 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| HomeDiscussion GroupsEnglish UsageBritish EnglishESL Teaching Learnglish.com Contact UsLink To UsSearch & Site Map |
Discussion Groups / English Usage / December 2008What do you call a light that's too dim?
You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And Muggers" program. So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you > wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And > Muggers" program. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? too dim >> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >too dim Well, there is the expression "as dim as a Toc H lamp" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toc_H which is a euphemism for being "as thick as two short planks" (if you get what I mean). But I don't think that's the right answer.  SignatureIan >>> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >>> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > But I don't think that's the right answer. What about "differently luminous"? SignatureLes (BrE) >>>> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >>>> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > What about "differently luminous"? luminously challenged? >>>>> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >>>>> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > luminously challenged? Sub-prime illuminating beam? >>>>>> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >>>>>> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >> >Sub-prime illuminating beam? If it goes off and becomes a black hole, sucking light into it, it is called a Madoff. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>> luminously challenged? >>> >>Sub-prime illuminating beam? >> >If it goes off and becomes a black hole, sucking light into it, it is called a >Madoff. A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really work by sucking in darkness. SignatureIan >>>> luminously challenged? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really work > by sucking in darkness. Was he "the water cooler guy"? >>>> luminously challenged? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really > work by sucking in darkness. Of course. As a child I concluded that curtains reflected the darkness back into the garden. SignatureDavid >> A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really >> work by sucking in darkness. > > Of course. As a child I concluded that curtains reflected the darkness > back into the garden. And it's entirely clear that the thermodynamicists have it wrong: it's not heat that flows, it's cold. Any fool who's ever been out in a blizzard knows that. SignatureJohn Varela Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email. >>> A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really >>> work by sucking in darkness. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >not heat that flows, it's cold. Any fool who's ever been out in a >blizzard knows that. The Universe is not expanding. The contents are shrinking. It started very, very, very, hot and has been getting colder ever since, so it's no wonder things are shrinking. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>>> A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really >>>> work by sucking in darkness. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >very, very, hot and has been getting colder ever since, so it's no wonder >things are shrinking. I've often thought that since the universe is expanding, there'll come a time when electrons get so far from their nuclei that the electrostatic attraction will get too weak for atoms to hold together. SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England >>>>> A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really >>>>> work by sucking in darkness. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >a time when electrons get so far from their nuclei that the >electrostatic attraction will get too weak for atoms to hold together. Very thin particle soup. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) On Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:44:08 +0000, "Peter Duncanson (BrE)" <mail@peterduncanson.net> wrote: >On Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:16:40 -0500, John Varela <OLDlamps@verizon.net> >wrote: [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >very, very, hot and has been getting colder ever since, so it's no wonder >things are shrinking. I've often thought that since the universe is expanding, there'll come a time when electrons get so far from their nuclei that the electrostatic attraction will get too weak for atoms to hold together. SignatureThen it won't matter at all how bright your flashlight is. (snipped rocket scientist comments) > I've often thought that since the universe is expanding, there'll come > a time when electrons get so far from their nuclei that the > electrostatic attraction will get too weak for atoms to hold together. Very true and very applicable to girl butts and girl thighs! This spreading and diminishing sub-atomic glue is precisely why we girls develop and suffer cellulite. This is not our fault, not at all. SignaturePurl Gurl -- This is to the native American poster who I believe to be a woman, but for some reason is gotten up like Groucho Marx: Excuse me? -- Margo Howard, 11/19/2008 >>>> luminously challenged? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > A work colleague once came up with the theory that light bulbs really > work by sucking in darkness. DeSelby thoughts omething similar, which I'd explain in a footnote if someone hadn't done it for me: http://www.hellshaw.com/flann/deselby.html SignatureOnline waterways route planner: http://canalplan.org.uk Experimental version; http://canalplan.eu >>>>> luminously challenged? >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > >http://www.hellshaw.com/flann/deselby.html "The Third Policeman" is wonderful, IMO. