Jamie・ジェイミ・ˈdʒeɪmi
@jspieve.bsky.social
Writer, reader, engineer, coder, would-be linguist
After the phone number they should have "Call us and talk sh!t"
December 6, 2025 at 6:39 PM
After the phone number they should have "Call us and talk sh!t"
Well, not actually delivered, I hope
December 5, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Well, not actually delivered, I hope
Just checked and it does comes from the Latin for hedgehog “ericius.” Which is also the source for urchin. So not sure why it came to mean curly. Although, thinking about it, that might be pretty much restricted to hair (and similar) so “spiky hair“ to “messy/curly hair” — seems plausible
December 3, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Just checked and it does comes from the Latin for hedgehog “ericius.” Which is also the source for urchin. So not sure why it came to mean curly. Although, thinking about it, that might be pretty much restricted to hair (and similar) so “spiky hair“ to “messy/curly hair” — seems plausible
Interesting idea. But I suspect the word originally meant curly but then got extended to spiky. Or maybe the other way round. I don’t have a good source for Italian etymology
December 3, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Interesting idea. But I suspect the word originally meant curly but then got extended to spiky. Or maybe the other way round. I don’t have a good source for Italian etymology
Same in Italian: riccio is a hedgehog and riccio di mare is a sea hedgehog/urchin. Riccio also means curly, which is a bit odd as I have never seen a curly hedgehog.
A hedgehog can also be a porcospino (spiny pig) but that also means porcupine.
A hedgehog can also be a porcospino (spiny pig) but that also means porcupine.
December 3, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Same in Italian: riccio is a hedgehog and riccio di mare is a sea hedgehog/urchin. Riccio also means curly, which is a bit odd as I have never seen a curly hedgehog.
A hedgehog can also be a porcospino (spiny pig) but that also means porcupine.
A hedgehog can also be a porcospino (spiny pig) but that also means porcupine.
As you say, it is part puzzle so it shouldn’t be too obvious. A bush-baby could have been easier to spot, but probably more challenging to draw
December 3, 2025 at 11:19 AM
As you say, it is part puzzle so it shouldn’t be too obvious. A bush-baby could have been easier to spot, but probably more challenging to draw
I completely missed the fact that the intersection looked like a hedgehog until I read the Alt text. But that’s entirely my problem, not your fault (so thanks for the alt text)
December 3, 2025 at 10:54 AM
I completely missed the fact that the intersection looked like a hedgehog until I read the Alt text. But that’s entirely my problem, not your fault (so thanks for the alt text)
That is so stupid, both linguistically and from the point of view of the purpose of a census: to find out about the population and what their needs might be.
“Should we invest more in sign language in Education?”
“No point. According to the census no-one used it”
“Should we invest more in sign language in Education?”
“No point. According to the census no-one used it”
December 3, 2025 at 8:39 AM
That is so stupid, both linguistically and from the point of view of the purpose of a census: to find out about the population and what their needs might be.
“Should we invest more in sign language in Education?”
“No point. According to the census no-one used it”
“Should we invest more in sign language in Education?”
“No point. According to the census no-one used it”
Plot twist: they were both mathematicians
December 1, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Plot twist: they were both mathematicians
Interesting. I wasn't aware of this argument. And I'm not sure I fully understand it. Would it be fair to summarise his rejection of mind-body duality as being a bit like (over-simplifying massively) saying that you can't treat the curliness of hair as something separate from the hair itself?
December 1, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Interesting. I wasn't aware of this argument. And I'm not sure I fully understand it. Would it be fair to summarise his rejection of mind-body duality as being a bit like (over-simplifying massively) saying that you can't treat the curliness of hair as something separate from the hair itself?
Looking forward to it. (I have always half-assumed it is short for Cutie Pie, but have never bothered to check. I'm glad someone else has done the work for me 🙂)
November 30, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Looking forward to it. (I have always half-assumed it is short for Cutie Pie, but have never bothered to check. I'm glad someone else has done the work for me 🙂)
But think how much worse he would have been without Alfred
November 30, 2025 at 10:01 AM
But think how much worse he would have been without Alfred
The CDC itself has even higher numbers (although, for obvious reasons, we now have to be cautious about information from the CDC)
Deaths by Sex, Ages 0-18 years | Data | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Deaths involving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among ages 0-18 years in the United States.
data.cdc.gov
November 29, 2025 at 1:36 PM
The CDC itself has even higher numbers (although, for obvious reasons, we now have to be cautious about information from the CDC)
Also "COVID-19 was the underlying cause of ... over 1,300 deaths among children and young people aged 0–19 years."
And, obviously, the numbers would have been even higher without vaccination.
And, obviously, the numbers would have been even higher without vaccination.
COVID-19 is a leading cause of death in children and young people in
A new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford’s Department of Computer Science has found that, between 2021 and 2022, COVID-19 was a leading cause of death in children and young people
www.ox.ac.uk
November 29, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Also "COVID-19 was the underlying cause of ... over 1,300 deaths among children and young people aged 0–19 years."
And, obviously, the numbers would have been even higher without vaccination.
And, obviously, the numbers would have been even higher without vaccination.
Fair point. But the method it chose was pretty “transparent” and I did check that the command line option it used actually exists and does what is claimed, etc
November 28, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Fair point. But the method it chose was pretty “transparent” and I did check that the command line option it used actually exists and does what is claimed, etc
But “if it works” is a huge problem: what does “works” mean? How do test that? How do you know if you have tested enough, etc. But creating tests is one place I have found LLMs to be very valuable
November 28, 2025 at 4:05 PM
But “if it works” is a huge problem: what does “works” mean? How do test that? How do you know if you have tested enough, etc. But creating tests is one place I have found LLMs to be very valuable
Do Americans distinguish between pie (has pastry or some other covering on top) and tart (a pie with no top on)? Because most of those are tarts!
November 28, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Do Americans distinguish between pie (has pastry or some other covering on top) and tart (a pie with no top on)? Because most of those are tarts!
Apart from that, my experience has been mixed. I’m impressed when it when it will happily populate a class with all the methods I need. But then I have spent quite a lot of time deleting and reworking completely erroneous code
November 28, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Apart from that, my experience has been mixed. I’m impressed when it when it will happily populate a class with all the methods I need. But then I have spent quite a lot of time deleting and reworking completely erroneous code
I recently had to make a small change to a project that uses Bazel which I don’t know at all. I asked Copilot for suggestions and it came up with a solution that I understood immediately and was probably what I would have done if I understood Bazel
November 28, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I recently had to make a small change to a project that uses Bazel which I don’t know at all. I asked Copilot for suggestions and it came up with a solution that I understood immediately and was probably what I would have done if I understood Bazel
Would a Turkish takeaway be more appropriate
November 27, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Would a Turkish takeaway be more appropriate
Given his obvious insecurity I am doubtful about his “high value“
November 27, 2025 at 1:02 PM
Given his obvious insecurity I am doubtful about his “high value“