What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[fresh_42]

And Paisley is a pattern, not a uniform red.

Well, I've read the German translations, though.

 

[Ibix]

They lost some kitsch in the translation, then.

 

[OmCheeto]

I was called "Arthur Dent" this morning, on Twitter.
hmmmmm...

 

[fresh_42]

I was called "Arthur Dent" this morning, on Twitter.
hmmmmm...

My towel is at hand ...

 

[OmCheeto]

My towel is at hand ...

This guy's towel is in the glove box.

[ref: NASA's Eyes]

Hey! And it's red.
hmmmm...

 

[fresh_42]

My favorite G.B.Shaw quotation: "You should have read what I already dismissed out of politeness!" as his answer to someone who demanded him to be more polite.

 

[Fewmet]

How quickly things change fascinates me. ...

I recently went through part of the school archives with some high school students. I had to explain to them what the photographic negatives were.

 

[fresh_42]

I recently went through part of the school archives with some high school students. I had to explain to them what the photographic negatives were.

Wait until you find a slide rule!

 

[nuuskur]

Found one of my old tests, the assignment said "study the function so-and-so".
I wrote "I studied it" as an answer. Got full credit

 

[Ibix]

Ah - bad questions...

A chemistry teacher visiting my school commented on a GCSE (school exams taken at 16 in the UK) multiple choice question that asked "what colour is sulphur". The options were yellow, brown, blue, and green. The official correct answer was yellow. He got into trouble for also accepting brown and blue, because liquid sulphur cooled rapidly turns into a rubbery brown substance and colloidal sulphur is blue. It's a specific form of sulphur, flowers of sulphur, that's yellow, and the question did not specify that.

 

[WWGD]

We had qualifying exams, needed to be able to go on in the program : "What can you say about..."? Seriously? A live-or-die exam and they ask such vague question?

 

[OCR]

Thanks for sharing.

You're welcome...

Great tune!

It is a good a good tune...

Here's another cover version of "Despacito" I really like... .

.

 

[pinball1970]

Um... Is calling a random person you just met: "baby", normal for English speakers?

It's been happening too frequently. It hasn't bothered me at all. But, how odd. I am beginning to think it is actually pretty normal. Like saying 'bro'.

I would say that is a city/working class thing.Bar ladies in particular or women who serve food tend to call children and men, “love” “pet” depending on which part of the country you are fromMen in the same job do the same with children and women, “cock” is another one.So this is informal settings cafes, bars rather than restaurants.Sir, Madam and Miss are used more in formal settings, Hospital government departments and more formal eateries.

 

[fresh_42]

It is not allowed to send sausages (wrong word, but you don't have a better one) to the US. But here's my question: Would a dog searching for drugs bark at such a package by: "Forget the damn cocaine, open that package, I want the sausage!"

 

[Ibix]

It is not allowed to send sausages (wrong word, but you don't have a better one) to the US. But here's my question: Would a dog searching for drugs bark at such a package by: "Forget the damn cocaine, open that package, I want the sausage!"

Only if it's a wiener dog.

Edit: using one of those as a drug dog would be the wurst idea...

 

[Ibix]

I would say that is a city/working class thing.

I'd go much further. Acceptable informal address varies by region, social class, age and sex of both parties, and time, and probably a host of other things. That said, I've still not heard "baby" used outside of couples and actual babies.

Slang and unconventional language can be a total minefield. I recommend just accepting any informal address as long as the tone and body language are friendly, and sticking to "mate" if you have to use anything at all.

 

[WWGD]

Or you can do some verbal gymnastics and avoid pronouns or other references. Kind of awkward, but doable.

 

[skyshrimp]

I woke up thirsty and hungover in the middle of the night and went to the fridge. I had some of the juicy peaches chilling in there.

I went back for seconds.

 

[Ibix]

Or you can do some verbal gymnastics and avoid pronouns or other references. Kind of awkward, but doable.

You can usually drop the "mate" (or whatever) without a problem. "Excuse me mate, do you have the time?" or "thanks mate" work equally well without. Actually avoiding pronouns is clumsy, yes. I ended up having to do it at work when I had to advise someone to contact Ashley. Ashley and I had exchanged email a lot but had never actually spoken or met, and I realized mid-email that I had no clue whether to use him or her. Turned out to be a she in the end. The Ashley I work with at the moment is a bloke - I was careful to enquire before emailing.

 

[WWGD]

You can usually drop the "mate" (or whatever) without a problem. "Excuse me mate, do you have the time?" or "thanks mate" work equally well without. Actually avoiding pronouns is clumsy, yes. I ended up having to do it at work when I had to advise someone to contact Ashley. Ashley and I had exchanged email a lot but had never actually spoken or met, and I realized mid-email that I had no clue whether to use him or her. Turned out to be a she in the end. The Ashley I work with at the moment is a bloke - I was careful to enquire before emailing.

EDITWhatever happened to "Dear he/she/it or whatever the #$% you are:" (And why was I put in the corner cubicle so far away from everyone else?)

 

[Ibix]

Whatever happened to "Dear he/she/it or whatever the #$% you are:"

A gender-neutral pronoun that isn't horribly contrived (like using "they" feels to me) would be very useful. I mean, does it really matter whether she's a he or a she? Given the existence of gendered pronouns it seems rude to use the wrong one, but you're going to want to talk to the topic expert, and it wasn't a topic where what's between anyone's legs was relevant to anyone.

