Thursday, December 30, 2010

Now that's an Apple pie!

Another one spotted by Pheas:






Monday, December 20, 2010

A rule is a rule:

And the first rule of the Tautology Club is a metaprime example!

Monday, December 13, 2010

Christmas ornament ornament

Of course, they don't have to be this big!




From an idea suggested by Sparky!  Thanks!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Exactonyms...a rose by any other?

Really precise aptonyms / aptronyms? (Thanks, Vanya)

Synonyms and / or related concepts include aptronym, apronym, aptonym, jobonymns, namephreaks, onomastic determinism, perfect fit last names (PFLNs), psychonymics, and classically nomen est omen or όνομα ορίζοντας. ND researchers are comiconomenclaturists.

A key related word is aptronym, allegedly coined by United States newspaper columnist Franklin P. Adams, meaning a name aptly suited to its owner. The distinction is subtle but fundamental: as post-hoc vs propter-hoc, so aptronym versus nominative determinism.

A glove? (It fits like ...)
  • Reggie Corner, cornerback for the Buffalo Bills
  • Cantor Dan Singer
  • Larry Goodpaster, former United Methodist Church pastor, now a bishop
  • Dr. John Docter, M.D., Vanderbilt surgery resident (thanks, Jim)
  • Igor Judge, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales
  • Mort Kunstler, American painter, whose name in German directly translates as "artist"
  •  Willie Thrower, former NFL quarterback; first African-American quarterback in NFL during modern era (post WWII)
  • Marilyn vos Savant, a columnist famous for her extremely high IQ and penchant for puzzle solving
  • Ima Assman proctologist
  •  Mike Spinner, BMX freestyle rider famous for his spin tricks.
  • Reg Empey, member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for East Belfast; his job is equivalent to the role of "MP".
  • John Tory, former leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. In Canada, the members of the federal Conservative Party of Canada and the provincial Progressive Conservative parties are known as Tories.
  • Stephen Rowbotham, Olympic rower for the GB team.
  • Chris Moneymaker, Makes millions of dollars playing poker around the world
  • Jim Webber, noted academic and consultant on Web technologies and Web Services
  • A serial drunk driver named David Weaving
  • There is a dentist/orthodontist in my town named Dr. Toothman.
  • Dr. Anthony Puller, a dentist
  • Baseball player Cecil Fielder - but only if he was a fielder.
  • David J. Lawyer, who practices in Bellevue, Wash., says: "My routine answer on most days is I do not know why I became a lawyer."
  • Attorney for the Vermont Alliance Defense Fund - David Cortman
  • Professor Fiddler in the music department (but only if he plays the fiddle; otherwise it's "just apt")
  • 2008 Stihl Timbersports Competitor - Mike Forrester
  • Oregon State University paleomagnetist (geologist) - Joe Stoner
  • OB-GYNs in AZ, MO, VA, NC, & VA, Dr. Matthew, Richard, James, James, & Robert Holman
  • South Lake Tahoe hospital surgical buyer - Sherri Byer
  • Steve Adore, dockworker
  • Dr. Bonebreak, orthopedic surgeon
  • Scott Constable, police officer
  • Asa Feller, timberjack
  • Dr. Dick Finder, urologist
  • Morris Glaser, glass company founder
  • Polly Glott, translator
  • Harcourt Champion, tennis pro
  • Evan Jellick, TV preacher
  • Noah Lott, encyclopaedist
  • Jim Nast, parallel bars champion
  • Chas K. Nynes, dogcatcher
  • Phil Piper, plumber
  • Helen Painter, artist
  • Pat Rolman, constable
  • Hy Singer, castrato
  • Marion Tester, water sample analyst
  • Axel Turner, truck driver
  • Eileen Wright, Tory politician
  • Mr. Reader, librarian
  • Robert Raper, convicted rapist
  • George Wheeler, trucker
  • Joe B. Musselman, bodybuilder
  • Policeman, Senior Constable Jeff Senior, in New South Wales, Australia.
  • "Cynthia Webster runs a website-based business selling music synthesizers, kits and components at http://www.cyndustries.com "Synth" is the common contraction of "synthesizer," as "Cynth" is of "Cynthia." Her site
    could reasonably be called "Cynth Webster's synth website."
     
