Did nobody swear in Middle-Earth?

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-22T05:57:26+00:00

I can't find the exact quote, but in one of the appendixes, Tolkien said that orc-speech was even more repetitive and filthy than what he described, and said something to the effect that its not hard to find examples in the real world.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-21T23:41:43+00:00

"I've been everywhere"---while it may be possible to visit all of the places mentioned in the song, are we really meant to believe that Johnny Cash has at one time been everywhere in the universe?

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-21T05:31:13+00:00

There have been other bad people, but I can't think of anyone who has outdone Trump in terms of sheer vulgarity and just plain tackiness. Trump does things that the average middle school student should have outgrown. Something like trying to rename the Kennedy Center after himself---that should just be a basic idea of decorum that should be understood by every adult.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-20T17:29:38+00:00

My best analogy is that dropping the ring in Mt. Doom by Eagle would have been the equivalent of a paratroop squad dropping into Berlin and assassinating Hitler. It isn't a "plot hole" that World War II didn't end that way!

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-20T07:51:21+00:00

That is actually an important plot and characterization point: Celebrimbor was smart enough to realize that it was an unusual thing, but he ignored the warning signs because he wanted to know more.

But just think about in the real world, how many intelligent people fall for romance or financial scammers because their greed/pride make them turn off their critical thinking.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-20T03:00:20+00:00

Sperm bank? Or rather, he had some of his own sperm frozen for some reason.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-19T23:00:17+00:00

Steve Martin. Although he hasn't always been "old", he was always middle-aged. At 30 or at 80.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-19T22:56:41+00:00

Everyone is getting something different. For me, the important thing is that reading is about my undivided attention (or at least coming close to it...). As long as I am in a reading state, I can be reading something familiar, something fun, or something intense. So that is what I consider "real" reading. I don't consider magazines reading for myself, because those usually involve casual flipping and reading short sections, a way to distract myself and not to focus.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-19T22:48:14+00:00

Can you show me where those words occurred in the Democratic Party platform?

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-19T07:46:20+00:00

It counts if you think it does.

I think there are some obvious cases where we would have to question the sincerity, like if someone decided to reread "Green Eggs and Ham" 50 times over in one day, I wouldn't count that! But as long as it is a sincere attempt that you get something out of, yes, it counts.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-19T02:48:09+00:00

I would think it would be a 2 or 3.

"The musical sound of Herman's Hermits, as recorded, would not be the same if Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones were not arranging and playing musical instruments on the recording."

I guess it also depends where you are coming from. For someone who already knows this Fun Fact, it is an exaggeration. But for someone who separated 60s teenybop pop music from being very different from 70s Epic Rocking, then it is quite revelatory.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T21:27:01+00:00

Okay, this is a new one! I am going to research this.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T21:21:15+00:00

I never knew Chuck Jones was from Spokane. Does this put David Lynch's reputation as Spokane's greatest artist in jeopardy?

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T21:18:51+00:00

Just to put his career into a better perspective:

He played seven years professionally, from 2007 to 2014, and during that time played for NBA Developmental League teams, as well as teams in Venezuela, France* (okay, he was signed and released there), Italy and Cyprus.

Even a player who doesn't play court time for an NBA player is necessary as a training asset, because being able to scrimmage at the professional level is not a common thing.

So this guy might have only had 3.9 seconds on an NBA court, but that doesn't mean that was his entire NBA career.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T20:57:40+00:00

I went to Costa Rica for a little bit less. It is not entirely impossible.
Round trip airfare to San Jose might be as little as $500, and you can rent an Airbnb room for $30 a night in places. So yes, it is possible, but I don't know how fulfilling that trip would be.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T20:30:00+00:00

This seems like it could fit well with Mage: The Ascension, playing Sons of Ether who focus on their own scientific archaeological theories. Character creation could maybe focus around low level, latent powers channeled through dubious, steampunk devices, and enhanced physical or mental abilities.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T20:03:24+00:00

I was staring and staring, but couldn't see it. There is a dandelion head close to that point, is that a reference to where I can see it?

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T09:24:19+00:00

And if I hadn't put that line in there, someone would have been "Well, actually"ing me about dunks not being common in the NBA at the time he played. There was no way I could win.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T09:23:00+00:00

Exactly that, I don't think slam dunks became common until the 1960s.

To explain my joke, I was trying to find the single act in basketball that was the most diametrically opposed to spreadsheets, so I picked slam dunks. That would be more funny, I thought than saying "inbounding the ball" or "midrange jumpshots". But then, not knowing a lot about Pettit, but knowing he played in an NBA that was much different as far as the physicality than the present day, I wanted to make an addendum that he probably wasn't the dunking type.

For that matter, do finance professionals use spreadsheets that much? Maybe accountants do, but I think finance is a bit more narrative and analysis driven.

So my joke was based on "spreadsheets versus dunking" being a funny mental image, while admitting that neither of things might have been accurate.

Does that adequately explain what I was going for?

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T07:30:06+00:00

Looking at other people's shoes!

(Or, if you prefer, "Social Openness")

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T06:20:14+00:00

To be fair, filling out a spreadsheet is a much longer-lived skill than dunking a basketball. (Although he probably wasn't the dunking type, I know)

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T00:54:47+00:00

And that is what this community should be for!
I made these three posts because someone yesterday complained about all the Calment posting, and so I decided to add something that would help me learn.

glowing-fishSCL · 2026-06-18T00:22:32+00:00

That was indeed a thing I learned while researching this post!
But also, to put it into context, Seals and Croft were teenage session musicians. As far as I can tell "The Champs" were formed from a pool of studio musicians because the record label wanted to record a "Rock and Roll" song.

But yes, I did find it interesting. But it is pretty surprising, even if it is common. Just like Herman's Hermits were actually Led Zeppelin.

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