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> You know, I'm not sure I can explain it any better than I already have.
> If someone says "Here comes with Wicked Witch" when they see your boss
> walking towards them, that conveys an opinion of your boss. Whistling
> the theme song (which, in the movie, plays every time the Wicked Witch
> approaches) also conveys the same thought. But you wouldn't understand
> either meaning without culture behind it.
Mmm, OK...
I doubt you can learn such things just from reading books though. More
like going out and actually talking to people...
>>> If you haven't read any Shakespeare, how would you know?
>> Who says I haven't read any Shakespeare?
>
> Sorry. You didn't.
I didn't read any Shakespeare? Now what on earth makes you think that?
> In any case, that's what it's supposed to do. If some time in your life,
> someone tells you not to hire some particular lawyer because he's a real
> shylock, you'll know what it means.
Actually, considering Shylock's character, I'm not 100% sure I know what
they're trying to imply.
> Of course, there are fewer references to Shakespeare and various operas
> and such than there are to popular movies, but the movie references will
> probably not outlive the Shakespeare references either. I mean, what do
> you hear more, "Romeo and Juliet" or "Tony and Maria"?
Hell, I haven't heard of that latter one *now*! ;-)
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Warp wrote:
> Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] dev null> wrote:
>> Wait... The WWW had a *theme*??
>
> It never ceases to amaze my why you are so eager to shout about your
> ignorance about things.
It never ceases to amaze me how you like to remind me what a stupid
ignorant fool I am at every possible opportunity.
[Or that not knowing fact X qualifies somebody as "ignorant". As if
there's some magical set of facts that all human beings are innantely
expected to know...]
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Jim Henderson wrote:
> "Tax on stupidity" = lottery. Or on "people who can't do math". :-)
Not really true.
Here's lottery number one:
You give me $1, and I give you a 1/100 chance you will win a $1,000,000
dollars. Do you take the bet?
Here's lottery number two:
You give me a $1,000,000 dollars, and I give you a 1/100 chance you will
win $1,000,000,000,000. Do you take the bet?
It's the same expected outcome, you'll note.
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> A few pages, once every few days. Otherwise yuh, that would be pretty
> damn slow! ;-)
For the most part, it's probably pretty difficult to understand a book
like Alice in Wonderland if you read it that slowly. It's like trying to
be frightened by a horror movie you only watch for five minutes a day.
And, of course, it helps if you *already* understand some culture so you
can understand what the symbolism in Alice is actually referring to also.
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> I doubt you can learn such things just from reading books though. More
> like going out and actually talking to people...
There's some of that invovled too, yes. ;-)
>>>> If you haven't read any Shakespeare, how would you know?
>>> Who says I haven't read any Shakespeare?
>>
>> Sorry. You didn't.
>
> I didn't read any Shakespeare? Now what on earth makes you think that?
Sorry. You didn't say you hadn't read any Shakespeare. Erf.
> Hell, I haven't heard of that latter one *now*! ;-)
That's kind of my point. Look up West Side Story.
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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>> A few pages, once every few days. Otherwise yuh, that would be pretty
>> damn slow! ;-)
>
> For the most part, it's probably pretty difficult to understand a book
> like Alice in Wonderland if you read it that slowly. It's like trying to
> be frightened by a horror movie you only watch for five minutes a day.
>
> And, of course, it helps if you *already* understand some culture so you
> can understand what the symbolism in Alice is actually referring to also.
I have also watched various films of it. Which also completely failed to
make any senblance of sense.
[Although I think possibly Dune exceeds it in outright
incomprehensibility...]
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Warp wrote:
> Darren New <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote:
>> Warp wrote:
>>> I knew that Newtons and kiloponds both measure the same thing (force),
>
>> FWIW, I never even *heard* of a "pond" as a unit of measure.
>
> Seems like Andrew is not the only one who hasn't read his literature. :P
I never claimed to be widely read. :-) Sadly, by the time I figured out
why the heck the teachers wanted me reading all that crap, it was too
late - I'd already graduated.
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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Darren New wrote:
> Orchid XP v8 wrote:
>> I doubt you can learn such things just from reading books though. More
>> like going out and actually talking to people...
>
> There's some of that invovled too, yes. ;-)
It strikes me that the thing about "culture" is that it is entirely
dependent on who you hang out with.
(Somebody around the POV-Ray server not knowing what the word "algebra"
means would get some fairly strange looks. Walk around on the street and
it's a different story. Now go read Questionable Content and try to
figure out some of the more obscure references. I just checked with an
emo kid I know who's dating an indie boy and *she* said it was obscure!)
>>>> Who says I haven't read any Shakespeare?
>>>
>>> Sorry. You didn't.
>>
>> I didn't read any Shakespeare? Now what on earth makes you think that?
>
> Sorry. You didn't say you hadn't read any Shakespeare. Erf.
Not only have I *read* several Shakespeare plays, as part of our
education we were forced to *perform* part of one. [Not Romeo & Juliet,
mercifully. It was a school for boys, after all...]
I played Shylock.
Best thing about performing Shakespeare: If you make a mistake, nobody
in the audience will ever know. They can't understand a word you're
saying, AND THEY DON'T CARE ANYWAY. Really reduces the pressure! ;-)
And next year, I happened to be visiting the school, and they told me
that Macbeth had just been expelled from the school. Guess who played
Macbeth's character that year?
And the year after that?
Jesus I'm a sap... :-S
>> Hell, I haven't heard of that latter one *now*! ;-)
>
> That's kind of my point. Look up West Side Story.
And I'm agreeing. ;-)
--
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> I have also watched various films of it. Which also completely failed to
> make any senblance of sense.
Well, no, they aren't going to make sense at all.
Me, I thought the Cyberiad (Stanislaw Lem) was truly wonderful for a
bizarre book, as well as being fairly deep in many ways. (Not too many
references to it in culture, mind.) What amazes me more is that it was
originally in Polish and translated to English. (Altho you'd have to
read it to understand why that's amazing - amazing writing, and an
amazing translation.)
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
Helpful housekeeping hints:
Check your feather pillows for holes
before putting them in the washing machine.
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On Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:19:56 -0700, Darren New wrote:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> "Tax on stupidity" = lottery. Or on "people who can't do math". :-)
>
> Not really true.
>
> Here's lottery number one:
>
> You give me $1, and I give you a 1/100 chance you will win a $1,000,000
> dollars. Do you take the bet?
>
> Here's lottery number two:
>
> You give me a $1,000,000 dollars, and I give you a 1/100 chance you will
> win $1,000,000,000,000. Do you take the bet?
>
> It's the same expected outcome, you'll note.
I meant for lotteries like the Minnesota State Lottery, or Powerball.
Or any game, really, that's rigged so the house wins most of the time.
Jim
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