Is it time for Random Thoughts - Part 4?

[Borg]

Cars can't see them easily AND their heads are at grill/bumper level. Doesn't seem too smart, IMO.

Most of the ones that I've seen have a tall flag on the back to be more visible. I still don't get the appeal though - doesn't look like you would get much exercise.

 

[WWGD]

Why do some people use the phrase "I could care less" to mean they don't care at all? Obviously I personally _could_ care less, or I would not be commenting on it.

 

[Borek]

I always thought it is "I couldn't care less"?

 

[Enigman]

Tell me about it!

 

[zoobyshoe]

Why do some people use the phrase "I could care less" to mean they don't care at all? Obviously I personally _could_ care less, or I would not be commenting on it.

While we're on the subject, explain setting off a word with underscores before and aft. Explain setting off a word with asterisks before and aft. Explain "hash marks." #explain #_ #* ##

 

[collinsmark]

While we're on the subject, explain setting off a word with underscores before and aft. Explain setting off a word with asterisks before and aft. Explain "hash marks." #explain #_ #* ##

Some of these things date back to the days before formatting was commonplace on the Internet [Edit: e.g., Usenet news, dial-up bulletin boards, etc]. When using a 1200 BAUD modem for example, you didn't want to waste precious bytes with bunches of format tags. (Eventually things changed of course, with faster connection speeds.) [Edit: these conventions didn't change the actual format of the text, they just let the reader know that there was a particular emphasis.].

Underline used to be _Underline_

Italics used to be *Italics*

I'm not sure what boldface used to be, but maybe that's the #boldface#?

For the others, I guess I don't know (or don't remember).

[Edit: now that I look at it, the tilted quality of the vertical lines in '#' would seem to make it a more logical symbol for italics, rather than the '*' symbol. And yet I distinctly remember the '*' was used for italics. Weird. This is the first time I've noticed that. Now I'm doubting everything I've ever done.]

 

[zoobyshoe]

Thanks! I had no idea any of it had ever made any sense in any context.

I hate the hash mark thing. "#" used to be read as "number". If I wanted to indicate a number two pencil, I could write, "a #2 pencil." Or I could say, "I agree with points #2 and #5, but not with the rest."

 

[collinsmark]

Apparently, Twitter has now changed the way the world views the '#' symbol, now called the "hashtag." <cringe>

I too used to call it the "number sign" or sometimes "pound sign." To this day I sort of cringe every time I have to call it a "hashtag" to be understood by others. I'm still trying, but it's a hard road for me.

 

[WWGD]

While we're on the subject, explain setting off a word with underscores before and aft. Explain setting off a word with asterisks before and aft. Explain "hash marks." #explain #_ #* ##

In some forms of Latex , _a_ becomes edited as an underline, or as a bold. When you're using ASCII, i.e., regular keyboard characters, it usually indicates you're underlining, but mostly to those who use Latex, which I admit did not make sense in this thread.

 

[WWGD]

There is this weird dude that has sat right in front of my computer in the library like 5 times already, even when the library is mostly empty. There are around 20 computers in the section I always go to (and many other--around 30 available ones-- I estimate available ones in other sections) ; 10 pairs facing each other at face level, like in :


a a a...a
|-- ------ ---|
b b b...b

With each 'a' facing a 'b' .

Even when I am alone in a 'b' side and all the 'a' computers are empty, this dude sits right in front of me.

I don't know what to tell him other than 'don't ask, don't tell', go somewhere else for a gay hookup. Or maybe this guy does not understand or is not aware of basic unwritten rules, or of how weird the whole thing comes off . If this last is the case, I wonder how he has lasted to his age --he seems to be in his 30's -- in a city that is not always forgiving to outsiders.

 

[WWGD]

Takes me a few days to recover from the end of Summer : drinking frozen drinks ( coffee, mostly) , just hanging out much of the time, no need for sweaters, jackets, slowing down on the Rat Race. Some of the best days of my life ( la-la-life...).

 

[lisab]

There's a dead fly on my windowsill. A live fly just landed near it - I wonder what it thinks.

 

[DiracPool]

I always thought it is "I couldn't care less"?

Same diff'rence..

 

[lisab]

This is for our struggling students, starting school for the first time or for the bloody n^th time:

Hang in there, boys and girls.

 

[Evo]

I always thought it is "I couldn't care less"?

"I couldn't care less" is correct.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Or maybe this guy does not understand or is not aware of basic unwritten rules...

Public Seating Rule #1: pick the remaining seat which is farthest from all presently seated.

All reasonable people know this at birth.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Why do some people use the phrase "I could care less" to mean they don't care at all? Obviously I personally _could_ care less, or I would not be commenting on it.

This is addressed in Weird Al's "Word Crimes." at 1:07. A song which he should receive some kind of award for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

 

[AlephZero]

Public Seating Rule #1: pick the remaining seat which is farthest from all presently seated.

All reasonable people know this at birth.

Maybe, but

“Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people attempt to adapt the world to themselves. All progress, therefore, depends on unreasonable people.”

-- George Bermard Shaw.

 

[Medicol]

I'm wondering why we haven't found any extraterrestrial lifeforms yet. We have our own origin and are composed of chemical elements. So there should be similar lifeforms on the moon or Mars. Years ago, I heard on the radio that they shot a robots up to Mars and used Java language to analyze its images. Now all those projects seems dead. We have satellites and high tech cameras, why couldn't we catch any sights of life on another planet yet?

 

[WWGD]

Maybe, but

-- George Bermard Shaw.

