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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: September 28th, 2023

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  • I agree, it shouldn’t be used as a way to slam someone. Point it out if you’re in the middle of a useful response. I would consider this a form of error detection / error correction feedback, because maybe the original poster genuinely doesn’t know. Speaking for myself, I would wonder what the speaker hears in their head when they’re presented with both spellings.

    But if we’re playing fast and loose with the rules, then we should also accept ‘luce’ as another alternative. The point here being, how far can we take it before everyone agrees that it’s no longer a reasonable alternative?

    I’ve long considered that learning a second language is like learning to play music. So yeah, there’s the precision of classical, versus the freestyle of jazz.

    But if you’re playing some vinyl on a turntable and asking others to listen to it while jumping around on the floor next to it, don’t be surprised if people seem distracted when the needle starts to jump around. Was that a glitch, or was it intentional?

    Tangent time: around 25 years ago I was reading up on DNS (and BIND) and came across something that stuck with me. I might be paraphrasing, but it went something like “be strict in what you send, and flexible in what you accept”. The context had to do with acceptable DNS names being passed around, and a methodology to improve the odds of mutual success.

    Shifting back to being more on topic: I wish I could speak and write at a level far better than I can now. When I hear certain speakers (typically from England) I simultaneously have a great appreciation for their language competence and a regret for my own competence. I do try to be better, although I do fail.

    In the end, I’d like to be able to bring others along when I lift myself up.









  • I have a friend who is graphic designer for a small shop. Customers drop off work at the front desk, and depending on how much effort it works out to be, it can land on his desk.

    Some customers insist on explaining to “the designer directly”. They get told/warned that it’s more expensive (hourly) and that the clock starts as soon as he walks up to the counter. And some customers agree to these terms.

    It’s always entertaining to hear his stories.









  • As a somewhat recent arrival to NZ, I found it interesting — starting with our rental car — that the speed limit is displayed on your dashboard. It changes colour as soon as you go 1 km over the limit.

    All very cool. The most notable issue with this is there are sections of roads where this doesn’t work at all.

    That said, there is a LOT of traffic calming here.

    There’s still the occasional assclown that goes way over the limit. Unsurprisingly, that usually happens on long, straight roads without traffic calming.