Thursday, June 08, 2006

Language: gitchya

No, not as in "I'm gonna gitchya." I like the Texasism I just heard, "Gitchya some water." No, not as in "(I'm going to) gitchya some water." A proper East Texas native will say this as shorthand for "(Y'all are going to) git (yourself) some water." (And remember, "y'all" is singular in Texas, where you'll often hear "All y'all" to denote the plural.)

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Musings: terroristic vs. jingoistic threats

White-collar and esp. technical support employees might fantasize about flailing or flogging the hapless user or customer who asks questions that have been addressed in the documentation or procedures. They keep such tortuous thoughts quiet, though they may darkly mutter terroristic threats to a co-worker (who may gleefully reciprocate). I think I might prefer making jingoistic threats to making terroristic ones though: They're not only legal but neglected (unless you're a fervent Republican) and they won't scare everyone away, only half.

Language: scare the pudding out of us

Amy Biancolli's review of The Omen in today's Houston Chronicle describes its scary elements, "all of which are meant to scare the pudding out of us." By extension, the noun "pudding" can now tastefully be employed in a range of emotional contexts:

"Crap!" becomes "Pudding!"
"Oh, fiddlesticks!" becomes "Oh, pudding!" (not to be confused with "Oh, fudge!")
"Shee-YET!" becomes "Pud-DEEN!" (not to be confused with "Boudin!")

Depending on one's mood, flavors might be specified.

Anything more off-color might be off-pudding.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Neologisms: nickernacks

A horse whinnies and nickers when it wants an apple to nibble, and humans (esp. kids) whine when they want a snack to nibble, or a nosh to polish off.

Technology: Blu-ray Disc format

If you haven't heard about the provisionary successor to DVD technology, Blu-ray Disc (BD) titles are supposed to hold 25 MB of video data instead of 15 MB on HD DVD. This is accomplished because Blu-ray technology uses a blue-violet laser with a shorter wavelength (405 nm) than DVD technology, which uses a red laser (650 nm). Blu-ray was announced at CES in January and products, which have been delayed a month, are expected to hit the market June 20. It will initially be more expensive than DVD, which frankly has only recently established a toehold in the consumer market as Blockbuster stores converted entirely to videodisc and disc-only online rental services like Netflix and Peerflix are starting to go mainstream.

I witnessed the launch of DVD technology at Fall Comdex in 1995. I seriously doubt the average consumer is going to let anyone pry the DVD from their hot little fingers for another 5-6 years at least. Like HD TV, however, it can be another market option for the early adopters.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Proverbs: Don't run with chopsticks

Email: The lexicon of lust [C]

See, the problem with the patriarchal Catholic system (as with the patriarchal Muslim system) is that men blame women for "leading" or "causing" them to sin -- which clinically is a dysfunctional spin on reality. No, women shouldn't dress like whores; but it is every man's responsibility to think and act morally in any situation. A woman is not "asking for" poor treatment because she is curvy and flatteringly attired; our workplace expects decent behavior from all men concerned, so why can't our religious institutions? It's only denying an issue that leads to one's fear of it; "behold," responsible discussion "casts out all fear" (see I John 4:18). Lust is only lust if pursued. For simple desires impinging on our selves, we should be grateful that we are alive -- and be mature enough to not feel needy or to pressure ourselves into self-defeating attitudes and behaviors.