Showing tag results for Non-Computer

Jan 28, 2004
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Passenger announcements in the airport

Raymond Chen

While in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport yesterday, waiting for my flight to eventually be cancelled due to weather, then waiting for a replacement itinerary (um, the weather is the same at the destination; doesn't matter which plane you take), then waiting for the replacement to be cancelled also (wow imagine that), I heard an announcement on...

Non-Computer
Jan 27, 2004
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Undermining your own proclamation

Raymond Chen

I'm pulling for the Mars rovers as much as the next geek, but you still have to scratch your head at the following statement: Charles Elachi, the JPL director, said: "I am completely confident, without any hesitation, that I think we will get that rover back to full operation." So he's absolutely sure that he "thinks" something.

Non-Computer
Jan 26, 2004
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David Hasselhoff's daughters normal in every way

Raymond Chen

(Forwarded to me my a friend who is apparently fascinated with David Hasselhoff.) David Hasselhoff says his daughters hate his music and change the channel whenever Knight Rider comes on the TV. Okay, I defended the Germans last week, but this one baffles even me. Do the Germans not realize that David Hasselhoff is a joke? Er war ein unbeudentend...

Non-Computer
Jan 25, 2004
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German as RPN

Raymond Chen

It should be noted that "Reverse Polish Notation" is named in honor of the Polish logician Jan Lukasiewicz, who developed prefix notation, wherein the operator comes before the operands. Postfix notation proved more useful for stack-based arithmetic computations, and so the opposite of prefix notation came to be known as "Reverse Polish Notation"....

Non-Computer
Jan 24, 2004
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In defense of the German language

Raymond Chen

What we lose in inflectional complexity we gain in word order uniformity.

Non-Computer
Jan 23, 2004
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German, the language of love?

Raymond Chen

Love lures French kids to German: Come and learn German - a language of love! Hundreds of advertisements in France this week will promote the unusual message to try to woo teenagers to a language they often consider difficult and ugly. "Language is the key to understand a partner, his culture, working manners and lifestyle," [Frenc...

Non-Computer
Jan 16, 2004
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Aw, poor guy, he's so depressed

Raymond Chen

I suspect Tanzi isn't going to get much sympathy from, well, anybody. Parmalat's Tanzi is "Depressed" Lawyers for Calisto Tanzi, the jailed head of now-bankrupt European food and dairy group Parmalat, claim that he is "depressed" in prison, constantly asking about his family. The lawyers have suggested that Tanzi be released from prison and plac...

Non-Computer
Jan 15, 2004
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Google just keeps adding stuff

Raymond Chen

ResearchBuzz pointed out still more google search keywords like area codes, UPC, and whois. I'm still waiting for PLU, those code numbers on the food in the produce aisle. Here's a brief history of PLU codes for those geeky enough to care (like me).

Non-Computer
Jan 13, 2004
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If you know Swedish, the world is funnier

Raymond Chen

As I was driving through Seattle the other day, I saw a sign for a personal storage company called "Stor-More". I then had to laugh because in Swedish, "Stor-Mor" means "Big Momma". It's not restricted to Swedish. On my trip to Germany last year, my travelling companions found several German signs amusing: When he told some German colleagues a...

Non-Computer