Still, there are rules that make sense, some don't . Ignoring rules that make no sense or that are counterproductive can lead to positive change; ignoring rules that make sense is absurd IMHO. Seating far away makes sense; you want to let the other, someone you don't know well if at all , that you're not up to no good, and that you give them their space. Most people , I believe, want to keep some distance from total strangers .There may be exceptions in small towns, but this is NYC .
Believe me, I am no fan of rules for rules sake, but I am neither a rebel without a clue; I believe some rules have a good reason for being. I try to follow those and ignore the ones that do not.

 

[JorisL]

Molecular dynamics, I love to hate it.
Until it works then we're cool again.

 

[DiracPool]

Still, there are rules that make sense, some don't . Ignoring rules that make no sense or that are counterproductive can lead to positive change; ignoring rules that make sense is absurd IMHO. Seating far away makes sense; you want to let the other, someone you don't know well if at all , that you're not up to no good, and that you give them their space. Most people , I believe, want to keep some distance from total strangers .There may be exceptions in small towns, but this is NYC .
Believe me, I am no fan of rules for rules sake, but I am neither a rebel without a clue; I believe some rules have a good reason for being. I try to follow those and ignore the ones that do not.

One interesting twist on this is the movie theater. I always go to see a movie at least a couple weeks after it premiers so it's not a zoo inside. The other night I went to see "Guardians of the Galaxy" at a Regal RPX (it's version of the IMAX). In 3D. It's a huge theater, and even though there were only about 20 people in there during the showing I went to, everyone was jockying for the same region. The first people that get in there almost invariably plant themselves dead center, and then everyone else tries to fit in as close to that without getting "too close". How close is too close? It's interesting to see how people navigate that when they are selecting their final seat. Lol.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

Some of these things date back to the days before formatting was commonplace on the Internet [Edit: e.g., Usenet news, dial-up bulletin boards, etc]. When using a 1200 BAUD modem for example, you didn't want to waste precious bytes with bunches of format tags. (Eventually things changed of course, with faster connection speeds.) [Edit: these conventions didn't change the actual format of the text, they just let the reader know that there was a particular emphasis.].

Underline used to be _Underline_

Italics used to be *Italics*

I'm not sure what boldface used to be, but maybe that's the #boldface#?

For the others, I guess I don't know (or don't remember).

What I remember is *bold* and _underlined_ on typewriter (printing) terminals, which was done by backspacing and overstriking characters, but the underlined text would be shown as italics when printed properly.

 

[DennisN]

There's a dead fly on my windowsill. A live fly just landed near it - I wonder what it thinks.

Time flies?

 

[WWGD]

Time flies?

I don't know about flies in general, but I do know a bit about time flies. Time flies like arrows, or maybe just one arrow. Haven't you heard? time flies like an arrow.

 

[Evo]

I don't know about flies in general, but I do know a bit about time flies. Time flies like arrows, or maybe just one arrow. Haven't you heard? time flies like an arrow.

Just one arrow? Or would they prefer a whole bunch of arrows like a quiver? Would a quiver make them shiver?

 

[WWGD]

Just one arrow? Or would they prefer a whole bunch of arrows like a quiver? Would a quiver make them shiver?

Only if it is in the river Chorna -- a Crimea river : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Rivers_of_Crimea.

 

[WWGD]

Crimea river was the limit of my punning ability.

 

[lisab]

Hic.



Hic.



Hic.



Hic.

 

[Medicol]

I just talked to an American guy over the phone and he asked me why I was interested in his company. My answer might have upset and saddened him. Do you think so too ?
"Because I am seeking a job. And because your company is small and I think working for a small one is better because I can learn from more issues from a start-up than I can in an old one".

Oh noo...sorry I just couldn't think up anything else in such a hurry moment for a reply

 

[Evo]

I wouldn't wait by the phone waiting for it to ring.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Hic.



Hic.



Hic.



Hic.

Sorry, that's wrong. It's :

hic haec hoc
huius huius huius
huic huic huic
hunc hanc hoc
hoc hac hoc

 

[lisab]

I just talked to an American guy over the phone and he asked me why I was interested in his company. My answer might have upset and saddened him. Do you think so too ?
"Because I am seeking a job. And because your company is small and I think working for a small one is better because I can learn from more issues from a start-up than I can in an old one".

Oh noo...sorry I just couldn't think up anything else in such a hurry moment for a reply

First of all, congrats getting an interview! Even if you don't get an offer, going through the stress of an interview a learning experience.

Your answer is not a bad answer at all! Were you thinking that he would be offended about working at a small company? No, most companies in the US are small and that is not offensive to an American, not at all. And if he took that to be offensive -- well you probably don't want to work for him, anyway, he's an odd one.

You can't prepare for every question in the world, but you should always have a "canned" answer to this question: Why do you want to work for this company? "Your company offers more opportunity and flexibility than a large one. I can help your company expand into (whatever) market by using my experience in (something). I want to work for a company like (company name) because small companies are much more dynamic than large ones, and that suits me very well."

Something like that.

 

[lisab]

Sorry, that's wrong. It's :

hic haec hoc
huius huius huius
huic huic huic
hunc hanc hoc
hoc hac hoc

I'm not sure what you have, but I hope you get over it soon.



My hiccups are gone though. I rarely have them long...an intense 5 or 10 minutes, then they go away.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I'm not sure what you have, but I hope you get over it soon.



My hiccups are gone though. I rarely have them long...an intense 5 or 10 minutes, then they go away.

Oh, hiccups. I though you were practicing Latin declensions.
http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/101/DemonstrativePronouns.pdf