Mal ,'Our Mrs. Reynolds'
[NAFDA] Spike-centric discussion. Lusty, lewd (only occasionally crude), risque (and frisque), bawdy (Oh, lawdy!), flirty ('cuz we're purty), raunchy talk inside. Caveat lector.
Well, numbers are arbitrary. We decided that two apples are two apples and not, say, four apples. All that matters is that we're internally consistent within the system we've devised.
Isn't it more that *numbers* are constant -- 2 apples will always be 2 apples and not twice as many, not ever -- but that the *symbols* used to describe them are arbitrary? The 2, the 4, the i?
OK, the best sort of example that I can come up with is that there are some problems in engineering and physics where, within solving the problem, you need to find the solutions to some equations like ax^2 + bx + c = 0, and then take those solutions and plug them into some other formula. The numbers you started out with are all real numbers, and the numbers you'll get, once you're done with everything you're doing, will be real numbers, but at that step, the solutions to that ax^2 + bx +c = 0 equation might be complex. If you limit yourself to the real number system, you'll get to that equation, and then you'll have to say "This equation has no solutions," and you won't be able to go any further. If you look at the complex solutions, you'll be able to continue with the bigger problem.
I must get ready to go to a movie. Life is rough that way on three day weekends.
What Steph said. I understand numbers are symbols, because letters are words are arbitrary agreed-upon signifiers, too.
but what does the trad quotes>
What are you trying to ask here? It may not be coming out.
Isn't it more that *numbers* are constant -- 2 apples will always be 2 apples and not twice as many, not ever -- but that the *symbols* used to describe them are arbitrary? The 2, the 4, the i?
Yeah, that's what I think, but I think there are some people who believe even that part's not true.
Basically. how do you do trad quotes? Not italics.
Basically. how do you do trad quotes?
You mean like what I just did to your statement? You use the right caret, >, followed by your quoted material. I think that's what ita described. Or are "trad quotes" something I don't know?
So (doohickey i doohickey) does italics, but what does the trad quotes> I've never been able to figure that one out.
If I type this:
My cat is
i so
annoying...
It gets translated into:
My cat is <i>so</i> annoying...
and displays like:
My cat is so annoying...
Traditional quoting is more complicated. It means that this:
>2 apples will always be 2 apples
translates to the following HTML:
<blockquote><tt>2 apples will always be 2 apples</tt></blockquote>
and displays like:
2 apples will always be 2 apples
You put the > before what you want quoted.
GUaranteed to be a x-post.
Like this?
Did it! Yeah, team me!
Thanks, guys.