The Register®

Biting the hand that feeds IT

Comments on: Life a mess? The Moderatrix can help

"Strict Guidance"? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:13 GMT

Coat

Please tell me it's Sarah and not Paris....!!!!!

"Whatever you say, Mistress...."

<- the one with the numerous interesting straps, thanks!

Stop the World 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:16 GMT

Unhappy

Is there anyway to stop the world because I wish to get off.

Existential angst 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:17 GMT

Unhappy

What's it all about? Is it all worth it?

Where is the cloakroom? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:18 GMT

Coat

That i might get mine coat... And what is that beeping noise?

Bit of a poseur... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:26 GMT

Unhappy

Chuck Norris is my dad. He doesn't know this yet, but im if I tell him, will I get a back-log of years of Roundhouse Kicking discipline?

hmm 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:28 GMT

Paris Hilton

If i have an IT angle, will Paris wear my coat?

Good morning - It's Groundhog Day ! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:31 GMT

Joke

Reg Comments seems to be taking on a life of its own. However most of the time it's just like Groundhog Day with the same content regardless of the story.

Can we have a clear classification system for posters?

The "Me Too" - Nothing to say so I'll agree with someone else just to get a posting on the board.

The "Knocker" - Doesn't know the subject that well but that smug know-it-all who does needs taking down a peg or two!

The "Last one Laughing" - Take everything literally and suffers a total humour failure

The "First Past The Post" - Reads every other word in 10 sec flat and posts inflammatory drivel in a surge of adrenalin.

The "Troll" - The traditional stirrer position

There are more of course. I think this system could really streamline the comments

:o)

Re: hmm 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:33 GMT

(Written by Reg staff.)

Come on, folks. Dig deeper. Stare into the void.

Into the VOID.

^ What he said 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:33 GMT

Thumb Up

What Mike said, Sarah can dominate me anytime :P

but . . . . 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:35 GMT

Coat

In a conundrum, who does The Moderatrix turn to for answers ???

/mines the one you have to ask about

Tuna 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:35 GMT

Stop

I'm often stumped by which variety of tuna to buy. I'm a bit indifferent to the taste, it's all the same with mayo. So which will make me a healthier person/a better global citizen/smell less? Brine, spring water, sunflower oil or olive oil?

Can I have some money? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:36 GMT

Happy

Please??

is there more than showers 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:37 GMT

Coat

Even after having a shower women won't sleep with me, is there anything else I can do. Hang on, have to go just found a new half life mod,

How do I get to meet the Eee beach blonde? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:39 GMT

And shouldn't she have her own icon?

Green or an oily film? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:43 GMT

Boffin

Considering that without atmospheric CO2 Earth would be an iceball and that all the fossil stored CO2 will be used up at some point, I am failing to buy into this whole eco-group-think.

Should I continue with my petrol-fuelled beliefs, or should I become and eco-nut?

Good vibrations 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:47 GMT

Thumb Up

Dear Moderatrix,

I have a slight recurring problem, which happens every day, without fail, just as my bus arrives (as I'm heading in to work). There is a particularly bumpy bit of road just before my stop, and as the bus goes over it, it rattles my cage and...er... sends my genitalia into an excited state. It's very embaressing getting off the bus and walking through the street with alert genitals in my pants.

I have tried various solutions - covering it with a newspaper, walking with my jacket held over my arm (even in rainy weather), but nothing can hide it's presence. It's especially embaressing when I realise a colleague of mine is disembarking the bus at the same time as me, and we have to walk side by side to work - 200 metres with a stiffy :|

Apart from not taking the bus, how do I get round this embaressing situation (no permanent solutions please though, I still need him alert for the missus)?

-Stiffy

What did I do wrong? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:54 GMT

Coat

I grew up as a geek / nerd (Depending on your definition of both)

I watch sci-fi, I can debate the intricacies of technology differences between Star Trek and Star Wars, I have been known to read a comic or two, and have certainly been known to roll a D20 or two in my time. I can diagnose a computer with my eyes shut, and have a variety of OS's running on my home computer cluster.

