Home
| Calendar
| Mail Lists
| List Archives
| Desktop SIG
| Hardware Hacking SIG
Wiki | Flickr | PicasaWeb | Video | Maps & Directions | Installfests | Keysignings Linux Cafe | Meeting Notes | Linux Links | Bling | About BLU |
Just think how gramartarians would have fixed Toy R US. Kevin "John Chambers,,,781-647-1813" wrote: > John Abreau wrote: > > I was lecturing to my students yesterday and was asked 'what does GNU > > stand for?'. My response was the standard line -- "Gnu Not Unix." > > My English Majors (students) said, 'You cannot include the name of the > > definition in the definition'. > > I responded, "Programmers can...ever hear of recursion?" > > > > My question... was I being a smart S or a revolutionary? OR!! Am I wrong > > entirely? > > Consider the source; the objection was from an English major, i.e. a > Mundane. He's not one of us, so it's not surprising if he doesn't get it. > > My favorite has to do with commas and quotes. Due to typographic > considerations, commas that functionally belong outside a set of quotes > often get stuck inside quotes to make the printed output more visually > appealing. English majors then declare that this is how it should be, > regardless of how it mangles the parsing of a sentence, and will whine > that it's wrong to put the comma outside where it really belongs, even > when typography isn't an issue. > > One of my favorite rules of writing is: > > Don't use commas, which aren't necessary. > > In any case, there is the definition from the original Hacker's > Dictionary: > > recursion: n. See recursion. > > Methinks the problem is merely a student who is humor-impaired. > So far, medical research doesn't seem to have come up with a > treatment for this crippling disability. - Subcription/unsubscription/info requests: send e-mail with "subscribe", "unsubscribe", or "info" on the first line of the message body to discuss-request at blu.org (Subject line is ignored).
BLU is a member of BostonUserGroups | |
We also thank MIT for the use of their facilities. |