Minor things that bother you

[zachary_amaryllis]

Not to mention I believe redstone is Turing-complete, so you're at risk of learning programming too.

There's people who've built all kinds of advanced stuff using redstone - wanna say I've seen full-fledged processors and stuff.

I mean, I thought it was a win when I was able to make lights turn on and off in the game with it.

[mgk920]

'MSN' is Madison (WI) - 'MAD" is Madrid (as in España).

Mike

[kphoger]

And why is it pronounced "Y Y Zed" sometimes?

Because both the airport and the band are Canadian. That's how it's supposed to be pronounced.

So Canadians pronounce the letter "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" like Americans do?

Why?

"Zed" is "zeta" without the "a" sound on the end. America is the only English-speaking country that pronounces Z as "zee".

This.

The 'zee' pronunciation is, worldwide, the clear outlier.  Not only do other English-speaking countries say 'zed', but a lot of other languages have a similar name for that letter:  zeta in Spanish and Italian, zède in French, Zett in German, etc.

So the better question is this:  why do American's say 'zee'?  And the answer is basically twofold.  (1) Webster's dictionary.  Both pronunciations existed on both sides of the Pond before the 19th Century but, when Webster's gave 'zee' as the official pronunciation in US English, it was basically a done deal, considering how influential that dictionary was.  (2) The alphabet song that you and I have been singing out whole lives is more than 185 years old by this point, which means parents have been singing it to their children since the US flag had half as many stars as it does now.

[Scott5114]

Not to mention I believe redstone is Turing-complete, so you're at risk of learning programming too.

There's people who've built all kinds of advanced stuff using redstone - wanna say I've seen full-fledged processors and stuff.

I mean, I thought it was a win when I was able to make lights turn on and off in the game with it.

I've seen someone make an entire Game Boy emulator with it, with a playable copy of one of the Gen I Pokemon games.

(2) The alphabet song that you and I have been singing out whole lives is more than 185 years old by this point, which means parents have been singing it to their children since the US flag had half as many stars as it does now.

I've always thought it's interesting that the alphabet song is set to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

[kphoger]

I've always thought it's interesting that the alphabet song is set to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Actually, it's more accurate to say that both of them are set to the "Ah! vous dirai-je, maman" tune.

Also, "Baa Baa Black Sheep".

[abefroman329]

I've always thought it's interesting that the alphabet song is set to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

As is Baa Baa Black Sheep.

[Scott5114]

We don't have Baa Baa Black Sheep in Oklahoma.

[MultiMillionMiler]

How easily earjacks get tangled. Is it just me or do you also find your earbud cables in elaborate knots that you couldn't even make if you tried.

[kphoger]

earjacks

That's a thing?

[hbelkins]

And why is it pronounced "Y Y Zed" sometimes?

Because both the airport and the band are Canadian. That's how it's supposed to be pronounced.

So Canadians pronounce the letter "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" like Americans do?

Why?

"Zed" is "zeta" without the "a" sound on the end. America is the only English-speaking country that pronounces Z as "zee".

This.

The 'zee' pronunciation is, worldwide, the clear outlier.  Not only do other English-speaking countries say 'zed', but a lot of other languages have a similar name for that letter:  zeta in Spanish and Italian, zède in French, Zett in German, etc.

So the better question is this:  why do American's say 'zee'?  And the answer is basically twofold.  (1) Webster's dictionary.  Both pronunciations existed on both sides of the Pond before the 19th Century but, when Webster's gave 'zee' as the official pronunciation in US English, it was basically a done deal, considering how influential that dictionary was.  (2) The alphabet song that you and I have been singing out whole lives is more than 185 years old by this point, which means parents have been singing it to their children since the US flag had half as many stars as it does now.

It's also in line with how other consonants are pronounced. "B" is "bee," not "bed." "G" is "gee," not "ged." (Or Geddy, since we're talking about Rush.)

[LilianaUwU]

And why is it pronounced "Y Y Zed" sometimes?

Because both the airport and the band are Canadian. That's how it's supposed to be pronounced.

So Canadians pronounce the letter "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" like Americans do?

Why?

"Zed" is "zeta" without the "a" sound on the end. America is the only English-speaking country that pronounces Z as "zee".

This.

The 'zee' pronunciation is, worldwide, the clear outlier.  Not only do other English-speaking countries say 'zed', but a lot of other languages have a similar name for that letter:  zeta in Spanish and Italian, zède in French, Zett in German, etc.

So the better question is this:  why do American's say 'zee'?  And the answer is basically twofold.  (1) Webster's dictionary.  Both pronunciations existed on both sides of the Pond before the 19th Century but, when Webster's gave 'zee' as the official pronunciation in US English, it was basically a done deal, considering how influential that dictionary was.  (2) The alphabet song that you and I have been singing out whole lives is more than 185 years old by this point, which means parents have been singing it to their children since the US flag had half as many stars as it does now.

It's also in line with how other consonants are pronounced. "B" is "bee," not "bed." "G" is "gee," not "ged." (Or Geddy, since we're talking about Rush.)

This reply chain is approaching happy goat territory.