Yet somehow I managed to get a wife and child (that's right my fellow reg readers, I have had sex and have the proof to back that claim up), I'm not shunned from parties and have been known to give a speech without resorting to techno babble. Heck if it comes to it, I'm also known to have a shower more than once a month! (No seriously, like everyday or something, I know it's wrong but I can't stop)

So the question is what did I do wrong? Where did I lose my way on the track of life known as geekdom? How did I de-rail and join 'society'? How can I hope to get back to the right way of life?

Please Moderatrix (OK, Sarah if you insist) share with me your wisdom, tell me how I should proceed, I feel like I'm letting the team down.

Who... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:56 GMT

Coat

moderates the Moderatrix?

Or should the question really be; Who would DARE moderate the moderatrix?

The one with "Whip me mistress!" and "Thank you, may I have another?" on the back.

@ Mark_T 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 13:58 GMT

Thumb Up

Sounds exactly like usenet, just after AOL started up. You missed Godwin's law, however, which needs it's own category.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

Good morning - It's Groundhog Day ! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:00 GMT

Joke

Reg Comments seems to be taking on a life of its own. However most of the time it's just like Groundhog Day with the same content regardless of the story.

Can we have a clear classification system for posters?

The "Me Too" - Nothing to say so I'll agree with someone else just to get a posting on the board.

The "Knocker" - Doesn't know the subject that well but that smug know-it-all who does needs taking down a peg or two!

The "Last one Laughing" - Take everything literally and suffers a total humour failure

The "First Past The Post" - Reads every other word in 10 sec flat and posts inflammatory drivel in a surge of adrenalin.

The "Troll" - The traditional stirrer position

There are more of course. I think this system could really streamline the comments

:o)

I'm stuck 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:02 GMT

Jobs Halo

I'm stuck in a joke with no prospects. I need to get a better joke, one that will pay a lot more money, and earn me the respect I deserve.

The Bridgekeeper 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:03 GMT

Thumb Up

Moderatrix,

What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Void? OK. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:07 GMT

Well, you did ask....

According to Miyamoto Musashi, the Kensei, in his seminal work "Go Rin No Sho":

"In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness."

Should we therefore aspire to the state of void, where virtue is present but "evil" is not, where virtue thus becomes meaningless due to the absence of its opposite - or should we abstain from the void state, in order to allow virtue to have meaning?

Whats comes first? the socks or the pants! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:08 GMT

Given that X=Y and the world is round, can you tell me if its a sin to put your socks on before putting on underpants? I come to this critical point every morning of my life and can not determine if putting socks on first will send me to hell or will open my eyes to a greater good of tackle in the wind with cosy feet.

Please Help!

Definitions... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:09 GMT

I have a tight golden ring with 6 prongs three point up three point down..

Is it a hexapod or a tripod?

How many roads must a man walk down... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:14 GMT

Boffin

... before he gets run over?

Paranoia... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:14 GMT

I was a teenage bot master and now I see ginger midgets everywhere, is it Scientologists, the FBI, CEOP, Hazel Blears, or should I just lay off the weed?

Help... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:15 GMT

Jobs Horns

I appear to have become entangled in Apple's Reality Distortion Field. It's rather disturbing, and very very shiny. Is there a way out?

<jedi> this isnt the title you're looking for </jedi> 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:17 GMT

Alien

Is this just like Ask Elvis on Steve Wright in the afternoon?

Some Questions 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:18 GMT

Go

1) When will the Playmobil dioramas be available on Cash & Carrion?

2) Can the moderatrix questions/answers be done in the form of a Playmobil diorama?

3) Why don't we ever hear of 418 fraudsters? Is that the section covering selling an animal at the fair that's trained to return to you?

Have to say though, the moderatrix sounds like someone who'd jury rig a taser out of a harpoon gun and a scalextric controller

What do I want to be 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:19 GMT

when I grow up?

Spam, spam, spam... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:23 GMT

Do spammers get spam?

Timezone problem 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:27 GMT

If you are in Niue at 23:30 on, for example, a Monday, and you call someone at Kiribati, at Kiribati it's already Wednesday, 00:30. What would happen if you said your friend "See you tomorrow"? Would you ever meet him/her?

Two things. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:30 GMT

1. I think I'd like to marry Sarah.

2. As Carl Sagan so elequantly put it:

<regarding a photograph of Earth taken from the Voyager probe>

"Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader," every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there--on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam."

