Iran Arrests Alleged Spies Over Stuxnet Worm

kaptink writes "Reports surfacing from Iran claim 'nuclear spies' have been arrested over the infection at the Busheher nuclear station, which opened in August. According to Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi, because Stuxnet is so sophisticated, cost so much to write and uses two stolen security certificates, he believes only a national intelligence agency or a huge private company could have devised it, calling them 'enemies' spy services."

Comments

Re:The country that cried wolf

[ptrace]

But I do care... "For all intensive purposes" should be "For all intents and purposes"

Re:The country that cried wolf

[WidgetGuy]

A second incorrect word or phrase used in a /. SIG in as many days. Is this the start of an epidemic? "For all intensive purposes..." is incorrect. The correct phrase is "For all intents and purposes..."

There is no reason why a purpose couldn't be "intensive," I suppose. Still it just doesn't "sound right." One could intensively pursue a purpose, but pursuing an intensive purpose seems odd usage to my ear. Given this (seemingly) odd usage, coupled with the homonymous relationship of the phrase used in your SIG to the commonly-used phrase, I believe this to be a case of incorrect usage as the result of phonetic confusion.

As to the substance of your SIG... For the purposes of informal writing or speaking, it's probably okay to use "who" when its objective case version is the preferred usage. I certainly don't always recognize when the objective case is required. One would have to keep a copy of a grammar textbook in one's back pocket (or on one's e-reader), to get it right every time. But, for those of us who truly love the English language, "whom" will continue to be preferred in all contexts. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" just feels better than "For Who the Bell Tolls."

FYI, WordWeb is an indispensable tool for serious writers of English. Currently, it's only available for Windows (sorry) 2000 or later, including Windows 7. There is a free version (if you qualify) and a Pro version. It's not a spelling checker and it's not a grammar textbook but it contains elements of both and has a very nice Web interface (using which you can find help with grammar and words your spelling checker doesn't know about).

I'm working hard to win the Slashdot Grammar Nazi of the Year award. Tell me how I'm doing!