Comments on: Maybe they can put my name on the cover of Suicide http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/ Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:24:48 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Peter http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-99561 Peter Thu, 15 Sep 2005 23:18:14 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-99561 So, now in the 2nd week of my economic sociology undergrad class, a student asks me who this F Hayak is on the spine of her Prot. Ethic book... Actually better than this, I'd been talking about how there is very little cross-citation of sociologists and economists. She asked if this was a salvo by economists to get sociologists to cite them more... So, now in the 2nd week of my economic sociology undergrad class, a student asks me who this F Hayak is on the spine of her Prot. Ethic book…

Actually better than this, I’d been talking about how there is very little cross-citation of sociologists and economists. She asked if this was a salvo by economists to get sociologists to cite them more…

]]> By: sara http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-99082 sara Wed, 14 Sep 2005 01:38:35 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-99082 Attack of the insane copy editors! Having done copy editing myself, I suppose that at some point the average editor, going blind from attending to em- versus en-dashes and American punctuation vs. British, becomes psychotic and decides to replace "quasar" with "banana." Alternatively, the production process at this point is entirely without human intervention; the spell check can't tell the difference. I've also graded student papers, and similar errors crop up because the students, finishing the papers two hours before class, used the replace function in spell check. Attack of the insane copy editors!

Having done copy editing myself, I suppose that at some point the average editor, going blind from attending to em- versus en-dashes and American punctuation vs. British, becomes psychotic and decides to replace “quasar” with “banana.”

Alternatively, the production process at this point is entirely without human intervention; the spell check can’t tell the difference.

I’ve also graded student papers, and similar errors crop up because the students, finishing the papers two hours before class, used the replace function in spell check.

]]> By: Hmm http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98936 Hmm Tue, 13 Sep 2005 18:08:58 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98936 <blockquote> Well, you haven’t really lived until you’ve tried to read a science fiction book where the order of the folios got confused before binding. </blockquote> This is true of all science fiction books. It only becomes confusing when authors transpose sections of the manuscript prior to submission.

Well, you haven’t really lived until you’ve tried to read a science fiction book where the order of the folios got confused before binding.

This is true of all science fiction books. It only becomes confusing when authors transpose sections of the manuscript prior to submission.

]]> By: Grendel’s Kitchen » What? It just struck me as funny … http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98933 Grendel’s Kitchen » What? It just struck me as funny … Tue, 13 Sep 2005 17:57:28 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98933 [...] ~clipped from a post by Kieran Healy on Crooked Timber [...] [...] ~clipped from a post by Kieran Healy on Crooked Timber [...]

]]> By: serial catowner http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98925 serial catowner Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:55:43 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98925 Well, you haven't really lived until you've tried to read a science fiction book where the order of the folios got confused before binding... Well, you haven’t really lived until you’ve tried to read a science fiction book where the order of the folios got confused before binding…

]]> By: Michael J. "Orange Mike" Lowrey http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98916 Michael J. "Orange Mike" Lowrey Tue, 13 Sep 2005 16:24:51 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98916 In a great rush, I once picked up a novel because the spine proclaimed it to be <i>Mrs. FORGOTNAME</i> by an author I liked. I'd read <i>Mr. FORGOTNAME</i> by this author, and I assumed this to be a sequel. Imagine my disappointment when things calmed down, and I saw that it was just a mislabelled copy of the latter! In a great rush, I once picked up a novel because the spine proclaimed it to be Mrs. FORGOTNAME by an author I liked. I’d read Mr. FORGOTNAME by this author, and I assumed this to be a sequel. Imagine my disappointment when things calmed down, and I saw that it was just a mislabelled copy of the latter!

]]> By: Chris http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98912 Chris Tue, 13 Sep 2005 15:38:52 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98912 I don't know how academic publishers choose their blurbs. I once taught Mills' <em>Power Elite</em> in a composition course, filled out some survey with perfunctory comments (hey, it's the least I could do for the free desk copy), and then several years later see a new edition with a weird blurb from me on the back. And no one else. Couldn't they have found someone bigger for it? Surely there's got to be a renowned sociologist somewhere willing to say something laudatory about Mills. I don’t know how academic publishers choose their blurbs. I once taught Mills’ Power Elite in a composition course, filled out some survey with perfunctory comments (hey, it’s the least I could do for the free desk copy), and then several years later see a new edition with a weird blurb from me on the back. And no one else. Couldn’t they have found someone bigger for it? Surely there’s got to be a renowned sociologist somewhere willing to say something laudatory about Mills.