So my life might be a mess, but it really does not matter. Sarah, you and I, we're stardust baby - we belong together! You bring the whips and I'll provide the astronomical observation equipment.

Where does your lap go.. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:31 GMT

Go

when you stand up?

2b||!2b 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:35 GMT

I'm not sure where my fingers have been, should I lick them?

Have merci! Please help! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:35 GMT

I've secretly consulted Wikipedia although El Reg told us it is evil. Will I become a liar and a cheater? Will I burn in Hell (trickle, trickle, trickle)? Are you going to bite my hand, too? Does El Reg sell Reality Wafers (TM) to spare me from disinfosease?

If El Reg could chuck wood 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:36 GMT

Stop

How Zotted is El Reg going to get when the Usenet Oracle finds out about this?

Will Sarah Bee the new Lisa?

Are you prepared for the deluge of questions about woodchucks?

Why is a cow?

Sorry. I'm older than I look.

You Sooooooo asked for this 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:37 GMT

Stop

Oh Reg what hast thou unleashed ?

You didn't see all this coming ?

RE: Senor Beavis

Ya, thanks, nice one ;oP~~~~

Questions 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:41 GMT

Is it hypocritical for vegans to keep pets?

Would/should an environmentalist, given the ability, go back in time and stop the asteroid hitting the earth which destroyed the dinosaur's environment, allowing the human strand of evolution to flourish?

Strippers? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:42 GMT

Paris Hilton

If a stripper gives you her number(and its real) why wont she return your calls?

@Sarah Bee 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:43 GMT

I'm sick and tired of acronyms. What is this VOID you speak of?

Why 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:43 GMT

does El Reg not have a Moderatrix Icon?

Please help! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:46 GMT

Boffin

I've just moved into a new flat with a member of the opposite sex, and I'm not sure how to confess my addiction to Eve Online. I've managed to hide it up until now, but we've discussed PC gaming and she thinks the only people doing it are "internet wierdos"

I'm dreading the first time burst into the room and catches me typing away, with my headset on, discussing ship fittings. Should I have some pr0n or something open in the background so I can switch to that and not get busted?

Please help!!

ps 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:47 GMT

Why don't any shops sell Nestle Crunch bars any more?

The woodchuck corollary... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:48 GMT

Never mind the woodchucks.

How much ham would hamster stir if a hamster had stirred ham?

Endless questions.... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:52 GMT

In the article "Google kills Anonymous AdSense account" how did they know the account name?

Is it hypocritical for vegans to kill their crabs?

Why are all laptop screens ludicrously glossy?

Home 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:54 GMT

Thumb Up

What time can I leave without everyone who hasn't left thinking "what a slacker"?

Ultimate question? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:55 GMT

Forty Two

I'm paranoid 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:59 GMT

Are they really out to get me?

And why should i trust you?

Why? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:59 GMT

Unhappy

Why is orange jam called marmalade?

Why do cricketers wear long trousers in the summer and footballers wear shorts in the winter?

how many colours are there really in a rainbow? why no brown, silver or gold?

Why is the sky blue? Is the blue you see the same as the blue I see?

Why does my agency always pay some seeming random amount that bears no relation to the invoice amount, except that it's always less than invoice amount?

What has happened to the £20k* per person a year public spending increase over the last 10 years, and can I get mine back?

* Approx £1.2 Trillion, approx 60 million people.

Oh, and shower or not. There's no sex.

@Carl Sagan 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 14:59 GMT

Joke

Carl, how many times do I have to remind you, stay out of the Total Perspective Vortex!

Share and Enjoy!

Duck question 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:02 GMT

If a duck plucker died, would you call it "The Fall of the Duck" or

(and think now)

Would you say the plucker ran out of ducks and they called it "Duck Plucker's Luck"?

If I say something, seemingly intelligent.... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:05 GMT

Paris Hilton

If I say something, seemingly intelligent at work and my wife doesn't hear me... Am I still wrong ?

Paris - because that's what my wife looks like - If i really squint and look at her sideways!

Deadlined dates 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:10 GMT

I couldn't help but notice that the hugelely important (though unannounced) deadlines-o-death are always set to the day after planned dates (thus voiding the latter.). Can you help me?

