Zompist Bboard Again

As a result of my ongoing journey through the writings of Maciej Cegłowski, I now have a question: In this piece https://idlewords.com/2013/12/pursuing_the_platypus.htm he writes:

I remember walking in Manhattan once and coming across a group of tourists who were taking pictures of a pigeon. I have no idea where they were from, but it was clear they had never seen such a bird before and were charmed by all the stupid pigeon things it was doing. New Yorkers had stopped to stare at them in rank amazement. I think of this little tableau often in Australia, whenever I am struck dumb with wonder by a native animal.

Is there actually any place on Earth that might plausibly have produced tourists who were amazed by the sight of a pigeon?

Raphael wrote: ↑Sat Dec 06, 2025 5:20 pm https://idlewords.com/2013/12/pursuing_the_platypus.htm

Oh, this makes me homesick… I so love Aussie birds. (Though we get slightly different ones since Sydney isn’t tropical.)

Is there actually any place on Earth that might plausibly have produced tourists who were amazed by the sight of a pigeon?

Greenland?

Lērisama wrote: ↑Wed Dec 03, 2025 4:37 pm In unrelated news, I was made aware of this apparently annual conlanging community census, which I completed in a bored 15 minutes. I was going to ignore its pleas for sharing, but its conlang media question did not accept bulletin boards as an option, so I now highly recommend anyone with a spare 15 minutes doing it in order to complain about that in the box at the end.

Edit: changed link to save any users a step

Duly done. I'm a sucker for censuses and relish telling survey makers how they could improve!

It's been nearly a week since the leak began and they still haven't fixed things. Currently there are two big holes cut into my ceiling and water everywhere. Also the constant dripping makes it impossible to sleep. Quite honestly, I am considering moving out and looking for somewhere with better construction.

Discovered the following in the Wikipedia article on clothespins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothespin

By a lever action, when the two prongs are pinched at the top of the peg, the prongs open up, and when released, the spring draws the two prongs shut, creating the action necessary for gripping.[citation needed]

You want a citation for that? Aren't the personal experiences of basically all Wikipedia contributors who ever used that type of clothespin in their own lives good enough?

Raphael wrote: ↑Tue Dec 09, 2025 8:31 am Discovered the following in the Wikipedia article on clothespins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothespin

By a lever action, when the two prongs are pinched at the top of the peg, the prongs open up, and when released, the spring draws the two prongs shut, creating the action necessary for gripping.[citation needed]

You want a citation for that? Aren't the personal experiences of basically all Wikipedia contributors who ever used that type of clothespin in their own lives good enough?

Well, from reading the article further it looks like ‘that type of clothespin’ is in fact different to the type of clothespin which is used today.

bradrn wrote: ↑Tue Dec 09, 2025 8:57 am Well, from reading the article further it looks like ‘that type of clothespin’ is in fact different to the type of clothespin which is used today.

Isn't "clothespin" what washing machines do?

@malloc: that would be a good idea, if you're able to do it. If you're *very* lucky you might even be able to claim some compensation, although I can't vouch for the laws on this in the USA.

alice wrote: ↑Tue Dec 09, 2025 2:26 pmIsn't "clothespin" what washing machines do?

Leekspin, but with a huge clothespin instead.

alice wrote: ↑Tue Dec 09, 2025 2:26 pm@malloc: that would be a good idea, if you're able to do it. If you're *very* lucky you might even be able to claim some compensation, although I can't vouch for the laws on this in the USA.

Unfortunately, I have to imagine that better quality apartments come with much higher rent. My rent here has been reasonably affordable at least. Even so, the deadline to renew my lease is fast approaching and I am really wondering whether I shouldn't bother this time. Based on some cursory searching, it seems this apartment complex has a reputation for low quality buildings, many complaints of paper-thin walls, mold, and roaches.

malloc wrote: ↑Tue Dec 09, 2025 8:04 pm

alice wrote: ↑Tue Dec 09, 2025 2:26 pm@malloc: that would be a good idea, if you're able to do it. If you're *very* lucky you might even be able to claim some compensation, although I can't vouch for the laws on this in the USA.

Unfortunately, I have to imagine that better quality apartments come with much higher rent. My rent here has been reasonably affordable at least. Even so, the deadline to renew my lease is fast approaching and I am really wondering whether I shouldn't bother this time. Based on some cursory searching, it seems this apartment complex has a reputation for low quality buildings, many complaints of paper-thin walls, mold, and roaches.

