Minor things that bother you

[Max Rockatansky]

You've made more than 34,000 posts here, and a large share of them are one‑liners, jokes, or quick reactions. I don't judge your entire posting history on that, and I don't think it's fair to judge mine on a single moment either. The forum may care about that narrative, but the wider world really doesn't.

One-liners, jokes, and quick reactions are a ubiquitous part of the forum's culture. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.

I can flame‑war with the best of them -- I did plenty of that on the old Usenet. I still have my turnout gear and bunker clothes, scorched but usable. But it got boring after a while.
These days, other than joking around a bit and having some fun, I don't see much point in going beyond that.

All that legacy stewardship stuff you were on about didn't exactly leave the impression that you believe fun can be part of road enthusiasm. 

I recall you were on misc.transport.road in the ~2005 to ~2010 range? yes?

No, I was running with mostly OHV groups during that era and occasionally buying signs from Jake Bear.  I didn't have my own internet subscription until 2008 when my renters chipped in for it.  I was aware of MTR and didn't think it had much to offer me.  I haven't seen much shared on here that suggests I was off the mark on that assessment (in particular the Calrog stuff).

I was reviewing a 2007 misc.transport.road thread in the Google Groups archives a couple months ago and I thought for sure that I saw your name and that of 5 others that have been cutting up here and in Middle Atlantic. If I am wrong I apologize.

Probably wasn't me.  I can't say for sure if I commented on something or not back then at while online at the library. 

BTW, my screen name here is just riffing the main character of the Mad Max movies.  I was under the impression you knew my actual name was Tom.

[Beltway]

I was reviewing a 2007 misc.transport.road thread in the Google Groups archives a couple months ago and I thought for sure that I saw your name and that of 5 others that have been cutting up here and in Middle Atlantic. If I am wrong I apologize.

Probably wasn't me.  I can't say for sure if I commented on something or not back then at while online at the library.  BTW, my screen name here is just riffing the main character of the Mad Max movies.  I was under the impression you knew my actual name was Tom.

You told me your real full name in a thread about 6 months ago -- that is what I am referring to.

[Max Rockatansky]

I was reviewing a 2007 misc.transport.road thread in the Google Groups archives a couple months ago and I thought for sure that I saw your name and that of 5 others that have been cutting up here and in Middle Atlantic. If I am wrong I apologize.

Probably wasn't me.  I can't say for sure if I commented on something or not back then at while online at the library.  BTW, my screen name here is just riffing the main character of the Mad Max movies.  I was under the impression you knew my actual name was Tom.

You told me your real full name in a thread about 6 months ago -- that is what I am referring to.

Even still, probably pretty unlikely it was me.  I'd be amused though if I was somehow on MTR and didn't even remember it.

That reminds me, I did have a briefly lived account here back in 2012-2013.  I never really posted much and forgot what the account name even was. 

[kphoger]

I still have my ... bunker clothes, scorched but usable.

Does that help shield you from bunker blasts?

Wrong poster. I could name the poster who popularized that term back in the MTR days.

That would be cool.  Almost as cool as 💩.

[kphoger]

There's this thing the Brits do, of using plural verbs with sports teams even when only using the city/country name.  For example, 'Sweden are up 2 at the end of the second period' or 'Brazil say they've made some changes to their defensive strategy'.

I bothers me a little bit, but at least I understand it.

This morning, though, I heard a lady on the radio (BBC via NPR) do it in a story that had nothing to do with sports at all.  It was about countries starting to impose age restrictions on social media accounts.  She said something like 'Australia have already done it, and now Indonesia say that they will too'.  No.  Just no.  That's going too far.  Learn how to use a singular verb with a singular noun.

[kurumi]

There's also maths/math, sport/sports, and the correct way might be "There's this thing the Brit do"; and English spelling is such a mess, from accretion, vowel shift, and orthographical cane toads; that we need a King Sejong to come in and establish a purely phonetic* Hangeul for our language.

