Dear Mr. Sakey,
I would like to offer to you my thanks regarding your latest IGDA column's use of the following:
"The company knows that people will buy games they're excited about regardless of intrusive DRM, knows that returning games is impossible, and therefore couldn't care less if consumers are angry."
Each time I hear or see the written word phrase "could care less" I die a little on the inside. No, actually to be honest I die a lot inside. So much so that I am by now a legally reanimated zombie. That is how many deaths I have suffered at the hands of this oft-misused, cringe-inducing phrase.
Proper English (not that kind of proper) usage is just one of many reasons FFC/Tap-Repeatedly reviews have gained my utmost respect over the past few years.
You have made my day today. Thank you.
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
Actually, English is an abomination with its more-exceptions-than-rules nonsense; however, I was taught proper English and to see some of the more egregious mangling of said language in the media - not just games journalists, but the freakin' newspaper - is truly sad.
And don't get me started on copy writers who are the bane of all that is right in the world. [Image Can Not Be Found]
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Maybe it's a lack of caring that is nigh to apathy, the thin red line between Good Caring and Bad Caring.
Like, "I could care less, but if I did I would start disliking it. Therefore I prefer not to care any less than I do, which is precisely zero, and to remain at my current lack of caring rather than go into negatives."
But then, that would mean I cared again, just in a negative way.
Man, this shit is deep. My head hurts.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
This thread has stayed on topic far longer than I ever imagined it would. We can't have that, so….
What's up with the really tiny signatures? This isn't helping me in the I-really-need-glasses versus the I-admit-my-stubbornness-but-refuse-to-go-to-the-eye-doctor war.
And mine now looks like "Nothing falls like prayer," and that's just silly nonsensical mumbo jumbo. (Forum spell check note: apparently "mumbo" is not a word! Huh.)
Note of clarification: that "huh" up there wasn't the "duh" dopey kind, but the "hmm, I never realised that" kind. It's like those commercials that Global TV plays (Helmut would know what I'm talking about.. do you watch Global TV, British Columbia straw man?) where a commercial comes on during the commercial break (how's that for redundancy?) that gives you an enlightening, often surprising fact about an actor who portrays one of the characters in the television show (or program (or is it programme?), or series, for you Brits) that you are tuned in to. Well, the voice at the end of those commercials says "Huh." It's like that.
Note of clarification 2: that "realised" was just for you, Toger. Queen's English FTW.
Note of clarification 3: I used only the word "actor" in my first note of clarification and not "actor/actress" not to exclude or imply, but simply because most professions don't carry a feminine variation. Example: there is no "teacheress" or "lawyeress" or "real estate agentess," so I have decided here and now that "actress" is a silly word and I will refrain from using it. You start noticing these things when you live with a feminist; I suppose by definition I consider myself one now as well. It's really rather alright, you see. Maligned by the media and such, but it's a decent lifestyle. Sure, I don't get cheques (Oh, Canada!) in the mail every two weeks from some omnipotent feminist organization thanking me for my service, but it makes me feel nice and ever-progressive on the inside, and that's quite alright.
Note of clarification 4: I've always felt a little uneasy about placing the word "but" directly after a comma, but sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct and hope you didn't defile the language you so love.
Note of clarification 5: Yes, I do realize (sorry, Toger) that there are (or were, I'm not certain) "stewardesses" and "priestesses" (the latter of course only in World of Warcraft, not the real world, which sort of brings me back to that whole women thing…)
If being wrong's a crime I'm serving forever
Good lord. xtal's on a rampage!
I don't know what's up with the tiny sigs. A gift from the latest version of Simple Press. It giveth, it taketh away. I'll look into it.
It occurs to me that since the British Invasion of Tap, with Helmut meandering back and forth between Queen's English and American English and Meho (where are you, Meho? We miss you) proudly sticking with British English when he's not questioning his own English abilities on the staff board, we're practically freaking Eurogamer here. The front page is an avalanche of honours and recognises and aluminiums and soddings and bollockses. At least Jarrod hasn't gone all "a dingo ate your baby" on us.
You all talk and spell funny. All of you. Everyone knows that Midwestern America is the Pronunciation and Spelling Capital of the English Language.
Life is the misery we endure between disappointments.
Poor xtal. I've probably confused him greatly by flipping back and forth between British & American spellings. I'm American through and through (born in the States and everything); however, I have this weird habit of picking up the odd bit of language/syntax/cadence/spelling from reading whatever will stand still long enough for me to do so… thus the random spellings.
