The New ZBB Quote Thread

[Travis B.]

I personally am skeptical about the capabilities of robots themselves in the near future, so I have few worries about a robot apocalypse (just like we haven't seen a cow apocalypse, despite cows being more intelligent than the most powerful AI's in existence today),

Cows with Guns

[Raphael]

Yup, I thought of that, too.

[Raphael]

Noam Chompsky is the Tolkien of linguistics, in that his imaginative descriptions of fictional languages continue to inspire young readers to this day.

[Travis B.]

(just like we haven't seen a cow apocalypse, despite cows being more intelligent than the most powerful AI's in existence today),

What, have you missed how they constantly try to finish us off (spreading mad cow desease, belching methane to kill the climate)? These fiends are devious little schemers behind their innocent eyes and mock-stupid moos, I tell you!

[WeepingElf]

Why? Two years is too short, four years is too long. Three years is just right.

It makes sense if you turn it upside-down, then Aussie "3" becomes Northern Hemisphere "5". Well, sort of.

If you rotate 3, you get something like E, which is the same letter as e, so then you have to hold elections roughly every 2.71828182845904523536028747135266249775724709369995 years.

[Linguoboy]

You could have a server farm in the middle of a bird sanctuary selling andrenochrome to pedophiles or whatever it is people do in Jersey.

[Travis B.]

Remember when we spent three years saying "surely THIS is the thing that will finally force Theresa out!"? It seems like we're doing the same thing with Boris. Every few weeks there's some new existential threat that's sure to be the thing that knocks him down. Eventually something's bound to, but the man could survive a scandal that involved video evidence of him throwing kittens off the white cliffs of Dover. Sooner or later we have to stop pretending that this or that political setback is likely to finish him off.

(Emphasis mine.)

[Raphael]

Finally got around to learning about Optimality Theory! I’ve just made my first mini-grammar, for a tone system. At the same time, I’ve just decided that OT doesn’t actually work much of the time. I don’t think I’ll be using OT again.

HAH!

That reminds me of a software training I did for a client on a particular method of 3D modeling. At the end of the training, they said "Thanks, that was very informative and there were some good tools, but you've basically convinced us to just keep doing things the way we've been doing them since it's easier & faster." Sometimes, you just have to actually use it to see if it's useful.

[Travis B.]

Related is having to look for Hispanophone authors under both their paternal and maternal surnames. (I was pleased to walk in a bookstore today and find García Márquez correctly alphabetised under G. But both the owners used to work in my library.)

Meanwhile, in the circle of Hell being prepared for linguoboy's arrival:
"Pedro Antonio de Alarcon? Guess it works like "Van Hoffman" or whatever. This goes under D."

[bradrn]

Will no-one rid me of these turbulent after-effects of covid???

Get better!

I wish I could. The damned thing is hanging around like an unttached VP node.

[alice]

I was going to say "dangling", but that might have been misinterpreted.

[Raphael]

Plus, being a teenager is just inherently miserable to begin with. Prior to the modern age, this wasn't an issue because a) being a teenager overlapped with your mid-life crisis, and b) any unhappiness would be drowned out by the general misery of losing a toe to gangrene or being eaten by boars.

[Raphael]

That would mean logic is applicable to German. Big mistake

[Zju]

So the Sausage Zone test is disqualified by the existence of female cattle?

[Raphael]

I have a question for the Americans here. I bought this sarsaparilla drink. I was thinking "now I finally get to know what sarsaparilla tastes like". When I opened the bottle I was taken aback by the smell of dentist clinic. And it tasted like flouride wash. Or a little bit like chewing gum. Is this what sarsaparilla is supposed to taste like? What abour rootbeer?

Now I'm kind of intrigued to taste your fluoride wash.

[Linguoboy]

Serious French literature involves a frightful amount of narcissim, depression and navel-gazing.

[Raphael]

Serious French literature involves a frightful amount of narcissim, depression and navel-gazing.

You left out the best part: the next sentence:

(Plus a lot of excrutiating sex scenes written in such a way as to turn you off sex forever.)

[Raphael]

Perhaps a bit dull for this thread, but an interesting insight:

But textbooks usually miss more complicated rules (and thus mislead advanced students).

[Raphael]

Frankly i don't think this world has smartphones. Now dog companions who fufill the functions of a computer and also connect to the spiritnet is probably what they have.

[bradrn]

Do you have unconventional ideas about the economy ?
Do you want to stick it to the experts?
Do you want to test how resilient the United Kingdom is?

Congratulations - you may qualifiy for our "Revolving Prime Minister" program!

Attractions:
- A meeting with His Majesty the King
- Sleepover at No. 10 Downing Street (One night guaranteed)
- Nominate your buddies to cabinet

Interested? Apply at the Conservative and Unionist Party forthwith!