Ask Lemmy

I have given up on "steep learning curve". A learning curve is proficiency on the Y axis against time on the X. A steep learning curve indicates something that is learned very quickly. A shallow learning curve is something that takes a long time to master. See Ebbinghaus 1885.

If you’ve ever had a cat sit in front of a toilet paper roll and spin it, you will appreciate having the open end toward the wall so it doesn't fully unravel

Iced tea is just dirty leaf water.

I’ve always wanted to write a bot that replies to comments that say „I have no words” with a list of random words

Anyway not anyways. I don’t care what the dictionary says. Anyways sounds backwoods, plural, and the “s” is pointless.

It's pronounced "gif," not "gif."

I can't take people who say "your guyses" seriously.

Skydive terminology. Its not a chute, dammit, it’s a canopy or a wing.

On the toilet paper debate, as far as I can tell it largely has to do with whether people stand up or sit down to wipe. People who stand up want the paper unrolling on the front (because they can't easily reach under the roll), while people who sit down and wipe can go either way.

For my petty hill, "Duck" brand tape is awful and should never be bought. It's just slightly above generic dollar brand tape in quality, and should absolutely never be bought if you have any other options. Go with Scotch or anything else really.

People who only work with money are not doing work. They're leeches.

Beans don't belong in chili.

Funny; probably the opposite of yours.

Facing the toilet paper outward increases the chance that the paper rips with the roll being in such a position that the loose portion of the roll is lying exactly against the roll: I don't want to have to spin the roll to be able to get to the loose bit. Having the loose bit closer to the wall – probably by virtue of being further away from the user – more often results in it being ripped such that a bit is hanging below the roll, making it easier to grab more often. It's, in total, a much more consistently enjoyable user experience.

Also, less being constrained only to countable objects is an artificial and unintuitive definition. It's not like further vs. farther, describing two distinct concepts which never overlap. Fewer is in reference to counting by individual elements so it wouldn't make sense to apply to things which aren't inherently segmented but it's entirely possibly to measure less of the total of a segmented collection. To say less milk is to take a reduction of the total amount of milk available; this is perfectly feasible with a segmented collection, like cookies. To say less cookies is to take a reduction of the total amount of cookies, something fully measurable and actionable. It is merely that fewer is applicable to a subset of the things which less is applicable.

To argue otherwise is to try and create an artificial construction against the intuitive logic inherent in the natural construction.

I had not realized the latter was a hill I'd die on but, boy, will I, now.

Over cooking beef is sad, I'll make a medium or well steak if you ask me, but it hurts to do so

The way too common misuse of the personal pronoun in the objective case. There are legitimate grammatical uses for "me" and the objective case is one of them. Learn it, kids.

• Syllabuses, not syllabi
• Matrixes, not matrices
• Indexes, not indices
• Cactuses, not cacti

Standardize plurals!