Wednesday Bolts – 10.10.12

 @ou_sas  @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE

Here's what I've got so far:

Hey there, Thanks for the heads up on the issue. I checked the article on which you're having issues in IE on my end, and it seems to be working fine. Could you clear your cache, as well as cookies and give it a go once more? If that doesn't do the trick, we'll be sure to take a deeper look in to this for you. Thanks TC, looking forward to your response. Cheers, Dhara

(I've tried this and let her know that it didn't make any difference.)

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE

And quit eavesdropping, cleandoe.  :)

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE

 "Thanks for e-mailing us. We're on the case and we'll get back to you as soon as possible."

(Okay, they're on the case.  Will let you know what I hear.)

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE Huh, didn't know that. You may want to go ahead and do so. Seems like it'd be worth it if they're going to be prompt in responding.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE 

It's been like that for a while now, so I might fill out a support form if it continues.  I've found they're pretty prompt about replying.  Also, livefyre support is how I found out that jmatthicks (Spurs guy) seems to keep a pretty close eye on us.  :)

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE Sames, and I've tried recently. I think they updated the livefyre system recently and it's a bug. I've not had to go do past research too much though. At least not yet.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE 

Again changing the subject, but since I've got your "ear" . . . a livefyre question.  When you click to see someone's profile, then read their comments . . . does it work for you when you click on See More Activity to see the older comments?  Lately, when I click to see the older stuff, it just jumps back to the top.  How am I supposed to keep tabs on everyone if I can't dig into what they've said?  :)

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE Me too! And I surely will.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE 

I got a chance a while back to meet him briefly and hear him speak at SWOSU.  His story shifted my whole approach to facing fear or adversity--which, fortunately, I don't have to do often.

Quite honestly, since the post-lockout DT reawakening, my book-reading time has taken a pretty big nosedive.  Let me know what you think if you ever get around to reading it!  :)

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE I have not, but it is on my to read list (it seems that list always grows and I never make any progress in shortening it, sadly). I'm familiar with the overall theme of it though.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE 

Totally un-Thunder related, but your comment prompts me to ask . . . Have you ever read Between a Rock and a Hard Place (the Aron Ralston story)?  Maybe not the best-written book, but a favorite and personally very meaningful story to me.

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE Yes, yes they are. And I'm going to try and do the Whites, since they show up better against the background. But there's a couple of good pics in there for Serge that I can work with. Thanks for the suggestion!

Cook's kinda been put in between a rock and a hard place with his minutes, and we can only hope he pulls through. The avatar is pretty sweet, I agree.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE

 Very cool.  Are the ones like these in this gallery suitable?

http://www.nba.com/thunder/playerpage_1112_ibaka_action

Meanwhile, I'm hoping that Cook does something amazing and makes my avatar look good.  :)   I AM a Cook fan, but really I mostly like the open-ended connotation of ALL DAE, the orange color, and the T and L logo.

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE  http://goo.gl/NlNB1 will be the picture.

I'm thinking Harden and Ibaka will follow after Russ. I'm probably going to try and get Harden shoting a trey and Ibaka blocking a shot. The trick will be finding good poses for everyone.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser

Do you have some predetermined logic to your order?  It will really throw me off if Lazar is third.

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser Russ is coming up next. The background for him will be red though, so it'll be easier to see what I'm doing.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser

Btw, the new avatar is growing on me--especially since I see your reasoning behind the blacked out player.  (Originally thought it was just showing up too dark(ly?) on my computer.)  It's only been about a week since the Dr. Who pic completely phased out for me and I was just getting used to/attached to the sasquatch one.  :)

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser Well, but it sounds better if I put it down to experience that few people will have.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser

(Let's be honest.  You tend to have a grammatical advantage on most people in that you're extremely intelligent.  Just sayin'.)

 @Keith00  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser Yikes!

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser And that's why I hate quotation marks with punctuation so much. I remember writing a short story for one of my classes where one character (British) was written entirely with Oxford grammar and another (American) entirely in American grammar. Talk about going crazy.

 @Keith00  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser SATs still probably are biased that way, but that's a discussion for another day.

As Winston Churchill said rather wittily regarding prepositions, "this is the sort of pedantry up with which we shall not put!"

God, don't get me started about quotation marks. I've had points marked off on English papers because I use them the British way.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser I personally hate the American/British differences in punctuation with quotation marks. British grammar does it right, using the punctuation in or outside the quotations based on the totality of the idea/phrase being cut. American grammar is lazy and just throws everything in, even if it would confuse the reader as to the correct pause or separation.

But like you said, there are plenty of strange things in the english language that aren't even rules, but that many people in authority abuse as if they were. For example, there is the idea that sentences cannot be ended in prepositions. The actual grammar of this is baseless - partly from the use of prepositions in Latin, and partly just the hot air of hundred year old scholars' preferences. But there are still teachers to this day that use that line in english classes. Who is to say tests like the on in issue aren't just using personal prerogative?

Notably, this kind of thing was an issue with old IQ tests as well. Many people were considered stupid or incompetent because IQ tests were biased toward the white and rich vocabulary and manner of speech. it's not hard to twist the english langauge to suit your purposes.

 @Keith00  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser I suppose the other problem is that he might follow some weird American grammar rule and count things weird or off if spelled/used in the British sense. I'll be honest, I have no clue how to spell grey/gray. That's an easy and obvious one, but there are definitely plenty of other examples that could easily trip one up (e.g. Oxford commas).

