On 22/07/2013 5:23 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> Ah, that's a new one for me.:)
>

It might just be an Irish and Scottish one. I have no way of knowing.

> But I think all of us tell fibs now and again.  I don't think I've ever
> met anyone who's 100% truthful all the time, even those of us who try to
> be.

;-)
Don't get me started. I have a very low opinion of him as a person. I 
will admit he is funny, though.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Mon, 22 Jul 2013 19:44:23 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 22/07/2013 5:23 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Ah, that's a new one for me.:)
>>
>>
> It might just be an Irish and Scottish one. I have no way of knowing.

That could be.

>> But I think all of us tell fibs now and again.  I don't think I've ever
>> met anyone who's 100% truthful all the time, even those of us who try
>> to be.
> 
> ;-)
> Don't get me started. I have a very low opinion of him as a person. I
> will admit he is funny, though.

Well, you're not alone in that low opinion - he's fought depression for a 
long time, and at times has a low opinion of himself, sadly.

I don't know him as a person, though, just as a comedian and occasional 
user/champion of open source software (though he does seem to like his 
Macs a lot).

Jim

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On Mon, 22 Jul 2013 19:40:24 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 22/07/2013 5:24 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Oh, yes, I think so as well.  It's just that when I see a measurement,
>> I don't think in terms of time.;)
> 
> Now we know why you failed your Time Lord exams. :-P

Well, I meant a distance measurement.  I only made it to level 42 time 
lord, though. ;)

Jim

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Orchid Win7 v1 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> I especially enjoy how "and" sometimes means "or", and "or" sometimes 
> means "and". No wonder students suck at Boolean algebra! :-D

I find it more interesting that the same word "or" is used in speech
for "inclusive or" and "exclusive or", yet it very rarely, if ever,
causes any confusion.

For instance, if you say something like "the price includes a cup of
coffee or tea", nobody will think that the price includes both. It's
quite clearly an exclusive "or".

However, if you say "the job requires a degree in mathematics or
computer science", it's quite clear that it's in no way an impediment
if you have a degree in both. It's clearly an inclusive "or".

Are there any practical situations where this can cause confusion?

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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On 23/07/2013 02:27 PM, Warp wrote:
> Orchid Win7 v1<voi### [at] devnull>  wrote:
>> I especially enjoy how "and" sometimes means "or", and "or" sometimes
>> means "and". No wonder students suck at Boolean algebra! :-D
>
> I find it more interesting that the same word "or" is used in speech
> for "inclusive or" and "exclusive or", yet it very rarely, if ever,
> causes any confusion.

Like I said, sometimes "or" clearly means "and", and vice versa, and yet 
everybody understands this.

I suspect the mind does some kind of heuristic search, utterly ignoring 
the word actually presented, and heuristically determines what 
conjunction would actually make sense.

This is the "common sense" which humans possess and machines famously do 
not. (Cue every Star Trek: The Next Generation episode involving 
Commander Data's search for humanity...)

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Orchid Win7 v1 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> On 23/07/2013 02:27 PM, Warp wrote:
> > Orchid Win7 v1<voi### [at] devnull>  wrote:
> >> I especially enjoy how "and" sometimes means "or", and "or" sometimes
> >> means "and". No wonder students suck at Boolean algebra! :-D
> >
> > I find it more interesting that the same word "or" is used in speech
> > for "inclusive or" and "exclusive or", yet it very rarely, if ever,
> > causes any confusion.

> Like I said, sometimes "or" clearly means "and", and vice versa, and yet 
> everybody understands this.

"And" is not the same as either "exclusive or" or "inclusive or".

-- 
                                                          - Warp

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On Tue, 23 Jul 2013 13:51:04 -0400, Warp wrote:

> Orchid Win7 v1 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>> On 23/07/2013 02:27 PM, Warp wrote:
>> > Orchid Win7 v1<voi### [at] devnull>  wrote:
>> >> I especially enjoy how "and" sometimes means "or", and "or"
>> >> sometimes means "and". No wonder students suck at Boolean algebra!
>> >> :-D
>> >
>> > I find it more interesting that the same word "or" is used in speech
>> > for "inclusive or" and "exclusive or", yet it very rarely, if ever,
>> > causes any confusion.
> 
>> Like I said, sometimes "or" clearly means "and", and vice versa, and
>> yet everybody understands this.
> 
> "And" is not the same as either "exclusive or" or "inclusive or".

Logically, it isn't.  Linguistically, though, it can be.

Jim

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"Stephen" <mcavoys_AT_aolDOT.com> wrote:
> Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
> > On Sun, 21 Jul 2013 18:33:06 -0400, nemesis wrote:
> >
> > > Warp <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote:
> > >> Orchid Win7 v1 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> > >> > three seventy-seconds of one inch
> > >>
> > >> I think that at least *some* Americans realize how ridiculous the
> > >> imperial measurement system is. It's a petty that resistance to change
> > >> is such a huge psychological phenomenon that it's not going to change
> > >> any time soon.
> > >>
> > >> --
> > >>                                                           - Warp
> > >
> > > I actually had a laugh at the "three seventy" vs the usual "seventy
> > > three".  or did he mean "3 x seventy-seconds"?
> > >
> > > then again, I'm used to it from Sherlock Holmes books :)
> >
> > 3/72 is what was meant (not sure if you were not getting that, or being
> > silly)
> >
> > Jim
>
> I think that if you are not used to the system it is easy to read it as three
> times seventy seconds. Then when you realise what is meant you laugh at your
> embarrassment at getting it wrong.
> It is great how English words change their meaning depending on their context.
>
> Stephen


don't you British spell 32 as two and thirty?  at least, it is that way in
Victorian literature

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On Tue, 23 Jul 2013 19:32:33 -0400, nemesis wrote:

> don't you British spell 32 as two and thirty?  at least, it is that way
> in Victorian literature

*snortlaughs*

Jim

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On 24/07/2013 12:32 AM, nemesis wrote:
> don't you British spell 32 as two and thirty?  at least, it is that way in
> Victorian literature

I think that is just for literary effect, as in "Four and twenty 
blackbirds, baked in a pie". The language does move on, for instance we 
don't call a week a sevennight any more. But there are still parts of 
the country that use thee and thou.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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