What induces nerd rage in you?

RichVR · 2013-08-18T19:04:52.000Z

Gus_Smedstad:

BANG. BANG. BANG. click.

I was watching an episode of Major Crimes, and one of the characters was trying to qualify at the range. They depict him shooting a semi-auto, and he’s surprised when the pistol runs dry. Which is complete bullshit, since if a semi-auto doesn’t lock open after firing the last round, there’s something wrong with the weapon.

You see that as a surprise in movies now and then as well, when the hero has emptied his semi-auto and doesn’t know it’s empty.

Well that sometimes happens to me with a revolver. I usually count my rounds. But occasionally I’ll miscount and click on an empty chamber. I know that Houngan might yell at me for that. But yeah. it should never happen with an automatic.

marxeil · 2013-08-20T00:14:25.000Z

Gus_Smedstad:

Amazon started life as a book store. They’ve had that part of their business for a long time.

Brick and mortar book stores organize their titles alphabetically by author. There are a lot of good reasons for this. It’s easy to browse, if something by an author looks interesting their other work is right there, and if you’re looking for a few favorite authors it’s easy to find their stuff.

You know what Amazon still can’t do after all these years? Sort books alphabetically by author. Or any kind of alphabetical order, for that matter. If I want to browse new SF there, I have to take whatever random order they’ve chosen for that moment. No, I’m not looking for what’s cheap or what’s popular. I’m just looking for books, in some sort of rational order.

RAGE.

Does this help?

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2013-08-20T04:36:53.000Z

I’ve tried that route before, going through the authors by name one by one, and it proved too clumsy. Mainly because I tended to forget precisely where I was in the list.

Dan_Theman · 2013-08-23T07:48:45.000Z

I suppose this is the right place for the rant, and I’m quite sure it was covered somewhere earlier on. However, I’ve seen a resurgence of misuse on the forums:
e.g. - is short for exempli gratia which means “for the sake of-” or “in order to give an example” (or just “for example” in modern parlance)
i.e. - is short for id est which means “that is” (frequently used for “in other words”)

While we’re at it:
etc. is short for et cetera which means “and the rest”
viz. is short for videlicet which means “let it be seen” and is often followed by a list (which differs from vis, which is a full French word and means “face,” often seen as vis-a-vis, which translates as “face-to-face”)
cf. is short for confer which means “bring together” and is commonly used as “see also”
Q.E.D. is short for quod erat demonstrandum which means “which was to be demonstrated”

A couple more which often get confused:
re, most often seen in email replies, is actually not short for “regarding.” Rather, it’s short for in re which means … regarding (technically, “in the matter of”). However, that’s why you don’t see a period indicating it’s an abbreviation.
R.I.P., most often seen on tombstones, doesn’t actually stand for “rest in peace.” Rather, it stands for requiescat in pace which means “may he/she rest in peace.”

Zylon · 2013-08-23T08:13:18.000Z

I don’t recall the last time I saw “viz” or “cf” used on a forum at all, let alone incorrectly. What seedy forums have you been hanging out on?

Dan_Theman:

R.I.P., most often seen on tombstones, doesn’t actually stand for “rest in peace.” Rather, it stands for requiescat in pace which means “may he/she rest in peace.”

Well thank god you cleared that up. Wouldn’t want people confusing “rest in peace” with “rest in peace”.

TimJames · 2013-08-23T08:15:13.000Z

Just speak American and you’ll be fine.

Timemaster_Tim · 2013-08-23T08:36:55.000Z

And RSVP stands for Refreshments Served Very Promptly.

Dan_Theman · 2013-08-23T08:38:38.000Z

Timemaster Tim:

And RSVP stands for Refreshments Served Very Promptly.

You … you … AAAAAARRRRGH!!!

lol - yeah, i.e. and e.g. are the ones I’ve seen occasionally misused around here. I just figured I’d throw the rest out there from my experiences in those other seedy forums ;)

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2013-08-23T08:48:54.000Z

Or “Unitedy Statesian” as Albert the Alligator would say.

