View Full Version : Lost causes
Theodoric
07-11-2003, 19:13
You may have noticed that yet again I have been desperately trying to explain that everything has chemicals in it, and to say that something is bad because it contains "chemicals" is a nonsense.
A few other lost causes are:
1) The English/European billion, that is 1,000,000,000,000. The American billion, that is 1,000,000,000 has now driven it completely out of use.
2) The British sulphur/sulphate etc versus the American sulfur/sulfate etc. The British version is still hanging on, but IUPAC may have delivered a death blow to it by opting for sulfur.
3) British aluminium versus American aluminum. We are definitely in with a chance here, especially as IUPAC have sided with the British spelling. The fact that all other metallic elements end in "ium" should also help to see off the American contender.
4) "Organic" foodstuffs. Yet again common-sense has been overwhelmed by slapdash use of the language.
homealone
07-11-2003, 20:18
I'm with you on the attitude to 'chemicals', Theodoric. Did you watch the start of the new tv series last week, on channel 4, called 'The Theory of Everything', very interesting stuff.
Historical lost causes, have included the theory that atoms were the smallest division of matter & more recently the concept that protons & neutrons were themselves fundamental, with the theory they are made of quarks.
The string theory, described in the programme above, could make a lost cause of the idea that electromagnetism & gravity are different forces.
Chimaera
07-11-2003, 20:21
:eek:
/Ducks as conversation matter flies straight over her head.....
sorry suffering from fried brain.
incog. :dunce:
and the twitch in my cheek has gone demented.stress levels have gone through the roof.
you seem to be some kind of scientist,theodoric.what causes these twitches?
homealone
07-11-2003, 21:04
[QUOTE=Theodoric]You may have noticed that yet again I have been desperately trying to explain that everything has chemicals in it, and to say that something is bad because it contains "chemicals" is a nonsense.
A few other lost causes are:
1) The English/European billion, that is 1,000,000,000,000. The American billion, that is 1,000,000,000 has now driven it completely out of use.QUOTE]
so if 1,000,000,000,000 is a billion and 1,000,000 is a million, what is 1,000,000,000 called?
it would be called one thousand million - I think we ought to swap to SI names - so a thousand Pounds would be a kilopound & a million would be a megapound - that makes one thousand million a gigapound & an English billion a terapound:D
- interesting, if you say the above names using 'buck' instead of 'pounds', it sounds 'snappier' - could this be why the English billion failed? ;)
that sounds stupid to me, we don't have a thousand thousand's or a thousand hundred's, so why have a thousand million?
Because it's a logical progression, if you write it out you'll see ;)
I hate the Americans sometimes :( they always mess with our language, just look at this software it uses color rather than colour :grind:
1) The English/European billion, that is 1,000,000,000,000. The American billion, that is 1,000,000,000 has now driven it completely out of use.
Interesting observation. I believe the British system goes something like this:
1,000,000 - million
1,000,000,000 - milliard
1,000,000,000,000 - billion
1,000,000,000,000,000 - billiard
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 - trillion
However, the United States, Canada, and pretty much the rest of the English speaking world excluding the United Kingdom uses:
1,000,000 - million
1,000,000,000 - billion
1,000,000,000,000 - trillion
1,000,000,000,000,000 - quadrillion
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 - quintillion
I didn't realize that the first system is still in use, to be honest with you. Even BBC uses the American system.
In other languages though, it seems that the first system (English one) is still being used, such as French, Germany, Dutch, and so on.
I prefer the second one. It makes a little more sense to me.
2) The British sulphur/sulphate etc versus the American sulfur/sulfate etc. The British version is still hanging on, but IUPAC may have delivered a death blow to it by opting for sulfur.
Oh hmm, I didn't know about this one. I've always thought it was sulfur. :p
3) British aluminium versus American aluminum. We are definitely in with a chance here, especially as IUPAC have sided with the British spelling. The fact that all other metallic elements end in "ium" should also help to see off the American contender.
Yes, I remember, you guys have a really really odd way of pronouncing aluminum. :) Canada also says "aluminum."
I don't know what is so important about the IUPAC though. What does it matter which one they choose? Don't dig "sulphur's" grave just yet. :) I mean, we write cesium, aluminum, and sulfur. You write caesium, aluminium, and sulphur. No matter what the IUPAC say, we will write what we think is correct (American way... :p) and you will hopefully do the same. :)
described in the programme above
"described in the program above" -- no "me" at the end. :p
they always mess with our language
Aw come now... We just improve it... :) :p
So this makes me wonder... To those that are programmers, do you sometimes kick yourself because you wrote <colour> instead of <color>? Or tried to use a .colour property, which does not exist, instead of .color (say in Java, or C++, or Delphi...)...
homealone
07-11-2003, 23:09
that sounds stupid to me, we don't have a thousand thousand's or a thousand hundred's, so why have a thousand million?
who you calling stupid - stupid:D
neither do you have tens of ones :shrug:
cos the si system deals with factors of 3, not 2 - millilitres & litres - not centilitres, for example?
A thousand million - is 10^9 - its better as a giga:)
described in the programme above
"described in the program above" -- no "me" at the end. :p
No Program as in computer Progrm, or Programme as in TV programme
eg"That new TV programme was rubbish!"
I saw being silly. :p You guys add "me" after it, we don't. We say "That new TV program was stupid." (or other adjective... "rubbish" isn't in our vocabulary.)
OK I have another question. I pronounce schedule like this: http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?schedu01.wav=schedule
Some people have a funny way of doing it, sort of a "sh" sound in the beginning. Is that Oxford English, or the Aussies? Or both? Eeeh.
1) The English/European billion, that is 1,000,000,000,000. The American billion, that is 1,000,000,000 has now driven it completely out of use.
