
Re:mistakes
Wow, if I would have known people were going to get so bent out of shape over a harmless mistake on a message board, I would have been more careful with my words. You have my apologies.
Now, perhaps you should realize that I do in fact understand the difference between a mayor and a governer, and that particular mistake was merely the result of my not paying attention to what I was typing. IMO, whether the mistake is due to a slip of the finger or a slip of the mind, the end result is the same and therefore qualifies as a typographical error.
And here's a bonus definition for all the immature little children out there. -
There is no such word as "viri"
Hey moron, there is no such word as "viri" or "virii". The plural of virus is viruses. If you don't believe me, then go to Dictionary dot com or Merriam-Webster Online and look it up for yourself.
You stupid people make me sick. -
Re:Doom3 100FPS?
Here, This might help.
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Re:techno-congniscenti?
I believe it's cognoscenti.