Friday
Dec152017
Physician, heal thyself
Friday, December 15, 2017 at 18:15 Rule 5 of the Simple Scanning Rules states:
There are no rules about how you write the task - just as long as you can understand what you meant when you come back to it.
I’ve just come across this task on my list which I wrote earlier today:
Weed “British”
I have not got the faintest idea what I meant by it.
Suggestions?
Reader Comments (31)
Weed, British
or possibly:
Weed, British?
Trimming your beard in a way you internally call "British"?
Looking up something for the garden, where you wanted to do something according to some "British" manner?
Or (one can hope) you want to spend more time with Americans? :-)
Or you are trying to improve your Welsh accent?
Is this Theresa May's Brexit Britain?
<< Why is "Weed" capitalized? >>
Because I always capitalize the first word of my tasks.
<< Trimming your beard in a way you internally call "British"? >>
Good idea! But unfortunately I don't have a beard.
But if I did: http://tinyurl.com/y7td7lh9
<< Looking up something for the garden, where you wanted to do something according to some "British" manner? >>
I'm not sure napalm is exclusively British.
<< You want to spend more time with the English rather than the so-called British? >>
Since I live in one of the most English areas in Britain that would be difficult.
<< Or (one can hope) you want to spend more time with Americans? :-) >>
I don't think I've ever met an American. so I wouldn't know. Oh, wait... we had an exchange student at school... he used to wear a very badly-cut powder blue suit... so probably no to your suggestion.
<< Or you are trying to improve your Welsh accent? >>
I am, but in the heart of Lloegr it's difficult.
<< Cull artifacts from your Historic Britannica collection? >>
What's an artifact?
<< I think you wrote "British" in quotes because you didn't know at the time of writing how to exactly spell the word which is pronounced almost like British but spelled differently e.g. brattish.>>
Bratwurst perhaps. But I know how to spell that.
<< You want to work on removing fake British people (indicated by scare quotes) from some group of people so that only true Brits remain.
<< Is this Theresa May's Brexit Britain? >>
My Task List is strictly non-political.
----
>>My Task List is strictly non-political.
Except for Welsh revisionism and the napalm in the garden.
I put something in quotes when I 'm using the word as a hint for myself when I don't want other people who happen to see the list to know what it is. A Christmas gift for someone close to you, perhaps?
<< Whatever it is, you should leave it on your list as long as possible. There's no better reminder of rule 5. >>
It's still there.
<< Or maybe it is an artefact of your high school years.>>
We were talking about artifacts, not artefacts.
And I didn't go to a high school.
<< Except for Welsh revisionism and the napalm in the garden. >>
Welsh revisionism?
I suppose the napalm in the garden might contribute to global warming so that's another idea gone bust.
<< For me weed would mean to cull the dead wood from a file, folder, or pile of papers/magazines. >>
Yes, I'm pretty sure that's what I meant. It's the "British" bit that's foxing me.
<< I put something in quotes when I 'm using the word as a hint for myself when I don't want other people who happen to see the list to know what it is. A Christmas gift for someone close to you, perhaps? >>
I usually put something in quotes when I'm quoting something. But why would I quote "British"? - that is the question.
I'm sure the final answer when uncovered will be such a letdown.
<< You've just watched the box set of "Bill and Ben, Flowerpot Men" for the fortieth time, and you're questioning the ethnicity of one of the supporting characters. >>
There's a box set of "Bill and Ben"? Where do I get it?
<< "British" is the first word of a group ("British Basket Company papers"), organization, or thematic collection. >>
You've got it!
Whenever I type "British Telecom" into my accounts program I have to type the whole thing because of all the other firms beginning with "British" that I've paid money to over the years. Weeding them all out will mean I just have to type "Br" and the name will come up.
Just think of all the time I'm going to save. 5 seconds every three months!
(And no, I'm not being sarcastic - that really is the answer. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions)
So if you see a van sitting outside your house with a strange aerial contraption on the roof, or somebody comes to the door demanding access to your living room, don't say you weren't warned!
From the Wikipedia entry on "Marvel No-Prize":
"The No-Prize had been intended as a reminder for Marvel readers to "lighten up" and read comics for pleasure rather than for prizes, or at least the thrill of being recognized for their efforts. ...
"In response, in 1967 [Stan] Lee began mailing No-Prize-winners pre-printed empty envelopes that said "Congratulations, this envelope contains a genuine Marvel Comics No-Prize which you have just won!" However, some uncomprehending fans wrote back asking where their prize was, even going so far as to suggest their prize had fallen out of the envelope."
The above Wikipedia entry is an early Christmas gift to comics nerds of a certain age...
<< by publicly implying that you will remove "British Broadcasting Corporation" from the list, you are giving a strong hint to their licence collectors that you have no intention of obtaining or renewing your TV licence. >>
Fortunately it's better known as the BBC, which doesn't get in the way anything like so much.
<< a van sitting... with a strange aerial contraption on the roof >>
I've never met anyone who's actually seen one of these. Most people think they have in fact never really existed and photos are just mockups of ordinary vans with a few bits of junk on top.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2445153/Are-TV-detector-vans-just-cunning-trick-For-decades-claimed-trap-licence-cheats-In-fact-theyve-led-single-prosecution.html
But isn't Mark actually saying that he wants to pay them as quickly as possible? I wonder what motives people might have for casting suspicion on others?
A thought which will no doubt occur to the commodore of your local fleet of detector vans.
;0)
<< A thought which will no doubt occur to the commodore of your local fleet of detector vans. >>
No, not a Commodore. At least an Admiral, and if the Royal Navy is anything to go by the "fleet" will consist of one van which has been undergoing a refit for the last ten years.
Even so far back as Parkinson's Law (1958) it was being remarked that as the number of ships in the Navy grew smaller so the number of Admirals increased.
It was also remarked that when the Colonial Office was merged with the Foreign Office because we didn't have any colonies any longer it had the largest number of staff in its entire history.