[kkt]

And why is it pronounced "Y Y Zed" sometimes?

Because both the airport and the band are Canadian. That's how it's supposed to be pronounced.

So Canadians pronounce the letter "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" like Americans do?

Why?

"Zed" is "zeta" without the "a" sound on the end. America is the only English-speaking country that pronounces Z as "zee".

This.

The 'zee' pronunciation is, worldwide, the clear outlier.  Not only do other English-speaking countries say 'zed', but a lot of other languages have a similar name for that letter:  zeta in Spanish and Italian, zède in French, Zett in German, etc.

So the better question is this:  why do American's say 'zee'?  And the answer is basically twofold.  (1) Webster's dictionary.  Both pronunciations existed on both sides of the Pond before the 19th Century but, when Webster's gave 'zee' as the official pronunciation in US English, it was basically a done deal, considering how influential that dictionary was.  (2) The alphabet song that you and I have been singing out whole lives is more than 185 years old by this point, which means parents have been singing it to their children since the US flag had half as many stars as it does now.

Yes.  For the few hundred years, if you learned English anywhere other than the United States, you probably learned British English or something much more closely related to it than American English.  British was the high status dialect, the dialect of the colonial rulers in most places, and the center of wordwide trade until the 1940s.

[Scott5114]

And why is it pronounced "Y Y Zed" sometimes?

Because both the airport and the band are Canadian. That's how it's supposed to be pronounced.

So Canadians pronounce the letter "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" like Americans do?

Why?

"Zed" is "zeta" without the "a" sound on the end. America is the only English-speaking country that pronounces Z as "zee".

This.

The 'zee' pronunciation is, worldwide, the clear outlier.  Not only do other English-speaking countries say 'zed', but a lot of other languages have a similar name for that letter:  zeta in Spanish and Italian, zède in French, Zett in German, etc.

So the better question is this:  why do American's say 'zee'?  And the answer is basically twofold.  (1) Webster's dictionary.  Both pronunciations existed on both sides of the Pond before the 19th Century but, when Webster's gave 'zee' as the official pronunciation in US English, it was basically a done deal, considering how influential that dictionary was.  (2) The alphabet song that you and I have been singing out whole lives is more than 185 years old by this point, which means parents have been singing it to their children since the US flag had half as many stars as it does now.

It's also in line with how other consonants are pronounced. "B" is "bee," not "bed." "G" is "gee," not "ged." (Or Geddy, since we're talking about Rush.)

That's because the Romans pronounced B as "bee" and G as "gee". But they pronounced Z as "zeta".

Funnily enough, you don't seem to have a problem with the fact that H isn't "hay" to match K being "kay", but that's how the Romans did it.

[JoePCool14]

How easily earjacks get tangled. Is it just me or do you also find your earbud cables in elaborate knots that you couldn't even make if you tried.

That's a new one. Why not just call them ear buds?

Despite the higher cost, I usually use a wireless pair these days. They should better and are more convenient. But I usually use wired earbuds for my computers. If you hold one end around a few of your fingers, wrap the wires around those same fingers and just pull the whole thing off after, I find they don't usually get knotted up.

[US 89]

And why is it pronounced "Y Y Zed" sometimes?

Because both the airport and the band are Canadian. That's how it's supposed to be pronounced.

So Canadians pronounce the letter "Z" as "zed" instead of "zee" like Americans do?

Why?

"Zed" is "zeta" without the "a" sound on the end. America is the only English-speaking country that pronounces Z as "zee".

This.

The 'zee' pronunciation is, worldwide, the clear outlier.  Not only do other English-speaking countries say 'zed', but a lot of other languages have a similar name for that letter:  zeta in Spanish and Italian, zède in French, Zett in German, etc.

So the better question is this:  why do American's say 'zee'?  And the answer is basically twofold.  (1) Webster's dictionary.  Both pronunciations existed on both sides of the Pond before the 19th Century but, when Webster's gave 'zee' as the official pronunciation in US English, it was basically a done deal, considering how influential that dictionary was.  (2) The alphabet song that you and I have been singing out whole lives is more than 185 years old by this point, which means parents have been singing it to their children since the US flag had half as many stars as it does now.

It's also in line with how other consonants are pronounced. "B" is "bee," not "bed." "G" is "gee," not "ged." (Or Geddy, since we're talking about Rush.)

That's because the Romans pronounced B as "bee" and G as "gee". But they pronounced Z as "zeta".

Funnily enough, you don't seem to have a problem with the fact that H isn't "hay" to match K being "kay", but that's how the Romans did it.

By a similar argument, Z should be "ez", in line with how other more similarconsonants are pronounced - S is "es", F is "ef"...

(Seriously, S and Z are the same sound. One involves vibrating your vocal cords and one doesn't.)

[abefroman329]

How easily earjacks get tangled. Is it just me or do you also find your earbud cables in elaborate knots that you couldn't even make if you tried.

I do, but I also only use my wired earbuds when my AirPods are dead or I can't find them.

[kphoger]

earjacks

That's a thing?

How easily earjacks get tangled. Is it just me or do you also find your earbud cables in elaborate knots that you couldn't even make if you tried.

