Just Language

I have, through necessity, had to learn a little code over the years. I couldn’t call myself a programmer any more that I could say I speak fluent Norwegian. But the similarities between modern programming languages and human language are fascintaing.

Imagine coding libraries as those magical spellbooks wizards like Merlin might use. They contain pre-written spells (or code) that you can summon with a flick of your wand (or a few keystrokes). Now, think of long English words as those tongue-twisting incantations that wizards love to show off with. Both are impressive, a bit intimidating, and can make you look smart … when used correctly.

Here are some similarities:

1. Complexity: Just like how “antidisestablishmentarianism” can make your head spin, some coding libraries have functions with names that seem to go on forever. Both require a bit of practice to master without tripping over yourself.

2. Efficiency: Using a long word like “floccinaucinihilipilification” can save you from saying “the act of describing something as worthless.” Similarly, a coding library can save you from writing hundreds of lines of code. Both are shortcuts, but you need to know how to use them properly.

3. Show-off Factor: Dropping a word like “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” in a conversation can make you the center of attention, just like using a fancy library in your code can make you look like a programming wizard. But beware, overuse can lead to eye rolls, confusion and conflict!

4. Learning Curve: Just as you might need a dictionary to understand some long words, you might need documentation to understand how to use a coding library. Both can be daunting at first, but once you get the hang of them, they become powerful tools in your arsenal.

5. Community: Long words often have interesting histories and stories behind them, much like coding libraries have communities of developers who contribute to and maintain them. Both are products of collective effort and knowledge sharing.

So, whether you’re navigating the labyrinth of a coding library or trying to pronounce “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” remember that both are there to make your life easier, althoug magic might not be real … or perhaps it is …

Recently, for reasons known only to the algorithm, I’ve been getting a lot of weed review videos coming into my feed on Youtube.

So, I went down the rabbit hole and found a lot of videos about people getting “baked” and it got me thinking back to when people got “stoned.”

According to history, getting stoned was not a good thing. It usually involved death or serious injury. So, how did getting high on herb come to be known as getting stoned if the experience is a pleasant one, compared to the traditional sense of the word? This author has neglected to consult the Internet for answers … because asking people on this forum is more fun.

Nowadays, people are getting baked instead of getting stoned, and I don’t mean working on their tan down at the beach, although I guess that could be combined with smoking activities.

And … if stoners got stoned, are baked people bakers?

The advent of specialist vaping devices will, perhaps, bring about the end of bakers, just as the bakers ended the stoners.

Only time will tell.

After the smalltalk about our British weather has been done, it’s often asked, “So, what do you know?”

How the question is answered depends on the person being asked.

Some folk will gladly spew out every intimate detail of their life, while others might bitch about the current state of the nation.

The cannier person might opt for, “Not a lot, what about you?”

And that’s when you find out what kind of person you’re chatting with.

When people continually whinge about something, it’s often said that they’re “harping on.”

Is not the harp a beautiful instrument that makes calming noises?

Still, if it was good enough for Shakespeare…

“I’ve missed not seeing you.”

I’m fairly sure the guy meant “I’ve missed seeing you.”

But if he didn’t, I’m going to add that riposte to my armoury.

“We should all eat three square meals a day.”

But how can we when plates and dishes are mostly round?

After making a cup of tea for somebody, they asked me if the cow had died.

Apparently I hadn’t put enough milk in to suit their tastes.

How much time must elapse before something becomes old?

Is it all relative to how long we’ve been on this Earth?

“Here’s an old photo of me,” said a kid of 14. The photo was about 18 months old.

Should he have said, “Here’s a recent photo of me?”