All the great literature we have in English immediately becomes Classical English.

* that's drifted a bit too, unfortunately, over 500 years. But a brand new system would be good for our lifetimes

[Beltway]

There's this thing the Brits do, of using plural verbs with sports teams even when only using the city/country name.  For example, 'Sweden are up 2 at the end of the second period' or 'Brazil say they've made some changes to their defensive strategy'.

Dallas are making a futile run at the playoffs this year.

-or-

The Cowboys are making a futile run at the playoffs this year.
. . .

Which sounds better?

[kphoger]

Dallas are making a futile run at the playoffs this year.

-or-

The Cowboys are making a futile run at the playoffs this year.
. . .

Which sounds better?

The latter, of course.  But I'm fine with either one, as long as their run remains futile.

[LilianaUwU]

The Cowboys are making a futile run at the playoffs this year.

We know, that's their thing. They're just like the Toronto Maple Leafs.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Another British vs. American thing as it relates to what time a TV program begins - the US will say a show is "at" 7:30, while the UK will say it's "from" (as in "running from") 7:30.

[1995hoo]

Of course, the Brits will also call it a programmy thing because they misspell "program."

[kphoger]

Of course, the Brits will also call it a programmy thing because they misspell "program."

I love how Noah Webster, an American, changed the spelling of programme when he published his dictionary, and now an American is claiming the Brits misspell the word just because they didn't follow along with Webster.

[hbelkins]

There's this thing the Brits do, of using plural verbs with sports teams even when only using the city/country name.  For example, 'Sweden are up 2 at the end of the second period' or 'Brazil say they've made some changes to their defensive strategy'.

I bothers me a little bit, but at least I understand it.

This morning, though, I heard a lady on the radio (BBC via NPR) do it in a story that had nothing to do with sports at all.  It was about countries starting to impose age restrictions on social media accounts.  She said something like 'Australia have already done it, and now Indonesia say that they will too'.  No.  Just no.  That's going too far.  Learn how to use a singular verb with a singular noun.

The first time I heard the singular/plural debate over groups vs. individuals was in a music magazine back in the late 70s or early 80s; specifically Queen. I read a sentence that began with "Queen are..." and it jolted me.

My Associated Press stylebook is silent on the subject, but a Google search for Does a rock group take a singular or plural verb? yielded the following AI summary:

A rock group takes a singular verb in American English (e.g., "The band is touring"), treating it as a single unit. However, in British English and sometimes American, a plural verb is used if the focus is on the individual members (e.g., "The band are arguing"). If the name sounds plural (e.g., "The Eagles"), a plural verb is often used.

Key Guidelines:
American English: Generally singular ("The band is..." or "Metallica is...").
British English: Commonly plural ("The band are..." or "The Beatles are...").
Context: Use singular if the group acts as a unit ("The band is playing"). Use plural if focusing on the members ("The band are leaving for their homes").
Band Name Structure: If the name is inherently plural (e.g., The Black Eyed Peas), a plural verb is natural.

Examples:
Correct (US): "Coldplay is my favorite band."
Correct (UK): "Queen are touring."
Correct (Members): "The Rolling Stones are getting older."

In sportswriting, from my career a lifetime ago, my use of singular vs. plural verbs varied depending if I was referring to the singular team or the plural nickname. A typical sentence I'd write in a preview game story would read like this:

The Kentucky Wildcats host the Florida Gators in the regular-season finale Saturday in Rupp Arena. The Wildcats are reeling after a dispiriting loss to Texas A&M Tuesday night, while Florida is coming off a decisive win over Mississippi State the same night.

[Beltway]

Of course, the Brits will also call it a programmy thing because they misspell "program."

I have heard a few say how terrible that a U.S. English accent sounds like.

[kkt]

There's this thing the Brits do, of using plural verbs with sports teams even when only using the city/country name.  For example, 'Sweden are up 2 at the end of the second period' or 'Brazil say they've made some changes to their defensive strategy'.