 

[WWGD]

A gender-neutral pronoun that isn't horribly contrived (like using "they" feels to me) would be very useful. I mean, does it really matter whether she's a he or a she? Given the existence of gendered pronouns it seems rude to use the wrong one, but you're going to want to talk to the topic expert, and it wasn't a topic where what's between anyone's legs was relevant to anyone.

But is there a singular (non-plural) version? S/he may work in writing but I don't know any spoken version.

 

[fresh_42]

A gender-neutral pronoun that isn't horribly contrived (like using "they" feels to me) would be very useful.

But is there a singular (non-plural) version? S/he may work in writing but I don't know any spoken version.

It.

 

[WWGD]

It.

I thought so, to, but after many years of horrible confusion (even while working in it), I found out it stands for " Information Technology"

 

[Ibix]

But is there a singular (non-plural) version? S/he may work in writing but I don't know any spoken version.

I've seen various attempts at engineering one (xhe for he/she, for example), but they don't seem to catch on. In my opinion, because made-up words sound made-up. I suspect that if it ever happens it'll be that he/she goes the way of "thou" and "they" becomes singular as well, as "you" has done.

 

[Bystander]

(xhe for he/she, for example), but they don't seem to catch on.

Perilously close to "politically incorrect" for the area of NA located between Canada and Mexico.

 

[fresh_42]

I thought so, to, but after many years of horrible confusion (even while working in it), I found out it stands for " Information Technology"

That's the exit strategy if it feels offended.

I've seen various attempts at engineering one (xhe for he/she, for example), but they don't seem to catch on. In my opinion, because made-up words sound made-up. I suspect that if it ever happens it'll be that he/she goes the way of "thou" and "they" becomes singular as well, as "you" has done.

We have a gender even on roles, aka professions, similar to the appendix "-ess" in English, but everywhere. The doctor-he-she jokes don't work in German, as it would be Arzt/Ärztin, Chirurg/Chirurgin, Doktor/Doktorin. To solve this gender dilemma, especially in job offer announcements, people write Chirurg(in) or ChirurgIn or Chirurg/-in, all of which are straight away ugly. Especially the capital "I" spelling looks odd. I haven't seen any satisfactory solution, yet. And "they" in English is equally strange.

 

[Ibix]

Perilously close to "politically incorrect" for the area of NA located between Canada and Mexico.

I don't think it's a bad idea. The circumstances under which I care what sex you are are fairly limited, so the effort needed to find out what sex you are solely so I can pick a pronoun seems disproportionate. I just don't like "xhe" for some reason.

One distinguishing feature of good fantasy/SF is that the names roll off the tongue even when they're made up names for members of an imaginary species or ethnic group. Some people seem to have a knack for it - they need to get someone with the knack to make up their new pronouns IMO.

 

[WWGD]

I don't think it's a bad idea. The circumstances under which I care what sex you are are fairly limited, so the effort needed to find out what sex you are solely so I can pick a pronoun seems disproportionate. I just don't like "xhe" for some reason.

One distinguishing feature of good fantasy/SF is that the names roll off the tongue even when they're made up names for members of an imaginary species or ethnic group. Some people seem to have a knack for it - they need to get someone with the knack to make up their new pronouns IMO.

I think that by " The ar

Perilously close to "politically incorrect" for the area of NA located between Canada and Mexico.

Is " The area of NA between Canada and Mexico" slang for what is between someone's legs? I am not hip to your slang ;).

 

[Ibix]

We have a gender even on roles, aka professions, similar to the appendix "-ess" in English, but everywhere. The doctor-he-she jokes don't work in German, as it would be Arzt/Ärztin, Chirurg/Chirurgin, Doktor/Doktorin. To solve this gender dilemma, especially in job offer announcements, people write Chirurg(in) or ChirurgIn or Chirurg/-in, all of which are straight away ugly. Especially the capital "I" spelling looks odd. I haven't seen any satisfactory solution, yet. And "they" in English is equally strange.

There's a similar issue in Spanish (doctor/doctora, usually solved by writing doctor/a, which I agree is ugly). Oddly, although there's a distinction between he/she/it there's no distinction between him/her/it.

 

[Ibix]

Is " The area of NA between Canada and Mexico" slang for what is between someone's legs? I am not hip to your slang ;).

You are not hip to slang about what's slung from your hips?

 

[Ibix]

Is " The area of NA between Canada and Mexico" slang for what is between someone's legs? I am not hip to your slang ;).

Also, I think you may just have implied that the USA is a [slang term of your choice for sexual organ of your choice]. Don't know if you meant to do that...

 

[WWGD]

Also, I think you may just have implied that the USA is a [slang term of your choice for sexual organ of your choice]. Don't know if you meant to do that...

Well, it is represented by an orange one depicted often in London recently...

 

[WWGD]

Another passenger on the crazy train. Lady telling me she is being hacked. But it is a waiter who hates her, who has a black-hat friend who is doing the hacking. She mentions how her computer keeps denying her access to her email, programs not functioning. Hey, lady, it is called Windows! If that was the conspiracy, Bill Gates is a terrorist.

 

[CWatters]

Forty years ago I was visiting a university trying to decide what engineering subject to study. In one lab they had a machine demonstrating the electronics and control theory required to balance a pencil on its tip by moving the platform it was balanced on.

Today had my first ride on a Segway. Surprisingly good fun riding around forest trails with my kids.