Comment On Playground Fun

What, you never played wheelbarrel races as a kid?

jisakujien:

What, you never played wheelbarrel races as a kid?

But I had my hands at the legs, and not an the waist. That is probably the thinking error the "Designer" made.

Yeh... but standing a little further behind ;)

Kilrah:

Yeh... but standing a little further behind ;)

Showoff... jk.

As I read the sequence:
Wave, hold hands, swing, bonk ...
Sounds like a fun date

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

The weirdness doubles as it is from belgium....

Not only as a kid, but just the other night ;)

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I'm glad there are others as pedantic as I am.

*Leaves self wide-open to abuse [topically]*

LFS:

Kilrah:

Yeh... but standing a little further behind ;)

Showoff... jk.

:DDD


My friend asked me for a link to any website I find interesting, and make it explicitly clear, that I should not point to any pr0n. I gave link to this site, and to make sure, checked the frontpage...to see this. Now he thinks I'm pervert. (Curious Perversions in Information Technology - now illustrated!)

BELGIUM, man Belgium (42)

I just got back from near Antwerp, I should've gone to Brussles.

Captcha: doom (as in Terminator 2?)

Being Brazilian, I'm not only amazed with the icons but also with the total absence of vandalism on the sign! Down here, that plate would be completely destroyed within days. Possibly by the very children in the park...

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

H|B:

Being Brazilian, I'm not only amazed with the icons but also with the total absence of vandalism on the sign! Down here, that plate would be completely destroyed within days. Possibly by the very children in the park...

I guess he had found the one sign that had survived any vandalisme.

BTW is that a bullet dent in the middle of the sign?

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

True true.

I can't not = I must != I can

madjo:

H|B:

Being Brazilian, I'm not only amazed with the icons but also with the total absence of vandalism on the sign! Down here, that plate would be completely destroyed within days. Possibly by the very children in the park...

I guess he had found the one sign that had survived any vandalisme.

BTW is that a bullet dent in the middle of the sign?

I doubt it. We have different gun control laws here in Europe. :P

Edit: Besides, what kind of gun would barely scratch the metal? Air rifle? I've seen pictures of US highway signs that have been shot at; those are real holes normally.

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

My bad, english isn't my native language. But he still got it wrong. He did say "I couldn't resist not sharing", not "I couldn't not share". And resist is kinda a negative (right?), which makes it "I couldn't not not share", or "I couldn't share".

It's almost like this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060526054219/http://209.0.146.17/1/graphics/pics/crazy_japanese_sign.jpg

freelancer:

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

My bad, english isn't my native language. But he still got it wrong. He did say "I couldn't resist not sharing", not "I couldn't not share". And resist is kinda a negative (right?), which makes it "I couldn't not not share", or "I couldn't share".

Your English is still pretty good considering it's not your first language. And you're right; you have me there.

Jackal von ÖRF:

It's almost like this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060526054219/http://209.0.146.17/1/graphics/pics/crazy_japanese_sign.jpg

Except that one is doctored. I've been in Japan, and the real signs are not so amusingly conspicious. Besides, why would the "person with injured leg" have a big belly?

This, on the other hand, is real:



Addendum (2007-05-28 18:37):
BTW, here's a link debunking the japanese sign and showing the real one: http://japundit.com/archives/2005/12/28/1774/

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

So he thought he'd actually said "I can't not tell you how wrong you aren't"?

Language is so confusing.

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

The problem here with english, is that this particular usage of a double not is a superlative. In other words, he really want's to point out the difficulty he had trying to stop himself, having obviously failed in doing so.

brazzy:

Jackal von ÖRF:

It's almost like this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060526054219/http://209.0.146.17/1/graphics/pics/crazy_japanese_sign.jpg

Except that one is doctored. I've been in Japan, and the real signs are not so amusingly conspicious. Besides, why would the "person with injured leg" have a big belly?

This, on the other hand, is real:



Addendum (2007-05-28 18:37):
BTW, here's a link debunking the japanese sign and showing the real one: http://japundit.com/archives/2005/12/28/1774/

The funny thing about the German sign is the bit below the name of the town... it reads "Please - not so fast!"

brazzy:

This, on the other hand, is real:

Ahh... Fucking, Austria. Fun times to be had there!

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

My bad, english isn't my native language. But he still got it wrong. He did say "I couldn't resist not sharing", not "I couldn't not share". And resist is kinda a negative (right?), which makes it "I couldn't not not share", or "I couldn't share".

Your English is still pretty good considering it's not your first language. And you're right; you have me there.

Works for me, also; your outside perspective may have helped.

What doesn't help is that "I could not resist" might have been "I (could not) resist" or "I could (not resist)". "I could not resist not sharing" may mean either "I was compelled not to share" or "I could have surrendered to not sharing". They mean different things, but contracting "could not" to "couldn't" is enough of a precedence marker for the former interpretation to win. And the latter makes it sound like there was a choice, which probably wasn't the intended effect. (Though personally, I prefer "to not share" over "not to share". Yay split infinitives!)