and sometimes:  (but only when they ARE / DO what the name says!) 
  • CO Rockies outfielder - Dexter Fowler 
  • Oakland A's pitcher - Josh Outman
  • Charles Sueing Insurance Agency, Nashville 
  • Paul Bering, mortician
  • Dr. Howard Hertz, physician
  • Darren Hitwell, boxer
  • Rex Karz, parking lot attendant
  • Hiram Ketcham, security guard
  • Claude Knightly, lion tamer
  • Hugh Matches, interior decorator
  • Dr. Lee Popwell, chiropractor
  • Philmore Seatz, usher
  • Phillip D. Tank, gas station attendant
  • Fanny Tanner, nudist
  • Timothy Treadwell, wilderness hiker 
  • Rich Ricci is Co-Chief Executive of Barclays Capital and Co-Chief Executive of Corporate & Investment Banking (and doubly Rich!)
  • "I wouldn't believe my name is linked to my job, that I was destined to be a fireplace fitter from the day I was born," says Hugh Shovelin.
  • Dr. Deryl Learning is founder of the Academic Leadership Online Journal.
  • Dr. James Makepeace, professor of sociology in 1987 at the college of St. Benedict at St. John's University in Minnessota, was a specialist in family violence. (The Gazette, Montréal, September 29, 1987).
  •  The American Contract Bridge League has a page of new Life Masters that includes C. Edward Trump.
  • Bob Counts, accountant 
  • Marc Rich, billionaire financier

The defendant was arrested for obscene conduct after an officer observed him, through a four-inch hole in a stall partition, masturbating in a public restroom. This Court determined that Limberhand had a legitimate expectation of privacy in the restroom stall notwithstanding the existence of the hole.” That’s right, the man in the stall, caught masturbating, was named Limberhand.

In Peru, Indiana, there’s a funeral home director whose last name is Eikenberry.

Thanks to David Chapman, Aptonyms-wiki, and a half-dozen other websites on aptonyms / aptronyms, gloves, jobonyms,  PFLNs, namefreaks,  and nominative determinism.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Antiprime meta example?

Video music?

Metaparody example?


Double reverse metaplay?



Total Heart of the Eclipse?






Whatever it is, there is something meta about it!

Thanks for bringing it back to my attention, Kristi! 

Friday, November 26, 2010

Coffee Table


New solid wood coffee table with glass on the middle of top and turned legs. Real coffee seeds under the glass.


Thanks to Vanya, MetaprimeExamplespotter in Ireland.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Facebook Friend Psychology

Facebook friend is a psychologist.  Let's just say his name is Sigmund F.
Status: [Dr. F] is completely obsessed with OCD right now.
Comment:    [Sigmund,] I keep coming back to this status update over and over again because I know that will keep you safe and if I don't, you might get hurt.


Misplaced this one somehow, Pheas.  Thanks once again.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Cupcake Cake

I don't know if this is anti-meta, meta-squared, de-meta, re-meta or what...but it's metaprime some kind of way!

The maxi cupcake, an anti-meta to ...
...the mini birthday cake ??

Friday, October 15, 2010

Facebook Failbook

27bslash6 Simile Simile

From David Thorne, who just admitted that he had dyed his hair once:

The product, misrepresented as 'Natural Black' instead of 'Astro Boy black', turned my hair as dark as an adequate simile describing just how black it actually was and stained my forehead and ears purple.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Is it live or is it Memorex?

From: "Tube Tied:  The Comeback and the Radical Notion that Women are Human" by Michelle Dean

http://bitchmagazine.org/post/tube-tied-the-comeback-and-the-radical-notion-that-women-are-human

Re: The Comeback, a 2005 HBO series in which Lisa Kudrow plays a former sitcom star (Valerie) who is trying to stage a comeback with a linked sitcom and reality show.

The “real” show, the one we watch, is a tad meta: it is presented as an extended version of the footage being taped for the reality show. This draws out a fragmented performance from Kudrow, who is usually playing a Valerie aware that she’s performing Valerie for the reality show (someone’s making some noise about performativity in my ear), but occasionally she slips, forgets what she’s doing. And the Valerie that comes through in those moments is less smiley, less calculating—more desperate.
And meta within meta: Lisa Kudrow herself being cast in this role?

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Collections of Collections

Sparky, describing a furnished model home with the bookcase decor:

"a collection of those very Reader's Digest Condensed Books collections.  (Yes, a collection of collections.)" 


Thanks, Sparky!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

For shame!

On Aug. 21 on the letters page of The Washington Post a reader castigated the newspaper for having written that Sasha Obama was the "youngest" daughter of the president and first lady, rather than their "younger" daughter. In so doing, however, the letter writer called the first couple the "Obama's." This, too, was published, constituting an illiterate proofreading of an illiterate criticism of an illiteracy.

-- Gene Weingarten asserting that the English language "succumbed last month at the age of 1,617 after a long illness. It is survived by an ignominiously diminished form of itself."

 (Obviously Mr. Weingarten doesn't understand that living languages change and only already-dead languages are immutable.)