Society 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:11 GMT

Alert

Given what goes on today (we read about most of it on here), would you say that society (and perhaps human nature) is self destructive?

If so, have a stab at explaining why.

Kiwi's 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:12 GMT

Alert

What is the plural of Kiwi fruit?

@ Jay, The Bridgekeeper 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:16 GMT

Coat

Jay asked "what is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?".

To clarify, since we all know what the inevitable response to that will be, may I merely add that the question is meaningless unless one is prepared to ask the next logical question in the sequence, to wit;

"Is that a european or african swallow?". This can of course be followed with the sage statement that "African swallows are non-migratory".

Therefore, in all fairness to the Moderatrix, to save lot of time, one should merely sk the stream-lined version of the conundrum, namely:

"What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen, migratory european swallow?".

/ Mines the one with the chainmail, armour and tabard that is NOT covered in shit.

Good morning - It's Groundhog Day ! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:18 GMT

Joke

Reg Comments seems to be taking on a life of its own. However most of the time it's just like Groundhog Day with the same content regardless of the story.

Can we have a clear classification system for posters?

The "Me Too" - Nothing to say so I'll agree with someone else just to get a posting on the board.

The "Knocker" - Doesn't know the subject that well but that smug know-it-all who does needs taking down a peg or two!

The "Last one Laughing" - Take everything literally and suffers a total humour failure

The "First Past The Post" - Reads every other word in 10 sec flat and posts inflammatory drivel in a surge of adrenalin.

The "Troll" - The traditional stirrer position

There are more of course. I think this system could really streamline the comments

:o)

Dear Moderatrix 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:19 GMT

Coat

if a wood chuck cold chuck wood, how much wood would a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood?

how do they get the sripes in stripey toothpaste?

is this a question?

is hell exothermic or endothermic?

why?

right that should do it, I'm off to specially prepared positions in the rear

fnark!

So... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:25 GMT

Given that climate change is causing the world to experience more and more extreme weather, fossil fuels are running out, the world's population is spiralling out of control, the socio-political climate is causing food and energy prices to rise... why are hot dogs sold in packs of 10 while hot dog buns are sold in packs of eight?

Prospective Future 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:25 GMT

Linux

There's good money to be made as a web developer, and I'm fairly decent at it. The problem is that I've lost almost all interest in that career. It's a wonderful hobby, but working on the designs laid out by my company is nothing short of tedious and droll.

On the other side of the coin, I'm not really that great at anything else. Oh I'm moderately proficient in other areas, but I only excel in the IT world. Should I abandon all caution and start a career in something I might not be very good at? Or should I buckle down, stop whining, and be a code monkey?

Icon because it's the only creature that might understand my plight.

This page needs one 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:28 GMT

Alert

Will the Internet ever get a 'punch user in the face' button, so we can deal with trolls and spammers the old-fashioned way?

Taking my work home with me 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:29 GMT

Unhappy

I am a software developer and my job regularly requires me to quickly identify problems in any solution that someone proposes.

Unfortunately this way of thinking has kind of become ingrained. And now whenever my girlfriend asks me a question, I will immediately respond with something like "we can't possibly do that because...".

She says I'm being negative. I say I'm being logical. What can I do to change?

Help me please!

* P.S. Sometimes it can be a useful trait. An example of this is "We can't possibly go to stay with your parents this weekend because there isn't much tyre tread left on your car/I will be hungover/we can't afford it/I have foot and mouth disease"

Classification system for posters? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:29 GMT

Check out Flame Warriors:

http://www.flamewarriors.com/index.htm

Sarah Bee 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:30 GMT

Happy

What are the chances i can get a date with the lovely Sarah Bee?

Is this like "notes and swearies"? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:30 GMT

Gates Horns

Can you recommend any office-safe insults, for when some one is just plainly a complete **** ****ing ****-bubble of a ****head but you would quite like to continue being paid by them?

@Sarah Bee aka Domina... err Moderatrix 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:33 GMT

Your failure to respond to my question regarding the meaning of the acronym 'VOID' has left me with an empty feeling.

