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Interesting blog posts
August 13, 2010, 03:41
arnieInteresting blog posts
Some blog posts are worth pointing out, but don't really merit a special thread. I thought I'd start one specially for them. First up,
GRAMMAR HULK:
http://editdesk.wordpress.com/.../08/11/grammar-hulk/(hat tip:
Visual Thesaurus)
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
August 13, 2010, 21:47
KallehInteresting, arnie, and very apropos of a program I just saw on BBC with someone from that Queen's English group and another person who argued against "proper English." They particularly were talking about splitting prepositions (the Queen's English guy said never, and she said it's perfectly acceptable) and the use of "wicked" to mean "cool." He said it muddled the clarity of the sentence, while she presented a good case on how it adds color to the language.
BTW, I do hate all capitals, though.
August 19, 2010, 02:48
arnieSome Brazilians, are, apparently, insecure about their Portuguese grammar. Rio de Janeiro state is setting up a hotline to give advice. See the Economist's
Johnson blogI shudder to think what would happen if the likes of the QES or Lynn Truss were to run an equivalent in the UK.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
August 19, 2010, 06:27
zmježdA good entry. Thanks, arnie. I've reposted at the Morphology of Peevology FB group. I do like the word
lusophone ...
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
August 19, 2010, 19:44
KallehI was about to mention
lusophone, too. I hadn't heard it before, and it seems rather obscure since it's only in 4 dictionaries in Onelook.
I also like the word
fusty. It's one of those words that sounds like it means.
August 19, 2010, 20:12
goofyI know what "lusophone" means only because Portugal is called "Lusitania" in Asterix.
August 20, 2010, 06:58
zmježdIt's in the OED.
Lusitania was the name of Portugal in Latin. It's like referring to the Irish as Hibernians or Swiss as Helvetian.
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
August 20, 2010, 07:49
arnieYou'd need a dictionary for that: good sense from John E McIntyre in the
You Don't Say blog.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
August 20, 2010, 20:05
KallehNice Blog, arnie. Where do you find all of these Blogs?
Steve Huff and I are clearly not on the same page about what words the OED includes.
August 23, 2010, 01:21
arnieI'm subscribed to a lot of language sites in my RSS reader, FeedDemon, and so can read every new post. Often they'll link to an article on another site, new to me, which, if it looks OK, goes into my subscriptions, too.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
August 26, 2010, 07:45
arnie.
quote:
Possibly this was all a plot to jack up peanut sales.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
August 26, 2010, 19:58
KallehWow, I didn't know that. Shu thinks Carter will go down as one of the worst presidents. This might change his mind!
August 27, 2010, 06:57
arnie courtesy of McSweeney's.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
August 27, 2010, 20:56
KallehThose are great, arnie. Schiller Park is in our vicinity. They must have trouble with skateboarders...which reminds me of a new word I learned today:
skitching. Apparently it's when you're on your skateboard and you "hitch" to a car that pulls you. It's, as you might imagine, very dangerous.
August 27, 2010, 23:50
tinmanNow where am I going to do my laundry?
quote:
Below, I have posted some of the stranger rules from libraries around the country. A person not familiar with the modern public library, might think they are a joke, but they are not—when it comes to rules, librarians have no humor; indeed, I have personally dealt with all of these violations at least once.
Seattle Public Library
• NO CAMPING ON LIBRARY GROUNDS.
• NO USING RESTROOMS FOR BATHING OR SHAMPOOING, DOING LAUNDRY, OR CHANGING CLOTHES.
Schiller Park Public Library
Examples of minor disruption:
NO OPERATING WHEELED VEHICLES OR USING ANY WHEELED FOOTWEAR INSIDE THE BUILDING, I.E., BICYCLES, TRICYCLES, ROLLER BLADES, ROLLER SKATES, SKATEBOARDS, ETC., EXCEPT WHERE SUCH USE IS TO AFFORD A DISABLED PERSON ACCESS TO THE LIBRARY.
Fremont Public Library
NO BRINGING FIREARMS, CONCEALED HANDGUNS AND/OR OTHER DEADLY WEAPONS INTO THE LIBRARY.
Los Angeles Public Library
NO SEXUAL MISCONDUCT, SUCH AS EXPOSURE OR THREATENING TOUCHING.