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland > "The Third Policeman" is wonderful, IMO. I wonder if we could get Marius on to it? SignatureOnline waterways route planner: http://canalplan.org.uk Experimental version; http://canalplan.eu >> "The Third Policeman" is wonderful, IMO. > >I wonder if we could get Marius on to it? Now may be the time, with Christmas sales and all. If he can't find it locally or prefers to shop on the Internet, as I do, I see that www.Amazon.com has it for $10.36. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland > Well, there is the expression "as dim as a Toc H lamp" > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toc_H > which is a euphemism for being "as thick as two short planks" (if you > get what I mean). Even Wiki flags the expression as obsolete, perhaps like Toc H itself (a Christian evangelical social club, founded for front- line British soldiers in the First World War, now perhaps defunct.) I doubt many Brits know know what Toc H means. (Its lamp was a Roman-style reading lamp, common a century ago as the logo for evangelical organizations.) SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) >Even Wiki flags the expression as obsolete, perhaps like >Toc H itself (a Christian evangelical social club, founded for front- >line British soldiers in the First World War, now perhaps defunct.) Not defunct, but evolved and in hibernation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toc_H http://www.tochparticipation.co.uk/ Striving to eliminate social exclusion, Toc H is a charity committed to building a fairer society. Latest News Toc H Update 29 Jul 2008, London, UK Toc H's operational work has ceased for the time being pending a period of restructuring. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) Ian Jackson wrote, in <g85r8GJ9T7TJFwQC@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:40:45 +0000: > >> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > >> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > But I don't think that's the right answer. That's the first time I have met that since my father died, it was one of his favourites. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE > Ian Jackson wrote, in <g85r8GJ9T7TJFwQC@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> > on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:40:45 +0000: [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > That's the first time I have met that since my father died, it was one > of his favourites. How do you say it? Tock Aitch? Donna Richoux wrote, in <1isd85t.1vrwph6zkvv7yN%trio@euronet.nl> on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:45:17 +0100: > > Ian Jackson wrote, in <g85r8GJ9T7TJFwQC@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> > > on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:40:45 +0000: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > How do you say it? Tock Aitch? Just so. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE Donna Richoux wrote, in <1isd85t.1vrwph6zkvv7yN%trio@euronet.nl> on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 19:45:17 +0100: > > Ian Jackson wrote, in <g85r8GJ9T7TJFwQC@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> > > on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:40:45 +0000: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > How do you say it? Tock Aitch? Toc was the word used for the letter T in the WWI British army phonetic alphabet. Toc H stands for Talbot House in Ypres which is where the organisation started. SignatureNick Spalding BrE/IrE > Toc was the word used for the letter T in the WWI British army phonetic > alphabet. Toc H stands for Talbot House in Ypres which is where the > organisation started. Why the unadorned "H" instead of its phonetic alphabet equivalent, I wonder. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. >> Toc was the word used for the letter T in the WWI British army phonetic >> alphabet. Toc H stands for Talbot House in Ypres which is where the >> organisation started. > >Why the unadorned "H" instead of its phonetic alphabet equivalent, I wonder. The phonetic equivalent of "H" was "Harry". I guess the use of Harry to refer to an organisation might have been confusing -- up-the-garden-path-leading: "Who was Harry? The founder? A soldier after whom it was named?" http://www.milism.net/abc.htm British Army "Signalese" 1916 (Battle of the Somme) Ack Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddie Gee Harry Ink Johnnie King London Emma Nuts Oranges Pip Queen Robert Esses Toc Uncle Vic William X-Ray Yorker Zebra SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > Toc H stands for Talbot House in Ypres which is where the > organisation started. Poperinghe - 10km west of Ypres, and thus just out of range of the German shelling. -- WH >> Toc H stands for Talbot House in Ypres which is where the >> organisation started. > > Poperinghe - 10km west of Ypres, and thus just out of range of the > German shelling. Famed in English Usage as the birthplace of Chaucer's Sir Topaz. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. Charles Self filted: >You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you >wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And >Muggers" program. >So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? "Atmospheric"....r Signature"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!" "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!" > Charles Self filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > "Atmospheric"....r More likely (in my way of talking), simply "atmosphere." (One dims the lights for "atmosphere.") SignatureMaria C. >>> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >>> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you >>> wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists >>> And Muggers" program. >>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? >> "Atmospheric". > More likely (in my way of talking), simply "atmosphere." (One dims the > lights for "atmosphere.") "Ambiance" SignaturePurl Gurl -- This is to the native American poster who I believe to be a woman, but for some reason is gotten up like Groucho Marx: Excuse me? -- Margo Howard, 11/19/2008 > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? unenlightened SignaturePurl Gurl -- This is to the native American poster who I believe to be a woman, but for some reason is gotten up like Groucho Marx: Excuse me? -- Margo Howard, 11/19/2008 >> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? > > unenlightened Insufficient light. There is a Prince of Insufficient Light by the name of Phil, you know. SignatureSkitt (AmE) darkly > >> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Skitt (AmE) > darkly Could Phil, the Prince of insufficient Light, be related to Punxsutawney Phil? Consider the following: The groundhog purportedly was named for King Phillip – this surely was the chief of the Wampanoag Indians, the leader who gave his name to the bloody war that began in 1675. The missing link is then the Indian name for that king, Metacomet – not a full fledged comet, but just a meta one, insufficiently bright. No question about the relationship of these two Phils, is there? -- Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego >>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? >> >> unenlightened > >Insufficient light. There is a Prince of Insufficient Light by the name of >Phil, you know. In England, I believe his name is Peter. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland > >>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > In England, I believe his name is Peter. Mandy, Shirley? -- WH >>>>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? >> [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > -- > WH Joseph http://www.kitcar.com/articles-kitcar/humordept/lucas-prince.html SignatureJohn Varela Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email. >>>>>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? >>>> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > http://www.kitcar.com/articles-kitcar/humordept/lucas-prince.html My Austin-Healey 100-6 had a Lucas fuel pump. Fortunately, it was mounted within striking distance on the back of a panel that was supporting the back seat, behind the driver's seat. One good whack there restarted the now-and-then interrupted fuel flow. http://www.geocities.com/opus731/59healey.jpg SignatureSkitt (AmE) >> >>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? >> [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > >Mandy, Shirley? We must show more respect for a Lord, Shirley. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland > "Skitt" wrote: >>>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > In England, I believe his name is Peter. Naah, the ruler of Lower Heck is Phil. Always. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil,_the_Prince_of_Insufficient_Light SignatureSkitt (AmE) >> "Skitt" wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >Naah, the ruler of Lower Heck is Phil. Always. >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil,_the_Prince_of_Insufficient_Light I've never read Dilbert, but to fill you in on my little joke I was referring to Peter Mandelson, who pundits in the British press call "The Prince of Darkness", for reasons I don't understand. In any case, he helped create Tony Blair's New Labour government, went away for awhile and was recently returned to government by Gordon Brown, amid much speculation as to why. Being an American, I don't keep myself well informed on the details of British politics, but no doubt a British AUE member will correct my historical inaccuracies. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland >>> "Skitt" wrote: >>>>>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > I've never read Dilbert, No. I'm finding December difficult to cope with. First Katy doesn't know MacArthur Park and now Chuck doesn't read Dilbert. What's next, eh? Roland's never heard any Bach? Tony's never visited to Epcot? Purl Gurl responds accurately to a grammar question? > but to fill you in on my little joke I was > referring to Peter Mandelson, who pundits in the British press call > "The Prince of Darkness", for reasons I don't understand. It's because he's considered evil. > In any case, > he helped create Tony Blair's New Labour government, went away for > awhile To Europe, where he was Commissioner for something or other. > and was recently returned to government by Gordon Brown, amid > much speculation as to why. > Being an American, I don't keep myself well informed on the details of > British politics, but no doubt a British AUE member will correct my > historical inaccuracies. Entirely accurate. SignatureDavid >>>> "Skitt" wrote: >>>>>>> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > >Entirely accurate. There is more than anyone needs to know at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mandelson SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > I've never read Dilbert, but to fill you in on my little joke I was > referring to Peter Mandelson, who pundits in the British press call > "The Prince of Darkness", for reasons I don't understand. Well you say you don't. > In any case, > he helped create Tony Blair's New Labour government. But you clearly do! SignatureOnline waterways route planner: http://canalplan.org.uk Experimental version; http://canalplan.eu >I've never read Dilbert, Oh dear, oh dear, oh DEAR! SignatureIan >>I've never read Dilbert, > >Oh dear, oh dear, oh DEAR! I should have a penny for every author I haven't read, fact I don't know and comic strip I've barely heard of. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland >>>I've never read Dilbert, >> >>Oh dear, oh dear, oh DEAR! > >I should have a penny for every author I haven't read, fact I don't >know and comic strip I've barely heard of. Well, forego one of those pennies, and read Dilbert. SignatureIan >>>>I've never read Dilbert, >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Well, forego one of those pennies, and read Dilbert. Ho-hum, a little of http://www.dilbert.com/strips/ is enough to last me a lifetime. Instead, I see my copies of "Orlando" and "Nixonland" on my bed, beckoning me. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland >>>>I've never read Dilbert, >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > >Well, forego one of those pennies, and read Dilbert. Every single person I know who reads Dilbert is a computer geek, in some degree. (Before you say it, I do know some people who are not computer geeks, and who can read). I don't know whether this is coincidence or correlation - any comments out there? Katy ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >Every single person I know who reads Dilbert is a computer geek, in some >degree. (Before you say it, I do know some people who are not computer geeks, >and who can read). > >I don't know whether this is coincidence or correlation - any comments out >there? I can't help with that question; every person I know who can read is a computer geek.... I will say, though, that those who work in this field recognize that the strip is not fiction....r Signature"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!" "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!" > ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >> Every single person I know who reads Dilbert is a computer geek, in >> some degree. (Before you say it, I do know some people who are not [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > I will say, though, that those who work in this field recognize that > the strip is not fiction....r For quite a while I thought that Scott worked at the same company that I did. His observations about working life matched mine perfectly. SignatureSkitt (AmE) >> ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >For quite a while I thought that Scott worked at the same company that >I did. His observations about working life matched mine perfectly. Dilbert is absolutely 100% true to life. It portrays with incisive accuracy how all modern business works. In the last 25 years of my working life, I met nearly all of the characters, and also had the misfortune to work under some of them. Fortunately, after a total of 44 years, I was released from my bondage. I am no longer a prisoner. I am a free man. SignatureIan [...] > Dilbert is absolutely 100% true to life. It portrays with incisive > accuracy how all modern business works. In the last 25 years of my > working life, I met nearly all of the characters, and also had the > misfortune to work under some of them. Fortunately, after a total of 44 > years, I was released from my bondage. I am no longer a prisoner. I am a > free man. How I envy you. I am self-employed and condemned for eternity. SignatureLes (BrE) >ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >I will say, though, that those who work in this field recognize that the strip >is not fiction....r That's the trouble. After seeing a dozen or two of them, one realises that they're too true to life to actually be funny. How do all of those idiots get into management? SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England >>ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >>> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >that they're too true to life to actually be funny. How do all of >those idiots get into management? The question is, do any of the 'managerial class' ever read Dilbert? If so, do they ever identify themselves with any of the characters? And if they do, do they ever see the errors of their ways? SignatureIan >>ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >>> [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > that they're too true to life to actually be funny. How do all of > those idiots get into management? The "hot potato principle" might be part of the reason. If you had two people in your department, one technically brilliant and useful and the other a complete idiot, which of the two would you try and have "promoted" elsewhere? SignatureLes (BrE) >>>ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >>>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >other a complete idiot, which of the two would you try and have "promoted" >elsewhere? Actually, you have to be in a fairly large organisation to get away with that unless the manager of the department you're promoting the person to is also an idiot. There seem to be several reasons why some people appear to be idiots although they pass the aptitude tests and have done well at university, etc. At the professional level, it might simply be that the person is in the wrong job. I met a Scottish guy when I was on IBM's systems engineer training school back in January 1968. He had, to say the least, an abrasive personality, and always spoke his mind. We got on well enough for Sonia and I to be invited to his wedding a short time later, but we lost touch when we started working in the