Delicious LiveJournal Links for 10-10-2009

[andrewducker]

• Blu-ray on the PC: DRM failure
  (tags: bluray drm technology EpicFail)
• The âœWiFi At Conferencesâ Problem
  Because connecting more than 254 people can be a real problem...
  (tags: wifi conference joel conferences)
• 30 senators that think it's ok to cover up rape. Including John McCain.
  (tags: rape usa politics)
• Singular âœtheyâ and the many reasons why itâ™s correct.
  (tags: language grammar english they linguistics writing)
• Possibly the finest pun in the history of mankind
  Probably only makes sense to brits though.
  (tags: pun funny UK bees)

Comments

[meihua.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for the singular "they"!

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Another Hurrah for the singular "they" - I've been using it for years.

[sigmonster.livejournal.com]

Alas, the pun isn't quite original: it featured in an episode of My Word! and in one of the tie-in books.

Still fantastic though...

[sigmonster.livejournal.com]

And it turns out the My Word version was "...land owner". Apologies to the Guardian.

(Why, yes, I do attach great importance to the details of 40 year old radio shows I've never actually listened to. Why do you ask?)

Prescriptivism had oughta die

[supergee.livejournal.com]

People who insist that language is a popularity contest probably do more harm than good to the cause of useful changes like singular They. Everybody who writes like that should go fuck themselves.

Re: Prescriptivism had oughta die

[red-phil.livejournal.com]

Spoken language IS a popularity contest.
If you don't like that then tough.

Written language has more formal structure and rules and they take time and sometimes organisation to change.

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

There's more discussion of that singular 'they' article at my lj.

What's the pun in the bee article?

[andrewducker]

The pun:

and as done by The Muppets:

[nancylebov.livejournal.com]

Thank you. That's an awful pun, and I don't feel bad about having missed it since I'd never heard the song.

The pun which made me feel as though the universe had conspired to make it possible is "Rubber chickens don't kill people, pullets do."

[drplokta]

Actually, this is the finest pun in the history of mankind. Although it also only makes sense to Brits.

[andrewducker]

Oh, that _is_ fantastic!

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

Knock knock.
Who's there?
M.I.B. -- it's a big horse.
M.I.B. -- it's a big horse who?
M.I.B. -- it's a big horse I'm a Londoner... [etc]

[soon_lee]

AArrrrgghh!

Does this mean that I am now a Brit?

[henriksdal.livejournal.com]

I LOVE this one! It's my fave

[momentsmusicaux.livejournal.com]

Wifi fails at every Drupalcon :/
You'd think techies would get this right!