South Pasadena Public Library
NO ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR OF ANY TYPE.
Dallas Public Library
NO STALKING OTHER CUSTOMERS OR STAFF, INCLUDING LOOKING INTO AN AREA, SUCH AS A RESTROOM, THAT IS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE PRIVACY TO A PERSON USING THE AREA.
Santa Monica Public Library
NO USING THE LIBRARY IF YOUR BODILY HYGIENE IS OFFENSIVE SO AS TO CONSTITUTE A NUISANCE TO OTHERS.
Warren-Trumbull County Public Library
NO ONGOING USE OF LIBRARY AS PLACE OF COMMERCIAL BUSINESS.
Middletown Public Library
NO BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL/ILLEGAL DRUGS, AND SELLING, USING, OR POSSESSING ALCOHOL/ILLEGAL DRUGS.
Jersey City Free Public Library
NO FIGHTING, HARASSING, OR THREATENING PATRONS OR STAFF.
Miami-Dade Public Library
NO LEAVING INDIVIDUALS REQUIRING CARE UNATTENDED FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME OR AT CLOSING.
Waukesha Public Library
NO PROLONGED OR CHRONIC SLEEPING.
West Florida Public Library
INDECENT EXPOSURE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO HAVING SEX AND/OR EXHIBITING LEWD AND OFFENSIVE NAKEDNESS, IS PROHIBITED.
Central Arkansas Library System
CLOTHING MUST BE ZIPPED, BUTTONED, OR FASTENED TO AVOID INCEDENT EXPOSURE.
August 31, 2010, 01:18
arnie on limericks, limericists, the OELDILF, and much else.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
August 31, 2010, 21:03
KallehOh, they're so lucky! I have to say, though, the OEDILF has been much slower to develop than I wouldn't have thought.
September 02, 2010, 19:17
KallehThere is an interesting post on the origin of text-speak from the Visual Thesaurus Blog:
Link Read this from "An Essay to Miss Catharine Jay (1847):
LinkI know I have posted here
earlier about telegraphing being a form of texting, but I hadn't realized it was used in essays and poetry in the mid-1800s.
September 03, 2010, 01:07
BobHaleYou really should read
this and then follow the link to the "ranting baby" video.
It's one of the funniest pre-linguistic things you could hope to see.
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
September 03, 2010, 21:15
KallehYes, agreed. I enjoyed the Language Log article, too.
This one has always made me laugh; while not language related, it is "kid" related. You've probably seen it, though.
LinkSeptember 03, 2010, 21:36
tinmanWhen I first read this I thought the "ranting baby" video was going to be
this one.
September 04, 2010, 08:18
arnieI really liked all three videos. Thanks for the laugh!
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
September 04, 2010, 10:49
tinmanThanks, Kalleh, for posting that video of Jessica when she was about 4 years old. There are several more of her and her younger sister, Vanessa.
September 14, 2010, 04:36
arnieNot content with producing
William McGonagall, Scotland can also boast "the world’s worst author", it seems. See this post in
Futility Closet about Angus McDiarmid.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
September 14, 2010, 05:02
zmježdInteresting. I had not heard of him. I wonder if he really wrote his book in Scottish Gaelic and then translated it (badly) into English, or if the blogger meant Scots English.
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
September 15, 2010, 04:42
arnie has a surprisingly long article about the book and its author.
quote:
To account for McDiarmid's style, ... McDiarmid's native language was Scottish Gaelic, and in translating his writings into English, he used a dictionary extensively, choosing the most impressive word without regard to its part of speech
The article also says
quote:
An antiquarian notes that although most accept the book as authentic, one may doubt whether McDiarmid existed.[6] If he did not, "J. Ss." and "R. S. A." must have joined in the hoax, fifty years later.
Whilst I was reading the article I was reminded of
English as She is Spoke, and I see that the Wikipedia author had the same idea.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
September 15, 2010, 05:31
zmježdI read a couple of pages at random and skimmed about half the book. I found no problems involving parts of speech, but did find a few errors of conjugation. His English syntax is rather good and I would be surprised if he did not speak or read and write English. (In fact, it was a lot better than many foreign students I have taught.) It is a strange little book.
—Ceci n'est pas un seing.
September 16, 2010, 01:51
arniequote:
Lakeview Memorial Estates is a private cemetary. If you'd like information on people buried there, please contact them directly.
Shown in
Criggo.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
September 17, 2010, 07:53
arnie
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
September 17, 2010, 21:49
KallehFunny, arnie, but hardly original.
My little sister years ago said, when my mom asked her who wet her pants: "Nancy (Kalleh) wet my pants!"
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
September 29, 2010, 22:48
KallehFunny!
I was at a nursing education session tonight where a panel was looking back at how nursing education has evolved and what some of the problems have been in the last few decades. One panelist said that several years ago we worried about distance education because there was no socialization. This was before social networking hit the scene, and it has really changed that aspect of distance learning.
October 12, 2010, 06:50
arnieThis isn't about the blog post itself, more about the correction of a typo.
quote:
This blog post originally stated that one in three black men who have sex with me is HIV positive. In fact, the statistic applies to black men who have sex with men.
Hat-tip:
Regret the Error.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
October 13, 2010, 21:30
KallehPDM
[Pretty Damn Funny!]
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
October 15, 2010, 19:54
KallehAh, well, trust me. Nobody would vote for him anyway (maybe a few family members and a couple of friends).
October 18, 2010, 07:57
arnieIt appears that this was rather a non-story after all. "Rich Whitey" apparently appears on the voting machine screens as "R. Whitey". See
here.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
October 25, 2010, 02:28
arnieThere were plenty of typos during the days of hot metal printing - see
Gremlins.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
October 25, 2010, 02:36
arnieIf we have any more problems with spammers attempting to join the forum we know where to go:
http://xkcd.com/810/
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
October 25, 2010, 20:03
KallehLove it, arnie!
October 27, 2010, 08:16
arnieSome useful suggestions for
solving London's drinking problem.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
October 29, 2010, 21:10
KallehFunny, arnie. I hadn't known about South Dakota, but here are some
facts about the SD problem. Here's another
story about it. It's interesting that many of the stories about it are from the UK.
November 01, 2010, 04:40
Caterwaullerquote:
Originally posted by arnie:
Dispatches from a public library courtesy of McSweeney's.
Wow - I know I'm late in responding to this, but let me just say it's all true! I, too, have dealt with all of these issues and more! I just helped re-write our system-wide protocol for dealing with sexual misconduct. I've had to kick people out of my branches for all sorts of crazy things.
A few weeks ago we actually had to talk to someone about bathing in the public men's room. He said "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know that would be a problem." We finally caught on to what was going on because our custodian was having to completely re-fill the paper towels every night, rather than every few days!
Now, to try to convince people that their preschool-aged children should not be left at one end of the building while they are fully engaged with their internet computer at the other end . . . this is an endless battle.
*******
"Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.
~Dalai Lama
November 01, 2010, 20:40
KallehMy favorite from that laundry list of hilarious signs is the one at South Pasadena Public Library:
NO ILLEGAL BEHAVIOR OF ANY TYPE.
Duh!
November 14, 2010, 12:08
arnieThis might be of particular interest to Kalleh ...
Mr Verb on
The etymology of cheesehead
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
November 14, 2010, 19:54
Kallehquote:
The term surely has roots in Europe, where terms like Dutch kaaskop and German Käsekopf are well-known and often negative. UrbanDictionary, in fact, has this:
Slang(can also be used offensively) for a Dutch person. "Kaaskop" means "cheesehead" in Dutch. Because the Netherlands is very well known for its cheese.
Interestingly, there is a huge German contingency in Wisconsin (not sure about Dutch) so that's a possibility.
November 16, 2010, 05:11
arnieThe Ponte Vecchio and Dante:
http://www.bookslut.com/blog/a...s/2010_11.php#016852
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
November 17, 2010, 05:08
arnieA useful word:
Circumflatulation.
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
November 17, 2010, 20:46
KallehI still like dawdling.
Circumflatulate does remind me a little of Sarah Palin's
refudidate. I've never believed hers was coined, though. That's too highbrow for her. I think it was a spoonerism, though I tend to get spoonerisms, Mondegreens, malapropisms, and eggcorns mixed up. Here is a nice description of
each.November 26, 2010, 10:29
arnieGeoff Pullum talks a lot of sense on
Language Log about "The diplomat, the bishop, the bomber, and the fruit bat".
Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.