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Pot Plants


Of course, toilet bowl planters are all the rage (???) but I had a friend who grew cannabis in his.  Now, THAT's what I call a POT PLANT!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

To verb

Verb: "Conjugate"

Here are some examples with the verb "conjugate." If you doubt that "conjugate" is a verb (or need to look up what it means), definitions from dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster agree. Note that, as with many verbs, noun forms exist. Here we're using the verb form.


Singular Plural
PersonPronounVerb    PronounVerb
1stIconjugate     weconjugate
2ndyouconjugate     you [all]conjugate
3rdhe/she/itconjugates      theyconjugate

Conjgate is a regular verb, so the present tense is simple. Consider the past tense:


Singular Plural
PersonPronounVerb    PronounVerb
1stIconjugated     weconjugated
2ndyouconjugated     you [all]conjugated
3rdhe/she/itconjugated     theyconjugated
The past tense is easy to form with a weak verb like "conjugate." This is normal behavior for a verb. English has more complicated verbs, like irregular and strong verbs, but those are generally the oldest verbs in the language. New verbs are regular and weak.

From www.loginisnotaverb.com

Thanks (again) to Pheas! 

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

From MissTree, who obviously has a favorite reading genre:

Book of Days
Book of Rules
Book of Kells
Book of Common Prayer
Book of Job
Book of Revelation
Book of Eli
Book of Odds
Book of Mormon

...all those "Book of..." books...

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Monday, May 31, 2010

Stigler's (or somebody's) Law of Eponymy:

Give credit where credit is due, goes the expression, but in this week's words the credit is misplaced. Each of these words is coined after the wrong person.

It's not always easy to assign credit, however, as the contention on the naming of diseases shows.

There's even a law about misplaced credits. Stigler's law of eponymy says, "No scientific discovery is named after its original discoverer." Stigler credits this law to sociologist Robert K. Merton (thus making the law self-referential).

Thanks again, Pheas!   - and I'm taking the credit for this blog, even though you are doing a lot of the work!  LOL!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Controversial controversy on Facebook

Martha G. and Alex F.  commented on Martha G's status.
How do you feel about being controversial? Just wondering.
Yesterday at 11:40am · · Like



Paul C.
I don't mind it if it's for the right reasons :)
Tuesday at 10:12pm
Kathy S.C.
usually if you are controversial it is because people do not agree with you.....otherwise you are popular!
Tuesday at 10:15pm
Michelle O.
Is it controversial to fight for what is right? If son then I guess I'm controversial.
Tuesday at 10:22pm

Jim G.
So all this time that people have been saying that I'm a pain in the *** because of my stands, I've really been controversial. Sounds good to me.
Tuesday at 10:33pm

Ann S.
Not usually my thing.
Wednesday at 3:39am
Anne C.
If you find yourself in the majority ----- RUN!
Wednesday at 5:13am

Frank M.
I try not to be controversial too much. Of course after last night's coaching call, I probably should be a little : )
Wednesday at 8:52am
Martha G.
That's what prompted this status update Frank!
Wednesday at 10:57am
Bamby R. C.
Not my thing either......I like harmony!
Wednesday at 1:52pm
Alex F.
Jesus was controversial....
Wednesday at 7:55pm

Christopher S.
It simply works, just don't get mean about it. Not my thing either.
Wednesday at 8:50pm

Martha G.
So glad to see all these comments! I think if you are authentic and true to yourself, that's what ultimately matters. A little controversy goes a long way in my book. I'm not really fond of it but don't necessarily shrink from it either :)
Yesterday at 11:40am
Alice Ann F.
Just look at this controversy you've stirred up!
40 minutes ago · 
Martha G.
hahaha A controversy about controversy!
39 minutes ago
Alice Ann F.
And, you just made my blog! Thanks!
4 seconds ago ·

Monday, May 17, 2010

A Freudian slip...

My coworker just got back from Vegas.  We asked her if she saw any shows, and she said just a magician.

"Who was it?" and she was trying to remember...

"Well, it wasn't Sigmund and Freud..."

Saturday, May 15, 2010

From the mouths of...

When my 16 year old daughter was about 5, she came running breathlessly up to me and her dad, "Mom, Dad, Hal (her brother) called me a Tattletale!" [hmmm...] - Carol Woodward King

Monday, April 19, 2010

Update update

Pheas is updating her Facebook status.
11 hours ago· ·

and a Comment comment:
Gretchen is posting in response to Pheas's Facebook status.
11 hours ago


Sunday, April 18, 2010

Hermit Crab

My son Omar had a hermit crab named Independent Claws.

A Container of ... containers?



