The Daily Show host Jon Stewart took Congress to task on Monday night for funding air traffic controllers because they were personally affected by flight delays. “We all know that if you look up Congress in the dictionary it says, ‘Do-nothing fucktards who couldn’t solve a problem…
Why IBM’s ‘Watson’ supercomputer can’t speak slang
A supposedly sophisticated computer failed to correctly use the risque terms in Urban Dictionary. So is slang the last frontier for artificial intelligence? “OMG, that’s a bullshit question. Eat one, you doofus.” One as-yet-to-be-determined day in the future, computers will talk…
New Swype keyboard crowdsources your favorite acronyms
The latest third-party keyboard offering from Nuance’s Swype uses a crowdsourced model to comb over new words and add them to a user-accessible dictionary. It’s called Living Language and is similar in theory to SwiftKey’s natural language prediction technology. … Read More
A Gift Wrapping Idea Using Sheet Music That’s As Simple As ‘Do Re Mi’
Did you run out of wrapping paper while covering those last-minute-gifts? Before heading out to the store, consider a gift wrapping idea using something you already have in the house. How about sheet music? This material is perfect for a music-lover or anyone who appreciates a repurposing DIY project.Try it in place of traditional paper and embellishing it with a little bell or a guitar pick. These pages are also great to line envelopes for your holiday cards. Just trace the shape of the flap onto the paper, cut it out and stick with double-sided tape. You can do the same with old maps, dictionary pages and antique cookbooks, too!
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Words of the year: ‘Gangnam Style’ to enter dictionary?
South Korean rapper Psy performs at KIIS FM’s Jingle Ball concert in Los Angeles, California December 3, 2012 (Reuters / Mario Anzuoni) Guinness record and world renown seem to be not enough for South Korean rapper PSY, whose hit song ‘Gangnam Style’ is now up for inclusion in the dictionary after publisher Collins named it among the words of the year. Collins Dictionary has chosen a total of twelve words – one for each month – for its words of the year list. However there’s no guarantee that either of these will actually make it to the next dictionary. “We were looking for words that told the story of the year,” Reuters quotes Ian Brookes, the dictionary’s consultant editor as saying. “Some words are from events that have been and gone and so are not likely to stick around … but others are probably here to stay.”According to Brookes ‘Gangnam Style’ has a good chance of appearing in the next dictionary. The video to ‘Gangnam Style’ has surpassed Justin Bieber’s Baby as the most watched YouTube video, and even the laziest now know the iconic horse-riding dance from the clip. Over 5 months it has scooped almost 1 billion views on the video-sharing website.‘Gangnam style’ was chosen along with “fiscal cliff”, “mommy porn”, “superstorm” and “Romneyshambles”.”Fiscal cliff” is term is used to refer to the economic effects that could result from tax increases, spending cuts and a corresponding reduction in the US budget deficit beginning in 2013 if existing laws are not changed by the end of 2012. The term is being
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actively used as the deadline approaches. “Mommy porn” term became popular thanks to EL James’ best selling novel Fifty Shades of Grey. “Superstorm” refers to the devastating Sandy Hurricane that wreaked havoc on the east coast of the US in October.”Romneyshambles” term entered the British public life after Republican Mitt Romney made a number of gaffs during a visit to the UK including questioning Britain’s readiness to host the Olympics during his visit to London in July 2012. … Read More
Native Americans fight to preserve language
http://www.youtube.com/v/NEEsErtdG54?version=3&f=videos&app=youtube_gdata Visit source: Native Americans fight to preserve language
Oxford American Dictionary names “GIF” word of the year
Internet culture gets its proper due in journalism today, as ”GIF” has beat out “YOLO” as the Oxford American Dictionary’s word of the year. “GIF celebrated a lexical milestone in 2012, gaining traction as a verb, not just a noun,” said Katherine Martin, head of the US dictionaries program at Oxford. “The GIF has evolved from a medium for pop-cultural memes into a tool with serious applications including research and journalism, and its lexical identity is transforming to keep pace.”Martin is probably referring to a new form political coverage, story telling, and event highlights–none of which would have been possible without animated GIFs.Continue Reading… … Read More
