Saturday 29 June 2013

Bugs Bunny quotes

Eh, what's up, doc? You can't shoot a wabbit.
I'm just a little wabbit!
Say; them's fightin' woids

from http://www.saidwhat.co.uk/characterquotes/bugs_bunny_1

Thursday 27 June 2013

Types of rooftop structures

Belfry – A rooftop structure, or portion of a tower or turret, in which bells are hung.

Belvedere – A rooftop structure, or top level of a tower, accessible by stairs or ladder and from which one can look out. A belvedere has a roof and is open on one or more sides. The term means “beautiful view.”

Cupola – Cupola means “small cup” and is an architectural feature that resembles a small cup turned upside down. A cupola frequently crowns a roof, dome, or turret. In common usage, cupola is used today to refer to round, square, open, closed, occupied, and unoccupied structures.

Dome – A circular or spherical rooftop structure, though a spherical ceiling is also known as a dome. As an architectural feature, domes come in all sizes and shapes: onion domes, bell domes, saucer domes, etc. Sometimes, “dome” can refer to a cathedral: the Florence Cathedral in Italy is known as the Duomo.

Dormer – A structure projecting from a roof, usually containing a window.

Gazebo – While we often think of a gazebo as being a garden structure, a gazebo is also an ornamental rooftop structure open on all sides.

Lantern – A small structure, either open or with windows, crowning a roof. While it can be decorative, the primary function is to assist with ventilation or provide natural lighting.

Parapet – A low wall along the edge of a roof. Parapets were built originally to protect soldiers, but today are mostly decorative.Spire – A decorative element atop a roof, tower or steeple. It is typically narrow, tapered, and/or pointed.

Steeple – A tall structure frequently topped by a spire. In general usage, any tower attached to a church is referred to as a steeple.

Tower – A structure of great height when compared with its horizontal dimensions. It may be attached to a building or stand alone, and is typically taller than the structures around it. A tower may have a roof or be open on the top level.

Turret – A tower-like structure attached to a larger building and beginning above the ground level. Turrets are often ornamental and cylindrical in shape and typically have roofs.

Widow’s Walk – Also known as a captain’s walk, a widow’s walk is a flat roof deck or elevated platform, enclosed by a railing, from which one can look out. Widow’s walks are often found on truncated roofs (think of a sloped roof that stops abruptly and becomes flat). In legend, the wives of seafaring men would await their return while standing on the roof; alas, sometimes the men didn’t return, leaving widows standing alone.

From http://www.yorkblog.com/window/2008/03/of-cupolas-domes-towers-turret.html

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Shotgun shack

A house with no internal barrier between the front and back doors.

"Familiar in working-class neighborhoods all over the South, the “shotgun” name reflects the fact a bullet fired at the front door could pass right out the back door, travelling the full length of the narrow house without ever encountering any obstructions." Duncan Spencer in The Hill, November 8, 2004

from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shotgun_shack

Sunday 23 June 2013

Compare to / Compare with

Compare to
     To talk about the similarities or the differences between two things
     Example: China has a huge population compared to Australia.

Compare with
     To talk about both the similarities and the differences between two things
     Example: She compared the various hotels in the brochure with each other before making her choice

From http://www.edufind.com/english/writing/easily_confused_words2.cfm?confusedid=13

Friday 21 June 2013

Items that should be a professional’s wardrobe

  • 6+ Suits
  • 3+ Pair Dress Shoes
  • 2 Pair Casual Leather Shoes
  • Belts that match above shoes
  • 15+ Dress Shirts
  • 15+ Ties
  • 1 Pair jeans that fit – no holes
  • 4 Pair Slacks, Dark & Light
  • 4+ Button-up collared sport shirts
  • 2+ Solid Polo Shirts
  • 5+ Sweaters
  • 10+ Undershirts V-neck
  • 2+ Sports Jackets
  • 1 Navy Blazer
  • 10+ Pocket Squares
  • 2 Simple Dress Watches
  • 1 Overcoat
  • 1 Pair Leather Gloves
  • 1 Trenchcoat
  • 1 Hat
  • Presentable Athletic Clothing
  • Collar Stays, Cuff Links

See full article at http://artofmanliness.com/2010/04/16/how-to-build-a-manly-wardrobe-1/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheArtOfManliness+%28The+Art+of+Manliness%29

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Murphy's Lesser Known Laws

Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.

Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.

The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first.

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.

The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.

When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BritsCom/message/9341

Monday 17 June 2013

Types of Graphs

Line Graphs

Comparing various sets of data can be complicated, but line graphs make it easy. The plotted peaks and dips on the grid allow you to monitor and compare improvement and decline. Scientists use line graphs all the time, as do all types of professionals and students.

Bar Graphs

Pleasing to the eyes, bar graphs compare data in a simple format consisting of rectangular bars. With a few varieties to choose from, settling on the right bar graph might be confusing. Should you go with a horizontal, vertical, double or group bar graph? Read on to find out.

