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Talk:2995: University Commas

2024-10-08T09:03:47Z

172.71.160.71:

As Wikipedia notes, the {{w|Harvard comma}} is actually a thing, and synonymous with the Oxford comma. It's hard to understand whether Randall was just ignoring that.
It's interesting to also look at how the various commas are meaningful. For instance, the Yale comma here appears to be just plain ungrammatical, you'd never put a comma between a verb and a its direct object; similarly the Cambridge comma and Princeton commas are ungrammatical, you'd never put one after the word "and." The Stanford comma is unambiguously normal and it's not clear how you could have such a list without it (absent replacement with a [Stanford?] semicolon). The Columbia comma is being used to separate "mac and cheese" into "mac, and[,] cheese" which changes the semantic meaning (arguably into something meaningless, but maybe we're listing Apple Computers or even Macintosh apple fruit abbreviated). The MIT comma is a cute programming joke for multiline lists. Maybe there are hidden trick meanings (like MIT) I'm missing. [[User:JohnHawkinson|JohnHawkinson]] ([[User talk:JohnHawkinson|talk]]) 23:03, 7 October 2024 (UTC)
:On their own, few of them are intrinsically bad, in the right context.
:*"Please, buy" - valid comma. Prefixed subclause (general plea).
:*"Please buy, apples" - valid comma (more specific plea).
:*"apples, mac" - valid comma (list-type).
:*"mac, and" - valid comma (potentially a conjunctive sub-clause).
:*"mac and, cheese" - valid comma (potentially a post-conjunctive sub-clause).
:*"and cheese, milk" - valid comma (follow-up sub-clause).
:*"cheese, milk, and" - Oxford comma. (Thus invalid, by default. IMO.)
:*"milk and, bread." - ...would be valid, as above, except for the sentence ending.
:*"and bread,." - Ok. Definitely the worst. (Except for the Oxford Comma, which is still worserer!)
:Obviously, combinations of them (or counterpart lack of them, in some cases) can clash badly. Some can work well together, but using ()s, ;s or feetnete* is often better than diving in and out of sub-clauses in the midst of a comma-bound list and potentially making it ambiguous whether you're diving in/out of a clarifying aside or replacing a non-terminating conjunction or perhaps one of the other usages to which a comma might apply.
:* Or just generally rewriting a multi-clausal sentence completely! [[Special:Contributions/172.70.86.22|172.70.86.22]] 23:30, 7 October 2024 (UTC)
::Commas can go in a number of places in lists, and, occasionally, after the word "and". [[User:BunsenH|BunsenH]] ([[User talk:BunsenH|talk]]) 23:34, 7 October 2024 (UTC)
::Potentially, anything is possible... I can see how a sentence like "Please buy apples, mac and cheese, milk, and, bread being out of stock, oats" would work, but I really don't see how the commas after "and" could work ''in this sentence''. [[User:Transgalactic|Transgalactic]] ([[User talk:Transgalactic|talk]]) 08:34, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

If each item in a list shall be followed by a comma then the MIT comma is quite proper. SDT

The UCLA comma may refer to the 8 clap, a chant at UCLA which is begins with a string of 8 claps.
[[Special:Contributions/172.68.245.206|172.68.245.206]] 05:11, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

I thought the UCLA & Michigan commas referred to quotes within citations. This isn't uncommon in literary studies, where you quote articles quoting books. Depending on your quotation style, this can result in a long string of 3-4 "commas" (as in: short lines in punctuation marks). If you place the quote between actual commas, make that 4-5. [[User:Transgalactic|Transgalactic]] ([[User talk:Transgalactic|talk]]) 08:34, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

I think the tirade against the Oxford comma in the article is not relevant for understanding the comic. "'To my mother, Ayn Rand and God' does not" is not saying that Ayn Rand is the mother. To express that one should write "To my mother, Ayn Rand, and to God". Thus the ambiguity can be resolved. I believe one of the editors is mixing in their personal taste here. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.71|172.71.160.71]] 09:03, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2964: Olympic Sports

2024-07-27T16:39:07Z

172.71.160.71:

What took bro so long
Is he stupid [[Special:Contributions/141.101.98.119|141.101.98.119]] 13:05, 27 July 2024 (UTC)
:Seems totally unclear what you're referring to, here.
:[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:00, 27 July 2024 (UTC)
::i think they're referring to this comic being somewhat late. [[user talk:lettherebedarklight|youtu.be/miLcaqq2Zpk]] 15:07, 27 July 2024 (UTC)
:: The comic appeared around 0800 EDT 20240727 (Saturday, a day late). As most folks here surely know, late posts are common on xkcd but aren't often later than the stated "MWF". After 19 years, and without the "weeks ahead" buffer insisted upon by "traditional" syndicated comics (as shown by [https://xkcd.com/2961/ Crowdstrike], posted the day of the event), I think Randall has done remarkably well. I'd struggle to keep a schedule like this for 19 weeks.[[Special:Contributions/172.71.151.95|172.71.151.95]] 15:34, 27 July 2024 (UTC)

I think "''Synchronized'' Swimming" would be the most hilarious. One person flailing while a whole team tries to make it look choreographed.
[[User:ProphetZarquon|ProphetZarquon]] ([[User talk:ProphetZarquon|talk]]) 15:00, 27 July 2024 (UTC)
:I picture two people that are synchronized to each other while the third person tries to look choreographed - [[Special:Contributions/162.158.212.172|162.158.212.172]] 15:11, 27 July 2024 (UTC)
:Why must I think of "The fox has left his lair"... [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.71|172.71.160.71]] 16:39, 27 July 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2956: Number Line Branch

2024-07-10T07:25:55Z

172.71.160.71:

Is it significant that the branch point is close to the value of π? [[User:Barmar|Barmar]] ([[User talk:Barmar|talk]]) 20:28, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
:I was thinking the same thing, but decided it was probably nothing worth mentioning - probably just an arbitrary starting point. *Possibly* referencing the strange appearance of π but I doubt it. Anything can be significant if you believe hard enough, anyway.--[[Special:Contributions/162.158.158.60|162.158.158.60]] 20:30, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
How does adding a new branch to a railway line reduce congestion? Isn't this more like a highway? [[Special:Contributions/141.101.105.47|141.101.105.47]] 23:30, 8 July 2024 (UTC)
:: Keep in mind π isn't special. Most real numbers are like π. The rational numbers, and the roots of polynomials with rational coefficients (algebraic completion), are the aberration. --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.71|172.71.160.71]] 07:25, 10 July 2024 (UTC)
:Read about the 2nd avenue subway. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.111.168|172.70.111.168]] 02:22, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

What is "thrembo"? [[User:AndroidTheLucario|Your favorite aura doggo]] ([[User talk:AndroidTheLucario|talk]]) 04:12, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
: I think the whole section can be removed. The point is to explain the comic, not to describe what is seen (unless it's relevant for the explanation, which, so far, seems not be the case). "Various symbols" should cover it. [[User:Elektrizikekswerk|Elektrizikekswerk]] ([[User talk:Elektrizikekswerk|talk]]) 06:35, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

The symbols seem well chosen TBH, I can totally see how they substitute for 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 [[Special:Contributions/162.158.146.32|162.158.146.32]] 14:42, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
:Except that, according to the title text, they should be 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.242.159|172.71.242.159]] 15:59, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
::I think that the express train travels on the regular number line, so I think the second branch parallels the regular number line. Thus, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. [[User:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)]] ([[User talk:Sarah the Pie(yes, the food)|talk]]) 02:11, 10 July 2024 (UTC)

