Mistakes you make that make you look dumb (global warming, high school, economy)

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by plwhit

Yes, troubleshooting a stack trace sure does tax my understanding of English grammar

"AWT-EventQueue-1" (
TID:0xebca8c20, sys_thread_t:0x376660,
state:MW) prio=6
at java.awt.Component.invalidate(Component.java:1664)
at java.awt.Container.invalidate(Container.java:507)
t java.awt.Window.dispatchEventImpl(Window.java:696)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(
Component.java:2289)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(
EventQueue.java:258)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(
EventDispatchThread.java:68)

And understanding a system crash dump really involves a deep understanding of the structure of the English language, notice the spelling/grammatical error in the following?

For information about new features see 'help changes'
To remove this message, put 'dbxenv suppress_startup_message 7.5'
in your .dbxrc
Reading tServer
core file header read successfully
Reading ld.so.1
Reading libpthread.so.1
Reading librt.so.1
Reading libsocket.so.1
Reading libnsl.so.1
Reading libc.so.1
Reading libthread.so.1
Reading libCrun.so.1
Reading libm.so.1
Reading libkstat.so.1
t@1 (l@1) program terminated by signal SEGV (no mapping at
the fault address)
0xffffffff7ce3ce90: strcmp+0x0014: ldub [%i1], %i5
Current function is txnAtomMatchRqst
177 && strcmp(pMsg->inHeader.msgVer, "01" == 0)) {
(dbx) threads ** show all the threads
o> t@1 a l@1 ?() signal SIGSEGV in strcmp()
t@2 b l@2 tTimerThread() LWP suspended in __pollsys()
(dbx) thread -info t@1 ** show the thread information

Thread t@1 (0xffffffff7a500000) at priority 0
state: active on l@1
base function: 0x0: 0x0000000000000000() stack:
0xffffffff80000000[8388608]
flags: (none)
masked signals: (none)
Currently active in strcmp
(dbx) where ** show the thread stack
current thread: t@1
[1] strcmp(0x100263d63, 0x0, 0xac, 0x0, 0x30, 0x31), at
0xffffffff7ce3ce90
=>[2] tAtomMatchRqst(), line 177 in "tAtomMatchRqst.c"
[3] tFlow(), line 96 in "tFlow.c"
[4] tServer(rqst = 0x1001e6c58), line 73 in "tServer.c"
[5] _tsvcdsp(0x1700, 0x0, 0x10004ca60, 0x1001e55c0, 0x0,
0x1001d9440), at 0xffffffff7e15d138
[6] _trunserver(0x1001e3844, 0x1001da958, 0x0,
0xffffffff7e3525c8, 0x1400, 0x1001ee400), at 0xffffffff7e180ea0
[7] _tstartserver(0x0, 0xffffffff7ffff568, 0x1001bcc38,
0x1001d9440, 0x0, 0x0), at 0xffffffff7e15be28
[8] main(0xf, 0xffffffff7ffff568, 0xffffffff7ffff5e8, 0x0,
0x0, 0x100000000), at 0x1000099ec
(dbx) quit

I guess if someone has a job in IT that takes questions like "my sound doesn't work" or "my monitor is dark" would have to have a fundamental understanding of the English grammar, is that the type job your DH has?

Nice slam! He has a PhD in physics. He writes code for wireless phones.



PS: Do you not have to commuicate with your customers, such as us clueless health care professionals? (This includes some of the doctors, btw.)

[plwhit]

Originally Posted by Katiana

PS: Do you not have to commuicate with your customers, such as us clueless health care professionals? (This includes some of the doctors, btw.)

I deal with mainframes and networks and write technical documentation which doesn't deal with telling a health care professional where the On/Off switch is on their computer.....

[70Ford]

Originally Posted by emilybh

Is it politically correct to pretend not to notice how all of America is dumbing down? It seems that even those who are supposedly "smart" aren't really so smart. Or perhaps they just don't care.


