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alice
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Re: Random Thread

Post by alice »

Raphael wrote: Mon Feb 23, 2026 5:35 am Random silliness related to how bi- or multilingual people might mix and match different languages as they like it: in my browser's bookmark toolbar, there are bookmark folders labelled "Technology", "Politics", "SF", "Writing", "Life", and "Sonstiges".

Can anyone else report doing or seeing other do something similar, in whatever contexts?
In my former life as a software localiser, I saw this all the time, due either to slowness-or-uncertainty-of-translator or to ineptitude-of-engineer.
"But he had reckoned without my narrative powers! With one bound I narrated myself up the wall and into the bathroom, where I transformed him into a freestanding sink unit.

We washed our hands of him, and lived happily ever after."
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Raphael
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Re: Random Thread

Post by Raphael »

alice wrote: Mon Feb 23, 2026 3:04 pm
Raphael wrote: Mon Feb 23, 2026 5:35 am Random silliness related to how bi- or multilingual people might mix and match different languages as they like it: in my browser's bookmark toolbar, there are bookmark folders labelled "Technology", "Politics", "SF", "Writing", "Life", and "Sonstiges".

Can anyone else report doing or seeing other do something similar, in whatever contexts?
In my former life as a software localiser, I saw this all the time, due either to slowness-or-uncertainty-of-translator or to ineptitude-of-engineer.
Yes, it's common in software menus, but in my case, it's the folder names I chose myself.
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Man in Space
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I am now seriously in the wind for a job again, which is suboptimal. Without going into details, a major bomb was dropped at a departmental meeting and the suits upstairs show no sign of backing down from it. Either I or they have to go. It won’t be them.
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Re: Random Thread

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Man in Space wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 1:29 pm I am now seriously in the wind for a job again, which is suboptimal. Without going into details, a major bomb was dropped at a departmental meeting and the suits upstairs show no sign of backing down from it. Either I or they have to go. It won’t be them.
Damn. That sucks.
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Post by Travis B. »

Man in Space wrote: Wed Feb 25, 2026 1:29 pm I am now seriously in the wind for a job again, which is suboptimal. Without going into details, a major bomb was dropped at a departmental meeting and the suits upstairs show no sign of backing down from it. Either I or they have to go. It won’t be them.
Sorry to hear that -- that does suck.
Yaaludinuya siima d'at yiseka wohadetafa gaare.
Ennadinut'a gaare d'ate eetatadi siiman.
T'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa t'awraa.
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Raphael
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Re: Random Thread

Post by Raphael »

The latest xkcd might be relevant for some of the recent discussions in the Languages forum here:

Image
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Post by Raphael »

Two weeks ago, we were in the late stage of some, by our standards, fairly serious snow here. Going anywhere by car involved doing a lot of brushing snow and scratching ice first.

Earlier today, our balcony had about 15 C/59 F in the shade. Sometimes, when the weather changes, it changes quickly.
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malloc
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Post by malloc »

Goddamn it, the guy in the apartment next to mine is ranting about how much he hates Jews and black people (with the N-word). Humans are a terrible and irredeemable species but landlords who build apartments out of papier-mâché are even worse.
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Man in Space
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malloc wrote: Fri Feb 27, 2026 9:47 amHumans are a terrible and irredeemable species but landlords who build apartments out of papier-mâché are even worse.
When I was in college and living in an apartment, the family below me frequently had loud music and friends over to extremely late/early hours, even on weeknights. One night, the night before a 9:15 AM calculus class where I couldn’t sleep, I’d had enough and knocked on the guy’s door. I (calmly and diplomatically) asked if he could turn it down as I had class in the morning. He shook my hand and complied. They never did that during the week again. He was kind enough to take me into consideration during the week, so I had no problem when they had get-togethers on the weekends. It worked out quite well, I think.
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/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/
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Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

Man in Space wrote: Fri Feb 27, 2026 10:11 am When I was in college and living in an apartment, the family below me frequently had loud music and friends over to extremely late/early hours, even on weeknights. One night, the night before a 9:15 AM calculus class where I couldn’t sleep, I’d had enough and knocked on the guy’s door. I (calmly and diplomatically) asked if he could turn it down as I had class in the morning. He shook my hand and complied. They never did that during the week again. He was kind enough to take me into consideration during the week, so I had no problem when they had get-togethers on the weekends. It worked out quite well, I think.
this, to me, is a surprising show of kindness. I know that if it were anyone I know living below you, (I'm ashamed to say that this includes myself), the consideration probably wouldn't have even been considered.
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Man in Space
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Post by Man in Space »

