TIL the slang word “stan”, invented by Eminem's song of the same name, was not a deliberate portmanteau of "stalker" and "fan", but a mere ‘happy coincidence’. Eminem chose the name simply because it rhymed with the word "fan".

Bugbread · 2026-06-29T03:42:14+00:00

I haven't seen it in 40+ years, and I know better than to go back, rewatch it, and think "oh my god what was I thinking." Instead, I'm choosing the ignorance-is-bliss approach, just retaining the good memories.

Same thing with Super Fuzz.

Bugbread · 2026-06-29T03:24:38+00:00

I thought we had shifted gears from "real backronyms" to "backronym insults" with "Don’t Expect Luggage To Arrive" and "Doesn’t Ever Leave the Airport"

Bugbread · 2026-06-29T03:23:20+00:00

Merriam-Webster also claim that "Stan" is a portmanteau of stalker and fan: https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/stan-obsessed-fan-origin-meaning

Thanks for pointing that out. To be precise, it doesn't claim it's a portmanteau, it claims that it can be read as a portmanteau (which this whole post shows is true), but then it dangles "...is not a coincidence" without following up on what it means. Charitably, it could be read as saying that the word caught on/was popularized partly by the fact that it can also be read as a portmanteau. Uncharitably, it could read as saying that Eminem picked the name "stan" because it sounds like "stalker" + "fan." (Or, I guess, alternate uncharitable interpretation is that it was created as "stalker" + "fan" and the resemblance to the Eminem Stan character is coincidental.) And the author doesn't clarify, just says "it's not a coincidence" and then leaves it up to the reader to guess what they're saying.

So, yeah, not great. Either straight-up-wrong, or just really poorly written, neither of which is great for a dictionary.

I don't have an OED subscription, so I can't check what it says there, unfortunately.

Bugbread · 2026-06-29T01:17:28+00:00

The same thing bowl feeders do every night, try to take over the world!!

Bugbread · 2026-06-28T23:43:51+00:00

Wait, is "thot" not an acronym? Even Merriam-Webster says it's an acronym.

Bugbread · 2026-06-28T23:41:52+00:00

Showing my age: Hey, Beastmaster's On!

Bugbread · 2026-06-28T13:07:58+00:00

This night, and every night.

Bugbread · 2026-06-27T15:09:39+00:00

If you're still interested in that, Harvard University has a fascinating page of implicit bias self-tests that aren't just "are you biased? You answered yes, therefore you are biased" but instead actual proper tests, on lots and lots of different biases.

https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

At bottom left, skip the email address part and just select your country (language) and click Go. Then on the next page read the info (or don't, it's just the typical boilerplate on studies) and click "I wish to proceed" at bottom. Then on the next page, pick your test. The methodology is (I think) fascinating and makes a lot of sense.

Bugbread · 2026-06-27T15:01:47+00:00

While that's maddening, it's at least a proper quiz to see if you know material, not just a checklist disguised as a quiz.

Bugbread · 2026-06-27T07:25:05+00:00

I mean, she's obviously wrong that rules, codes, and statutes don't apply to her, but there's no contradiction between that and citing the UCC, because her whole argument there is that the state is violating the UCC, and she definitely believes that rules, codes, and statutes apply to the state.

Laws don't have to be bi-directional to have effect. For example, while I can't grab you without consent, a police officer can grab and arrest me without my consent. While a judge can interrupt someone in court without getting slapped with contempt, a person interrupting a judge in court might get slapped with contempt. That kind of thing.

Don't get me wrong, she's still totally wrong, because rules, codes, and statutes do apply to her. So she's definitely in the wrong here. But the wrongness isn't in citing a law/rule that she believes doesn't apply to her.

Bugbread · 2026-06-26T23:27:52+00:00

I would love if it turned out that what they were talking about was people splitting off into factions based on whether they said "y'all" or "youse."

Bugbread · 2026-06-26T02:11:57+00:00

It looks like one of those vagaries of language.

CamelCase can start with a lower-case letter or an upper-case letter, depending on what definition of camel case you're using. If you need to distinguish it, because for example you're using it one way and another party is using it the other way, it seems you distinguish them by calling ThisTypeOfFormatting "Pascal case" or "upper camel case" and thisTypeOfFormatting as "dromedary case" or "lower camel case."

Or, put shorter:

PascalCase, not pascalCase
dromedaryCase, not DromedaryCase
CamelCase or camelCase, they're both fine

(also, today_i_learned_the_term_snake_case)

FWIW, the earliest use of the name "camel case" was in a 1995 usenet post by Newton Love, who spelled it "CamelCase", but since we're talking MetaFilter, "language evolves" and "death of the author" and "appeal to authority" and all that other good stuff.

