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This week Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons and Dragons, died. A whole generation of pasty dice-obsessed nerds owes him big time. Me included.
So, in his honour, how nerdy were you? Are you still sunlight-averse? What are the sad little things you do that nobody else understands?
As an example, a B3ta regular who shall remain nameless told us, "I spent an entire school summer holiday getting my BBC Model B computer to produce filthy stories from an extensive database of names, nouns, adjectives, stock phrases and deviant sexual practices. It revolutionised the porn magazine dirty letter writing industry for ever.
Revel in your own nerdiness.
( , Thu 6 Mar 2008, 10:32)
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I am a grammar and spelling Nazi. I can't help it. If I see a sign in town that has a comma or an apostrophe in an incorrect place, I have an intense and immediate desire to get out a red pen and circle it.
It could be worse, though. How, you say?
Well, I have a friend who looks through every book she reads for errors. When she finds them, she makes a note of it and files it away to write to the publisher later.
( , Sun 9 Mar 2008, 20:00, 9 replies)
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I like pulling the letters that my kids bring home from school.
Also, the "5 items or less" signs in Asda really tick me off.
( , Sun 9 Mar 2008, 22:12, closed)
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The person who writes them should not be allowed near a keyboard. I've seen sentences merging, punctuation completely missing....
I recently joined a forum and alienated myself by laughing at their lack of typing skills. Now they all hate me. It was worth it though.
It was a forum for writers.
( , Sun 9 Mar 2008, 22:34, closed)
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to rub superfluous apostrophes from pub 'specials' blackboards, and the like.
( , Mon 10 Mar 2008, 8:25, closed)
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There's enough of us out there to form an army and make a difference.
I also see red when people on the radio use the phrase "beg the question" when they mean "raise the question", and "refute" when they mean "reject" or "rebut". Everyone on the Today programme, this means you.
( , Mon 10 Mar 2008, 11:18, closed)
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I highlighted all the grammatical errors with a red pen, and scored "5/10 see me after class" into the lamination.
( , Mon 10 Mar 2008, 11:32, closed)
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At some point the teachers went on strike. Around 1985, as I remember. Anyway, the more militant teachers were hanging around the buses one day as we were leaving to go home, handing out leaflets imploring our parents to support the teachers in their cause. It appeared that the striking teachers were actually worried about what would happen to our education were the dispute not resolved. On the leaflet was written:
"What will be the affect of this action on your children?"
I took great pleasure in pointing out the error!
( , Mon 10 Mar 2008, 12:41, closed)
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Written to the publishers because of a mistake. I got a free book, yay!
( , Mon 10 Mar 2008, 17:41, closed)
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I believe affect and effect can be used interchangeably.
Unless I've completely missed the point...
( , Mon 10 Mar 2008, 19:49, closed)
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... it produces an effect.
Dictionary:
Affect is to act on, produce an effect in
Effect is the result, consequence
Thus, not the same nor interchangeable.
( , Tue 11 Mar 2008, 0:05, closed)
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