Category: Signs of the Times

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On Friday I received an email about the “IEEE GLOBECOM 2006 D&D FORUM.”

My first thought on seeing the subject was, “Well, it’s clearly not Dungeons and Dragons.” So I thought about other D&Ds, and the next thing I thought of was drag and drop. I knew that couldn’t be it, either. Who would hold a conference on drag-n-drop? (Now, I can see a D&D game dealing with a “dragon drop” contest, but that’s another issue entirely!)

I opened the newsletter, and of course it was a design and development conference. Should’ve been obvious, but I just didn’t think of it.

Any acronyms/abbreviations you’ve mixed up? Not just acronyms for which you know more than one meaning, but the ones that you’ve seen in one context, and the first meaning you thought of was from some other field entirely.

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There are some things that no self-respecting Something Positive reader wants to see, and this recipe is among them:

Choo Choo Sandwich Recipe

Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (classic reissue)Poor Choo-Choo Bear! Disguising yourself as a pitcher is one thing, but being turned into a sandwich? Alas, such a sad, sad fate for everyone’s favorite amorphous kitty.

(At least the sandwich probably won’t be as pink as Slashdot’s OMG Ponies! theme.)

Source: the Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book : (1953 Classic Edition), page 297.

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You’ve all seen those bumper stickers that say things like, “My child was an honor student at XYZ school.” You’ve probably seen parodies like “My child can beat up your honor student.” But have you seen the Klingon version?

My child has more honor than your child.

Sorry about the phone resolution: it reads, “My child has more honor than your child.” And yes, it’s in English.

(Yes, Photoblog catch-up week is still going.)

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Continuing Photoblog Catch-Up Week, here’s another great example of what happens when specialized jargon conflicts with general usage:

Sign requesting donations of 7″×9″ crocheted squares.

It doesn’t take much geometry knowledge to realize you can’t have a 7×9″ square—but in the context of crochet it makes perfect sense. If you take it literally, it’s right up there with non-organic food.

(Found in a Michael’s craft store.)

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Photoblog Catch-up Week continues!

Last weekend we stopped at a nearby nursery to pick up some potting soil. We walked out with two tomatoes, one fuchsia, three herbs, a couple of pots, some bamboo… and the potting soil.

We parked in front of this sign. Yes, it was next to an avocado tree.

Sign: Caution! Watch for Falling Avocados (Armstrong Garden Center)