Does the hunter go around the squirrel? Vote and then move on already.

[HungLikeJesus]

This is something I think about whenever I'm at the airport (and I think I've brought it up before):

Does the moving walkway increase your speed or decrease the distance you need to travel?

Edit: This is currently the quote beneath the tip mug:

"More than six people cannot agree on anything, three is better."
- Professor Bernardo de la Paz, _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_

[BigV]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

This is something I think about whenever I'm at the airport (and I think I've brought it up before):

Does the moving walkway increase your speed or decrease the distance you need to travel?

Edit: This is currently the quote beneath the tip mug:

"More than six people cannot agree on anything, three is better."
- Professor Bernardo de la Paz, _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_

Relative to what?

increase speed relative to what?

decrease distance relative to what?

[jimhelm]

it increases your speed. distance is immutable.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by HungLikeJesus

Does the moving walkway increase your speed

maybe - depends on how fast you walk off it and whether you just stand while on it.

or decrease the distance you need to travel?

don't see it altering distance.

[Sundae]

Re You Spin Me Right Round
Have you seen Pete Burns' teabagging shot?

I have posted it here before but it's always good for a laugh
N.S.F.W.
Pete Burns (singer of You Spin Me Right Round) on runway

And facially.
SFW but after botched plastic surgery (much) and aging disgracefully (much) , pretty grim.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by BigV

Relative to what?

You could just replace your signature line with this and save some typing.

[HungLikeJesus]

Didn't you say "vote, and move on"?

Imagine you have a pedometer and a GPS. The pedometer will indicate that you've walked a shorter distance; the GPS will indicate that your speed was increased on the moving walkway.

[Undertoad]

Originally Posted by BigV

"Gone around" has lots of contexts, and consequently lots of meanings.

But irrelevant, because in this case, the correct context is understood by all.

People aren't confused that maybe "gone around" means the hunter has taken a few pisses in the vicinity of the squirrel.

[infinite monkey]

Like when people say "I went in the house."

You did? Did you at least go in the bathroom part of the house? And why are you telling me?

[Undertoad]

But actually, Biggie is basically right, but it's a micro-level thing, rather than a macro-level thing!

[BigV]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

But irrelevant, because in this case, the correct context is understood by all.

People aren't confused that maybe "gone around" means the hunter has taken a few pisses in the vicinity of the squirrel.

I checked, and this post by you is the first one in either of these two threads, the poll about the kerfuffle, and the nutso thread with the kerfuffle puzzle. I have to say I don't agree that the "correct context is understood by all" at all.

I get your joke about "going/peeing". hahaha, clever, sure. And it's true that no one has made that mistake about the hunter and the squirrel. But as for the context of that mental nut being understood by all, that has definitely not been the case.

I'm interested in your answer to the original Mental Nut.

[infinite monkey]

What happens when you put food in a macrowave?

Does it get really cold? Or really big?

[infinite monkey]

Originally Posted by infinite monkey

What happens when you put food in a macrowave?

Does it get really cold? Or really big?

Relative to what?

[jimhelm]

she sets, she smashes, she scores!

[regular.joe]

Originally Posted by BigV

Maybe all your examples, even the crazy hunter one too, is missing an important and necessary qualifier "relative to ______". Absent that qualifier, each of us can use some relative center, some relative frame of reference, RELATIVE TO WHICH each of these objects are doing or not doing something or other. Precision in language is the only way to resolve questions like this.

In physics they have this thingy called transformations to link the relativity in different frames of reference. The position of the observer is very important to these types of problems. It is the same for someone inside of an elevator and someone outside of an elevator witnessing events inside and outside of the elevator, when these events occur at the same time from different perspectives. Because the speed of light is constant, Einstein realized that the actual size of objects must not be constant and that time cannot be constant for different observes and objects in different locations. The precision in language that you make reference to is mathematics.