Mathematicians been there, done that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-standard_model_of_arithmetic
Although a nonstandard model of the integers can't branch by Peano axioms. [[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.71|172.71.160.71]] 15:08, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
:Hold my beer! [Prompts Claude 3.5 Sonnet to create a non-standard model of arithmetic.]
::"Here is a non-standard model of arithmetic consistent with the Peano postulates:
::Axioms:
::
::∃0, ω : 0 ≠ ω
::∀x : S(x) = x + 1 if x ∈ ℕ; S(ω) = ω
::
::Theorems:
::T1. ∀n ∈ ℕ : n < ω
::T2. ∀n ∈ ℕ : n + ω = ω
::T3. ω + ω = ω
::
::Lemma:
::L1. ∀n ∈ ℕ : S(n) ≠ ω
::"Induction" Principle:
::For any property P, if P(0) ∧ P(ω) ∧ (∀x : P(x) → P(S(x))), then ∀x : P(x)
::
::Conclusions:
::C1. This model "satisfies" Peano axioms while introducing a non-standard element.
::C2. Arithmetic with ω leads to paradoxical results.
::C3. Use of this model may violate conservation of sanity."

:Oh, no! .... Tentacled one sleeps. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu. Accept this new soul. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.103|172.70.210.103]] 03:24, 10 July 2024 (UTC)
:::That is just the integers plus infinity, it should place you in the thrall of Asmodeus, not Cthulhu. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.245.42|108.162.245.42]]
::::The Russell-Riemann-Cantor diagonalization applies to integers with infinity, mapping each integer to a tentacle on an Eldritch manifold. [[Special:Contributions/172.70.210.53|172.70.210.53]] 03:59, 10 July 2024 (UTC)

Personally I would have branched off between 9 and 10, and had single character symbols for 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 so that you could do base 16 without having to use letters. Randell just lacks vision. [[User:Andyd273|Andyd273]] ([[User talk:Andyd273|talk]]) 15:12, 9 July 2024 (UTC)
:Letters are single character symbols! I think he should extend the number line with all the letters, getting to 36 (z) before needing any new symbols[[User:PotatoGod|PotatoGod]] ([[User talk:PotatoGod|talk]]) 21:46, 9 July 2024 (UTC)

Talk:2956: Number Line Branch

2024-07-09T15:08:24Z

172.71.160.71:

Talk:586: Mission to Culture

2024-05-30T21:07:35Z

172.71.160.71:

If Megan's only got stick-figure arms with no hands or fingernails, how is she leaving multiple scratches on the floor in the first scene? {{unsigned ip|‎121.223.16.83}}
:I think she's grabbing the rug. --[[User:Qwach|Qwach]] ([[User talk:Qwach|talk]]) 16:08, 31 August 2013 (UTC)
::With...what, exactly? {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.209}}
:::The implication of fingers. Sort of like how characters in old video games can grab things despite having blobs instead of hands. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.155|108.162.250.155]] 05:04, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
Edited the explanation section on orchestra seating to make plurals of violist, cellist, and bassist consistent with violinist. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.21|108.162.219.21]] 05:25, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Am I missing something or does the sentence
"much griping on various levels, for instance..." not make sense? There is no other griping than the one described in the "for instance". And even that doesn't have various levels --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.71|172.71.160.71]] 21:06, 30 May 2024 (UTC)

Talk:586: Mission to Culture

2024-05-30T21:06:35Z

172.71.160.71:

If Megan's only got stick-figure arms with no hands or fingernails, how is she leaving multiple scratches on the floor in the first scene? {{unsigned ip|‎121.223.16.83}}
:I think she's grabbing the rug. --[[User:Qwach|Qwach]] ([[User talk:Qwach|talk]]) 16:08, 31 August 2013 (UTC)
::With...what, exactly? {{unsigned ip|141.101.104.209}}
:::The implication of fingers. Sort of like how characters in old video games can grab things despite having blobs instead of hands. -Pennpenn [[Special:Contributions/108.162.250.155|108.162.250.155]] 05:04, 8 April 2015 (UTC)
Edited the explanation section on orchestra seating to make plurals of violist, cellist, and bassist consistent with violinist. [[Special:Contributions/108.162.219.21|108.162.219.21]] 05:25, 3 June 2014 (UTC)

Am I missing something or does the sentence
"much griping on various levels, for instance..." not make sense? There is no other gripping than the one described in the "for insurance". And even that doesn't have various levels --[[Special:Contributions/172.71.160.71|172.71.160.71]] 21:06, 30 May 2024 (UTC)