Thanks, Pheas!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Firefighters fighting firetruck fire


Friends of Irony

(but how did they get there???)
::scratching head::

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

In his prime...


"I once saw a forklift lift a crate of forks. And it was way too literal for me."
(Mitch Hedberg)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Pet Peeve

My friend Pheasance, metaprime example spotter extraordinaire and pet mommy, posted a pet peeve on http://www.grammarboard.com/ about the misuse of the past participle of the verb to pet.

http://www.grammarboard.com/ipb/index.php?showtopic=3038&hl


Has anyone else noticed this? I probably read more animal-related news than most folks, so you may not have come across this, but I keep finding "pet" used as the past and past participle of "to pet" (as in to stroke an animal).

That one doesn't like getting petted.
I pet him earlier.

Are people modeling it after "set" or "let" perhaps? As far as I know, "pet" is a completely regular verb, and the dictionary backs me up. Ergo, peevishness.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

A Metaprime Example of...

Circular Reasoning:
Jenny: That’s a circle.
Bert: How do you know?
Jenny: Because it looks round.

The eponymous mausoleum of Mausollos



A fanciful interpretation of the Mausoleum of Maussollos, from a 1572 engraving by Marten Heemskerk (1498–1574), who based his reconstruction on descriptions

Thank-you gift of a coupon for a free latte

Increasingly More Rhopalic?

THIS E-MAIL OFFERS CONCISE RHOPALIC GRATITUDE
-Dr. Noga Friedman and Dr. Moti Friedman, Israel (brightn zahav.net.il)

A Word A Day’s Rhopalic Headline Contest Entry

Concretely yours...


AI
POE
GRAY
DANTE
HORACE
KHAYYAM
KALIDASA
SOPHOCLES
BAUDELAIRE
SHAKESPEARE
LI
TU
SU
ARISTOPHANES


Q. What is this curious list I see?
A. The answer is plainly, "Poet–tree."

Can you find the official picket?

The Ultimate...


FAIL cake?

Sigh

YSaC, Vol. CVII
2008 November 3
tags: maybe it's just me
by drmk

for sale sign – $25
for sale by owner sigh $25 cash.



(sigh, indeed!)


http://www.yousuckatcraigslist.com/?p=575

The Very Definition

def·i·ni·tion (děf'ə-nĭsh'ən)
n.



1. A statement conveying fundamental character.
2. A statement of the meaning of a word, phrase, or term, as in a dictionary entry.
3. The act of making clear and distinct: a definition of one's intentions.
4. The state of being closely outlined or determined: "With the drizzle, the trees in the little clearing had lost definition" (Anthony Hyde).
5. A determination of outline, extent, or limits: the definition of a President's authority.
6. The clarity of detail in an optically produced image, such as a photograph, effected by a combination of resolution and contrast.
7. The degree of clarity with which a televised image or broadcast signal is received.

More Existential Linguistic Metaprime Examples:

· "like a simile"
· plurals
· possessive's
· compound-modifier hyphenation
· This is a simple sentence.
· The previous sentence is a simple sentence, and this one is a compound sentence. 
· While the previous two sentences are exemplary of simple and compound sentences, this sentence is complex.

In the classroom...

Teacher: Write me a compound sentence.

Emmanuel: What’s that?

Teacher: You know what. It takes TWO sentences, conjunction, etc. (giving the instructions with apparent urgency in her voice)

Emmanuel: "Ms. Peach wants a compound sentence, and she wants it now!"

Online and Metaprime!

A possum playing possum:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=di1Jih-0J_8&feature=fvw

http://youtu.be/di1Jih-0J_8




Who was the poster who was a state spelling be champion?

(We’re guessing it wasn’t you???)

Handle: TypoKnig

A survey surveying whether survey takers like taking surveys.


A message thread about message threads


“Let me know if I need to clafify...oops, I mean clarify…LOL! I had to clarify clarify!”


Q: What do you call these: “ __” ?

A: They are “quotation marks” to me.

(And you need them there because???)


In the comment section:

I have no reason to comment on this survey. The staff was very nice.


On Facebook:


It's DOPPLEGÄNGER WEEK! During this week, change your profile picture to someone famous you have been told you look like...

The person I was told I looked like in high school…Patty Duke, who had a TV show at the time where she played the part of a girl who had a doppelgänger first cousin.

You can even order your own:

Fridge Magnets

And, speaking of fridge magnets, refrigerator magnets are a metaprime world unto themselves:

a refrigerator magnet that IS a refrigerator…(magnet)


a refrigerator magnet that IS a magnet ..


a refrigerator magnet that is an advertisement for MAGNET schools.

When you know you're not a babe magnet...