WCT Nov 2-6, 2009

[Dasota]

JEPH! Get out of my head! First you have Dora growing her blonde out about a month after I decide to do the same, and dye it back to black 2 days after I did, and now the tail! Really? I had to deal with that crap at Dragon Con.

*Looks around for the hidden camera*

[The Duke]

Little do you know, your life was the basis for Stranger Than Fiction...

[sarcasticsmoothie]

should have worn the teh shirt...

hehe I wore that to school on the 30th but alas, no one got it there either  

As far as the automaton stuff, wikitionary says "automatons" is an acceptable pluralization. But automata sounds cooler. So deal with it.

Actually, most words sound cooler when pluralized by ending with a vowel. Examples: fungus, fungi; octopus, octopi; walrus, walri (fuck you this is how i say it ).

[Zombiedude]

I think Automatons would be like "Hey there are some Automatons near that flux capacitor, dare you to throw a rock at them."

Whereas Automata sounds like it would be a faction "The Automata corp. are known for kicking puppies"


Perhaps that's just me.

[Rocketman]

Because 90% of the population of this planet is heterosexual, Pushy Lesbian.

Grr.

[Carl-E]

What's the opposite of "newton"?

Leibniz?

[Near Lurker]

So, ten thousand normatives to a Liebniz?

Are we not blessed in this best of all possible worlds!

[syrupykeyboard]

Are we not blessed in this best of all possible worlds!

Dang it, now you've got the song from Candide stuck in my head.

[ysth]

Except the "octopusses" part.  That should be "octopuses".

[Delirium]

OCTOPI

[Kugai]

On Monday we will see that Furry costume nailed to the wall of CoD





Next

Monty Python Latin Lessons

[akronnick]

The Dude's lucky it was Dora. If it had been Faye, it wouldn't be just the costume nailed to the wall.

[raoullefere]

Actually, most words sound cooler when pluralized by ending with a vowel. Examples: fungus, fungi; octopus, octopi; walrus, walri (fuck you this is how i say it ).

Latin (and Latininized English) always sounds cool. But it leads to hell. Or oxii and boxii, whichever is worse.

Personally, I prefer Automatons. If I had my way, we'd cram an s (or an es)on the end of every one of those damn snooty Latin words:  funguses, octopuses, and almunuses. And why stop there? Let's have deers and mooses, and mouses, too. Regularity; like bowels, English needs moar of it.

Are we not blessed in this best of all possible worlds!

Ah, Pangloss. I knew you'd show up here sooner or later. Somehow it was inevitable.

[akronnick]

English needs moar bowels?

And how do you pluralize automaton in lolspeak?

[Delirium]

We wil not SPEAK of that abomination.

[Is it cold in here?]

The Dude's lucky it was Dora. If it had been Faye, it wouldn't be just the costume nailed to the wall.

I'm not sure about that. Remember what she did to the district attorney?

[slingstone]

How do you pluralize automaton?

Automatons.

THIS.  IS.  ENGLISH!

It's perfectly acceptable to pluralize foreign origin words with an S.  Knowledge of Greek or Latin grammar isn't a prerequisite for English.  And it's a good thing too because we would fail; look how many people pluralize octopus as octopi (wrong wrong totally wrong: it's octopodes) or virus as virii (again wrong: virus was a mass noun with no plural form).  So: octopusses, viruses and automatons!  whoo!

Automaton is not a foreign word that's been appropriated into english; it's an english word.  Latin and greek a composite parts of english.  Don't get butthurt about it. 

It's completely different from applying an english pluralization to actually foreign words:
"Vodka" becomes "Vodkas" or "Guru" becomes "Gurus"

[akronnick]

I'm not sure about that. Remember what she did to the district attorney?

District attorney? Please jog my memory.

I was refering to Faye's incident with the Racoon, if accosted by a furry, she's likely to to go into a dissaciative state and suspend his flayed corpse from the rafters, Lector style.

[Dliessmgg]

What's the opposite of "newton"?

Leibniz?

