71 Comments
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Jon Gearhart's avatar

Some of us can't comment during your chats because we have jobs.

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Sean Clinchy's avatar

Just to clarify, “For Free” was written by Joni Mitchell.

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Melissa's avatar

And I thought I was the only one who didn't like the Davinci Code. What was worse is then reading Angles and Demons which was a repeat of Davinci Code for me until I realized it was written first. But they were the same thing! I never finished Angels and Demons.

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Paul Bickart's avatar

I finished it and immediately threw it in the trash. Only did that with two other books. One was because I was annoyed by the ending because the author resolved all his plot difficulties by destroying the ENTIRE UNIVERSE! The other was rubbish from the word go.

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Melissa's avatar

The cruise story is one of the reasons why I will never take an ocean cruise. Being on a ship with a thousand other people also does not appeal to me. And they are environmental disasters- just ask Venice.

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Not Simple, Ever's avatar

“Passed” is always funny as an expression to me. I think what, did the person fart?

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Bill Verkuilen's avatar

I know a woman who, for a short time, thought her elderly husband had died of a fart. Specifically, an internal fart. She spread word of his passing to many friends and family, reporting to all of them that it was an internal fart, before another family member talked to the doctor and learned that she had misunderstood him when he told her that her husband had died of a massive infarct.

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Helena Handbasket's avatar

I've always hated "passed" as a euphemism for "died." At least say "he passed away;" otherwise, it means he just walked by or didn't fail a test.

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Mad Chatter's avatar

Gene's thoughts on the march of science are correct if you only look at the educated people, i.e., the people Gene hangs with. But if you even read bumper stickers, you see things like "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." And if you think those people are just a fringe, ask any red state legislature, which is the majority of state legislatures, god help us.

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Noodles & Cabbage's avatar

If you put that sticker on your car, then you're listening, and you're having doubts.

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Don Weingarten's avatar

"they would conclude that some people think it is alright to eat Irish Babies and some do not."

I'm not sure about that. The conversations I've had with ChatGPT have indicated to me that it is surprisingly sophisticated. It tends to be rather literal, yes, but I asked it, for example, to write a Shakespearean sonnet about love, and it produced a surprisingly good one, by say, High School standards. Not a great poem, certainly, but nothing robotic about it.

Of course, it did caution me that this was only written in the STYLE of Shakespeare, lest I assume, incorrectly, that it WAS by him.

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Mike Wagner's avatar

Dutch Baby is pretty good.

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Tom Logan's avatar

Johnathan Swift seemed to think it was OK.

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Tom Logan's avatar

Johnathan Swift seemed to think it was OK.

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Bill Verkuilen's avatar

I really liked the "Snow White..." one, but couldn't vote for it, because it said "Dwarves". Any fan of the movie knows that it's "Dwarfs", at least in that context.

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Gene Weingarten's avatar

This was in Britain. It was dwarves.

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Bill Verkuilen's avatar

Serious question--was the movie called "Dwarves" in Britain? Different animation titling, etc.?

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Dale of Green Gables's avatar

It was "Dwarfs." And btw --- it took 50 years before the British Board of Film Classification approved it uncut and removed the "Adults Only" restriction it received on its initial release.

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Mad Chatter's avatar

If so, just as "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", the British (and Canadian) title, was dumbed down to "...Sorcerer's Stone" for Americans.

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Justin Stone's avatar

It's my understanding that now it's actually Snow White and the Seven Little People.

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Bill Verkuilen's avatar

The beauty of "SnowWhiteandtheSevenDwarfs" as a password is that not only does it have eight characters, it also covers the common requirements of including a number (seven) and a special character (Dopey).

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Dale of Green Gables's avatar

Actually, the present preferred usage is "Snow White and the Vertically Challenged Septet."

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Rob's avatar

“Snow Multi-racial . . .”

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Justin Stone's avatar

I would say that the intent to be *creatively* humorous is a powerful mitigating factor. There's no excuse for repeating a tired old joke that is also appallingly bigoted.

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Gene Weingarten's avatar

Well, that's what I meant.

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Sasquatch's avatar

I would write that the Hoover joke sucks, but I think that Dyson has already cornered the market on "sucks."

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Cash Devilry's avatar

I always say that my leaf machine goes both ways. It sucks and it blows.

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Tom Logan's avatar

Thank you Rita Kempley.

For reference, that is how she started her review of Twister.

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Tom Logan's avatar

On God....I believe in a God, it's Religion I'm not so sure about.

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Don Weingarten's avatar

Depends on what you define as "belief." I believe religion exists, though I don't believe god does.

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Tom Logan's avatar

Its the things you have to believe in to be part of a religion I'm not so sure about.

Follow the gourd!

Let us hold up one shoe!

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Dale of Green Gables's avatar

The Q & A about chatbot attempts at humor raise the question of whether you are born with a sense of humor or develop one. And how do you know when you have one ? Is there a humor gene ? Gene ?

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Some guy's avatar

The Hoover one was the only one where I actually laughed. Funny and clever. Too many are more clever than funny.

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Justin Stone's avatar

Gene, I can only assume your omission of The Princess Bride as a great adaptation of a great book is due to some secret longstanding grudge you have against William Goldman.

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Gene Weingarten's avatar

I was gonna include it, but William Goldman is dead. The question specified "alive."

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Justin Stone's avatar

Aw crap, I missed that detail. Sorry for doubting your wisdom, Gene.

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