I set up OneDrive and it thoroughly broke Rainmeter. Grr...
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Raphael
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Man in Space wrote: Sat Feb 28, 2026 3:14 am I set up OneDrive and it thoroughly broke Rainmeter. Grr...
Had my own tech problems recently. These can suck.
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malloc
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Over the past few days, I've been having really bad heartburn for some reason. Unfortunately my work schedule means it will be several days before I have the opportunity to buy antacids. Hopefully this is just heartburn and not something more serious like esophageal cancer. Obviously this pales in comparison to the real issues facing the world right now, particularly the looming world war. Still, it's annoying that another problem emerges right after I solved my previous one with the speeding ticket.
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Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

malloc, I think comparing some bad heartburn to esophageal cancer is a new personal record for you. if you truly are concerned, may I heavily suggest getting some medical attention before blindly assuming such things and then letting it ruin your day?
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Alyen of Dúr is bound to me
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malloc
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Re: Random Thread

Post by malloc »

/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ wrote: Sun Mar 01, 2026 10:18 pmmalloc, I think comparing some bad heartburn to esophageal cancer is a new personal record for you. if you truly are concerned, may I heavily suggest getting some medical attention before blindly assuming such things and then letting it ruin your day?
If the issue persists, certainly, although you must understand that I am facing some incredibly tight budget constraints these days. My rent for this year has surged from $1000 to $1500 which will force some pretty considerable cuts, from half to three-quarters of my budget. It seems questionable whether I can even afford rent for this year, let alone take on new expenses.
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quinterbeck
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Raphael wrote: Sat Feb 21, 2026 3:02 am Does anyone else here think it's a bit interesting, and perhaps a bit weird, that

1) according to common stereotypes, Westerners are supposedly "individualist", while Chinese people are supposedly "collectivist", but

2) in international sports competition, Western countries often do better at team sports, while China often does better at individual sports?
To my understanding Chinese culture is broadly 'collectivist' but also quite hierarchical (high grid, high group if you're familiar with the grid-group model), and the norms for relationships differ strongly between the family sphere and the public sphere. So it's incredibly important how you relate to and honour your parents, but how you treat some random stranger or loose acquaintance hardly matters at all (please correct me if I'm wrong!).

I have one idea about the sports phenomenon - so-called 'collectivist' cultures place a high value on maintaining harmonious relationships, which limits the opportunities for the kind of critical discussion that raises the pace at which you can hone teamwork. (I've heard people from other East Asian countries claim that their culture is not suited for teamwork and so their national teams do badly in football. Interestingly, at least one of those has said it's because players are too focused on their individual success rather than that of the team.)

For individual sports, not having a bunch of other relationships to negotiate removes significant distractions. And if your culture is more hierarchical, simply obeying your coach comes quite naturally.
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malloc
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Re: Random Thread

Post by malloc »

Based on my research so far, it looks like my problem is either an ulcer or stomach cancer. From what i can tell, ulcers are fairly treatable but stomach cancer is basically a death sentence.
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Post by zompist »

malloc wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2026 7:30 pm Based on my research so far, it looks like my problem is either an ulcer or stomach cancer. From what i can tell, ulcers are fairly treatable but stomach cancer is basically a death sentence.
How much does the University of Catastrophizing charge for a medical degree?

Whatever you paid, it wasn't worth it. Try this instead.
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malloc
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zompist wrote: Mon Mar 02, 2026 7:57 pmHow much does the University of Catastrophizing charge for a medical degree?

Whatever you paid, it wasn't worth it. Try this instead.
My mistake for not explaining things more clearly. The heartburn has been happening for several days now, since last Friday, so it's not just one case of indigestion. Even with antacids, my stomach feels overly acidic and burning inside. My question is what sort of medical facility I should consult initially. Would an urgent care suffice or should I make an appointment with a gastrointestinal specialist or something?
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/ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/
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Post by /ˌnɐ.ˈɾɛn.dɚ.ˌduːd/ »

start with urgent care, assuming things are worse than they are is never a good place to start.
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Alyen of Dúr is bound to me
and from this day all nature hails
the future Keeper of the Scales!"
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