field. When I moved to France in 1973 he was one of the first people I met, and he told me frankly that he'd been kicked out of customer-facing jobs, and the country, because he was too outspoken. Eventually he worked for a director, and his job was to argue with plant managers to shuffle delivery schedules of the largest systems around so that customers would get what they wanted at the time they were ready to take them. I'll explain this further if anyone is interested, but the point is that his uncompromising, "Never take no for an answer" attitude was just what the job needed, our largest customers were ecstatic (although they never actually met him) and his job level and pay shot up like a rocket. At the managerial level, it might mean that the person is simply no good at management. The world is littered with top sales persons who were promoted into rotten sales managers. Managers who find themselves in that position are not going to back down and go down job level unless they have to; they often adopt a role that appears to be successful to those above them and tyrannical to those below. The view of a company looking down from the top is quite different from the view looking up from the bottom. SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England >>>> ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 54 lines] > view of a company looking down from the top is quite different from > the view looking up from the bottom. Wow! I can't let this thread go without mentioning "The Peter Principle". Primary among many corporation patterns was to promote someone beyond his level of competence. I don't read Dilbert, but he (or his office) sounds like the embodiment of TPP. Robin, don't you think it odd that your Scottish acquaintance was able to convince his management not to fire him? Wasn't his management very tolerant of his early work? Is it possible he was related to someone? >>>>> ke10@cam.ac.uk filted: >>>>>> [quoted text clipped - 62 lines] >management not to fire him? Wasn't his management very tolerant of his >early work? Is it possible he was related to someone? Once hired, people in IBM tended not to get fired in those days, Pat, unless caught with their finger in till or secretary. If they appeared to be a nuisance in their current job (at the professional level) the company was big and rich enough to give them another chance via a sideways move. I was quite happy as a systems engineer, for example, but in 1970 we were led to believe, by people who believed it themselves, that System/370 would eliminate the need for most SEs, so many of us changed to sales. Getting through IBM sales school in the top third of the class was probably the most difficult task I ever accomplished, and that includes getting a first class honours degree and PhD in physics. Sales school tested areas in which I have little natural ability, whereas passing exams and writing a thesis was a doddle in comparison. I didn't enjoy being a salesman. I didn't lose any business, and got on well with my customers, but the job wasn't in my blood. After a couple of years I requested and was granted a move to European HQ in Paris where I worked in small teams fixing things. Suited me much more. I've thought about TPP. In theory, if a person can successfully handle a handful of professionals as a first-line manager, why can't he handle a handful of first-line managers as a second-liner, and so on, up the hierarchy. In practice it doesn't appear to work that way, and I've often wondered if, for many, TPP kicks in at that very first promotion out of professional into management. SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England Robin Bignall wrote, in very small part: > Once hired, people in IBM tended not to get fired in those days, Pat, > unless caught with their finger in till or secretary. If they > appeared to be a nuisance in their current job (at the professional > level) the company was big and rich enough to give them another chance > via a sideways move. At Lockheed, our group once hired a lady who had previous experience in at least a dozen other Lockheed groups, each one recommending her highly. She claimed to be proficient in 37 programming languages (are there that many?). To my knowledge, she never wrote a single line of code for us that actually worked. She was also impossible to get along with, claiming that everyone was working against her. She also had a habit of breaking into and taking over every conversation within earshot. We recommended her highly, and off she went to better and greener pastures. Last I heard of her, she was in the Ocean Systems Division. I got to know her fairly well, as my boss had assigned her a worksite right next to mine. He felt that I would be the only one who could possibly get along with her. That worked fairly well, until she had some sort of gastric problem, causing her to emit strange odors and spraying some sort of deodorizer all over the place. I, then, spent most of my time in the computer lab. A strange bird, she was. SignatureSkitt (AmE) ah, memories ... > Robin Bignall wrote, in very small part: > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > highly. She claimed to be proficient in 37 programming languages (are > there that many?). I once totted up the number of programming languages I had used, even if only briefly. I don't remember the number now, but I'm sure it was more than 20. I must have come across 10 at university alone. Things are different now. SignatureDavid >> Robin Bignall wrote, in very small part: >> [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >than 20. I must have come across 10 at university alone. Things are >different now. Well, it depends on how loosely one defines "programming language". If you consider it as something that requires syntax, keywords and logical flow then back in the early 1970s and before, just about every program one used to get something useful out of a computer had its own interface to the user. They all had to be learned separately. SignatureRobin (BrE) Herts, England >>> Robin Bignall wrote, in very small part: >>> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] >program one used to get something useful out of a computer had its own >interface to the user. They all had to be learned separately. Wiklipedia has lists of programming languages. The alphabetical list contains "hundreds" of them. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programming_languages Family trees of programming languages at: http://merd.sourceforge.net/pixel/language-study/diagram.html SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >>>> At Lockheed, our group once hired a lady who had previous >>>> experience in at least a dozen other Lockheed groups, each one [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Family trees of programming languages at: > http://merd.sourceforge.net/pixel/language-study/diagram.html Oh, man! And the Wikipedia does not even list some of the languages I had to use for quite a few years -- ATLAS-L (Abbreviated Test Language for Avionics Systems - Lockheed), and PACE, although the latter is an assembly language, and I guess those are not listed. I knew and used a couple more assembly languages, but that is all in the past and well forgotten. Near the end of my career, it was all Pascal. Navy dictates, you know. The things I used to store in my brain truly amaze me now. SignatureSkitt (AmE) >>>>> At Lockheed, our group once hired a lady who had previous >>>>> experience in at least a dozen other Lockheed groups, each one [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >language, and I guess those are not listed. I knew and used a couple more >assembly languages, but that is all in the past and well forgotten. The lists do not include two that I knew in the 1960s. Mercury Autocode, mentioned in: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autocode Atlas Autocode: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Autocode >Near the end of my career, it was all Pascal. Navy dictates, you know. The >things I used to store in my brain truly amaze me now. SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) >> Wiklipedia has lists of programming languages. The alphabetical list >> contains "hundreds" of them. >> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_programming_languages >> >> Family trees of programming languages at: >> http://merd.sourceforge.net/pixel/language-study/diagram.html > Oh, man! And the Wikipedia does not even list some of the languages I > had to use for quite a few years -- ATLAS-L (Abbreviated Test Language [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Near the end of my career, it was all Pascal. Navy dictates, you know. > The things I used to store in my brain truly amaze me now. Not Ada? People actually *used* Pascal? I had understood that its only use was for teaching programming and that nobody actually used it. And what happened to Ada? Is it still used? Perce >>> Wiklipedia has lists of programming languages. The alphabetical list >>> contains "hundreds" of them. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Not Ada? People actually *used* Pascal? I had understood that its only > use was for teaching programming and that nobody actually used it. Well, the Navy moves in strange ways. Sometimes all at sea. > And what happened to Ada? Is it still used? I don't know. I'm retired. >>> Wiklipedia has lists of programming languages. The alphabetical list >>> contains "hundreds" of them. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] >Not Ada? People actually *used* Pascal? I had understood that its only >use was for teaching programming and that nobody actually used it. Oh yes. Pascal has actually been *used*: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pascal_(programming_language)> Initially, Pascal was largely, but not exclusively, intended to teach students structured programming. Generations of students have "cut their teeth" on Pascal as an introductory language in undergraduate courses. Variants of Pascal have also frequently been used for everything from research projects to PC games and embedded systems. Newer Pascal compilers exist which are widely used. Pascal was the primary high-level language used for development in the Apple Lisa, and in the early years of the Mac; parts of the original Macintosh operating system were hand-translated into Motorola 68000 assembly language from the Pascal sources. The popular typesetting system TeX by Donald E. Knuth was written in WEB, the original literate programming system, based on DEC PDP-10 Pascal, while an application like Total Commander was written in Delphi (i.e. Object Pascal). >And what happened to Ada? Is it still used? That may be a military secret! >Perce SignaturePeter Duncanson, UK (in alt.usage.english) > > Near the end of my career, it was all Pascal. Navy dictates, you > > know. The things I used to store in my brain truly amaze me now. > > Not Ada? People actually used Pascal? I had understood that its only > use was for teaching programming and that nobody actually used it. We once received a test program from Miltope that was designed to run on a PC and used to test a printer they were selling us. It was written in Turbo Pascal. And not very well written. I had to learn enough Turbo Pascal to hack it into a reasonable program for our use. > And what happened to Ada? Is it still used? Yep, still in use. I did some Ada work a few years back. Some sort of MIL-STD-1553 message passing. While