TimElhajj · 2013-08-23T15:36:56.000Z

Dan_Theman:

You … you … AAAAAARRRRGH!!!

lol - yeah, i.e. and e.g. are the ones I’ve seen occasionally misused around here. I just figured I’d throw the rest out there from my experiences in those other seedy forums ;)

I find that sort of thing interesting. It scratches some crazy “Encyclopedic” itch I have.

I thank you.

sigh

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2013-08-25T19:59:24.000Z

This isn’t nerd rage, so much as “nerd mild amusement.”

If you’re going to write a SF story that involves computers that’s set in the future, for frog’s sake don’t mention any numbers. You’re nearly certain to sound stupid. I just read a story where a character talks about loading a “fresh 100 MB disk,” which probably sounded large in the days of floppies, but it’s ridiculously small now. In one of David Brin’s stories he repeatedly talks about downloading things at “4800 baud,” which is glacially slow by today’s standards.

RichVR · 2013-08-25T20:15:20.000Z

There was a book. I don’t recall the name. But it used “tubes” as in vacuum tubes as the center of what was going on. Anyone remember it? I think it had a guy teleporting around as well.

TimElhajj · 2013-08-25T21:43:44.000Z

Gus_Smedstad:

This isn’t nerd rage, so much as “nerd mild amusement.”

I see red* when nerds use the nerd thread inappropriately. Jesus.

*Just kidding. My own mild nerd amusement is using the word nerd.

Gus_Smedstad1 · 2013-08-26T05:47:06.000Z

RichVR:

There was a book. I don’t recall the name. But it used “tubes” as in vacuum tubes as the center of what was going on. Anyone remember it? I think it had a guy teleporting around as well.

Don’t know the specific book, but that’s a common problem with early SF. References to tubes, relays, tapes, and whatnot abound. There’s a novel (I don’t recall the name either) where robots can’t explore Saturn’s atmosphere because the pressure will cause the tubes to implode.

RichVR · 2013-08-27T17:23:35.000Z

The Robots of Saturn? I read this as a kid so I don’t recall the details. But it was a pretty good story.

Zylon · 2014-02-03T14:28:03.000Z

First rage of 2014–

All recipes that call for grated cheese but give the quantity in cups instead of by weight. Hello, stupid recipe authors, I cannot purchase cheese by grated volume.

TimElhajj · 2014-02-03T15:05:27.000Z

Zylon:

First rage of 2014–

All recipes that call for grated cheese but give the quantity in cups instead of by weight. Hello, stupid recipe authors, I cannot purchase cheese by grated volume.

Look in the deli aisle.

Gil102 · 2014-02-03T15:19:08.000Z

Just because I need to.

WoW: Any Hunter from the Shu’Halo server. Fuck those guys. Fuck you in your stupid, fucking, raid-wiping, ninja-looting, “sure I turned off Growl”, still-only-using-my-starter-pet, unfocussed and glassy-eyed face.

That actually felt pretty good.

-Gil102

Zylon · 2014-02-03T16:52:04.000Z

TimElhajj:

Look in the deli aisle.

Okay, fair point. If I might clarify then-- GOOD grated cheese. Those bags of pre-grated crap are almost always low-quality, covered with nasty tasting anti-caking powder, and overpriced for what you get. Very much not what I hope any recipe authors have in mind, unless it’s a recipe for tacos.

Timemaster_Tim · 2014-02-04T06:33:19.000Z

Zylon:

Okay, fair point. If I might clarify then-- GOOD grated cheese. Those bags of pre-grated crap are almost always low-quality, covered with nasty tasting anti-caking powder, and overpriced for what you get. Very much not what I hope any recipe authors have in mind, unless it’s a recipe for tacos.

Is it really that hard to grate some cheese?