Or the Royal Society? I guess there are too many.

[snubnose]

Err... still no new comic ? Its getting weird and weirder.

[Dliessmgg]

Jeph wasn't dead 19 mins ago according to Twitter.

[evilbobthebob]

Or even 13 minutes ago, when he asked everyone to stop telling him to hurry up 

[Is it cold in here?]

District attorney: not shown "on screen", but referred to in comic 81. He peeked down Dora's tanktop (no touching), and Faye used the result as an example of Dora being "ten times worse" than Faye.

It's a compliment to Jeph that people are so eager to see his work, but I can see why he doesn't feel complimented.

(irony)Jeph has to produce comics on our schedule, not his, because he's our property. When we say "Bitch, go out and strangle some hookers", he has to say "Yes SIR!, How many, SIR!"(/irony)

[slingstone]

I don't think Northampton has that many hookers.

ohgodwhyamIawake

[MamiyaOtaru]

Automaton is not a foreign word that's been appropriated into english;

Wrong

Nevertheless,

it's an english word.

 yes, it is now.  All the more reason to pluralize it like one.  I find your position interesting: "It's an English word but we should pluralize it like a Greek one".  Or where you not disputing the basic point of my post (that it should be pluralized with an S, or is at least acceptable to be thus pluralized)?

Don't get butthurt about it.

Is misquoting Leonidas considered "butthurt" now?

[Akima]

Or where you not disputing the basic point of my post (that it should be pluralized with an S, or is at least acceptable to be thus pluralized)?

But not all English words can acceptably be pluralised with an "S". For example, the only acceptable plural of "ox" is "oxen", and that's no Latinism or foreign load-word, but straight out of Old English. And who says "mouses" rather than "mice", or "dies" rather than "dice"? You shouldn't try to confuse an ESL type like me! 

As regards the latest comic, is that supposed to be Randall Munroe inducing fan-girl melt-down in Marigold? Somehow I'd always imagined him... thinner. 

[Border Reiver]

At last the comic.  I can see why it took so long (to get Marigold's stream of consciousness right) and yes it was worth it.

How successful an author is Jimbo?

Must have sold lots of books, but where's the quality  13 (22%)
Quality, schmality he keeps getting the chicks (and is there anything more important?)  15 (25.4%)
Who cares?  The Twitter cartoon is bloody funny.  7 (11.9%)
Forget Jimbo - What's with the inappropriate touching in the background?  24 (40.7%)
   
Total Voters: 59

[Jeff7]

I can hear King Arthur now...
"Run awaaay!!!"

[Dliessmgg]

As regards the latest comic, is that supposed to be Randall Munroe inducing fan-girl melt-down in Marigold? Somehow I'd always imagined him... thinner. 

May that be the first time that somebody complained that Jeph draws people not thin enough?

Also: this is tha QCverse, so it must be Randal Monroe.

[vettechinohio]

I figured Hanners would have freaked once the blood started flowing, but either it's only *her* blood that freaks her out, or she's too concerned over Marigold to care. Remember the incident with the Worry Hat?

[giant_bug]

As regards the latest comic, is that supposed to be Randall Munroe inducing fan-girl melt-down in Marigold? Somehow I'd always imagined him... thinner. 

*Snerk*

XKCD is Anorexia-Normative.

I can't quite read what's on the guy's card.  It's "Skeltons Free" or "Sketches Free" or something.   The drawing on his notepad seems to be The Man With The Hat from XKCD, though.

[skine]

Except the "octopusses" part.  That should be "octopuses".

'octopuses,' 'octopodes' and 'octopi' are all accepted variants of the plural of octopus, depending on whether you prefer the Anglicized plural, the Latin plural or the Greek plural.

[evilbobthebob]

It's rather definitely Randall of xkcd fame. Look at his photo on the xkcd wikipedia page. And I think the sign does say Sketches Free, and the drawing is definitely Black Hat Guy.

[Carl-E]

Randall's OK, but Black Hat Guy's my hero. 

