Interesting Links for 25-02-2018

[andrewducker]

Bus ban on Edinburgh's North Bridge unless £22m repairs carried out

(tags: transport Edinburgh bridge buses )

Facing discussion of the 'Words for “yes” in Romance languages' article from yesterday

(tags: language history )

10,000 year clock gets lowered into Texan mountain

(tags: thefuture USA clock time )

How to Get Wyoming Wind to California, and Cut 80% of U.S. Carbon Emissions

(tags: electricity infrastructure usa )

Stonewall quits Pride in London over failure to involve black and ethnic minority communities

(tags: lgbt racism uk london )

Home Office contractors cuffed detained migrants inside coach on fire

(tags: immigration uk OhForFucksSake )

Comments

[calimac]

Interesting that the word "pwned" is pronounced "poned." I wouldn't know that as I've never heard it pronounced. I'd have said "pawned."

On that subject, pronouncing the word "Airbnb" absolutely baffled me on first encounter. To be pronounced the way they want it, I still think it should be spelled "Air-B&B" which would also make the etymology clear.

On that subject, there are two retired politicians whose surnames I have never heard pronounced and don't know how to say them because I'm not sure what language they're in.

Vicente Fox. As in English, or modified somehow to Spanish?

Michael Portillo. As in Spanish, or modified to English?

[danieldwilliam]

Michael Portillo is modified to English.

[wychwood]

Portillo is pronounced as if it were English, with an "ill" sound in it.

[andrewducker]

I'd have agreed "pawned" if it didn't derived from "owned" as a term used in online games to express dominance. (And then from deliberate mispelling thereof)

[naath]

B&B -> B'n'B -> bnb I expect

[calimac]

I know that's what it means. I know that now. And if it were spelled "Air-B&B" I would have had no trouble. It was "Airbnb" that defeated me at first. "Aibunub"?

Stonewall

[luckylove]

I read the comments so no one else has to. They are full of racists and transphobes and racist transphobes.
Admittedly I only made it to the third comment thread before I bailed but those three were bad enough.

Re: Stonewall

[andrewducker]

I am sadly unshocked.