I bothers me a little bit, but at least I understand it.

This morning, though, I heard a lady on the radio (BBC via NPR) do it in a story that had nothing to do with sports at all.  It was about countries starting to impose age restrictions on social media accounts.  She said something like 'Australia have already done it, and now Indonesia say that they will too'.  No.  Just no.  That's going too far.  Learn how to use a singular verb with a singular noun.

You're going to give English lessons to the English?  Good luck with that.

[kphoger]

You're going to give English lessons to the English?  Good luck with that.

But is that standard usage, even in Britain?  It's the first time I'd heard it used like that.  As I said, I'm already used to hearing that in a sport(s) context, but not in a political context.

[Molandfreak]

Of course, the Brits will also call it a programmy thing because they misspell "program."

I got docked one point on a paper when I was studying in Canada for using "programme" consistently. Luckily it wasn't for every instance of the word, but I have a feeling the instructor just wanted to pick on me.

[gonealookin]

Of course, the Brits will also call it a programmy thing because they misspell "program."

I love how Noah Webster, an American, changed the spelling of programme when he published his dictionary, and now an American is claiming the Brits misspell the word just because they didn't follow along with Webster.

My dad was assigned to Jamaica for a couple years starting in 1970, when Jamaica had only recently been granted independence from Great Britain.  So I went to grade school there for a couple years.  It was a private school where the local Americans sent their kids, but there were more native Jamaicans in the school and the teachers were all Jamaican.

I remember being marked down on some writing assignment because I used the British spelling.  I wrote "harbour" or something and got the big red line.  "Spell it 'harbor'".

[1995hoo]

Of course, the Brits will also call it a programmy thing because they misspell "program."

I love how Noah Webster, an American, changed the spelling of programme when he published his dictionary, and now an American is claiming the Brits misspell the word just because they didn't follow along with Webster.

(Shrugs) The Brits took a stab at a language. The Americans then improved on the Brits' efforts.

[kphoger]

My dad was assigned to Jamaica for a couple years starting in 1970, when Jamaica had only recently been granted independence from Great Britain.  So I went to grade school there for a couple years.  It was a private school where the local Americans sent their kids, but there were more native Jamaicans in the school and the teachers were all Jamaican.

I remember being marked down on some writing assignment because I used the British spelling.  I wrote "harbour" or something and got the big red line.  "Spell it 'harbor'".

Funny, considering that Old Harbour is one of the largest towns in Jamaica.

[bugo]

I can flame‑war with the best of them -- I did plenty of that on the old Usenet.

Oh, bullshit. You couldn't troll your way out of a wet paper bag. There were some fine trolls in misc.transport.road, and you never one of them.

[bugo]

I am sorry if you are feeling "tormented" but I can assure you that there are counselors that can assist you and talk to you about your feelings and help you to feel better.

Or the administrators could do their job and ban you. You add absolutely nothing to the conversation.

[bugo]

The Dallas Cowboys have been hapless in the last 30 years, but don't forget that they have 5 rings, and they won 3 out of 4 Super Bowls in the 1990s. They're not an unsuccessful franchise.

[Beltway]

I can flame‑war with the best of them -- I did plenty of that on the old Usenet.

Oh, bullshit. You couldn't troll your way out of a wet paper bag. There were some fine trolls in misc.transport.road, and you never one of them.

I wasn't talking about trolling -- I was talking about flaming. Some of which would not be allowed in this forum. And not just on m.t.r -- but on at least a dozen other newsgroups that had nothing to do with highways.

[Beltway]

The Dallas Cowboys have been hapless in the last 30 years, but don't forget that they have 5 rings, and they won 3 out of 4 Super Bowls in the 1990s. They're not an unsuccessful franchise.

Didn't say they were -- just that they are old history.

Just like the Washington Redskins -- they won 3 out of 4 Super Bowls in the 1982-1992 range -- but haven't done squat since then.