]]> By: Rich Crew http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98801 Rich Crew Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:00:39 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98801 I once had an edition of Hume's <em>Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion</em> that had <em>Dialogues Concerning Human Religion</em> on the spine. When I first saw that, it made me wonder what relgion my cat was practicing. I once had an edition of Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion that had Dialogues Concerning Human Religion on the spine. When I first saw that, it made me wonder what relgion my cat was practicing.

]]> By: Miriam http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98794 Miriam Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:08:27 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98794 Several years ago, Oxford published an anthology of Oscar Wilde's work, featuring <i>The Portrait of Dorian Gray</i> proudly blazoned across the front cover. Whoops. Several years ago, Oxford published an anthology of Oscar Wilde’s work, featuring The Portrait of Dorian Gray proudly blazoned across the front cover. Whoops.

]]> By: Martin http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98719 Martin Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:55:21 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98719 I believe Alfred Kahn, the Cornell University economist and Carter administration official pioneered the use of bananas in technical discourse. I believe Alfred Kahn, the Cornell University economist and Carter administration official pioneered the use of bananas in technical discourse.

]]> By: MQ http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98717 MQ Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:40:05 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98717 Classic, Luci! Classic, Luci!

]]> By: luci phyrr http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98713 luci phyrr Mon, 12 Sep 2005 18:08:50 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98713 Their high redshift at great distance imply that bananas are the brightest objects in the known universe. The currently brightest known banana has a luminosity of about 2 trillion (10^12) times that of our sun, or about 100 times that of the total light of average giant galaxies like our Milky Way. All known bananas lie at great distances from us - most lie above 1000 Mpc in distance; since light takes such a long time to cover these great distances, we are seeing bananas as they existed long ago. The best explanation for bananas is that they are powered by supermassive black holes. The brightest known bananas are thought to devour 1000 solar masses of material every year. Bananas are thought to 'turn on' and off depending on their surroundings. One implication is that a banana would not, for example, continue to feed at that rate for 10 billion years, which nicely explains why there are no nearby bananas. In this framework, after a banana finishes eating up gas and dust, it becomes an ordinary, normal house cat. Their high redshift at great distance imply that bananas are the brightest objects in the known universe. The currently brightest known banana has a luminosity of about 2 trillion (10^12) times that of our sun, or about 100 times that of the total light of average giant galaxies like our Milky Way.

All known bananas lie at great distances from us – most lie above 1000 Mpc in distance; since light takes such a long time to cover these great distances, we are seeing bananas as they existed long ago.

The best explanation for bananas is that they are powered by supermassive black holes. The brightest known bananas are thought to devour 1000 solar masses of material every year. Bananas are thought to ‘turn on’ and off depending on their surroundings. One implication is that a banana would not, for example, continue to feed at that rate for 10 billion years, which nicely explains why there are no nearby bananas. In this framework, after a banana finishes eating up gas and dust, it becomes an ordinary, normal house cat.

]]> By: dp http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98711 dp Mon, 12 Sep 2005 17:55:36 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98711 So it's all the fault of interns, eh? More likely some Abbie Hoffman-like prankster, a culture-jammer. Even so, I prefer to blame Bill Gates. I'm certain that an earlier version of Word suggested banana as an auto-correction for quasar. So it’s all the fault of interns, eh? More likely some Abbie Hoffman-like prankster, a culture-jammer.
Even so, I prefer to blame Bill Gates. I’m certain that an earlier version of Word suggested banana as an auto-correction for quasar.

]]> By: Matt http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98707 Matt Mon, 12 Sep 2005 17:21:22 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98707 A Google search yields the following correlation between 'quasar' and 'banana' (from a perfume manufacturer': Quasar is a distinct scent with a blend of newsprint, banana peel, lavender and moss. It is recommended for office wear. A Google search yields the following correlation between ‘quasar’ and ‘banana’ (from a perfume manufacturer’:

Quasar is a distinct scent with a blend of newsprint, banana peel, lavender and moss. It is recommended for office wear.

]]> By: des von bladet http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/comment-page-1/#comment-98706 des von bladet Mon, 12 Sep 2005 17:18:42 +0000 http://crookedtimber.org/2005/09/12/maybe-they-can-put-my-name-on-the-cover-of-suicide/#comment-98706 Routledge have acquired the Rev & Vega back catalogue? _Freeow_! Routledge have acquired the Rev & Vega back catalogue? Freeow!

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