Search found 4477 matches

by Raphael
Tue Oct 15, 2024 9:16 am
Forum: Conlangery
Topic: What have you accomplished today?
Replies: 846
Views: 425478

Re: What have you accomplished today?

What is the attempted novel about? Oh, based on what I've seen of your politics so far, I don't think you would like it; it is rather socialist. It's science fiction about a future Earth making contact with aliens, all while the protagonist is coming of age, experiencing what TV Tropes calls "...
by Raphael
Tue Oct 15, 2024 8:02 am
Forum: Conlangery
Topic: What have you accomplished today?
Replies: 846
Views: 425478

Re: What have you accomplished today?

Not so much today as over the last couple of days, but I am now on Page 12 of my attempt-at-a-novel. Doesn't sound like much, I know, but I hadn't thought I'd even get that far.
by Raphael
Tue Oct 15, 2024 7:23 am
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Personal health of members.
Replies: 28
Views: 1002

Re: Personal health of members.

Raphael wrote: Fri Oct 04, 2024 9:13 am
In less world-shaking news, one of my dental crowns fell out. Again.
Update: It's safely back in now.
by Raphael
Sun Oct 13, 2024 7:07 am
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Random Thread
Replies: 4119
Views: 571511

Re: Random Thread

People who were famous for being famous? Sure. People who were mainly famous for selling stuff? Less sure.
by Raphael
Sat Oct 12, 2024 3:52 pm
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Random Thread
Replies: 4119
Views: 571511

Re: Random Thread

zompist wrote: Sat Oct 12, 2024 3:47 pm
Raphael wrote: Sat Oct 12, 2024 3:36 pm Unrelated question: does anyone know if there's any way to call up random Wikipedia pages?
Hamburger menu (to the left of the Wikipedia logo, top left of page); Random article.
Oh, thank you!
by Raphael
Sat Oct 12, 2024 3:36 pm
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Random Thread
Replies: 4119
Views: 571511

Re: Random Thread

Unrelated question: does anyone know if there's any way to call up random Wikipedia pages?
by Raphael
Sat Oct 12, 2024 11:17 am
Forum: Conlangery
Topic: zompist's Essay on "Advanced Civs"
Replies: 42
Views: 1662

zompist's Essay on "Advanced Civs"

A few years ago, zompist posted an essay on how to write fictional "highly advanced civilizations" over on his Patreon. More recently, he made that post public, that is, available to everyone, including people who aren't on Patreon. The post is at https://www.patreon.com/posts/advanced-648...
by Raphael
Fri Oct 11, 2024 5:46 pm
Forum: Languages
Topic: Linguistic Miscellany Thread
Replies: 4948
Views: 2350940

Re: Linguistic Miscellany Thread

jal wrote: Fri Oct 11, 2024 5:10 pm
I have much more difficulty with telling American accent apart, East Coast or West Coast all sound the same to me.
I think the only US accents I can recognize are AAVE and white Southern drawls. Everything else sounds just like GA to me.
by Raphael
Fri Oct 11, 2024 1:54 pm
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Random Thread
Replies: 4119
Views: 571511

Re: Random Thread

OK, I'll speak as a grumpy old Millennial who grew up in a time before influencers now: Back then, of course we had celebrities who got paid to sell stuff, but I don't think there were many celebrities whose entire celebrity status was based on them selling stuff (unless you count corporate mascots ...
by Raphael
Fri Oct 11, 2024 1:53 pm
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Random Thread
Replies: 4119
Views: 571511

Re: Random Thread

Travis B. wrote: Fri Oct 11, 2024 1:53 pm Yeah, it's time to fork Python.
Good luck.
by Raphael
Fri Oct 11, 2024 10:56 am
Forum: Languages
Topic: Linguistic Miscellany Thread
Replies: 4948
Views: 2350940