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser I tend to have a grammatical advantage on most people in that I've taken Latin, where you learn to change the endings of nouns based on how they're used in sentences. That solves the who/whom question for me frequently. But it also helps me think "Hrm, is this a direct object or is it an adverb?"

 @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser  @ou_sas The criteria makes sense on some level and is at least fair across the board. I'm sure his company may miss out on potentially strong employees, but it would also weird me out to see a mistake on someone's resumé. I actually just went through two weeks of hiring last month and it was crazy how little time or attention applicants had put into their resumés.

There are certain things you just do as an applicant. If you have poor writing skills, you work with a professional on your resumé. You should plan your drive and show up early for an interview. If something serious and random truly stops you from being on time, you call ahead and let someone know. That's nothing about elitism, just professionalism.

The actual grammar test is what rankles me a bit. For one, American grammar is a crapshoot (and I went to school to write). Our punctuation doesn't consistently follow the logic of how a sentence is structured, and is often lazy or randomly stolen from other languages. I think everyone should be capable of expressing the professional ideas their use daily, but specialization does matter. But two, a grammar test does not test the basic competence or detail orientation of a candidate. It may just as well test their behavior under extreme pressure instead. And no one is perfect. I don't know the test given, but especially with American grammar, it can be pretty easy to misunderstand a properly punctuated question.

 @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser  @ou_sas 

Point well-taken.  If the job you're applying for deals with writing online repair manuals, then I think it's only good business to hire people with an excellent command of the written word.  Everyone makes mistakes, but as the guy said, there's a difference between a typo and habitually incorrect/sloppy grammar. 

I see what you're saying about arrogance.  It's very easy to see the mistakes made by others and be blind or indifferent to those made by yourself.  It's somewhat relative too.  For example, I know I probably misuse who/whom, lay/laid/lain . . . can't figure out whether I want my punctuation inside or outside my quotation marks, and have an unconventional way of typing ellipses.  Most people probably don't notice or care, but it doesn't make them any less incorrect.

 @Tronchaser  @ou_sas (I also think it's pretty insulting this is a news story so I may be overly annoyed at this)

 @FREE_COLE  @Tronchaser True, and in a normal situation, I'd agree. But in any interaction with a potential employer, I tend to be overly cautious about that sort of thing, and will double check spelling, etc., just to keep from making simple mistakes. The rules of grammar can be, admittedly, quite arcane at times. But to ask that someone pay enough attention to to/too/two or their/there is reasonable enough to me. What it is telling him is that either (a) the person is overly confident enough in their ability to get the job that they don't bother proofing once or (b) that they aren't willing to take the time to proof their own work in the normal course of business. From what I gather, he runs a computer hardware repair firm. Sloppiness or overconfidence could lead to frying an entire box if you're being haphazard about your work, so I can see where he's coming from.

And I agree, there is a strong whiff of arrogance coming from this guy. But his point of grammatical correctness is strangely compelling to me.

 @Tronchaser  @ou_sas Welp. My point was meant to be that elitism has to be checked when circumstances demand it. It is entirely possible to demand professionalism and education/skills relevant to the job.  But a person who mistakenly uses their/there? That happens almost daily.  This person, Wein, wants to suggest he's never made that mistake, which is bullshit/highly unlikely, or he expects of others measures that he isn't able to reach, which reeks of  intellectual dishonesty.

Suggesting that the misuse of to/too/two as someone who is incompetent is so laughably arrogant.  I've had to edit papers from math majors, some of the smartest people I've known, who couldn't write a philosophy paper to save their life but give them a proof to do and they'll go to town.  It's not incompetence, it's specialization. 

All said, I agree with the idea of showing that you care for the job, appearances, and other qualities of a professional, especially in presenting a resume to a potential employer. I appreciate the promotion of the english language. 

 @ThunderChick2010  @FREE_COLE No.... >.>

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE 

"There's a very big difference between a typo and something that makes it clear you're fundamentally incompetent."

"We need a serious commitment to attention to detail. Our grammar test shows us the early warning signs that a person doesn't have the same values we have."

Admit it, ou_sas . . . you want to give everyone a grammar screening before they can start posting on here.  :)

 @Tronchaser  @FREE_COLE I've heard of judges refusing to speak to lawyers who weren't wearing their ties, so I wouldn't be surprised, lol.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE Exactly.  Get that s*** outta here, son! Come back when you're ready to be a real lawyer!

lololol

 @Tronchaser  @FREE_COLE The judge would probably crumple them up in a ball and throw them at me.

I try to have someone else proof my filings for that very reason. I don't want to be embarrassed in front of the judge by something minor.

 @ou_sas  @FREE_COLE Imagine if you presented your case briefs like that. 

 @FREE_COLE  @ou_sas I REALLY LAUGHED AT THIS!

 @FREE_COLE I think the point is that grammar is just as important as dressing well - I know that in the legal world this is so. If your employees can't be bothered to pay attention to spelling differences (things that internet memes have been screaming at people for over a decade now), then it's the same as if you are told the dress code is khakis and a polo and you show up in cut-offs and a wife beater. The implicit message is that you don't care about appearances, and that can be a powerful negative message to present to potential clients/business partners. 

 @ou_sas I shudder to imagine American English in 5-10 years.