it's the little things
May. 19th, 2005 09:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittenscribbleMoments from work today...
Scene: a CUBICLE. The CUBICLE is inhabited by KITTENSCRIBBLE and a COWORKER. KITTENSCRIBBLE is packing papers into a folder. The COWORKER is frowning at his screen.
CW: Hey. Would you say "followed by 'a' unity gain buffer," or "followed by 'an' unity gain buffer?"
K (automatically): 'an' unity gain buffer.
CW: Yeah?
K: Wait... no, now that I think of it, when I say it, I say 'a' unity gain buffer.
CW: See, and that's what I wrote. But now it looks wrong.
K: Yeah, 'an' should be right, but then it sounds wrong. Hey... "presented 'an' united front," how's that?
CW: Presented 'an' united... no, I still say 'a' there.
K: 'an' united front. No, 'a' united front...
CW (meditative): followed by 'an' unity gain buffer. Followed by 'a' unity gain... followed by 'a' unicorn...
K: 'an' unicorn? No, that still sounds wrong.
CW: followed by ... followed by ... a unicorn...
K (getting up): I'm leaving. I may be here for 'an' hour more, but if you want me, you'll find me in the lab.
Scene: the LAB, with a SOFTWARE ENGINEER at one of the computers. The board that KITTENSCRIBBLE is responsible for is being programmed by said SOFTWARE ENGINEER.
K: does it work yet?
SE: hang on, I'm making huge changes here.
K: (waits)
SE (pushing back from the desk): All right!
K: !
SE: I just saved ... a boatload of money on car insurance.
K: ...
SE: But we're still having problems with your board.
K: ...now I know how those poor people in the commercials feel.
Footnote to the cubicle episode: Further investigation (aka, asking B2) uncovered the fact that, appearances to the contrary, 'an' should not be used before words starting with a consonant sound even though they begin with a vowel. One such example is "unity," which begins with a pronounced "y;" another such is "one," which begins with a pronounced "w." The rule is phonetic* and not typographic.
*which bugs me, because I think typographically. This is why I sometimes insist on knowing how to spell words before I can use them.
Scene: a CUBICLE. The CUBICLE is inhabited by KITTENSCRIBBLE and a COWORKER. KITTENSCRIBBLE is packing papers into a folder. The COWORKER is frowning at his screen.
CW: Hey. Would you say "followed by 'a' unity gain buffer," or "followed by 'an' unity gain buffer?"
K (automatically): 'an' unity gain buffer.
CW: Yeah?
K: Wait... no, now that I think of it, when I say it, I say 'a' unity gain buffer.
CW: See, and that's what I wrote. But now it looks wrong.
K: Yeah, 'an' should be right, but then it sounds wrong. Hey... "presented 'an' united front," how's that?
CW: Presented 'an' united... no, I still say 'a' there.
K: 'an' united front. No, 'a' united front...
CW (meditative): followed by 'an' unity gain buffer. Followed by 'a' unity gain... followed by 'a' unicorn...
K: 'an' unicorn? No, that still sounds wrong.
CW: followed by ... followed by ... a unicorn...
K (getting up): I'm leaving. I may be here for 'an' hour more, but if you want me, you'll find me in the lab.
Scene: the LAB, with a SOFTWARE ENGINEER at one of the computers. The board that KITTENSCRIBBLE is responsible for is being programmed by said SOFTWARE ENGINEER.
K: does it work yet?
SE: hang on, I'm making huge changes here.
K: (waits)
SE (pushing back from the desk): All right!
K: !
SE: I just saved ... a boatload of money on car insurance.
K: ...
SE: But we're still having problems with your board.
K: ...now I know how those poor people in the commercials feel.
Footnote to the cubicle episode: Further investigation (aka, asking B2) uncovered the fact that, appearances to the contrary, 'an' should not be used before words starting with a consonant sound even though they begin with a vowel. One such example is "unity," which begins with a pronounced "y;" another such is "one," which begins with a pronounced "w." The rule is phonetic* and not typographic.
*which bugs me, because I think typographically. This is why I sometimes insist on knowing how to spell words before I can use them.