For those that would like to at least seem like they know what they are writing about here's an article from Slate Magazine that lists the most common mistakes made even by those who should know better. They include some of your favorites like "your" and "you're".

7 Grammar Mistakes that Make You Look Dumb | Work Goes Strong

Video captures 30 visitors walking to edge of Old Faithful for photo op - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Region
Click the video. Behold the stupid.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by plwhit

I deal with mainframes and networks and write technical documentation which doesn't deal with telling a health care professional where the On/Off switch is on their computer.....

The higher up you go in your field, the more you have to communicate with real people. Probably why DH has pretty good communication skills. He would probably be the one to hire you.

Speaking of which, one time he was in an interviewing committee and he thought something was "off" about the
interviewee's grammar, and became suspicious that the guy didn't have the education he said he did. So DH asked him for a transcript, and the guy, as he said "folded".

Believe me, we all know where the "on/off" switch is on our computers. But we do need technical help from time to time.

[hawkeye2009]

Originally Posted by emilybh

Is it politically correct to pretend not to notice how all of America is dumbing down? It seems that even those who are supposedly "smart" aren't really so smart. Or perhaps they just don't care.


For those that would like to at least seem like they know what they are writing about here's an article from Slate Magazine that lists the most common mistakes made even by those who should know better. They include some of your favorites like "your" and "you're".

7 Grammar Mistakes that Make You Look Dumb | Work Goes Strong

I have secretaries transcribe and correct any gramatical errors (gee, did I have a spelling error there?!). I have more important things to do and leave menial tasks to those with an intellect commensurate to the task.

Liberals quite often, in a comical attempt to assert their intellectual superiority, are obsessed with spelling errors. It is a symptom of the unique ability to stratify and focus on the unimportant, while ignoring the big picture. In this fashion, we have a group attentive to gay marriage while the nation drowns in debt and the economy burns. Those primarily concerned with eddy currents and side issues rarely accomplish anything of any significance.

[ergohead]

Originally Posted by 70Ford

Video captures 30 visitors walking to edge of Old Faithful for photo op - The Bozeman Daily Chronicle: Region
Click the video. Behold the stupid.

Uranus had just crossed from Pisces to Aires on March 12, 2011.

Think about it.

[hotair2]

Good thread. The ones that I still have a problem with is further and farther and less and fewer. I believe the grocery stores almost always get the less and fewer wrong.

I am always amused at the TParty signs.

[plwhit]

I'm still amazed how this thread has morphed into elites and <their><there><they're> English grammar lectures.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

Please refer to thread title and then seek a mirror.

What "stupid mistake" did I make? Have you never heard of "righeous wrath"? Oh, and aren't you the one who is always excoriating others for "personal attacks"? Why yes, I think you are.

Originally Posted by lifelongMOgal

As opposed to someone who levels personal attacks to support hers?

My response was to a poster who said he admired that she did not do such things. My post gave evidence to refute his claim of her not. It really is that simple.

Originally Posted by hawkeye2009

I have secretaries transcribe and correct any gramatical errors (gee, did I have a spelling error there?!). I have more important things to do and leave menial tasks to those with an intellect commensurate to the task.

Liberals quite often, in a comical attempt to assert their intellectual superiority, are obsessed with spelling errors. It is a symptom of the unique ability to stratify and focus on the unimportant, while ignoring the big picture. In this fashion, we have a group attentive to gay marriage while the nation drowns in debt and the economy burns. Those primarily concerned with eddy currents and side issues rarely accomplish anything of any significance.

Don't break your neck falling off your high horse. We were just talking about secretaries today, and how no one has them any more. Your office must be way behind the times if you aren't using EMR; still using transcription. BTW, one of the defenders of good grammar is a RW.

[ryanek9freak]

Well, the OP has quite a point. All this demonstrates is the EPIC failure of our public education system to educate our children beyond the second grade level.

Seriously, when I was in grade school, the nuns would beat you with a ruler until you got it right. And to this day, I still try to use proper grammar. That's the problem, teachers just don't give a damn anymore.