Wow. What are the odds. Not that I know him, but I went to college with one of the people in the picture above (second down from the upper left hand corner.)
miocl, I don't think anyone here is an idiot, nor did I say that. But the phrase "no pun intended" is a method of self-editing a statement that can't be redacted, usually because it was said the course of spoken conversation. I noted the fact that I'm being an idiom Nazi about this, but strictly speaking, it's inconsistent to use the phrase within a comment, since you acknowledge your ability to edit the pun by writing (no pun intended). Had you wrote (no pun intended) in a separate comment or, if this was a message board with editing features, in an edit, it would have been more accurate. It would have been completely consistent if you had written (pun totally intended!) or (har har). Or if your delete and backspace keys were broken. But since the act of writing the comment acts as a second filter for thought, it is as intentional as if I were to start this comment off with "I'm not going to inflate the importance of this issue far more than it deserves" (clearly I AM inflating the importance of this issue far more than it deserves, and would have acknowledged the fact by writing such and then hitting the Submit button.) In any case, while I'm acknowledging that, I might as well apologize for it, as well as for apparently irritating you.
As for aftershock's comment, whether she/he originally meant to generalize and accidentally hit upon something particular, the words they use still actually mean the exact same thing, so it's not truly a pun, which is when you say something that has two meanings that are different but equally applicable.
I know I'm being an idiom Nazi here, but I think some people don't understand what the phrase "no pun intended" means.
"PETA would have a cow anyway(no pun intended)."
^That HAD to be intended.
"If we can do it and its not hurting anyone then why not? (no pun intended)"
^What pun?
As for the story, I usually have a clear personal sense of ethical issues, but I admit to actually being a bit stumped by this one. It's a frothy mix of pity, convenience and ruthlessness. I feel like there's a Philip K. Dick story in there somewhere.
"No, not really. It’s still just a program written by programmers. They told it to sometimes not alert the other robots, and it clocked that there was more food available.
They’re not telling lies."
^This.
I'm dubious that this is anything more than a sock puppet show between programmers. Any program still necessarily reflects the intent of the programmer. When a programmer arrives at a solution to a problem that its programmer didn't specifically foresee, *then* I'll be impressed. Until then - at ease. Singularity averted.
Actually, while skidworth's post was obviously exaggerated, wheat stem rust was being developed for use as a biological weapon by the United States in a program during the 1960's, so it may have been a comment in reference to that.
"Apparently some scenes were actually filmed of Bill and Ted going to prehistoric San Dimas and meeting some cavemen"
Yeah this is in the movie. When their time machine breaks they need to make an emergency stop in prehistoric times. They end up fixing the antenna on their phone booth with wads of bubblegum, with all the historic people, including some cavemen they found nearby, helping to chew the gum.
Really, required? *That's* what you find objectionable about Bush's policies? I think I would have gone with the strengthening of the surveillance state and the widespread loss of civil liberties in the name of homeland security. Or, you know, the unnecessary/unconstitutional war manufactured out of inaccurate data that played on the xenophobia of an already terrorized populace. His policies regarding the EPA and the FDA come in at a close 50th for me. The FDA, speaking of which, hardly comes out of the whole economic debacle looking attractive, since its monopoly on drug approval is one of the bigger reasons why medical costs are so high in this country and why part of the stimulus money had to immediately go into paying down some of our health care programs. Compared to invading foreign countries, murdering innocent civilians in bombing runs, water torture, and warrantless wiretapping, trimming back the FDA to combat rising health care costs seems like silly thing to attack.
http://www.ridgway.k12.co.us/uploads/h7/GM/h7GMpPmbvq6aASekdjWX9Q/anderson_letter.pdf
As for aftershock's comment, whether she/he originally meant to generalize and accidentally hit upon something particular, the words they use still actually mean the exact same thing, so it's not truly a pun, which is when you say something that has two meanings that are different but equally applicable.
"PETA would have a cow anyway(no pun intended)."
^That HAD to be intended.
"If we can do it and its not hurting anyone then why not? (no pun intended)"
^What pun?
As for the story, I usually have a clear personal sense of ethical issues, but I admit to actually being a bit stumped by this one. It's a frothy mix of pity, convenience and ruthlessness. I feel like there's a Philip K. Dick story in there somewhere.
They’re not telling lies."
^This.
I'm dubious that this is anything more than a sock puppet show between programmers. Any program still necessarily reflects the intent of the programmer. When a programmer arrives at a solution to a problem that its programmer didn't specifically foresee, *then* I'll be impressed. Until then - at ease. Singularity averted.
I would ask why, but I guess he's in just about everything else...
Actually, while skidworth's post was obviously exaggerated, wheat stem rust was being developed for use as a biological weapon by the United States in a program during the 1960's, so it may have been a comment in reference to that.
"Apparently some scenes were actually filmed of Bill and Ted going to prehistoric San Dimas and meeting some cavemen"
Yeah this is in the movie. When their time machine breaks they need to make an emergency stop in prehistoric times. They end up fixing the antenna on their phone booth with wads of bubblegum, with all the historic people, including some cavemen they found nearby, helping to chew the gum.
It’s hard to tell if that is sarcasm or serious.
Please clear that up for us JMM."
I'm pretty sure the wink was when he capitalized Obama's pronoun, but I might be wrong. If I'm not, then may Obama help us. ;P