Mike1024's New Writeups

Not moving house (idea)

2004-05-25T20:19:17Z

HOWTO: Not move house (In the UK)

So, you're thinking of not moving house. But you probably have lots of questions - what are the best things not to avoid during your non-move? How can you drag the whole process out as long as possible? What strategies will lose you the most money? Fear not; this guide will guide you.

Preamble: The family's breadwinner should be made unemployed after a slump in the semiconductor industry. After several months of searching, the only job available should be several hours drive away, ideally crossing a toll bridge. Make sure you are spending about £200 a week on travel.

First, whatever you do, don't get an estate agent. Instead, do the selling yourself - you can save as much as 2% of the value of your house this way. And it could help cause large amounts of bother later.

Next, make sure your house is fairly old. This will encourage your buyers to have three different surveys done,

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Things to take to university (thing)

2004-03-11T17:25:43Z

So, you're going off to university. But how do you know you've got everything you'll need? It's hard to... but you might find this checklist useful. I compiled it based on everything I have with me in my Uni. room at the moment; your requirements will probably be a bit different, but this might remind you of something you've forgotten:

A computer, if you're taking one. You might want:
- Case, if it's a desktop (I have a desktop and it's fine - I don't really feel I need a laptop).
- Monitor useful for seeing stuff on.
- Keyboard and mouse are also often useful.
- Loudspeakers if you're playing MP3s, remember them too.
- Headphones if you have noisy flatmates, or a roommate, or you're going to go to LAN parties.
- Floppy Disks are still useful when the network's down or part of it isn't properly accessible due to interdepartmental incompatibilities. It

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Movie cliches (thing)

2002-12-27T14:51:57Z

Those of you who have seen Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Star Wars may recognise the following popular 'epic' movie clichés:

Title:			Lord of the 	Harry Potter	Star Wars
			rings
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Young Protagonist		Yes		Yes		Yes
			(Frodo)		(Harry)		(Obi-Wan, Luke)
...with special ability	Yes		Yes		Yes
			(resist ring)	(love, magic)	(Jedi powers)
...who has had a		Yes		Yes		Yes
 sheltered upbringing	(in shire)	(no magic)	(Luke, on farm)
...who gets a cloak	Yes		Yes		Yes
			(From Elves)	(Dumbledore)	(Jedi robes)
...of invisibility		Yes		Yes		No
...and who is male		Yes		Yes		Yes


With older mentor		Yes		Yes		Yes
			(Gandalf)		(Dumbledorf)	(Qui-gon, Obi-wan)
...who is male		Yes		Yes		Yes
...and has grey hair	Yes		Yes		Yes
...and a beard		Yes		Yes		Yes
			(long)		(long)		(Obi-wan, short)
...which is also grey	Yes

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Technical solutions to sociological problems (thing)

2002-10-29T18:43:42Z

Edwards' law states that "You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem". This has often been shown to be correct.

Once a problem becomes embedded in a society, an attempt to eliminate it with new technology will fail. Changing society's opinions, however, can eliminate it much more effectively. This is mainly because once a problem exists, people will put effort into bypassing technical solutions. Re-educated people, however, will not need restriction, because they believe exploiting the problem is wrong.

Take music piracy as an example: This is a sociological problem, and a technical solution (such as DRM) would be very hard to produce, and many people would try to bypass it. If, however, people could be taught that piracy was wrong, they would not do it.

Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, but in general, it proves true quite often.

The love that dare not speak its name (thing)

2002-09-23T20:17:25Z

"The love that dare not speak its name" is a euphemism for homosexual love.

It has its origins in Two Loves, an 1894 poem by Lord Alfred Douglas:

'Sweet youth,
Tell me why, sad and sighing, thou dost rove
These pleasent realms? I pray thee speak me sooth
What is thy name?' He said, 'My name is Love.'
Then straight the first did turn himself to me
And cried, 'He lieth, for his name is Shame,
But I am Love, and I was wont to be
Alone in this fair garden, till he came
Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill
The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame.'
Then sighing, said the other, 'Have thy will,
I am the love that dare not speak its name.'

The term is most famous from Oscar Wilde's trial, in 1895. When the prosecutor asked him what he meant by 'the love that dare not speak its name', Wilde responded:

"The Love that dare not speak

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American English (thing)

2002-09-10T14:50:00Z

English English (aka British English, King's/Queen's English) for most of its history did not employ widely standardised spelling. This changed in 1755 with the release of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, the first widely accepted standard dictioary.

During the American Revolution, British schoolbooks were obviously rare. A Connecticut teacher called Noah Webster (of Webster 1913 fame) decided to publish his own books. He published The American Spelling Book in 1788 (later to be called The Elementary Spelling Book) and over the following 40 years the book went through some 300 editions.

In 1828, he published the American Dictionary of the English Language, which is thought to have had a major influence on American spelling. Many characteristics of American English spelling were, however, already well established. "Center" and "theater", for example, were not new when Webster put them in his dictionary.

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