Contact is definitely first in my list, because of the "my daddy is an alien" and "your mind can't bear how we actually look" cop-out ending.
It was never said that "your mind can't handle it". It was we-thought-this-would-make-it-easier. And the same thing happens in the book, but it's clearer why the aliens chose her father — in the book, it's five people that make the trip, not one, and each one meets his or her own personal hero in life as their alien's form.
I have rarely if ever heard people pronounce those words as acronyms, and for damn good reason. "Earl" is a noun already
Wow, what a great reason. I'm sure you're in situations constantly where no one can tell whether you mean a string denoting a web site or a British nobleman.
"voyp" sounds really stupid
Says you.
and doesn't reflect the "IP" origin of the word
And "Scuzzy" doesn't reflect its "interface" origin. So?
"rhea" for RIAA, while certainly appropriate in its evocation of diarrhea, doesn't capture the second "A," unless you pronounce it "ree-AAH." "are-eye-double-A" would be a better choice.
Fine. I'll say "rhea" (two syllables), and you say "are-eye-double-A" (five syllables). And I'll get to Scotland before you.
I also had to consult the interwebs to figure out who the hell uses "FIAT" as an abbreviation (the answer, for anyone besides Atario, is Python programmers: FInite element Automatic Tabulator).
In fact, I was going for the Italian auto company, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino. So if you want to spell that one out, be sure to use the Italian letter pronunciations instead of the English ones lest you look a fool, since we're being so picky and all.
You may think you're ahead of the curve, or some sort of trend-setter by treating these abbreviations as acronyms
Huh? I'm just lazy, pal. If I liked spewing alphabet soup, I'd join a spelling bee.
Ever heard someone try to pronounce, rather than spell, PCMCIA? Or NAACP?
I'd say they aren't pronounceable. You are allowed not to pronounce them when they're not pronounceable. Duh.
But in this argument, today, you sound like a snotty script kiddie who pronounces IRC as "irk."
You sound like a self-appointed czar, handing down decrees you just pulled out of your ass. Plus a side of gratuitous insults for flavor. Way to convince.
The truly sad thing about our society is that people like you cannot even read a damn dictionary properly.
The truly sad thing about our society is that people like you cannot handle logic properly. Does it say anywhere in there that an acronym must be pronounceable? Does it say that an unpronounceable acronym is not an acronym? No and no. Therefore, you, Mr. Coward, are wrong. Period.
'voip' when it's said as a word (they pronounce it voyp) and not an acronym. Most of the time people saying "voyp" don't even understand what the technology means.
I beg your pardon. I know perfectly well what it means and I refuse to waste my time and effort by spelling it out for you. If you can pronounce it, then pronounce it. Maddox is wrong about pronouncing URL, as are you about pronouncing VOIP.
And you do it too. Unless you plan to live out the rest of your life spelling, not saying, RADAR, SONAR, LASER, FUBAR, SNAFU, AWOL, NORAD, NASA, FEMA, NASCAR, FIAT, OPEC, MADD, RIAA, SCUBA, ANSI, NASDAQ, and even SCSI, then get off my case.
'NAT firewall' is ponied around too much by clueless people who don't realise that NAT and firewall are two separate parts (that happen to be implemented in the same module).
It's perfectly cromulent to refer to a device which does both NAT (be sure to spell that out, en ay tee!) and firewall functions as a NAT firewall. How would you have them refer to it? "My device-which-performs-the-following-functions:-NAT ,-firewall,-router,-..."?
Actually none of the definitions in either link says anything about pronounceability. Which is why it annoys me so when people assert this "must be pronounceable" rule as though you're the dumbass for not knowing it.
I despise the RIAA as much as the next... But this is one of the few things I have *no* problem with. File sharing is one thing. Selling counterfeit copies? That's a far cry from not being able to afford the media, or wanting to casually fuck over the assholes at the RIAA.
That's the problem — the RIAA has been such assholes that now people want to see them lose even when doing something that previously would have been seen as perfectly reasonable. They've destroyed any credibility and moral authority they may ever have had.
Sounds kinda like my badly abused country right about now...:(
The guy next to me is shouting a play-by-play into his cellphone, affecting the enjoyment of a game I paid to be at. I complain, he is warned and then ejected if he continues.
Shouting? Get a better phone. And quit eavesdropping.
Seems fair to me.
Well it's not up to you. It's up to the person hosting the event.
Oh, really? I thought it was up to the law. And that the law was up to the people. I guess sports gets a special pass to go around the rest of society yet again, eh?
Burden of proof. The onus is not on me to prove it's not stupid--a negative cannot proven. You must instead show proof that it is stupid.
You need to clean your screen. It said "explain", not "prove".
And before you ask me to explain why it's stupid, I offer this: Allowing the NCAA (or, in this case, the school) to dictate to you how you are allowed to communicate with your fellow human beings so that they can artificially create more revenue streams for themselves is to the detriment of the people. Thus, stupid.
What is it like to automatically accept the status quo as though that's how it should be?
Ad hominem.