That's my story and I'm sticking with it! Besides, there's entertainment value (for me) in muddying up the works. [Image Can Not Be Found]
@Steerpike: Yah, you betcha!
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Toger said:
. I'm American through and through (born in the States and everything)
Are you sure about that??? Which one of the supposed states might that be??? Do you have a birth certificate that we can all examine??? Or are you really a fur-in born commie pinko?
"…you just keep on trying 'til you run out of cake."
Hats off to Toger who so eloquently placed a beautiful word like 'egregious', and then 'freakin' in the same sentence. That just seems to sum up our post-modern era wonderfully, doesn't it? [Image Can Not Be Found]
@ Steerpike: My baby at a dingo, mate. Or at least the little bugger will when I have one. If he hasn't gone walkabout getting the dole from some bludging wanker at the CES. Struth they're useless as tits-on-a-bull, fair dinkum. Anyway, pop on down for a cooee sometime, and I'll shout ya a fourex - just don't act like a bunch of gallahs. We'll even see if we can find you a nice sheila. Bloody hell, that's enough of me being true blue.
Back to Brittish and American English.
A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war, wide awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. – The Teachings of Don Juan
@Spike: [Image Can Not Be Found][Image Can Not Be Found] Good thing I had a mouth full of peanut butter as it muffled the laughter!
@Jarrod: :curtsey:
I'm supposed to be "lady-like" and not drop the f-bomb.(much) [Image Can Not Be Found] I was able to translate everything you said until this sentence:
Anyway, pop on down for a cooee sometime, and I'll shout ya a fourex
I've got the meaning based on context, but I'm curious as to a literal translation.
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A "cooee" is like a loud shout that you do sometimes to hear echos or something - you yell "coo-EE". But colloqually it means to drop in and say hi (as in pop down for a visit sometime)... can also mean to give someone a phonecall or a "yell" (as in "give me a cooee when you're ready"). Most people don't type it out though. A fourex ("XXXX") is a local beer that Australian Queenslanders especially love - either in cans ("tinnies"), bottles (either regular or "tallies"), or at pubs on tap. Most Australian beers are Bitters, and until I lived in Vanc, I didn't even know there were other types - like Pale Ales. Oh, and we say "shout" I guess like you guys say "treat". But I think it's more literal evolution comes from shouting your order to the republican or waiter for your drink.
So the sentence is just, "Anyway, come down for a visit sometime, and we'll go out drinking, my treat" or something like that.
Mind you, I think Aussie slang is very low brow, but that may be because it is so familiar (and as they say, familiarity breeds contempt). What do you guys think of your own national slang/phrases?
Just for completeness' sake, "Struth" is an exclamation of surprise or emphasis, and I've heard rumours that it hales from "God's Truth" back in the convict days. I've also heard a rumour that "Bloody" used as an exclamation is a similarly shortenend "By Our Lady", but I don't put much stock in that. We use "Bugger" to refer to anyone a little bit silly, but usually in a fond way; the literal meaning of the word is far darker. We'll also say "bugger me dead" if something is surprising, and is more common among the older folk. A "bludger" is someone who is lazy and lives off of the hard work of others. I'll assume you all know what a wanker is for etiquette's sake. "Fair dinkum" is a statement of truth, with a similar meaning to "honestly". Gallahs are birds that make a lot of noise when they are together - to act like a gallah or a bunch of gallahs is to act like loud fools/idiots. "Sheila" is slang for woman ("blokes" for men). And we use "True blue" to mean something like True Australian.
And now my brains have leaked into my shoes.
A man goes to knowledge as he goes to war, wide awake, with fear, with respect, and with absolute assurance. – The Teachings of Don Juan
My latest pet peeve, grammatically speaking, is "try and..." instead of "try to..." As in "I'm going to try and go to the store today." Which is it, try? or go? The two seem rather mutually exclusive [Image Can Not Be Found]
We say wanker here in the US too. And bugger, but usually not in a fond way.
I like our slang. It adds color and depth to one's speech [Image Can Not Be Found]
As Spock would say: Fascinating!
I'd not heard the terms "coooee" or "fourex" used before; the others I've heard in programs (programmes [Image Can Not Be Found] ) I've caught on PBS. And I'll admit I'm a voracious reader so I've probably read a fair bit of it as well.
If you think Australian slang is "low brow", you'd be horrified at American slang. I know I am. Or I should be if I didn't use it.
@xtal: the gravy I get, it's the cheese curds that confound me.
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