Teresa, in your Particles you list a "Giant many-fauceted scarlet emerald".
I am crushed! How could our maven of all things grammatical and stylistic say such a thing? Please, say you were looped on cold medicine or something!
As a cataloging assistant many years ago, I noticed that catalogers tended to write the classification number, accession number, whatever-else-needed-to-be-written, in much larger characters than were needed, on the book's title page. I detected (and covertly enjoyed) a sense of "We get to write on library books, and you don't!"
#80 Paula
Farmer in the Sky was my favorite Heinlein juvenile.
Eeps. Two two copies copies of of the the same same post. Many many apologies apologies.
One trick I learned (assuming that no Powers were in the vicinity) is that you don't have to put the sound on. Clean out a desk drawer and occasionally click through a quiz. If you get an answer wrong, don't worry; this proves that you didn't know the material in advance and you needed the training.
Really. Sound off makes all the difference.
One trick I learned (assuming that no Powers were in the vicinity) is that you don't have to put the sound on. Clean out a desk drawer and occasionally click through a quiz. If you get an answer wrong, don't worry; this proves that you didn't know the material in advance and you needed the training.
Really. Sound off makes all the difference.
Meanwhile, the next bodily enhancement I want (not even permanently attached) is a h***ing a*d that picks up only the frequencies of consonants.
I hate to even say the words--I don't feel old enough. But I have serious trouble hearing various consonants, particularly f. The rest of my hearing range is about normal. I don't need a general increase in volume, just those few sounds.
Where's a good inventor when you need them?
LASIK: Highly recommended here. But don't go cheap. The surgeon's skill does matter, not just what generation of what machine s/he uses.
After having LASIK, I wear glasses part of the time, especially when at a computer. (I expected to.) My eyes don't tire as fast with glasses.
No more:
"Those lenses are special order. Two weeks."
Extra charge for extra-thick lenses.
Industrial-looking frame style because the frame has to support the weight of the lenses.
Prescription sunglasses.
Glasses required while driving.
Hello to:
Wraparound sunglasses!
Ah, an open thread! Just the place to share my consternation at the mind-bogglingly bad Spanish translation of the first H.P. Book, H. P. and the Philosopher's Stone.
Background: Having read all the books at least twice in English, I got curious about the flavor of the story in Spanish. I wondered how the culture that brought us the Inquisition would deal with magic.
I still don't know, because the translation is so breathtakingly bad. Entire sentences shrivel into words. When the translator didn't know something, she guessed. In places she misunderstood the English and wrote Spanish that didn't happen. (I'm familiar with the warning “A beautiful one is likely to be unfaithful, and a faithful one is likely to be ugly.†This one is both ugly and unfaithful.)
Granted, H. P. was not a celebrity when the first book was published. However, the publisher seems to have tried for quality: the translator, Alicia Dellepiane Rawson, has several other translated books to her credit and has been publishing poetry in Spanish for a long time. I was gratified to see that the next three books were translated by a team of two people, not including Ms. Dellepiane Rawson, and the last three by another team of two.
Or, maybe I have my answer: the level of sloppiness indicates the regard in which the subject of magic is held in Spain. Some examples:
Near the end of Chapter 1, when Dumbledore was about to leave the darkened Privet Drive:
English: “twelve balls of light sped back to their street lampsâ€
Spanish: “the street lamps lit up.â€
Near the beginning of Chapter 2, when the Dursleys contemplate taking Harry to the zoo with them:
English: “as though he was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.â€
Spanish: “as if they thought he was too stupid to understand them, like a worm.â€
Throughout:
English: “You-Know-Whoâ€
Spanish: “the Unnameable Oneâ€
In Chapter 6, when Malfoy, Goyle, and Crabbe try to steal Harry's candy on the train and Scabbers bites Goyle's finger:
English: “Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.â€
Spanish: “Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle shook the rat, which was howling, until finally Scabbers flew off and crashed into the window, and the three boys disappeared.â€
Twice the translator lost the feeling and twice she lost the meaning of the English. Egad. I wish translators could be sued for malpractice.
Mostly I wish JKR would use some of her money to pay for a new translation.
Thoughts?
Craig @49: But the real MBA-quality business decision was by the spokecritter for the familiy-run mangement company
A mangement company might be expected to have apartments with mold.
Sorry, couldn't resist.
Patrick, will you and Teresa be awake for the kickoff?
F***ing French horns. (I can say it; I played one.)
All@ #120-125: Do the cool kids not read their text after they hit "Preview"? Moderate snark here: RTFP.
169(?) fatalities in Mexico City vs. few elsewhere--I started to wonder why. Then I thought of Mexico City's dreadful air pollution. It could stress people's lungs long-term and make them more vulnerable to the virus.
Serge @22:
Is a conversation less alive for relying on writing? Are friendship and love less real for being without physical proximity?
Dunno. We're all here.
A question for the assembly...
Does anyone here recognize the following quotation? The complete passage was several sentences long. I remember the essence but not the speaker, the actual words, or anything rare enough to create a useful search. Also, the original language may not be English. Here goes.
A famous French(?) woman (Coco Chanel? Simone de Beauvoir? ??), when very old, said, "Oh, to be 57 again! ... One still had hope."
At age 57, I'd like to flaunt that quotation in defiance of fate.
Memory jogged, anyone?
Good luck with the grand jury duty, Patrick. WE NEED YOU. We the people of the United States.
Sorry about the work/email mess.
Serge @ 101: True. You got your foot in the door. But you shoely had a lot of help later.
All kidding aside, I was disturbed by the fact that the journalist was able to throw the second shoe. There was a noticeable time lag between the two throws--time enough for a Secret Service agent to tackle the thrower or at least pull the President out of the line of fire.
(Usefulness of Bush as President is irrelevant.)
...until Obama gets into power...
Ugh. That rubs me the wrong way. Patrick, would you be willing to reword the phrase as until Obama is inaugurated? Power in the U.S. comes from the Constitution (to which I hope the new administration will pay much more attention than the current one does). To say "gets into power" de-emphasizes something precious.
Just sayin'.
Amid the gloom, I note incontrovertible evidence that Teresa is doing better. She feels like writing.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
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| 2010 | 4 |
| 2009 | 13 |
| 2008 | 19 |
| 2007 | 19 |
| 2006 | 13 |
| 2005 | 14 |
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