What is the newest installment of 'Random Thoughts' on Physics Forums?

[Ibix]

Houses that cannot stand, based on the street name...

 

[WWGD]

I heard of this unusual Rock or general experimental music band whose name was pretty bizarre, no letters nor numbers, something like ))|:)... and who's music had no melody, but I can't remember nor find its name through a search. Guess they don't need to choose a name that people will remember.

 

[fresh_42]

This is the most absurd I can come up with:


Btw, been to Brooklyn lately?

 

[WWGD]

This is the most absurd I can come up with:


Btw, been to Brooklyn lately?

No, I don't think that's the band, the song has some melody.

 

[fresh_42]

What is this?

Spoiler

x

 

[WWGD]

What is this?

Spoiler

x

?? What's what?

 

[WWGD]

Said hello effusively to someone in the streets I knew, to their obvious puzzlement. Later on I realized it is a lady I had often seen at the post office but had never met. Subconsciously I guess I assumed I knew her. I've heard of people with similar situations with TV personalities. You see them daily on TV, so when you see them in the streets, if you're a little distracted you say hi to them as if you knew them in person.

 

[fresh_42]

?? What's what?

The hidden variable.

 

[WWGD]

The hidden variable.

Maybe you're looki g for the Quantum forum?

 

[fresh_42]

Maybe you're looki g for the Quantum forum?

I left one in Lame Jokes but nobody guessed. (Near the Time Square discussion.)

 

[WWGD]

I left one in Lame Jokes but nobody guessed. (Near the Time Square discussion.)

Now the two are entangled.

 

[WWGD]

Auto (in) correct almost causing a major confrontation in another site:

Spit on Steve !
(Spot on, Steve!).

 

[fresh_42]

I'm afraid I sowed the germ of evil today!

McDonald's drive thrus have usually three stops here: order - pay - receive food. Some genius at my usual McDoof has had an idea! As I asked for the bill they told me that I would get it together with the food. I couldn't help, I just had to tell them that there is a fundamental flaw in their logic and this new procedure is complete bs. Seems I was the first one who taught them. Now they know. Crap, I need a new franchise.

 

[WWGD]

I'm afraid I sowed the germ of evil today!

McDonald's drive thrus have usually three stops here: order - pay - receive food. Some genius at my usual McDoof has had an idea! As I asked for the bill they told me that I would get it together with the food. I couldn't help, I just had to tell them that there is a fundamental flaw in their logic and this new procedure is complete bs. Seems I was the first one who taught them. Now they know. Crap, I need a new franchise.

You mean because it is harder to correct errors in the check?

 

[fresh_42]

You mean because it is harder to correct errors in the check?

It is impossible. The bill became completely meaningless. They could as well hand out anything.

 

[WWGD]

It's hardly cheap as some claim, for a reasonable amount of food.

 

[fresh_42]

It's hardly cheap as some claim, for a reasonable amount of food.

Yep, it's relatively expensive. More than twice the price of a Döner. And the Döner has far better nutrition data. Plus they don't have refills here.

 

[WWGD]

Doner is Kebob? ( Or , for my friend Robert: Kebob)

 

[fresh_42]

Doner is Kebob? ( Or , for my friend Robert: Kebob)

 

[WWGD]

View attachment 254321

Ah, I see those in the streets. Did not know they had been industrialized.

 

[fresh_42]

The story says that a Turk, Kadir Nurman, in Berlin invented it in the 60's or so. The dish wasn't new, they usually serve it for lunch. The man recognized that all people hurried on the streets during lunchtime and nobody stopped by to sit down in his little restaurant. Then he had the idea to make a to-go version of it.

Annual sales are now at 3.5bn in Germany.

 

[Ibix]

The story says that a Turkey, Kadir Nurman, in Berlin invented it in the 60's or so.

In case that's not just a typo, a Turk, or a Turkish person, is someone from Turkey. A turkey is a kind of bird, or a childish insult in the US.

 

[Fred Wright]

In case that's not just a typo, a Turk, or a Turkish person, is someone from Turkey. A turkey is a kind of bird, or a childish insult in the US.

Possibly a inadvertent transliteration from the German. Like Turkite?

 

[WWGD]

And a source of confusion too, as in a few years back: Airplane goes down, shot by Turkey.

 

[fresh_42]

Possibly a inadvertent transliteration from the German. Like Turkite?

I admit I was too lazy to look it up. In other cases adjective, noun, and nationality match. The situation isn't any better in German: to "turk" something means to fake something. When they celebrated the opening of the Kiel Canal in 1895 many ships from many nations were present. The orchestra played the national anthems accordingly. Unfortunately they didn't had the notes of the Turkish anthem, so they decided to play the "Rondo Alla Turca" from Mozart instead. We use to turk as a verb for to fake since then.

I truly hope that this anecdote is invented, but I fear it is not. The piece reminds of the turkish (osmanic) occupation of Vienna. A strange association for the opening festivities of the canal.

 

[Ibix]

Possibly a inadvertent transliteration from the German. Like Turkite?

Possibly.

My wife is Spanish, so I'm used to minor lost-in-translation moments. I don't normally comment on minor typos/misspellings where sense is unaffected, but I've found that people can get quite sensitive about proper names for countries and nationalities. Particularly when you happen to be implying that the guy was an idiot, reading the text as written.

My wife once sent me a text saying that she'd heard (from a mutual friend who was an office mate of mine) that I was sleeping around the office, smiley face emoticon. I had been out drinking to celebrate a friend's birthday the night before and was indeed having some trouble keeping my eyes open - but that's not what "sleeping around the office" means... I decided I'd better not let that one pass...

 

[WWGD]

I admit I was too lazy to look it up. In other cases adjective, noun, and nationality match. The situation isn't any better in German: to "turk" something means to fake something. When they celebrated the opening of the Kiel Canal in 1895 many ships from many nations were present. The orchestra played the national anthems accordingly. Unfortunately they didn't had the notes of the Turkish anthem, so they decided to play the "Rondo Alla Turca" from Mozart instead. We use to turk as a verb for to fake since then.

I truly hope that this anecdote is invented, but I fear it is not. The piece reminds of the turkish (osmanic) occupation of Vienna. A strange association for the opening festivities of the canal.

I remember a 4th of July were hosts played "Born in the USA", superficially a patriotic song but actually a protest song. Didnt make sense.

 

[Ibix]

The orchestra played the national anthems accordingly. Unfortunately they didn't had the notes of the Turkish anthem, so they decided to play the "Rondo Alla Turca" from Mozart instead. We use to turk as a verb for to fake since then.

Have you seen the film The Dish? It's basically a slice-of-life around Parkes radio telescope when they are the only ones who can pick up the live feed from Armstrong and Aldrin on the moon. The US ambassador is in this small town in the back of beyond in Australia. The mayor asks everyone to be upstanding for the US national anthem, and the band plays the theme from Hawaii Five-O. The mayor apologises later, but the ambassador - an experienced diplomat - laughs it off.

 

[Ibix]

I remember a 4th of July were hosts played "Born in the USA", superficially a patriotic song but actually a protest song. Didnt make sense.

Nobody listens to the words of anything. "Every Breath You Take" is quite popular at weddings - presumably for the "you belong to me" line in the chorus, which is extremely creepy in the context of the lyrics. And "Fairytale of New York" is a popular christmas song, despite the singers praying God this christmas'll be their last and swearing at and insulting each other

 

[WWGD]

" I have time to kill"

Let me start running just in case. Maybe you can be less ambiguous?

Same as , I think Crichton's book " Time to Kill". A book about some murderers

or an account of someone extremely bored?