they mostly had me doing the C side of it, I also had to do some of the Ada while the main guy there was in the hospital for surgery. Brian SignatureIf televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who won't shut up. -- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com) [ ... ] > Near the end of my career, it was all Pascal. Navy dictates, you know. The > things I used to store in my brain truly amaze me now. Only Lieblich son decided to essay a major in computer science when he began college in 1985. First thing on the agenda was learning to program in Pascal. He lacked whatever mental make-up is required to be a good programmer, at least with Pascal, and quickly switched out of the class. He wound up majoring in astronomy, making sure to take the academic degree rather than the professional degree, which was in astrophysics. That way he wouldn't have to worry about making a career in the field, because the physics courses that would have qualified him for the astrophysics major were also prerequisites to further work in the field. And that's why you won't see the name Lieblich associated with the discovery of the Higgs boson. We hoped nevertheless that he'd take up a useful profession, but instead he went to law school. You'd think the example of two lawyer parents would have taught him something, and I suppose it did -- but the wrong something. Well, I'm about to desert for another week or so. I gotta retire soon, if only to stop feeling that I have to leave town every chance I get -- and indulging that feeling. Happy new year to all. SignatureBob Lieblich No "ano" this year, not even for PG >Ian Jackson <ianREMOVETHISjackson@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote: >>In message <rbu6l45ms2rhcgfefk7u8fkp7dlnfq7nf8@4ax.com>, Chuck Riggs [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >I don't know whether this is coincidence or correlation - any comments out >there? My b-i-l is an exception, then. Lecturer in English, City of London (eke of Westminster) Guide, with a badge and a capital G. Gave me a good Guiding on Boxing Day around Mincing Lane and a few back alleys, and bee-lined us to an open City pub for lunch to boot. Nothing geekish there. (No offence, Pete, if you tune in as recommended -- but you know me.) SignaturePaul >>>>>I've never read Dilbert, >>>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >degree. (Before you say it, I do know some people who are not computer geeks, >and who can read). I read Dilbert. Mind you, I'm not single. I don't think I'm a computer geek, but I've been using computers since 1990 so my view may be skewed. SignatureLinz Wet Yorks via Cambridge, York, London and Watford My accent may vary >>>>>>I've never read Dilbert, >>>>> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >geek, but I've been using computers since 1990 so my view may be >skewed. I don't think I'm a computer geek, either, but I did once do one of those quizzes dsigned to measure one's geekitude, with rather alarming results. SignatureKaty Jennison spamtrap: remove the first two letters after the @ Wood Avens filted: >>>Every single person I know who reads Dilbert is a computer geek, in some >>>degree. (Before you say it, I do know some people who are not computer geeks, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >those quizzes dsigned to measure one's geekitude, with rather alarming >results. "Gooble gobble, gooble gobble, we accept her, one of us"....r Signature"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!" "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!" >Wood Avens filted: >> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >"Gooble gobble, gooble gobble, we accept her, one of us"....r http://www.igopogo.com/we_have_met.htm SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland > I've never read Dilbert, but to fill you in on my little joke I was > referring to Peter Mandelson, who pundits in the British press call > "The Prince of Darkness", for reasons I don't understand. Because his career died, but on the third day, it rose again (twice). -- WH Charles Self set the following eddies spiralling through the space-time continuum: > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you > wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And > Muggers" program. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? Off Signatureξ:) Proud to be curly Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply >> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you >> wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And >> Muggers" program. >> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? > Off Ha! Ha! Love your Welsh spiced humor! Reminds of a story. Our girl and I are headed to a grocery to stock up on cookies, ice cream, strawberries and champagne for me. Dark out, darker than usual for night in big city Southern California. I stomp on my highbeam switch down floorboard of my truck, still too dark out there on the road. Neither low beam nor high beam, just too dark out. I pull over. "Traci, dear, climb out and look at our headlights, see if our headlights are working. Something ain't right." She is a good girl, looks at me, smiles, "OK, mom." Out front our truck she thumbs up for high beam, thumbs down for low beam, I can see those beams on her, looks ok but way too dim, too dark out. She climbs back in our truck cab, "Lights are working fine, mom." I am skeptical, "Are you sure? Those lights look too dim to me." She smiles, "I am sure our lights are ok. Take off your sunshades then look," she grins. My habit is to slip on sunshades while driving, during daytime, just as our girl's habit is to be as ornery as her mother. She is a bit smarter, though, she knows this difference between daytime and nighttime. SignaturePurl Gurl -- This is to the native American poster who I believe to be a woman, but for some reason is gotten up like Groucho Marx: Excuse me? -- Margo Howard, 11/19/2008 Purl Gurl set the following eddies spiralling through the space-time continuum: >>> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >>> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Ha! Ha! Love your Welsh spiced humor! Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda i chi. Back in my student days one of my fellow students was pondering a physics problem revolving around some minimal number of photons. He came out with this gem: "I tried to analyse it on the basis of running a light bulb down to the point where you could no longer see it, and then I thought, it's just not on." Signatureξ:) Proud to be curly Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply >Back in my student days one of my fellow students was pondering a physics >problem revolving around some minimal number of photons. He came out with [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >point where you could no longer see it, and then I thought, it's just not >on." Quick as a flash: "That's a bit off." SignaturePaul >>Back in my student days one of my fellow students was pondering a physics >>problem revolving around some minimal number of photons. He came out with [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >Quick as a flash: "That's a bit off." Have we had Dimmer Glimmer"? SignatureIan >>Back in my student days one of my fellow students was pondering a physics >>problem revolving around some minimal number of photons. He came out with [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Quick as a flash: "That's a bit off." Sounds like he bit off more than he could chew. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you > wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And > Muggers" program. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? Weak light Don't know how catchy that is. > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you > wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And > Muggers" program. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? A dimbulb. SignatureJohn Varela Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email. >> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > A dimbulb. "A dim, religious light" (used ironically). SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. >> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > A dimbulb. No, that's the guy who started the thread. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? Figuratively, you mean? A jar of fireflies. A faint ember. A digital watch. ¬R Glenn Knickerbocker filted: >> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? > >Figuratively, you mean? A jar of fireflies. A faint ember. A digital >watch. "Environmentally responsible"....r Signature"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!" "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!" > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you > wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And > Muggers" program. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? 1. Possessed of suboptimal luminosity. 2. Lumen-challenged. Perce > > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > 2. Lumen-challenged. Inch-candles. SignatureBob Lieblich That's okay, Son, I'll just sit here in the dark > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you > wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And > Muggers" program. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? 1. Lucas-powered. 2. Compact fluorescent. 3. Energy-Star compliant. Perce >> You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >> Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >3. Energy-Star compliant. Glow-wormy. SignatureRegards, Chuck Riggs Near Dublin, Ireland >You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you >wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And >Muggers" program. Crepuscular. >So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? Oh. Light-light. SignatureJohn > >You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > >Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Oh. Light-light. You mean, light lite? >> >You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. >> >Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >You mean, light lite? Much better, that forces the interpretation. SignatureJohn John O'Flaherty filted: >>> >So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? >>> [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Much better, that forces the interpretation. I am reminded of the Rainier brewery in Seattle, circa 1969...at that time, they were marketing three beers [1]: Light-Light, Light, and Not So Light....r [1] and no Goldilocks Signature"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!" "You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!" > You know -- that cheap torch which never gives out enough light. > Those lightbulbs the janitor uses in the the hallway which make you > wonder if they were placed there by the "Equal Chances For Rapists And > Muggers" program. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? Useless. > So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? "Energy saving, equivalent to 100W". SignatureOnline waterways route planner: http://canalplan.org.uk Experimental version; http://canalplan.eu >> So what's a catchy expression for a light that's too dim? > >"Energy saving, equivalent to 100W". 11/10 for that answer! SignatureIan |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2012 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.