Things That Make You Go Hmm

[JTass]

At this point, don't you think that Ryan Gosling is old enough that he should be called Ryan Goose?

 

[JTass]

 

[Bramblethorn]

Or maybe she's taking the piss.

More likely Jon's doing that.

 

[anthrodisiac]

When I don't know the words.

You have a point where you know the words? Lucky...

 

[anthrodisiac]

Or maybe she's taking the piss.

*Obi-Wan Kenobi voice* That's no piss...

 

[stickygirl]

If the water in a river is continually running out of it, is it still the same river?

 

[stickygirl]

 

[anthrodisiac]

Not making me go hmm... so much as Hmm! (A long time ago, but this just popped up.)

When someone says steep learning curve, it actually means it is something learned quickly, since time is on the X-axis and learning is on the Y-axis. Really, if something is difficult to learn, it should be called a shallow learning curve.

 

[TheLobster]

Not making me go hmm... so much as Hmm! (A long time ago, but this just popped up.)

When someone says steep learning curve, it actually means it is something learned quickly, since time is on the X-axis and learning is on the Y-axis. Really, if something is difficult to learn, it should be called a shallow learning curve.

Steep learning curve means there is a massive, irreducible jump in difficulty that you have to overcome pretty much in one go, usually by trying repeatedly until it “clicks.”

The so-called difficult video games like Dark Souls are often like this, where you struggle for 30 attempts on one boss with seemingly little progress, but then you suddenly down it with half of your Estus flask remaining. Totally made up and not based on my actual experiences with Elden Ring.

In terms of the graph you’ve described, it means that the runup to this steep cliff is really long and relatively flat, rather than sloping up gently to signify steady progress (which is what we’d call a smooth learning curve).

 

[EdgySubMic]

Here's another one that pops into my brain on sleepless nights:

In tonal languages like Mandarin Chinese, is tone deafness considered a speech impediment?

This awakens the scientist in me: Does evolution / natural selection cause the percentage of tone deaf people in China to be lower than in places that do not have tonal languagues?

 

[BeechLeaf]

As far as I recall, the language and music processing of pitch is in different parts of the brain. A tone language speaker can speak normally despite being unmusical. I can't back this up with a reference offhand, but this was something I wondered as a baby linguist, and this is the answer I recall finding.

 

[TheLobster]

A tone language speaker can speak normally despite being unmusical.

Pretty much. “Tone” is just a linguistic term that shouldn’t be interpreted literally, just like mood, aspect, or gender. It corresponds to the pitch of the sounds being spoken, and pitch is only one component of what we think of as music.

 

[JTass]

As far as I recall, the language and music processing of pitch is in different parts of the brain.

That's true.
Speech therapists use this fact to help stroke and brain damage victims regain the ability to communicate. Singing in a monotone rather than speaking is also used as a technique to overcome stuttering.

 

[JTass]

Not making me go hmm... so much as Hmm! (A long time ago, but this just popped up.)

When someone says steep learning curve, it actually means it is something learned quickly, since time is on the X-axis and learning is on the Y-axis. Really, if something is difficult to learn, it should be called a shallow learning curve.

A steep learning curve means that you need to learn a great deal of information (y axis) in a short period of time (x axis).
The slope of a line is M=y/x, so the more info there is to learn in a given time period, the steeper the line.

 

[SkyBubble]

I can't believe that Cox guy calls himself a professor when he never heard of the term "mirror universe"!

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/marx-bros-duck-soup-mirror-scene

 

[SkyBubble]

"Awful" now means the opposite of what it originally meant. The word "awesome" had to be created to fill that linguistic void.

 

[Britva415]

If the water in a river is continually running out of it, is it still the same river?

The River Theseus

 

[WaxPhilosophic]

The River Theseus

That's deep.

 

[liliput1]

In the movie Beverly Hills Cop, Axel, having witnessed his friend getting murdered and having a limited time to solve the case, chooses to drive from Detroit to Beverly Hills in his battered old car, which must have taken days to do!

Ever since I first saw the film it has been irritating me.

Xx

But that's how practically every single video game works.

Please stop this apocalypse!

Sure, sure, absolutely. Time is of the essence! Oh, but first I have to escort this chicken, and then clear a dungeon.

 

[anthrodisiac]

But that's how practically every single video game works.

Please stop this apocalypse!

Sure, sure, absolutely. Time is of the essence! Oh, but first I have to escort this chicken, and then clear a dungeon.

Look, man, that chicken could be absolutely vital! I got a whole 10 XP and 50 gold for doing that. You look me in the eye and tell me that's less important than stopping a dragon from obliterating the universe.

"50 gold won't even buy you a good potion."

Well... it'll be enough for ten arrows!

"You already have 10,000 arrows."

Yeah, but you never know when those next ten could come in handy.

 

[liliput1]

Look, man, that chicken could be absolutely vital! I got a whole 10 XP and 50 gold for doing that. You look me in the eye and tell me that's less important than stopping a dragon from obliterating the universe.

"50 gold won't even buy you a good potion."

Well... it'll be enough for ten arrows!

"You already have 10,000 arrows."

Yeah, but you never know when those next ten could come in handy.

Look, I might want to drink ten minor healing potions in a row if a fight goes bad enough, so I'm keeping them even though I'm almost to the final boss.

 

[ericalauren]

My friend and I were just having a deep conversation about Tiresias. My friend is high on cannabis and I’m exhausted. It was quite the conversation.

 

[JTass]

How are personal non-binary/gender neutral pronouns handled in foreign languages where all words are gendered?

 

[SimonDoom]

You have a point where you know the words? Lucky...

It depends on the singer. Some I hear clearly. Some, I just have no clue. It's some kind of audio processing error. I always enjoyed Elton John's songs but had a hard time figuring out what he was saying. For instance,

On Tiny Dancer, it sounded to me like "Hold me close and tie me down some."

Or Levon: "Levon wears his wahoo like a crown."

Van Morrison, Brown Eyed Girl: "Gunned down the old man with a transistor radio."

My all time nutty misheard lyric, from the Procol Harum song: "Wyatt Earp Shared His Pail."

 

[liliput1]

View attachment 2616414

Goddamnit I was drinking something you asshole.