Interesting observation. I believe the British system goes something like this:
1,000,000 - million
1,000,000,000 - milliard
1,000,000,000,000 - billion
1,000,000,000,000,000 - billiard
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 - trillion Yea, but thats just pants:p
However, the United States, Canada, and pretty much the rest of the English speaking world excluding the United Kingdom uses:
1,000,000 - million
1,000,000,000 - billion
1,000,000,000,000 - trillion
1,000,000,000,000,000 - quadrillion
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 - quintillionNow that makes sense.:D
I prefer the second one. It makes a little more sense to me. Yup!
Yes, I remember, you guys have a really really odd way of pronouncing aluminum.Um....how do I say 'p*ss off', politely?:D
I don't know what is so important about the IUPAC though. What does it matter which one they choose? Don't dig "sulphur's" grave just yet. :) I mean, we write cesium, aluminum, and sulfur. You write caesium, aluminium, and sulphur. No matter what the IUPAC say, we will write what we think is correct (American way... :p) and you will hopefully do the same. :)(see my above comment):D
described in the programme above
"described in the program above" -- no "me" at the end. :p ditto.....:D
they always mess with our language
Aw come now... We just improve it... :) :p:2up: ;) :D
thousand million = milliard in the English system
thousand million = milliard in the English systemIs that like a mallard?:dunce: :D
homealone
07-11-2003, 23:20
OK I have another question. I pronounce schedule like this: http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?schedu01.wav=schedule
Some people have a funny way of doing it, sort of a "sh" sound in the beginning. Is that Oxford English, or the Aussies? Or both? Eeeh.
shedule or skedule is a good one - lootenant or left-tenant, anyone?:)
lootenant... I first heard of "left-tenant" about a year ago and I was like WTF?? until my dad told me it is the British thing to say....
Now go fix your roads. :p
Now go fix your roads. :permmm....the state they're in?
No, you guys are on the wrong side of the road... :p
Words in the British English language that just crack me up:
- rubber: Had some guy here from England ask, out loud, if he could borrow my rubber. Needless to say, he and I got a lot of strange looks. (A rubber is a condom.)
- boot (trunk!), trousers (pants!), dummy (pacifier!), silencer (muffler! A silencer is a device you put on a gun.), bloke (it sounds weird), torch (a flashlight! I think of torch as a verb, meaning to burn something)
- and of course the classic biscuit/cookie thing...
:D
homealone
07-11-2003, 23:39
lootenant... I first heard of "left-tenant" about a year ago and I was like WTF?? until my dad told me it is the British thing to say....
Now go fix your roads. :p
- our roads in England are absolute cr*p - some motorways are not bad - some local highways aren't bad, but overall our roads are lacking.?
- 'A' roads are better in Scotland, than England, for example- imo?
homealone
07-11-2003, 23:46
No, you guys are on the wrong side of the road... :p
Words in the British English language that just crack me up:
- rubber: Had some guy here from England ask, out loud, if he could borrow my rubber. Needless to say, he and I got a lot of strange looks. (A rubber is a condom.)
- boot (trunk!), trousers (pants!), dummy (pacifier!), silencer (muffler! A silencer is a decide you put on a gun.), bloke (it sounds weird), torch (a flashlight! I think of torch as a verb, meaning to burn something)
- and of course the classic biscuit/cookie thing...
:D
*cough* a biscuit is what that master joiner guy goes on Discovery - we just can't say eraser, sorry:D
decide? - sorry - no guns - then you don't need to make a decision.
homealone
08-11-2003, 00:19
i said that sounds stupid not your stupid.
so why thousand million when the others don't have it?
i don't have a clue what your on about from here on in :shrug:
prolly too late to explain, morris, not having a go at you tho:)
- is a billion 10^9 or 10^12
prolly too late to explain, morris, not having a go at you tho:)
- is a billion 10^9 or 10^12
De ja vu anyone? I'm sure we've had this discussion before :s
lootenant... I first heard of "left-tenant" about a year ago and I was like WTF?? until my dad told me it is the British thing to say....
Now go fix your roads. :p
How about you lot go and relearn the language we gave you ;) :D
Theodoric
08-11-2003, 18:59
[QUOTE=Theodoric]You may have noticed that yet again I have been desperately trying to explain that everything has chemicals in it, and to say that something is bad because it contains "chemicals" is a nonsense.
A few other lost causes are:
1) The English/European billion, that is 1,000,000,000,000. The American billion, that is 1,000,000,000 has now driven it completely out of use.QUOTE]
so if 1,000,000,000,000 is a billion and 1,000,000 is a million, what is 1,000,000,000 called?
In the old British system, 1,000,000,000 would have been called simply one thousand million. In the new American system, 1,000,000,000,000 is called a trillion (I forget what a trillion was in the old British system). And you will frequently find the new trillion used to describe the size of the US budget.
Theodoric
08-11-2003, 19:02
it would be called one thousand million - I think we ought to swap to SI names - so a thousand Pounds would be a kilopound & a million would be a megapound - that makes one thousand million a gigapound & an English billion a terapound:D
- interesting, if you say the above names using 'buck' instead of 'pounds', it sounds 'snappier' - could this be why the English billion failed? ;)
It's already happening. If you have to deal with accountants you will find that they refer to £k and £M. I was never important enough to have to worry about £G. :)
Theodoric
08-11-2003, 19:09
lootenant... I first heard of "left-tenant" about a year ago and I was like WTF?? until my dad told me it is the British thing to say....
Now go fix your roads. :p
Well, if you want to be really, really pedantic, then since lieutenant derives from the French 'lieu tenant', meaning 'holding the place of', presumably the first part of the word should be pronounced something like l'yer. So, you being a Canadian, how do they pronounce it in Quebec? :p
vBulletin® v3.8.11, Copyright ©2000-2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.