Random randomness

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:12 pm

Holman wrote:I think "decimate" has been misused enough to have fully acquired the new meaning. Other words have done the same.

Literally.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:02 pm

stessier wrote:
TheMix wrote:But note that in my first example he clearly stated that they were NOT decimated.... Had he said they were decimated, I would have been fine with it. But when he said they were almost decimated, it completely pull me out of the story. I was all "Wha??? Were there only 3 to begin with???" I agree, it seemed like a clear case of decimation for me.

Ah, I missed the "almost". My bad.

No harm, no foul. I should have bolded it.

Anyway, I still maintain that Terry Brooks has no idea what decimate means.

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:04 pm

coopasonic wrote:
Holman wrote:I think "decimate" has been misused enough to have fully acquired the new meaning. Other words have done the same.
Literally.

Heh.

He hasn't screwed that one up yet, at least.

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:05 pm

Most TV and movie writers don't seem to know what decimate means.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:15 pm

They probably do -- the ship sailed on that one a long time ago. I have a 1954 Encyclopedia Brittanica dictionary that gives three definitions for decimate:

to kill one out of every ten of
to destroy a large proportion of
to extract a tithe from; to divide decimally

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:20 pm

What I hate about these constant misuses that warp meanings is: what happens when you actually want to express "was reduced by one tenth" in a sentence? You can no longer use the word that used to mean precisely that.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:13 pm

Jaymann wrote:What I hate about these constant misuses that warp meanings is: what happens when you actually want to express "was reduced by one tenth" in a sentence? You can no longer use the word that used to mean precisely that.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:14 pm

coopasonic wrote:
Holman wrote:I think "decimate" has been misused enough to have fully acquired the new meaning. Other words have done the same.
Literally.

That's terrific!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:41 pm

Words aren't careful constructs. They are groups of sounds with meanings attached. Words mean what they're commonly understood to mean. If the understanding changes, the meaning changes, regardless of what Webster thinks about it. Terry Brooks is wrong because he isn't using it for what it's understood to mean. Using it as one-in-ten in anything but a historical novel would likely also be confusing, as that isn't what it is understood to mean.

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 3:15 pm

Blackhawk wrote:Words aren't careful constructs. They are groups of sounds with meanings attached. Words mean what they're commonly understood to mean. If the understanding changes, the meaning changes, regardless of what Webster thinks about it. Terry Brooks is wrong because he isn't using it for what it's understood to mean. Using it as one-in-ten in anything but a historical novel would likely also be confusing, as that isn't what it is understood to mean.

While that's all true, I think the amazing camaraderie of the Kirk-Spock-Bones trio has to be included in the comparison rather than just evaluating the two captains in solitude.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 3:18 pm

The Kirk-Spock-Bones trio has been decimated.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:07 pm

Blackhawk wrote:The Kirk-Spock-Bones trio has been decimated.

6.7 times over...

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:15 pm

I'm also curious, when a Roman legion was decimated by their commander for poor performance in battle, how did he decide which 10% got the axe? Was it every tenth man in line. or did he choose the worst of the lot?

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:28 pm

Jaymann wrote:I'm also curious, when a Roman legion was decimated by their commander for poor performance in battle, how did he decide which 10% got the axe? Was it every tenth man in line. or did he choose the worst of the lot?

It was random. The unit was divided into groups of 10 and each group drew lots. One man got to die, and the other nine had to carry out the sentence.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 5:31 pm

hitbyambulance wrote:
Daehawk wrote: And next the one I like for the material and color. Its problem is steel bearings and the videos Ive seen show them to be the worst with the best being ceramic hybrid.

UFO SPINNER New Version Fidget Spinner

$4.45 - Fidget spinner: 3-5 minutes average spins. We will send you a free screwdriver and a extra bearing if you purchase this ATESSON spinner.
No big noise: Easy to carry, small, simple, discrete and fun, also effective for focus and deep thought with using this hand spinner
Great bearing: The fidget spinner use Stainless steel bearing, SLA and laser industrial molding technology. Good gravity, fast rotation.
Hold hand spinner in one hand and use the other hand to spin it rapidly using small continuous strikes to keep it spinning indefinitely with practice

i got this today:

- no replacement bearing (or anything at all, other than the spinner)
- spin time is all of about 30 seconds

i contacted the seller.

i received a replacement from the seller day before yesterday. it still* didn't spin longer than a minute, and on top of that, a coworker was spinning it just now and it just broke for no apparent reason... it refuses to spin now. i am super excited to see what the seller does now. took it apart and i... don't even know what this bearing is. definitely nothing remotely approaching high quality, and it's rusting as well.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 7:52 pm

Were you drunk/high?

