Question Dump: Post Your Questions Here.

[Piherculis]

Originally Posted by ollie

No. No, no no.

Spell-checking programs are bad. It means that people type nonsense like "Make spell check automatic" and think that it's acceptable English. "Make spell-checking automatic" is what, I think, you mean. At the very least, if you want to contribute to the continued uglification of a beautiful language by turning spell-check from a verb to a noun, you need the hyphen.

*clip*

No disrespect, but I disagree with you on this, Ollie. Spell Check is already a noun, as it is the name of the application that runs in various programs and is not hyphenated, maybe just needed the capitalization. Kroc's sentence is fine.

And I would say maybe try being more sensitive calling out someone from another country about their English being acceptable. I can't speak for Kroc, though, or know how he feels about it.

And I have further disagreements about "the continued uglification of a beautiful language", but I will not argue them in this thread, but leave it as just a statement. Again, no disrespect. Just had to respond.

[Kroc]

Just to be clear, I wasn't talking about automatic spell check in the sense of automatic find and replace, just that the utility we can already use would run whether you want it to or not. You would be able to ignore its suggestions, and of course some will.

I guess everyone likes the idea of searching for similar threads before allowing a new thread to be posted, no feedback on that.

And I am an American, which accounts for my atrocious English. So while I agree that harshing on non-English speakers is bad, I don't mind that Ollie harshes away at me. That much. Man, Ollie, I didn't know it was that important. Languages are organic, they change all the time. Do you also hate the word "website?"

(Nope, spell check does not recognize it.)
</IMG>

[ollie]

Heh, sorry Kroc (and Piherculis). While I do stand by the substance of what I said, I meant it much more lightheartedly than I guess it reads. (I did know that Kroc was American and thought he'd be OK with me harshing (harshing?? ) away at him.) In my defence (yes, defence), I only usually comment on the spelling or grammar of others when they're talking about the need for better spelling or grammar on the site.

I'm with you on the idea that languages are organic and do (and should) change over time. This makes it more important that when we use nonstandard words or phrases they are pleasing to the eye/ear. Indeed, this is the heart of my objections to spell-checkers---they "disallow" any interesting developments in language and allow, maybe encourage, unpleasant ones (more random examples of useful distinctions that we're losing: uninterested/disinterested, practice/practise, continuous/continual,...). What's pleasant or not is, of course, a matter of personal taste.

I think I've linked to this at least once before, but this article by Stephen Fry is lovely. Here's a relevant passage:

Originally Posted by Stephen Fry

There are all kinds of pedants around with more time to read and imitate Lynne Truss and John Humphrys than to write poems, love-letters, novels and stories it seems. They whip out their Sharpies and take away and add apostrophes from public signs, shake their heads at prepositions which end sentences and mutter at split infinitives and misspellings, but do they bubble and froth and slobber and cream with joy at language? Do they ever let the tripping of the tips of their tongues against the tops of their teeth transport them to giddy euphoric bliss? Do they ever yoke impossible words together for the sound-sex of it? Do they use language to seduce, charm, excite, please, affirm and tickle those they talk to? Do they? I doubt it. They’re too farting busy sneering at a greengrocer’s less than perfect use of the apostrophe. Well sod them to Hades. They think they’re guardians of language. They’re no more guardians of language than the Kennel Club is the guardian of dogkind.

Spell-checking programs are, in my opinion, on the Truss/Humphrys side of this argument. If you're going to introduce new compound nouns, would you rather have "sound-sex" or "spell check"?

[killercactus]

Right now this thread is annoying me, because I keep checking it thinking I might be able to help answer a rules question, but then I have to read a debate about sepll-chcek.

[nyys]

LOL! I'm not sure if I knew Kroc was from the US or not, but I find it funny that he was defended for being a non-English speaker since his location says Turkey, against Ollie, who, though listed as living in VT is from the UK.

Carry on people...

[wriggz]

Originally Posted by killercactus

Right now this thread is annoying me, because I keep checking it thinking I might be able to help answer a rules question, but then I have to read a debate about sepll-chcek.

You will note the purpose of this thread was to a open discussion on the IDEA of a question dump forum, not to create a question dump itself.

[AnubianWolf88]

For some reason the cautious, polite tension of this thread makes me happy. Please carry on.

AW88
(who does not use a comma after a single introductory prepositional phrase)

[Darkmage7a]

Let see if I got this right.

Create a forum for all questions so everyone knows where to ask things they don't know.

Delete the forum regularly because no one will search through the threads to find the answers to the questions they are looking for.

I think I'm in favor of this idea however I see some consequences as a result of taking this action, for better or worse.
A) Previously answered questions will regularly be lost.
B) (A) isn't a big deal because no one really searches anyway.
C) A rules admin will likely have to answer more questions more often and repeat themselves more than they do now.
D) People like Onacara who regularly tell others to use the search engine will likely have to find other ways to spend their time because searches will yield even less relevant information than they do now.

[Oh Yeah! I'm Here]

Hello,

May I make a suggestion.

IF the question dump thread/forum is made, why not have an automated PM sender send a message to every new member when they join giving them a link to several helpful areas of the site? Give them a link to the books, the rules and faq, the question dump forum, and several other links, and I think we may get some cleaner posts from newbies around here.

Just my

[cmgames]

Originally Posted by Oh Yeah! I'm Here

Hello,

May I make a suggestion.

IF the question dump thread/forum is made, why not have an automated PM sender send a message to every new member when they join giving them a link to several helpful areas of the site? Give them a link to the books, the rules and faq, the question dump forum, and several other links, and I think we may get some cleaner posts from newbies around here.

Just my

I did get just such a welcome package when I joined. I don't know if it is still a policy though. And if it is, it is obvious that the folks who most need to have read it are the folks who don't read such stuff anyway.

~Z

[Darkmage7a]

Originally Posted by Oh Yeah! I'm Here

Hello,

May I make a suggestion.

IF the question dump thread/forum is made, why not have an automated PM sender send a message to every new member when they join giving them a link to several helpful areas of the site? Give them a link to the books, the rules and faq, the question dump forum, and several other links, and I think we may get some cleaner posts from newbies around here.

Just my

Who are you and why do you keep making sense around here? Are some kind or anarchist? Why don't just leave us alone to stumble blindly in the dark, mulling over our own miseries. How dare you shed light on things you clearly know nothing about!

[Oh Yeah! I'm Here]

Originally Posted by cmgames

I did get just such a welcome package when I joined. I don't know if it is still a policy though. And if it is, it is obvious that the folks who most need to have read it are the folks who don't read such stuff anyway.

~Z

When I joined, I never got such a package. I think the first PM I ever got was from some guy, who wanted to find his friend, "John". Personally, I think if this was sent, it would get us better posters, for a few of them may actually read it. And having a few more read it rather than none is better than having those few add to the numbers of bad posters.

To Answer a question by Rÿchean, the whole idea of an automated PM sender isn't hard at all. Schools and companies have automated dialers to call with voiced over updates of news or to sell you useless crap.

Sites you join send you automated e-mails to verify you joined, or update you every so often on current things...(Cursed Myspace/Youtube, spambox for you).

I find even though every user may not read it, some will, and some is better than none. We reduce our posts and threads made over silly questions, also.