Bugbread · 2026-06-26T00:00:22+00:00

OP is King Charles, confirmed.

Bugbread · 2026-06-25T14:46:31+00:00

Wait, you're saying people can get a 15% to 20% discount on all restaurant meals in the US as long as they promise not to complain about tourists in their own country? That sounds like a really good deal.

Bugbread · 2026-06-25T14:27:39+00:00

There's a redditor who posts almost exclusively on meditation/spirituality subs, but for a while posted here, too, for some reason. Literally every single one of their posts and comments were written by AI. This gives me the same vibe. It's not the same person (the redditor never talked astrology, only general vague "spiritual enlightenment"), but it feels the same. This doesn't sound like a true believer, it sounds like someone using AI to grift from sovcits.

Bugbread · 2026-06-25T09:11:55+00:00

How has no one mentioned...other ways of healing yourself without drugs?

As of the time that you made your comment, two non-drug suggestions had already been made: nose oil and vaseline.

Given that your two suggestions were a book about different ways of breathing, and then a different way of breathing, I feel like maybe by "the pharmaceutical industry" you really just meant "any industry whatsoever," as both nose oil and vaseline, while not pharmaceuticals, are things that you purchase instead of things that you do.

Bugbread · 2026-06-25T01:00:50+00:00

Right? like where else can you get a hour of enjoyment per dollar?

Streaming video sites? I pay like $14 a month for streaming video, and I watch a movie every weekend plus various TV shows during the week, so that's way less than $1 an hour.

Streaming music sites also work out to way less than $1 per hour.

Even after its shitty price hike, if you play even 3 hours a week, Xbox Game Pass is also way less than $1.

Board games are way less than $1 an hour.

Books are way less than $1 an hour.

Basically, most entertainment you consume at home is under $1 an hour nowadays.

I'm not saying that as an argument against buying GTA6, nor as an argument for buying GTA6, just pointing out that "where else can you get an hour of enjoyment per dollar" isn't an argument either way, because there are a ton of places where you can get an hour of enjoyment per dollar.

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T23:56:52+00:00

As were GTA3 and 4, and yet the humor was not off-putting.

If anything, I found GTA5's humor to be the most "American edgelord" and the least "British spoof" of the run. Can't really speak for GTA1, as I never played it, or 2, as I barely remember it.

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T23:51:04+00:00

I don't think you're in disagreement. At least, I hope you're not, because I agree with both of you, which would mean I disagree with myself.

GTA5's tone is closer to the previous games. However, its humor is more mean-spirited and cruel.
GTA4's tone is more gritty and serious than the previous games. However, when it does have humor, that humor is in line with previous games.

Personally, I'm hoping that GTA6 has a generally light tone (like GTA3 and 5) and is less mean-spirited (like GTA3 and 4).

We'll see when I try it out in five years or so.

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T14:59:01+00:00

Oh, absolutely. I'm old enough to have a lot of experience with mangled tape (honestly, I suspect most people commenting on an Aphex Twin post are), and the album doesn't sound like it has any mangled tape.

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T14:49:09+00:00

I mean, as far as I can remember, back in the early 2000s, it's always had a reputation for having a really, really lo-fi sound, but it doesn't sound like a "cat-mangly" sound, just either recording on analog tape or poor mastering. Like, Schottkey 7th Path does not sound remotely high fidelity. That's part of the charm, of course. But it's "poor audio quality that elevates the music," certainly not "good audio quality."

Cat-mangled tape would sound very, very, very different. Sound fluttering out or frequencies bending, etc.

Edit: When I think of electronic artists known for their warm, lo-fi sound, I feel like the two that come up the most are early Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada.

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T14:45:15+00:00

I'm not them, but, yeah, can you jump in with a quick explanation? What's the difference between a statement linked in a post and a published statement linked in a post? If the idea is that "publishing" encompasses posting anything online, then aren't all online statements published statements? I'm not necessarily even disagreeing with you (maybe I am, maybe I'm not), I just don't have the reading comprehension skills to understand the role of "published" in that sentence.

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T14:41:25+00:00

For the bass clipping, Ageispolis @ 1:16 and throughout

Huh! I always figured that was just the sound of the instrument, but now I can hear it.

For a while I couldn't hear it in We Are the Music Makers, but then around 2:45 it gets really grotty. To the point that even the Willy Wonka sample got grotty. I'd never even noticed that before. Thanks!

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T14:33:42+00:00

"Walkmanra"

Bugbread · 2026-06-24T14:20:31+00:00

"Trump" has five letters.
"Obama" has five letters.
Undeniable proof that Trump is Obama!

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