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 8:13 pm

Jaymann wrote:Were you drunk/high?

I decimated a legion while drunk/high, and I swear I didn't know whether to go 10 or 90 percent.

silverjon · Post by **silverjon** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:36 pm

Jaymann wrote:Were you drunk/high?

Highly improbable.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:17 pm

So I am reading something and it mentions Gwyneth Paltrow being upset about people criticizing her "Goop" brand.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:26 pm

Jaymann wrote:Were you drunk/high?

ahahaha so i got a response from the seller saying if a 20% refund was ok. i was like, no, 100%, foo'. then they reply (and i quote)

"Dear friend,

Thanks for your purchase and message. I am sorry to hear that.

Because the Delivery fee are very high ,it is not a wise choice.
So in this situation, we can give you a 80% refund ,is it ok ?"

'not a wise choice'? too funny.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:25 pm

So I am reading something and it mentions Gwyneth Paltrow being upset about people criticizing her "Goop" brand.

her Goop is a bunch of new age hooy that is all bullshit that silly people buy into. She sells a jade egg that ladies stick in their errr private parts that is healthy for them somehow. Paltrow says you 'recharge' it by sitting it in the sunshine. They'll drill a small hole in for you to add a string...she suggests dental floss.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Wed Aug 30, 2017 11:42 pm

Daehawk wrote:
So I am reading something and it mentions Gwyneth Paltrow being upset about people criticizing her "Goop" brand.
her Goop is a bunch of new age hooy that is all bullshit that silly people buy into. She sells a jade egg that ladies stick in their errr private parts that is healthy for them somehow. Paltrow says you 'recharge' it by sitting it in the sunshine. They'll drill a small hole in for you to add a string...she suggests dental floss.

Oh, so her Goop is useless crap unlike the other company which has awesome and effective products.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:32 am

Thanks for the disturbing mental image--a TV ad for a cross-branded Goop cleaning egg to clean out your lady's vagina. "If Goop can cut through grease in the shop, you know this will be effective in the bedroom! Buy now!" Backed that with a Gwenneth Paltrow testimonial, followed by hepcat mimicking eating a "sub" on screen.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 1:36 am

Zarathud wrote:Thanks for the disturbing mental image--a TV ad for a cross-branded Goop cleaning egg to clean out your lady's vagina. "If Goop can cut through grease in the shop, you know this will be effective in the bedroom! Buy now!" Backed that with a Gwenneth Paltrow testimonial, followed by hepcat mimicking eating a "sub" on screen.

Try our new Bacon scented female hygiene products.

He will be glad you did!

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 1:44 am

hitbyambulance wrote:
Jaymann wrote:Were you drunk/high?
ahahaha so i got a response from the seller saying if a 20% refund was ok. i was like, no, 100%, foo'. then they reply (and i quote)

"Dear friend,

Thanks for your purchase and message. I am sorry to hear that.

Because the Delivery fee are very high ,it is not a wise choice.
So in this situation, we can give you a 80% refund ,is it ok ?"
'not a wise choice'? too funny.

i instead wrote to Amazon, and i get an email from the seller 20 minutes later asking if it's "ok" that i get a 100% refund. lol

also, anyone coming to PAX Prime in Seattle this weekend? i have a Monday pass i'm trying to unload.

Shinjin · Post by **Shinjin** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 3:22 am

Kasey Chang wrote:I was browsing through random Youtube videos when I came across the Japanese anime "Gate". a sorta military fantasy.

To make a long story short: a dimensional gate suddenly popped up in middle of Ginaza, Japan, and roman-type armored soldiers as well as ogres and others appear through the gate, attacking everything in sight. One off-duty SDF soldier Itami was instrumental in evacuating civilians and manage to put them behind defensible walls before SDF deployed in strength to contain the chaos. The Japanese Diet decided to send through an SDF expeditionary force to check it out.

TL;DR -- modern weaponry against a medieval army, dragons, and a little magic. It's no match at all. A couple howitzers and 50K men were annihilated. Dragons? Pfft against gunships and fighters, or even flak cannons. Charging knights on horseback? Hah, they can't even beat a jeep with a mounted .50.

Of course, SDF is like all for peace, we'll beat you but we'll ask you nicely to stop attacking us (by annihilating your armies). Some of the battlescenes are cute.