That's a new one. Why not just call them ear buds?

Wouldn't an earjack be the place you plug your ears in?

[CtrlAltDel]

That's because the Romans pronounced B as "bee" and G as "gee". But they pronounced Z as "zeta".

Funnily enough, you don't seem to have a problem with the fact that H isn't "hay" to match K being "kay", but that's how the Romans did it.

Well, B was more like "bay" and and H was more like "ha," but yes. For whatever reason, the Romans gave Z its Greek name, but not for its counterpart Y, which they called Greek I (i graeca) instead of something like upsilon. How that became "wye" in English I don't know. It's "i grec" in French (and i griega in Spanish, but the English didn't come from the Spanish).

[1995hoo]

A minor annoyance common to this time of year, though one that also often shows up in late June: E-mails asking you to donate money to some cause because "the deadline" is approaching or you're "running out of time." There's no "deadline." I can donate, or not donate, whenever the heck I choose. In the vast majority of cases, the only "deadline" is the charity or other organization's internal accounting or statistical "deadline" to book donations within a particular calendar year or fiscal year. But I don't see why I should feel any concern about their own internal aspirations as to how much they want their books to show on a given date. (An exception, I suppose, is something like college athletics where a donation gets you priority points that help determine seat location and you need to donate within a certain period for the points to count for the next season. Another possibility would be if you can claim a tax deduction if you donate by year's end, though that's far less common for the average person under the current federal tax law than it was ten years ago.)

[skluth]

A minor annoyance common to this time of year, though one that also often shows up in late June: E-mails asking you to donate money to some cause because "the deadline" is approaching or you're "running out of time." There's no "deadline." I can donate, or not donate, whenever the heck I choose. In the vast majority of cases, the only "deadline" is the charity or other organization's internal accounting or statistical "deadline" to book donations within a particular calendar year or fiscal year. But I don't see why I should feel any concern about their own internal aspirations as to how much they want their books to show on a given date. (An exception, I suppose, is something like college athletics where a donation gets you priority points that help determine seat location and you need to donate within a certain period for the points to count for the next season. Another possibility would be if you can claim a tax deduction if you donate by year's end, though that's far less common for the average person under the current federal tax law than it was ten years ago.)

Try getting on a regular mail list. I get more junk mail this time of year for charity than any other time of year and for charities I never knew existed. Some even come with cheap "gifts" like return address stickers and notepads so the envelope is thick. (St Jude's is good for this and after living here for four years I have enough return addresses for the rest of my life.) I can delete the emails but the snail mail solicitations require me to check for PII and possibly shred, but it's still trash.

[jakeroot]

Related to the conversation around the pronunciation of Z: I would be curious to know how many English speakers (either first or second language) use "zee" versus "zed".

Obviously it comes down to whether one learns American or British English. Most countries with English as a primary language use British English, but there's the whole thing of secondary languages. For example, here in Japan, American English is most often learned (the average Japanese english speaker would say "zee"), and the same is true for the Philippines, where American English dominates.

[J N Winkler]

Related to the conversation around the pronunciation of Z: I would be curious to know how many English speakers (either first or second language) use "zee" versus "zed".

Obviously it comes down to whether one learns American or British English. Most countries with English as a primary language use British English, but there's the whole thing of secondary languages. For example, here in Japan, American English is most often learned (the average Japanese English speaker would say "zee"), and the same is true for the Philippines, where American English dominates.

In Germany there are separate streams for American and British English as second languages, and native German speakers who learned in one often struggle with the other, typically to a greater degree than native English speakers.

As a postlingually deaf person, I learned American English and occasionally find non-rhotic British dialects (including RP) difficult to lipread because the rolled r looks very different on the lips.  (This is not to say that rhotic British dialects, like the Glaswegian accent, are necessarily much easier--after a certain point the syntactical and phonemic influences of broad Scots dominate.)

In Stargate Atlantis, one of the two spinoffs of Stargate SG-1, one of the magic devices--a zero-point module--was consistently referred to as a "zedPM" by a Canadian actor playing a Canadian character, and as a "zeePM" by the rest of the cast.  This was very obvious on the lips with subtitling synced to the dialogue (as is typical for scripted dramas but not for broadcasts, such as the news, that receive captioning in real time with a lag).

[MultiMillionMiler]

When you watch a physics video that's supposed to explain gravity, and they use the example of a ball bending a trampoline downward, and another ball rolling toward it as a result. In other words, using gravity to explain gravity.

[Max Rockatansky]

When you watch a physics video that's supposed to explain gravity, and they use the example of a ball bending a trampoline downward, and another ball rolling toward it as a result. In other words, using gravity to explain gravity.

Yes, I preferred gravity be explained by way of application of Weak Nuclear Force.

[JoePCool14]

When you watch a physics video that's supposed to explain gravity, and they use the example of a ball bending a trampoline downward, and another ball rolling toward it as a result. In other words, using gravity to explain gravity.

How else would you explain gravity other than showing its effects? I mean, there's obviously other ways to describe it, but visually showing it is simple and easy for anyone to understand. Unless you're talking about explaining why gravity works.