English; is she not fun? Imagine writing programs in it. Imagine saying something in it sloppily and having piles of programmer-types dissecting it.

Antony Curtis:

The funny thing about the German sign is the bit below the name of the town... it reads "Please - not so fast!"

That it does.

It rather reminds me of the "SLOW Children at play" signs common here in the states.

When I was a kid, I always mis-parsed that to imply that the children were either retarded or lethargic.

bobbo:

freelancer:

You screwed up.

I'm glad there are others as pedantic as I am.
*Leaves self wide-open to abuse [topically]*

Topical abuse to all grammar Nazis.

That's good thinking. Having a raging hard-on should qualify for priority seating.

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Good example

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

Bad conclusion. Double nots do indeed cancel each other out, but you have to be careful in recognzing what is being negated.

The only conclusion I can come to from the original formulation is that Alex's attempt, at some point along the way to keep this juicy bit to himself, was overridden. Perhaps the notably WTF-y software here pulled a HAL on him "Sorry Alex..."

This must be their solution to the problem of groping in the Tokyo subway -- anyone w/ a hard-on has to sit down.

rjnewton:

Bad conclusion. Double nots do indeed cancel each other out, but you have to be careful in recognzing what is being negated.

That is true.
It's something often missed by people and to miss it is a logical fallacy that politicians like to take advantage of in long, drawn out arguments that eventually negate themselves while seeming not to do so.

The negation of not is indeed not not, but not not is not maybe, it's is. ;)

Therefore, to say I cannot not do x means I must do x.
It works like any other boolean operator.
It just, therefore, depends on precedence and associativity.

You can even write it out in code.
No matter where you put the not operator, it will negate anything in the term following it, including any contained nots.

So !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!false)))))))) is true.
Therefore, if I say I must not not not not not not not not not not do x, I must do x.

There is nothing fuzzy about it.
Not true is false.
Not false is true.

So therefore it follows that x is x, not x is not x, and not not x is x.

This only breaks down if it's not boolean, but when it comes down to a use like in that sentence, where it's a choice between doing or not doing a thing, it is boolean.

So can no one explain what this sign actually means?

so... not true is false, not false is true, but what's not boolean?
I guess not boolean must be file_not_found.

rjnewton:

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Good example

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

Bad conclusion. Double nots do indeed cancel each other out, but you have to be careful in recognzing what is being negated.

The only conclusion I can come to from the original formulation is that Alex's attempt, at some point along the way to keep this juicy bit to himself, was overridden. Perhaps the notably WTF-y software here pulled a HAL on him "Sorry Alex..."

Not english here, so...

I can't not resist = I can not (not resist)

Isn't that almost the same thing?

Antony Curtis:

brazzy:

Jackal von ÖRF:

It's almost like this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060526054219/http://209.0.146.17/1/graphics/pics/crazy_japanese_sign.jpg

Except that one is doctored. I've been in Japan, and the real signs are not so amusingly conspicious. Besides, why would the "person with injured leg" have a big belly?

This, on the other hand, is real:



Addendum (2007-05-28 18:37):
BTW, here's a link debunking the japanese sign and showing the real one: http://japundit.com/archives/2005/12/28/1774/

The funny thing about the German sign is the bit below the name of the town... it reads "Please - not so fast!"

Bonus points for french speaking people seeing this (and not understanding german): "bite" (with only one T, but hey, it's a foreign language) is a slang word meaning... penis!

Ruakh:

So can no one explain what this sign actually means?

The "Fucking" one? It's simple the name of the town; the -ing ending is common in southern Germany and Austria. In and around Munich where I live there's Schwabing, Eching, Poing, Erding, Harlaching and, yes, Kissing. Even better, there's a town with nearly the same name that's also a health spa and thus allowed to call it self Bad Kissingen (a shame about the -en).

Oh, and the "not so fast" sign with the kids is simply meant to urge drivers to think of the children and go slowly.

AARGH the Full Articles option is not doing anything again! (I do remember it working at some point)

Any suggestions as to how to get the full articles back?

Opie:

This only breaks down if it's not boolean, but when it comes down to a use like in that sentence, where it's a choice between doing or not doing a thing, it is boolean.

It also breaks down when you have modal operators interspersed in there (e.g. "eventually", "always", "next", "might", etc.) when multiple negations are much harder to disentangle. On the other hand, Alex's original double negation was just sloppy language; he should have left out the "not"...

ROTFLMAO at the Austrian sign.

I didn't get the "bite" thing, probably because I speak French *and* German. Joke's on me here.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot? Over.:

Antony Curtis:

The funny thing about the German sign is the bit below the name of the town... it reads "Please - not so fast!"

