The Reading Vent & Rant Thread - Page 149

ownedbycats · 10-29-2023, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lukusaukko

Please decide which variant of English you are using and stick to it throughout the book. I've been reading a book which does a strange mishmash of both British and U.S. English - for example, it uses harbour for the singular, but harbors for the plural.

I'd ask if the author is Canadian, but yeah even we don't do harbour/harbors.

Quoth · 10-29-2023, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lukusaukko

Please decide which variant of English you are using and stick to it throughout the book. I've been reading a book which does a strange mishmash of both British and U.S. English - for example, it uses harbour for the singular, but harbors for the plural.

Even for feelings it's harbour, harbours, harbouring if not USA, and no "u" in the USA (due to Webster's ideas; he seems to have hated French origin spelling in English).

ownedbycats · 11-02-2023, 12:49 PM

Doing an online survey about eReaders! Yay!

Except... when I was asked about which eReader I had, the only choices were a bunch of Kindle variants and "none." Ugh.

JSWolf · 11-02-2023, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Quoth

Even for feelings it's harbour, harbours, harbouring if not USA, and no "u" in the USA (due to Webster's ideas; he seems to have hated French origin spelling in English).

And how right Webster was.

JSWolf · 11-02-2023, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Doing an online survey about eReaders! Yay!

Except... when I was asked about which eReader I had, the only choices were a bunch of Kindle variants and "none." Ugh.

Can you contact the survey maker to say the survey is badly broken?

ownedbycats · 11-02-2023, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Can you contact the survey maker to say the survey is badly broken?

Unfortunately there was no option to leave a comment.

Quoth · 11-02-2023, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Unfortunately there was no option to leave a comment.

This is why polling gets a bad reputation

Quote:

Lies, dammed lies and statistics

Sometimes it's stupidity and sometimes the pollster wants a specific result.

Apache · 11-02-2023, 02:48 PM

It is amazing that most people do not realize that pollsters can manipulate questions to get the results they want.
Apache

Quoth · 11-02-2023, 05:14 PM

I read a book many years ago called "How to Lie With Statistics".

ownedbycats · 11-02-2023, 05:23 PM

Oh, they'll just outright kick you out of the survey if you don't answer right, lol. Sometimes they put the demographic questions at the end too and then kick you out (with no payment) after taking your answers.

There's at least one survey site that routinely bans users for vague "ToS violations" just before they reach the minimum payout threshold. Then, of course, they don't have to pay them!

maddz · 11-03-2023, 04:29 AM

Someone posted a comment elsewhere about a university RPG Club Freshers Week whiteboard poll asking what their favourite D&D class was. My immediate reaction was the club has just made it obvious they are only interested in D&D players, people who play other systems can go away.

Others didn't understand why I thought it was a bad question for a RPG club.

HLS · 11-06-2023, 04:35 PM

I thought d&d died out in the nineteen eighties

Dazrin · 11-06-2023, 04:47 PM

I'm pretty sure it's more popular now that it's ever been before. Beyond official D&D there are lots of third party people making good livings from it. For example, some of the real play Youtubers get millions of views (Critical Role) and third-party developers have gotten millions of dollars in Kickstarters (MCDM, etc.)

maddz · 11-07-2023, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HLS

I thought d&d died out in the nineteen eighties

It's on 5th edition now. I don't play it, I prefer other systems but it's still the 400-lb gorilla of RPGs.

ZodWallop · 11-07-2023, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maddz

...it's still the 400-lb gorilla of RPGs.

It's supposed to be an 800 pound gorilla. D&D must have missed its saving throw...

11-02-2023, 05:23 PM	#2230
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,025 Karma: 75555555 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Oh, they'll just outright kick you out of the survey if you don't answer right, lol. Sometimes they put the demographic questions at the end too and then kick you out (with no payment) after taking your answers. There's at least one survey site that routinely bans users for vague "ToS violations" just before they reach the minimum payout threshold. Then, of course, they don't have to pay them! Last edited by ownedbycats; 11-02-2023 at 05:32 PM.

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11-02-2023, 12:49 PM	#2223
ownedbycats Custom User Title Posts: 11,025 Karma: 75555555 Join Date: Oct 2018 Location: Canada Device: Kobo Libra H2O, formerly Aura HD	Doing an online survey about eReaders! Yay! Except... when I was asked about which eReader I had, the only choices were a bunch of Kindle variants and "none." Ugh.

11-02-2023, 02:48 PM	#2228
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,279 Karma: 90000484 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	It is amazing that most people do not realize that pollsters can manipulate questions to get the results they want. Apache

11-02-2023, 05:14 PM	#2229
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,183 Karma: 105212035 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	I read a book many years ago called "How to Lie With Statistics".

11-03-2023, 04:29 AM	#2231
maddz Wizard Posts: 1,405 Karma: 30039536 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Icarus, iPad Mini 2, Kobo Touch, Google Nexus 7	Someone posted a comment elsewhere about a university RPG Club Freshers Week whiteboard poll asking what their favourite D&D class was. My immediate reaction was the club has just made it obvious they are only interested in D&D players, people who play other systems can go away. Others didn't understand why I thought it was a bad question for a RPG club.

11-06-2023, 04:35 PM	#2232
HLS Wizard Posts: 2,133 Karma: 16342480 Join Date: May 2017 Device: Sage, Scribe, Boox Note 2 Plus, iPad Pros and Samsungs S6,S7,S8	I thought d&d died out in the nineteen eighties

11-06-2023, 04:47 PM	#2233
Dazrin Wizard Posts: 2,730 Karma: 75825105 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: PDXish Device: Kindle Voyage, various Android devices	I'm pretty sure it's more popular now that it's ever been before. Beyond official D&D there are lots of third party people making good livings from it. For example, some of the real play Youtubers get millions of views (Critical Role) and third-party developers have gotten millions of dollars in Kickstarters (MCDM, etc.)