If I want that kind of fiction, I think I'll go read "The March Upcountry" series again (by John Ringo)

Intentional irony that below TL;DR summary is actually longer than the beginning of the post? 98 words above vs 99 below, according to https://wordcounttools.com/

Sectoid · Post by **Sectoid** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 7:25 am

Rip wrote:
Daehawk wrote:
So I am reading something and it mentions Gwyneth Paltrow being upset about people criticizing her "Goop" brand.
her Goop is a bunch of new age hooy that is all bullshit that silly people buy into. She sells a jade egg that ladies stick in their errr private parts that is healthy for them somehow. Paltrow says you 'recharge' it by sitting it in the sunshine. They'll drill a small hole in for you to add a string...she suggests dental floss.
Oh, so her Goop is useless crap unlike the other company which has awesome and effective products.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 12:27 pm

Had an SSD fail this morning for the first time and my worst SSD fears were exemplified. Every tool at my disposal trying to recover data from that sucker said the same thing. There is nothing on this 32KB hard drive to recover.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 1:44 pm

LordMortis wrote:Had an SSD fail this morning for the first time and my worst SSD fears were exemplified. Every tool at my disposal trying to recover data from that sucker said the same thing. There is nothing on this 32KB hard drive to recover.

That's not an SSD. That's a floppy disk.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 1:48 pm

The Meal wrote:
LordMortis wrote:Had an SSD fail this morning for the first time and my worst SSD fears were exemplified. Every tool at my disposal trying to recover data from that sucker said the same thing. There is nothing on this 32KB hard drive to recover.
That's not an SSD. That's a floppy disk.

When I started on computers Single Sided High Density 5 1/4' floppies were 48k, so it wasn't even a floppy from the late 70s.

But yeah, Windows 7x64 and the software to run a Dynomometer and test data being collected at a rate of about 2 gigs an hour is not likely to be recovered from the 32KB the drive claims it size to be.

Rip · Post by **Rip** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 2:06 pm

LordMortis wrote:Had an SSD fail this morning for the first time and my worst SSD fears were exemplified. Every tool at my disposal trying to recover data from that sucker said the same thing. There is nothing on this 32KB hard drive to recover.

Yep, SSDs die a hard death.

https://www.krollontrack.com/services/d ... overy/ssd/

Kasey Chang · Post by **Kasey Chang** » Thu Aug 31, 2017 11:05 pm

How badly do you need it? Spinrite will work on SSDs.

https://www.grc.com/sr/testimonials.htm

Search for "SSD" on the page. Quite a few people who say it helped.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 2:15 am

Ok wait . Speaking of the new Star Trek movies. I thought the reason the new Enterprise was so big was because of the Nerada time split or whatever. When it came through it changed the universe so the Humans became more military like..hence larger ships.

Then why in this image is the USS Kelvin so large too? It was built before the time change right? Its as big almost as a Galaxy class.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 8:07 am

Finally watched the Johnny Depp / Tim Burton version of Dark Shadows from 2012. First thing Ive really watched in along while and still wasn't paying much attention. I had skipped it these years thinking it was a comedy. Wasn't. Still seemed weird.

Sectoid · Post by **Sectoid** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 8:58 am

I'm getting more hair in my ears then I would like, which is zero. To be more accurate, it is the little, stiff hairs kind of like beard hairs that are annoying.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:09 am

I know right? I use tweezers to pull them out. Stay gone a month or so. This crap started around age 45. Not a single one before then.

MonkeyFinger · Post by **MonkeyFinger** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:19 am

Something to add to your list, Daehawk: Philips Hue Entertainment Lights

Vorret · Post by **Vorret** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:22 am

I think I injured a rib, not sure how bad but it hurts like a bitch since last week

hopefully it doesn't take too long to heal

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:22 am

MonkeyFinger wrote:Something to add to your list, Daehawk: Philips Hue Entertainment Lights

Wow that sounds great....other than the $200 price. Why would someone buy white LED only? Pretty cool. Ill mark it.....thank you.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Sep 01, 2017 9:27 am

Kasey Chang wrote:How badly do you need it? Spinrite will work on SSDs.

https://www.grc.com/sr/testimonials.htm

Search for "SSD" on the page. Quite a few people who say it helped.

Not enough to pay for professional recovery beyond the recovery and backup tools I have already paid for.

Daehawk wrote:I know right? I use tweezers to pull them out. Stay gone a month or so. This crap started around age 45. Not a single one before then.

It started happening well before 45. Tweezers and a month are pipe dreams.