Pictographs

You first encounter pictographs during childhood and bump into them all through life at school, work, and all over magazines and on TV. These diagrams, which use small picture symbols to compare information, are a media favourite; statisticians, though, do not share the sentiment. Find out why, and learn more about the uses of pictographs.

Pie Charts

Simple to make and simple to understand, a pie chart is a popular form of data comparison, consisting of a circle that is split into parts. When should you use pie charts, and when should you not? Learn about their advantages and disadvantages, and get some tips on making pie charts.

Cosmographs

A cosmograph is a type of chart that shows comparisons. In doing so, it makes life and work easier. If you want to prepare an input-output model for your organization, or compare the features of a geographical region through a simple visual, cosmographs come in handy. Find out how a cosmograph can help you.

Organizational Charts

These diagrams represent the relationships between the different positions and ranks of a company through a series of boxes that go from top to bottom and side to side. Not only does an organizational chart add order and structure to an organization, but it also shows if changes are needed. Get more information on organizational charts.

Flow Charts

When projects seem overbearing and processes seem complex, flow charts can save the day by break things down into smaller steps and giving you a clearer idea of the overall process. Shapes are typically used to represent the components of a flow chart. Find out what these shapes represent and learn more about flow charts.

From http://www.typesofgraphs.com/

Saturday 15 June 2013

Orcs in battle

Orkses is never defeated in battle.

If we win we win

If we die we die fighting, so it don't count.

If we runs for it we don't die neither, cos we can come back for annuver go,

See!

From http://wh40k.lexicanum.com/wiki/Ork_Quotes

Saturday 8 June 2013

ZEN Teachings

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me for the path is narrow.. In fact, just piss off and leave me alone.

2. Sex is like air. It's not that important unless you aren't getting any.

3. No one is listening until you fart.

4. Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else.

5. Never test the depth of the water with both feet..

6. If you think nobody cares whether you're alive or dead, try missing a couple of mortgage payments.

7. Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

8. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

9. Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

10. If you lend someone 20 and never see that person again, it was probably well worth it.

11. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

12. Some days you are the dog, some days you are the tree.

13. Don't worry; it only seems kinky the first time.

14. Good judgment comes from bad experience ... and most of that comes from bad judgment.

15. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

16. There are two excellent theories for arguing with women. Neither one works.

17. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

18. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

19. We are born naked, wet and hungry, and get slapped on our arse .... then things just keep getting worse.

20. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night

from uk.rec.humour

Friday 7 June 2013

The King's English

The King's English is a book on English usage and grammar.

It was written by the Fowler brothers, Henry Watson Fowler and Francis George Fowler, and published in 1906, and thus pre-dates by 20 years Modern English Usage, which was written by Henry alone after Francis's death in 1918.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_King%27s_English

Wednesday 5 June 2013

SawStop makes for safer woodworking

A US Patent Attorney has invented a device that prevents fingers being sliced off by table saws and other woodworking machinery.

Steve Gass, a keen woodworker with a Ph.D in physics, hit upon the idea to improve table saw safety in his own workshop.

The SawStop system works by recognising the difference in the electrical properties of wood and a user.

The system induces a high-frequency electrical signal on the blade of a table saw and monitors this signal for changes caused by contact between the blade and a user's body.

The signal remains unchanged when the blade cuts wood because of the relatively small inherent electrical capacitance and conductivity of wood.

However, when a user contacts the blade while the saw is operating, the electrical signal changes because of the relatively large inherent capacitance of the user's body.

The SawStop system detects this change in the electrical signal and immediately forces a brake into the teeth of the blade. The brake absorbs the energy of the blade, bringing the blade to a complete stop in approximately 2-5 milliseconds.

See full story at http://www.theengineer.co.uk/channels/process-engineering/sawstop-makes-for-safer-woodworking/282335.article

Monday 3 June 2013

Blow the gaffe/gaff

If you blow the gaffe or blow the gaff, you tell someone something that other people wanted you to keep secret.

From http://dictionary.reverso.net/english-cobuild/blow%20the%20gaffe/gaff

Saturday 1 June 2013

Historical present

When telling stories about past events, people often switch into present tense, as in I was walking home from work one day. All of a sudden this man comes up to me and says....  This phenomenon, called the historical present, has a long history in English and is found in numerous other languages, both ancient and modern. Linguists have sometimes suggested that historical present makes stories more vivid primarily by bringing past actions into the immediate present. However, it has been noted that, no matter how exciting stories are, the speakers never use present tense verbs exclusively even when relating the most crucial events. In addition, past and present tense alternations tend to occur only between events that are markedly different. In other words, tense alternation usually does not occur when two verbs are viewed as belonging to one larger event. For example, two verbs joined by and that share the same subject tend to share the same tense as well, especially when the subject appears only once, just before the first verb, as in Those two people came in and sat down.  It seems, then, that the historical present serves more to separate events within stories than to bring stories to life. One interesting exception to this is the verb say: its tense alternations do not seem regular; in addition, its third person present form says is also used in nonstandard narration with I, as in So I says to the guy, I says....

from http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/historical+present