Oh, my Word!

[The Doctor]

Whoah! You're right! Gullible isn't in the dictionary! Take a look!

[This message has been edited by The Doctor (edited 12-05-2002 01:16 AM).]

[EEEM]

I refuse to click that link.

[VinnyQ]

valediction
n.

1. An act of bidding farewell; a leave-taking.
2. A speech or statement made as a farewell.
3. A word or phrase of farewell used to end a letter or message

[VinnyQ]

nugatory
adj.

1. Of little or no importance; trifling.
2. Having no force; invalid. See Synonyms at vain.

[SaberKitty]

snark
n.

any kind of unexplained or threatening event on a computer; a system failure
(but mostly a fun word to say )

[VinnyQ]

cyn·i·cal

1. Believing or showing the belief that people are motivated chiefly by base or selfish concerns; skeptical of the motives of others: a cynical dismissal of the politician's promise to reform the campaign finance system.

2. Selfishly or callously calculating: showed a cynical disregard for the safety of his troops in his efforts to advance his reputation.

3. Negative or pessimistic, as from world-weariness: a cynical view of the average voter's intelligence.

4. Expressing jaded or scornful skepticism or negativity: cynical laughter.

[VinnyQ]

what's the opposite of cynicism?

[VinnyQ]

for the people that didnt know and doesnt want to bother looking it up.

succulence

1. Full of juice or sap; juicy.
2. Botany. Having thick, fleshy, water-storing leaves or stems.
3. Highly interesting or enjoyable; delectable: a succulent bit of gossip.

[VinnyQ]

pretermission

v.

1. To disregard intentionally or allow to pass unnoticed or unmentioned.
2. To fail to do or include; omit.
3. To interrupt or terminate.

[Termital]

hispid:

made of, or having, strong hair or bristles.

I'll bet you'd use this a lot less than my previous contribution .

[Scotty Ø]

Hey all, new guy here

heres one to ponder over, a loop of definitions...

Thing: An entity, an idea, or a quality perceived, known, or thought to have its own existence.

So lets find out what 'entity' is, shall we?

Entity: Something that exists as a particular and discrete unit.

Now we look up 'something'.

Something: An undetermined or unspecified thing

Then you go back to the beginning! My question to all you is, can you explain, without creating a loop like this, the definition of the word "thing"?

[VinnyQ]

a thing is this *waves hands about* thing ... see ... ?

... er ...

~* head explodes *~

[Chuck]

Thing: (1) A noun that is neither a person nor a place. (2) A bad monster movie. (3) A comic book character. (4) Member of The Addams Family.

[Scotty Ø]

Originally posted by Chuck:

---

Thing: (1) A noun that is neither a person nor a place

---

Noun: The part of speech that is used to name a person, place, thing...

Another loop! I like your other responses though.

[CrystyB]

Scotty, i doubt it very much that non-circular explanations are possible. After all, verbal explanations (we could use other explanations, but just for a part of the things we try to define) use words, and if we have to define those words, and the words that define the defining words, we would HAVE to get into a loop, since last time i checked the vocabulary was finite...

[Chuck]

The string of definitions could possibly move away from "thing" before starting to loop, but it's more like a tree of definitions and it's unlikely that no branch of it would contain "thing" before looping.

[VinnyQ]

A curious aside: in computer's language, there are binary (zeros and ones), machine languages (assembly: symbol representing patterns of 0s & 1s), and high level languages (C, Visual Basic, Pascal: common languages representing sets of assembly).

I wasn't paying much attention in my intro to cs class, but I caught the term "boot strapping" as meaning something along the line that quite a few compilers (programs that translate high level languages to machine languages) are quite often created by using the same high level languages that it is suppose to translate.

I.E. the programmers of the compiler program define the semantics of the high level languages by using the same high level languages.

[VinnyQ]

You figure that one out. I am going to bed.

[Scotty Ø]

*scratches head at VinnyQ's interesting aside*

Well CrystyB, I've got one thing to say to you... you're probably right!

Chuck: Good points also mate

Actually, I was asked this question myself once, and couldn't figure it out, I just wondered what the intelligence at the GL had to say about it... also I'm trying to get to however many posts you need to not be an Icarian Member

VinnyQ: I'm taking Software design at the moment, and I asked my teacher about this one (we got back to school today) he had no idea what i was talking about, but he said he'd look into it. I'll try and get an answer for you soon mate!

[VinnyQ]

I know what the answer is. I am just too lazy to try to remember it.

[Jordan]

Yes I think we all get kind of lazy.

[Jordan]

What was the name of the first computer?

[VinnyQ]

Bob?

[groza528]

God.

Seriously though, it was Univac.

[Termital]

Oh, yeah? What did Babbage build then? What were his Difference Engines and Analytical Machines?

[This message has been edited by Termital (edited 02-01-2003 10:42 PM).]

[d8P]

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicavolconiocosis is a disease contracted by inhaling particles of fibreglass. The disease(-cosis) causes tiny(-ultramicroscopic-) swellings(-volconi-) on the airsacs in your lungs (pneumon-).

[Termital]

Ahem. This is a true stumper. How are we going to use that monstrosity all over the GL? Anyway, I think that
oneiric: in the likeness of, or belonging to dreams may come in slightly more handy.

*goes off to start a thread on DYI fiberglass installation*

[Orbiting]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Antrax asked me what the opposite of commiseration was - what the word for being happy in another person's happiness.

If Antrax, or anyone else, still cares, the word for joy in someone else's happiness is macarism.

-o-
(better late than never)

[mathgrant]

favonian \fuh-VOH-nee-un\ adjective

: of or relating to the west wind : mild

[Hitchhiker]

The German word for happiness in someone else's misfortune (watching someone slip on a banana peel, etc.) is Schadenfreude.

[sk]

ok, this is just about the coolest thing ever (imho)
i just learned this word yesterday, but have managed to tell like 10 people.
perhaps you know it but i still think it's pretty nifty...

formication:
n. the sensation resembling that made by the creeping of ants on the skin

[Lepton]

~laughs so hard that he tips like a cow~

[MillerTime]

defenestration: The act of throwing someone or something out of a window.

I just think it's cool that there's a word for that. Not as cool as SK's word though.

[Vinny]

Ah ... thx SK.

Invalid usage: How would you like to go home with me and formicate?

[sk]

correct usage: Or, we can go back to my place and I can defenestrate you

[Orbiting]

quiddity - the particular quality of a thing, that which distinguishes it from other things (its thingness, if you will). From Latin quid est? (What is it?)
(that's my word of the day)

[mathgrant]

Soyuz is a rather goofy looking word.

[sk]

kakistocracy Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens

i saw this word and thought that the only person who would use it on a daily basis was boro

[Vinny]

devolve

to de-evolve.

You are so lazy you will devolve to being apelike, monkeybreath.

[SaberKitty]

favonian
pampero

of or relating to the west wind
strong cold wind from the west or southwest that sweeps over the pampas


vinny's worthless news taught me a new word!

[This message has been edited by SaberKitty (edited 12-27-2003 03:29 PM).]