how ignorant are you?

[hot_pastrami]

I am ignorant of many things.

My first job was as an electrician, though I knew nothing of circuits and wiring. Since then, I have spent years as a professional programmer, yet there is much programming jargon I don't understand... like a musician who can't read music. Now I'm a professional graphics designer, and I know little about Photoshop (I mostly use Paint Shop Pro).

For years, I thought that the word "nonplussed" meant "to be indifferent; unimpressed." Also, I sometimes catch myself saying "irregardless," though it's not a real word; despite my efforts it hasn't been banished from my vocabulary.

Like others, I am ignorant of sports, but that is a voluntary ignorance... I'm sure I could learn if I had even the vaguest desire to do so.

No doubt there are many more things of which I am ignorant of my ignorance. For instance, how to word the previous sentence in a way that isn't awkward.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by hot_pastrami

For years, I thought that the word "nonplussed" meant "to be indifferent; unimpressed."

Holy shit! I thought that too. Up until I read your post. Then I went and looked it up. At least I never used it in conversation.

Thank you. I learned something today.

[hot_pastrami]

Originally Posted by glatt

Holy shit! I thought that too. Up until I read your post. Then I went and looked it up. At least I never used it in conversation.

Dude! I'm not alone! So this must be what it feels like when doves cry.

[smoothmoniker]

I looked up nonplussed in the oxford english dictionary, and they actually have the contrary meaning (meaning not flustered, not excited) listed as a new non-standard colloquial usage in America.

So is it correct? Not technically, but the usage has some basis.

[Undertoad]

As an adult, you are free to revise your surroundings according to any rules you see fit. Shower without a curtain and just buy a second floor mat to soak up the excess water. Nobody says you have to put up with some dumb curtain that you hate so much you punch it.

[LCanal]

I shower with no curtain everyday here in the jungle. The whole bathroom is tilled and water goes everywhere. Well actually the water goes everywhere because of the poor quality wormanship in leveling the tub surround but that's a diffrent thread.

For clean freaks. Its also a snip to clean up the centipedes and ants.

[Catwoman]

I've been avoiding this and the stock market thread for ages. I'm scared I might have to learn something. My brain's just not ready. I'll come back in a couple of weeks after a couple of joints to even out my breathing.

[BigV]

I understand much in the way of mechanical devices. However...

Steering and suspension and alignment are all out of my league. I don't even know how they do it in the shops.

There are considerable gaps in my understanding of how radio works. I have even built an extremely simple crystal radio, and I still don't understand how the little machine can pull the music out of the air and pipe it into my head.

There are a ton of things I don't understand the why of even if I understand the how of. Fancy wrapping paper, headed straight to the trashcan. :scratches head:

The Wankel Rotary Engine? I've owned them, and seen all the cutaway drawings, and I still don't completely follow it. Only three moving parts. Elegant, supremely elegant.

more later...

[Perry Winkle]

I'm a fair programmer, I still don't understand:
Continuations
Closures
or why people think Best Practices are a good idea.

[dar512]

Originally Posted by grant

I'm a fair programmer, I still don't understand:
Continuations
Closures
or why people think Best Practices are a good idea.

Reading Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide will give you a good start on continuations and closures. The Ruby language has both.

Best Practices, at least the way we use them, are just rules of thumb. They are a formalized equivalent of "Hey, you know what works for me?".