Oh? What did I call you? I merely pointed out the wrongheadedness of saying "that's the way it is, so shut up". Which is exactly what you did.
I don't. But that's only because I don't see the point of watching a bunch of millionaires running around playing with their various balls.
And with this one comment you have proven how completely ignorant you are of what you're speaking. Thank you.
I have? Are they not a bunch of millionaires? Are they not running around playing with their balls? Is knowledge of who has the most points or who draws the most fouls necessary to discuss whether it's right for the school to come down on some audience member for daring to communicate in a manner not in keeping with the board of directors' profit targets?
you'd be warned and then ejected. Why? Because your buddy didn't pay for a ticket to the game.
A ticket gets you into the game. My buddy is not at the game. He has not received the benefit of buying a ticket and has not bought one. Seems fair to me.
How the hell is that stupid? That's how licensing works. Welcome to the real world.
You still haven't explained how it's not stupid.
This has been tested in court, the NCAA has the right to control this. End of story.
What is it like to automatically accept the status quo as though that's how it should be?
If you don't like it, don't patronize NCAA events.
I don't. But that's only because I don't see the point of watching a bunch of millionaires running around playing with their various balls.
Solution: next time, talk into your cell phone to your buddy, who's blogging it for you. I'd like to see 'em try to ban all cell phones at games. Or to monitor every cell phone conversation in the place.
The point is: it's stupid to try to say these people are allowed to communicate in a certain way (because they paid us), and these people are not.
Reminds me of my visit to the Kremlin — you had to buy a special sticker for your shirt if you wanted to be allowed to take photos. Soviet America indeed...
That's all true. Unfortunately, the guy seems to be arguing that the company is wrong because he couldn't read the EULA, not because he was forced to buy before seeing it. So I'm not sure if this case will help that much.
Slashdot Mirror
"It's at doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo doubleyoo dot mysite dot com."
I think your proposal would cause the stock price of the word "septuple" to skyrocket.
Supreme court justices are impeachable too.
Also, hasn't this existed for years now?
Clear lee, dragging naturally speaking kneads moor work.
The truly sad thing about our society is that people like you cannot handle logic properly. Does it say anywhere in there that an acronym must be pronounceable? Does it say that an unpronounceable acronym is not an acronym? No and no. Therefore, you, Mr. Coward, are wrong. Period.
And you do it too. Unless you plan to live out the rest of your life spelling, not saying, RADAR, SONAR, LASER, FUBAR, SNAFU, AWOL, NORAD, NASA, FEMA, NASCAR, FIAT, OPEC, MADD, RIAA, SCUBA, ANSI, NASDAQ, and even SCSI, then get off my case.It's perfectly cromulent to refer to a device which does both NAT (be sure to spell that out, en ay tee!) and firewall functions as a NAT firewall. How would you have them refer to it? "My device-which-performs-the-following-functions:-NA
Actually none of the definitions in either link says anything about pronounceability. Which is why it annoys me so when people assert this "must be pronounceable" rule as though you're the dumbass for not knowing it.
As long as you use the right keywords.
Sounds kinda like my badly abused country right about now...
Ah, I see. In that case:
s/millionaires/soon-to-be millionaires/
As far as you know.
And before you ask me to explain why it's stupid, I offer this: Allowing the NCAA (or, in this case, the school) to dictate to you how you are allowed to communicate with your fellow human beings so that they can artificially create more revenue streams for themselves is to the detriment of the people. Thus, stupid.Oh? What did I call you? I merely pointed out the wrongheadedness of saying "that's the way it is, so shut up". Which is exactly what you did.I have? Are they not a bunch of millionaires? Are they not running around playing with their balls? Is knowledge of who has the most points or who draws the most fouls necessary to discuss whether it's right for the school to come down on some audience member for daring to communicate in a manner not in keeping with the board of directors' profit targets?
Solution: next time, talk into your cell phone to your buddy, who's blogging it for you. I'd like to see 'em try to ban all cell phones at games. Or to monitor every cell phone conversation in the place.
The point is: it's stupid to try to say these people are allowed to communicate in a certain way (because they paid us), and these people are not.
Reminds me of my visit to the Kremlin — you had to buy a special sticker for your shirt if you wanted to be allowed to take photos. Soviet America indeed...
I hit the length limit for Slashdot headlines. Complain to Taco, not me!
And you thought it was tough working in a salt mine...
That's all true. Unfortunately, the guy seems to be arguing that the company is wrong because he couldn't read the EULA, not because he was forced to buy before seeing it. So I'm not sure if this case will help that much.
Say what?? That's kinda the whole point of RAID5...
Also, you could just put a bunch of these on the grid.
People, "the grid" is merely a transport/exchange medium, not a power-generation method.
As far as "being off-grid" as a goal -- why? It just means you have reduced your options.
And if it blows stuff up, borrow from your descendants to pay for it.
Right, Ronnie?
Prick.
Don't bother. Bypass their sneaky censorship and Stanford-prison-experiment-level moderation, and go straight to the better source: banniNation.
"It's not selling out your readers when we do it."
Here's something fun:
Buffalo in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco