May 23, 2008
I just sent off an e-mail containing the elegant construction “Oh no [pronoun] di’n't!” and was stopped by the spell checker. Now, I can only imagine the cringing you are doing reading that dead, beaten horse of a catch phrase, but when I was presented with the options of “Ignore,” “Ignore All,” or “Add” I had to think for a moment. After all, I’m pretty sure that “di’n't” is the clearest way of expressing the non-word I intended, so in the future I might want my spell-checker to recognize it. On the other hand, it’s absolutely not a word so I really can’t see adding it. Therefore, I suggest a feature for those of us with grammatical neuroses — “Ignore Always.” That way, we don’t have to validate a word in any way when the spell checker runs. Of course, not using such words is unthinkable…
Anyways, the news is reporting that Read the rest of this entry »
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anecdote, grammar, human nature, rankings, snark, test |
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Posted by jwambaugh
February 4, 2008
No, not that economy. Instead it is the the prostitution industry which, at least in Denver — site of the Democratic nominating convention — is expecting a lot of bangs for their bucks August 25-28. According to San Francisco based postitute Carol Leigh, however, “It would be a lot better for the sex workers if it was the Republican convention… We get a lot more business. I don’t know if they’re just frustrated because of the family values agenda.”
Republicans, it seems, are not the optimal convention-goer either. Said Leigh: “Computer conventions can be lucrative. There’s a lot of nerds that don’t get out much.”
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computer science, human nature, humor, politics, snark, society |
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Posted by jwambaugh
January 12, 2008
I had pretty much managed to avoid commenting on bowl season, whether it was Michigan saving face or Ohio State again falling on their’s in the national championship game. However, I find the controversy around a picture and caption (image at the right) that appeared on the sports page of Ohio State’s student newspaper to be sadly amusing. Apparently, by merely pointing out that the response of fans, certain sports writers, and the president of the University of Georgia, are perhaps disproportionate to a two touchdown loss, The Lantern crossed a line. Their poor editor has a reasonable response, but it’s clear from the comments that comparing things is still too much for some people. If they the statement “It could be worse” was in anyway false, maybe I could see everyone’s point. But for people to get worked up over trying to maintain perspective, albeit sardonically, I think is just sad.
I am somehow reminded of the trouble I got into making sentences for our spelling words in the third grade. Given the word “wouldn’t,” I chose “I wouldn’t strip off my clothes, run through the halls, and do a dance on the principal’s desk.” Apparently this required a meeting with my parents. The really sad part was that a few weeks later my parents were called in because my sentences lacked effort.
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anecdote, college, human nature, snark, society, sports |
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Posted by jwambaugh
January 11, 2008
From the New York Times:
Corpse Wheeled to Check-Cashing Store Leads to 2 Arrests
Two men were arrested on Tuesday after pushing a corpse, seated in an office chair, along the sidewalk to a check-cashing store to cash the dead man’s Social Security check.
Clearly movies are educational after all. If these guys had only been fortunate enough to see Weekend at Bernie’s, or it’s sequel (which is currently earning 3.6/10 stars on IMDB) they could’ve avoided possible fraud charges.
My favorite part of the article is the detailed description of how the corpse was dressed:
The late Mr. Cintron was dressed in a faded black T-shirt and blue-and-white sneakers. His pants were pulled up part of the way, and his midsection was covered by a jacket, the police said.
I’d like to think my roommates would at least go to the effort of putting my pants all the way on.
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human nature, humor, movies, quotation, snark |
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Posted by jwambaugh