[bicostp]

Why do I get the feeling that today's comic was based on personal experience?

[sitnspin]

I'm surprised Hanners is handling the sight of blood so well.

[SleeperCylon]

'Heteronormative' is such a loaded classification.  It's got the subtext that anyone who isn't as progressive as you are is ignorant.  Having that kind of judgmental attitude plays right into the hands of the Rush Limbaughs of the world.  It hands them a cudgel to cast all progressives as radicals or elitists.

Then again, Tai is a character with a very solipsistic worldview.  She probably does think anyone exclusively hetrosexual is just closed minded.

[Is it cold in here?]

She seemed to be OK with Marten not being into guys (#1024).

As early as panel 1, it was noticeable how relaxed and confident Hanners was (yay!). She's making progress, or the environment was good for her, or she's changed medication again. EDIT: speaking of medication, imagine Marigeek on the drugs Hannelore was on in strip 515.

I thought xkcd nerds were different from anime nerds? There could be overlap of course.

If I understand the newspost correctly, the comic is based on what Jeph encounters at cons.

The plural of "die" is "dies" in the metalworking business.

[LeeC]

'Heteronormative' is such a loaded classification.  It's got the subtext that anyone who isn't as progressive as you are is ignorant.  Having that kind of judgmental attitude plays right into the hands of the Rush Limbaughs of the world.  It hands them a cudgel to cast all progressives as radicals or elitists.

Then again, Tai is a character with a very solipsistic worldview.  She probably does think anyone exclusively hetrosexual is just closed minded.

nah I think she was just hoping that her favorite writer would write something she could identify with more...or something like that haha.

[Aegir]

I know we're kind of off the subject, but I hate the way people use plural words as singular words and then pluralize them further. Two examples of this are "alumni" and "ravioli", which are both plural, the singular forms of which are "alumnus" and "raviolo". I hear "alumnis" and "raviolis" all the time.

[Zombiedude]

I never hear raviolo

[LeeC]

I speak american not english, I like my dialect, I think having some raviolis tonight might be a good idea!  only joking

[Sebastian]

She seemed to be OK with Marten not being into guys (#1024).

As early as panel 1, it was noticeable how relaxed and confident Hanners was (yay!). She's making progress, or the environment was good for her, or she's changed medication again. EDIT: speaking of medication, imagine Marigeek on the drugs Hannelore was on in strip 515.

Not just relaxed, there is blood around and she is not freaking out, either those are really good medications or she is really improved.

[Is it cold in here?]

Marigold has blood on her, and Hannelore throws away anything with blood on it. A shame, they were getting to be good friends...

[syrupykeyboard]

Marigold has blood on her, and Hannelore throws away anything with blood on it. A shame, they were getting to be good friends...

But throwing her away would likely require the spilling of more blood.

[Akima]

'Heteronormative' is such a loaded classification.  It's got the subtext that anyone who isn't as progressive as you are is ignorant.  Having that kind of judgmental attitude plays right into the hands of the Rush Limbaughs of the world.  It hands them a cudgel to cast all progressives as radicals or elitists.

Oh, haven't I heard this sort of thing before! So... members of minorities should just shut up when they are treated as if they don't exist? Or what, only use short words to protest? 

Then again, Tai is a character with a very solipsistic worldview.  She probably does think anyone exclusively hetrosexual is just closed minded.

Solipsistic? That is "such a loaded classification".   Maybe Tai just thinks that authors etc. who present the world as if it were exclusively heterosexual, or white, or whatever, are encouraging closed-mindedness.

[The Duke]

For God's sake, don't turn this thread into the WCT from two weeks ago.

[LTK]

Well, that real-life-person cameo couldn't have been more subtle, now, could it?

[syrupykeyboard]

For God's sake, don't turn this thread into the WCT from two weeks ago.

This.
This, SO hard.

It's ok, Marigold. We all love you.

[LeeC]

I kind of want to be famous just so I can see a fan do this.  Its both sad and endearing at the same time.  I would have done something for her like some sort of extra special signed something or another.