It sounds like you have plenty of good reasons to move somewhere else, somewhere healthier but still affordable.

alice wrote: ↑Wed Dec 10, 2025 2:44 pm
It sounds like you have plenty of good reasons to move somewhere else, somewhere healthier but still affordable.

Not everyone has the money to move.

Still getting calls from Element Mediation about my debt which suggests this is more than a scam. One call would make sense but multiple calls over several weeks suggests they have something legitimate against me. Unfortunately my attempts to research this business keep turning up meditation, not mediation, so I can't confirm whether they're a real business or just scammers.

malloc wrote: ↑Thu Dec 11, 2025 9:58 am Still getting calls from Element Mediation about my debt which suggests this is more than a scam. One call would make sense but multiple calls over several weeks suggests they have something legitimate against me. Unfortunately my attempts to research this business keep turning up meditation, not mediation, so I can't confirm whether they're a real business or just scammers.

Onerousness is a frequent strategy of scammers. They know that if they harass people long enough, those people become more likely to believer that there is something to it. And replying tells them that they can reach their target.

WeepingElf wrote: ↑Thu Dec 11, 2025 10:36 am

malloc wrote: ↑Thu Dec 11, 2025 9:58 am Still getting calls from Element Mediation about my debt which suggests this is more than a scam. One call would make sense but multiple calls over several weeks suggests they have something legitimate against me. Unfortunately my attempts to research this business keep turning up meditation, not mediation, so I can't confirm whether they're a real business or just scammers.

Onerousness is a frequent strategy of scammers. They know that if they harass people long enough, those people become more likely to believer that there is something to it. And replying tells them that they can reach their target.

Seconded. Until they contact you by mail ignore them, as the whole point of calling you is to put you on the spot. And if they claim you owe money for X, confirm whether you actually owe money for X rather than taking their word for it. Note that I googled these guys and found nothing to indicate that this is a real legitimate business.

Regarding randomness, a fundamental problem is trying to decide whether an event is causally irrelevant or whether there is a deep causal connection. E.g. YouTube recommended this to me: https://youtu.be/CYpRcxJJUFY

I get that the algorithm knows I'm interested in anime and Communism, but why Finnish? Is it random, or is there some kind of a conlanging association, perhaps through Quenya?

Raphael wrote: ↑Thu Dec 11, 2025 4:47 pm I'd say that's because neither "The People" nor their "Will" really exist. I'm with Sam Vimes on that point.

Did you read Discworld in the English, or in German translation¹? It honestly seems like a nightmare to translate, and I'm curious how it was done.

¹ If indeed you did at all, and didn't get the reference from some other source

Lērisama wrote: ↑Thu Dec 11, 2025 5:15 pm

Raphael wrote: ↑Thu Dec 11, 2025 4:47 pm I'd say that's because neither "The People" nor their "Will" really exist. I'm with Sam Vimes on that point.

Did you read Discworld in the English, or in German translation¹? It honestly seems like a nightmare to translate, and I'm curious how it was done.

¹ If indeed you did at all, and didn't get the reference from some other source

I read some of the novels, but not most of them. Translated, though I think I would read originals if I'd start a serious re-read now. When I want to find quotes I look for original ones. I've never been seriously involved in the German organized fandom, but from what I've seen of it, the translations seem to be very controversial. I think they're still recognizably Pratchettian, though.

Apple’s new iOS has completely wrecked the aesthetic I had going. I was able to switch back to the original case that was bought for me (and found the belt clip after a surprisingly short search) but still, kind of annoying/jarring.

I know that, if we have any people who are old enough to understand that metaphor, I'm sounding like a broken record on this by now, but, well, Oh Noez Teh AIs Are Gonna Replace Us All Cuz They're So Much Smarter Than Us, Part 344347:

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/12/13/ ... -anything/

Raphael wrote: ↑Sat Dec 13, 2025 4:56 pm I know that, if we have any people who are old enough to understand that metaphor, I'm sounding like a broken record on this by now, but, well, Oh Noez Teh AIs Are Gonna Replace Us All Cuz They're So Much Smarter Than Us, Part 344347:

https://whatever.scalzi.com/2025/12/13/ ... -anything/

Despite his criticism, I can't help but be impressed (and alarmed) that Grok can read text within photographs and even understand humor. Obviously misattributing the dedication is a major gaff, but most humans would fail miserably at matching a random dedication to a particular book. It often feels like AI skeptics make the mistake of comparing AI to the best and brightest humans and finding it wanting, when they really ought to compare it with the average human. Artificial intelligence need not outsmart Einstein to pose a credible threat to the social fabric or human employment. It just has to compete favorably with the average man on the street and thus far it appears quite capable at that.