Re: Linguistic Miscellany Thread

Considering that I have no idea in my head of what a Birmingham accent sounds like... I can tell a posh British accent from a non-posh British accent, and I think I can recognize a Scottish accent by now, too, but telling different regional English accents from each other? That's still beyond me.
by Raphael
Fri Oct 11, 2024 4:07 am
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Random Thread
Replies: 4119
Views: 571511

Re: Random Thread

This thread on Bluesky by Brad Devereaux may be interesting to some people here. Basically, he pushes back on the idea that "if magic were common, it would be industrialized":

https://bsky.app/profile/bretdevereaux. ... 2dp2hb6p2n
by Raphael
Fri Oct 11, 2024 3:22 am
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: The New ZBB Quote Thread
Replies: 366
Views: 365158

Re: The New ZBB Quote Thread

Travis B. wrote: Thu Oct 10, 2024 9:05 pm
ratammer wrote: Thu Oct 10, 2024 4:36 pm Ozzy Osbourne is English, not Australian - he specifically has a Birmingham accent.
Okay, I don't know how I got it in my head that he was Australian - lol. Maybe the "Ozzy" part.
by Raphael
Thu Oct 10, 2024 6:59 pm
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: What are you reading, watching and listening to? - All languages
Replies: 1034
Views: 3673245

Re: What are you reading, watching and listening to? - All languages

Finished Aspects of the Novel, by E. M. Foster. I expected it to be a bit too highbrow for my taste, and to some extent, it was, but it was nevertheless interesting.

I'm still not sure what exactly the author is trying to tell me in Chapter 7 ("Prophecy"), though.
by Raphael
Thu Oct 10, 2024 7:39 am
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: The Contradictory Feelings Thread
Replies: 715
Views: 788121

Re: The Contradictory Feelings Thread

One of my insurance companies just paid me out more money on a claim than the matter in question had actually cost me, so I'm a weird mix of happy and confused right now. (This should, of course, go without saying, but just in case it doesn't: no, I did not mislead them about how much money the thin...
by Raphael
Wed Oct 09, 2024 11:59 am
Forum: Conlangery
Topic: Conlang Random Thread
Replies: 3257
Views: 2992695

Re: Conlang Random Thread

malloc wrote: Wed Oct 09, 2024 10:59 am It came from some medieval Chinese pillar and I believe it read: "Heaven gives everything to nourish man, man has nothing with which to repay Heaven, kill×7" or something like that.
Thank you!
by Raphael
Wed Oct 09, 2024 10:44 am
Forum: Conlangery
Topic: Conlang Random Thread
Replies: 3257
Views: 2992695

Re: Conlang Random Thread

I've noticed that some ZBB members apparently took one and the same short text, translated it into something (their own conlangs?) and put that translation into their signatures. I mean the text where the last line consists of the same work repeated a couple of times. Which text is that?
by Raphael
Tue Oct 08, 2024 2:44 pm
Forum: Languages
Topic: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread
Replies: 1858
Views: 4990410

Re: The "How Do You Pronounce X" Thread

In my non-native pronunciation, "sorrow", "tomorrow", and "borrow" all rhyme.
by Raphael
Tue Oct 08, 2024 3:50 am
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Personal health of members.
Replies: 28
Views: 1002

Re: Personal health of members.

TomHChappell wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2024 6:44 pm

Yes! Today I got dressed (with assistance), walked (with assistance) the 1 step necessary to get into a wheelchair, went to the gym, and exercised! And I rolled up and down the corridors in the wheelchair! And they’ve been talking about me taking a shower!
Congratulations!
by Raphael
Sat Oct 05, 2024 9:01 am
Forum: Ephemera
Topic: Random Thread
Replies: 4119
Views: 571511

Re: Random Thread

I just learned from the latest issue of the local paper that there are apparently nutrias near where I live now. (I don't live anywhere near South America.) And they're suspected of undermining the nearby dikes with their burrows. This is worrying, especially now that flooding season is starting.