That it does.

It rather reminds me of the "SLOW Children at play" signs common here in the states.

When I was a kid, I always mis-parsed that to imply that the children were either retarded or lethargic.

You're right in your interpretation. Without proper punctuation, it effectively reads "Retards at play" in non-PC speak. IMO, "SLOW, children at play" was the intended message, which opens a whole other can of worms that doesn't belong to this thread.

rjnewton:

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Good example

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

Bad conclusion. Double nots do indeed cancel each other out, but you have to be careful in recognzing what is being negated.

The only conclusion I can come to from the original formulation is that Alex's attempt, at some point along the way to keep this juicy bit to himself, was overridden. Perhaps the notably WTF-y software here pulled a HAL on him "Sorry Alex..."

This discussion on double negatives reminds me of the following anecdote:

A linguistics professor was lecturing to his class one day. "In
English," he said, "A double negative forms a positive. In some
languages, though, such as Russian, a double negative is still a
negative. However, there is no language wherein a double
positive can form a negative."

A voice from the back of the room piped up, "Yeah, right.""

From: http://www.langston.com/Fun_People/1997/1997BIJ.html

Ehm... is this Dutroux' playground or something?

(uh oh, i'm going straight to hell for this...)

For those lucky enough not to know who Dutroux is, he's an convicted Belgian child molester/murderer. Not someone you want on your playground...

There is also a place in Austria named Seewinkel. It seems to be a good place for comedic names for English speakers.

Our local playground has Jo'nn Jonnz specific activities.

Valacosa:

freelancer:

Alex@the article:

Although today was technically supposed to be only Classics, I couldn't resist not sharing this fun submission from Kevin Cazabon

Double negative, which kinda translates to "I could resist sharing". You screwed up.

I saw this comment, and I can't not tell you how wrong you are.

See my statement above? It's different than, "I can tell you how wrong you are," which means I could make a statement but I'm not compelled to do so. But I am compelled to point out your error. Ergo, "I can't not tell you how wrong you are."

Language is fuzzy. It's not like binary operations. Double nots don't necessarily cancel each other out. Get used to that.

And how frikkin annoying isnt that? :)
Man I'm glad there isnt mathematical rules differentiated by wich part of the world you come from.

Opie:

rjnewton:

Bad conclusion. Double nots do indeed cancel each other out, but you have to be careful in recognzing what is being negated.

That is true.
It's something often missed by people and to miss it is a logical fallacy that politicians like to take advantage of in long, drawn out arguments that eventually negate themselves while seeming not to do so.

The negation of not is indeed not not, but not not is not maybe, it's is. ;)

Therefore, to say I cannot not do x means I must do x.
It works like any other boolean operator.
It just, therefore, depends on precedence and associativity.

You can even write it out in code.
No matter where you put the not operator, it will negate anything in the term following it, including any contained nots.

So !(!(!(!(!(!(!(!(!false)))))))) is true.
Therefore, if I say I must not not not not not not not not not not do x, I must do x.

There is nothing fuzzy about it.
Not true is false.
Not false is true.
...
This only breaks down if it's not boolean, but when it comes down to a use like in that sentence, where it's a choice between doing or not doing a thing, it is boolean.

You seem to be claiming English grammar is a context-free grammar.

It's not.

acne:

Antony Curtis:

brazzy:

Jackal von ÖRF:

It's almost like this:

http://web.archive.org/web/20060526054219/http://209.0.146.17/1/graphics/pics/crazy_japanese_sign.jpg

Except that one is doctored. I've been in Japan, and the real signs are not so amusingly conspicious. Besides, why would the "person with injured leg" have a big belly?

This, on the other hand, is real:



Addendum (2007-05-28 18:37):
BTW, here's a link debunking the japanese sign and showing the real one: http://japundit.com/archives/2005/12/28/1774/

The funny thing about the German sign is the bit below the name of the town... it reads "Please - not so fast!"

Bonus points for french speaking people seeing this (and not understanding german): "bite" (with only one T, but hey, it's a foreign language) is a slang word meaning... penis!

Someone has to make a tee shirt out of these road signs. They are a perfect match for any perv... any geek out there :)

never never say that again :D

Your point would apply if the original were to read: "I couldn't not share this fun submission," with the "resist" stripped out. But the original phrase contains a triple negative, if you count "resist" as negative (that's what it is in context). So whether the text was supposed to read like: "I am compelled to resist sharing this fun submission," or it was supposed to read like: "I might resist sharing this fun submission," the point stands.

Actually 'bite' in french is written 'bitte'. Comes from the 'bitte d'amarage' a bollard in english. The wrong spelling with one T is more common though.

that sign actually made me laugh out loud. lots of times people just say "lol" or "roflmao" but they really don't, well i did. that was just hilarious.