@2b||!2b 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:38 GMT

Thumb Up

Never mind, I licked them. Let me know if you're interested and I'll tell you what they tasted of.

@ Math Campbell 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:45 GMT

Your postulation regarding swallow flight is fallacious if air density/pressure is ignored.

Dear Moderatrix: 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:49 GMT

I am an Illustrator/Graphic Designer and the sole Mac-user in an office full of PCs running predominantly Windows 2000 and XP. Somehow, I have found myself in the position of being the department's Alpha-Geek and having people come to me to solve their computer problems for them, rather than waiting for a call to the MIS HellDesk to be answered. MIS has me explicitly included as an Administrator on a number of the computers here.

Short of causing someone grievous bodily harm or inducing their computer to start playing a disco remix of "The Song That Never Ends" at threshold-of-pain levels, how do I get them to stop waking me up... uh... that is... stop keeping me from my regular work?

NB: They DO appear to have enough native cunning (or naiveté) that the sign on my door that says "Beware of the Leopard" doesn't seem to dissuade them. Should I get an actual leopard? If so, how do I get around the fact that this is not a "pet-friendly" workplace?

Chirpy Breakfast Companion 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:52 GMT

Go

Given that God is infinite, and that the universe is also infinite, would you like a toasted tea cake?

Why hasn't Web 2.0 validated me? 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:53 GMT

Unhappy

Why is it that no matter how many online forums I post on, I never get any responses flattering enough to validate my existence? I've tried all sorts of witticisms and pop-culture references, and yet still, at the end of the day, nobody seems to care. I've even pointed out people's grammatical and spelling mistakes, but nobody ever thanks me for it. Is my brilliance is too nuanced and subtle? Do I have to wait for Web the Third, or should I give Twitter a twirl?

Twanks.

Re: Chirpy Breakfast Companion 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:56 GMT

(Written by Reg staff.)

Heh. It had to happen.

@ Math Campbell 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:57 GMT

Oi! Who died and made *you* King!?

Tuna.. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 15:57 GMT

Coat

When fishermen catch dolphin-friendly tuna, how do they know which tuna are being friendly to dolphins?

@ Capt'n Wotsit 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:03 GMT

Paris Hilton

To pre-empt Moderatrix:

First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time.. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving.. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell.. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.

This gives two possibilities:

1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.

2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.

So, which is it?

If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, 'It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you', and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct.......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting 'Oh my God'..

Paris, because she looks like Teresa...

Please help 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:06 GMT

What's better; Windows or Linux?

@ Sarah... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:07 GMT

Paris Hilton

I tried staring into the void whilst standing briefly at the coffee counter this morning but all I could visualise was a picture of Sarah Beenys breasts.

I might add though that by my vacant expression, I was accused of taking the piss out of the Polish counter staff.

Paris - because she is no Sarah Beeny.

@mike2R 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:08 GMT

Happy

"Given that God is infinite, and that the universe is also infinite, would you like a toasted tea cake?"

Wrong question. It should be :

Given that God doesn't exist, and that the universe very, very, very big but not infinite, what's the difference between a crumpet and a pikelet?

Yo-yo 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:09 GMT

Why does my body weight fluctuate by around 7-8 pounds a week. It has an upper and a lower bound which I've stayed in between for years but it moves between one and the other in a matter of a couple of days. What's up? Am I ill? I'm sure it' not dehydration. I don't drink alcohol and I eat a healthy diet.

Thank you.

just a few 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:18 GMT

Thumb Up

1) How can I convince myself that the need for shiny gadgets does not override the need to eat?

2) even after showering, shaving and adopting contacts rather than my joe 90's i'm still not getting any. should I actually try talking to a woman or is that taking it too far?

3) is the ability to feel smug in most sciency / techy conversations really worth the crushing social inadequacy?

4) trek or wars?

The Salady Lingers On 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:20 GMT

Boffin

Dear Moderatrix,

As you will be aware, Marks and Spencers offer an Italian Salad which comes complete with three sachets in the tub; pine nuts, parmesan shavings, and a pesto dressing. I never know whether I should add the pine nuts before or after the dressing to maximise my eating satisfaction, although I am fairly happy with the idea that the parmesan should be scattered on last, immediately prior to consumption. On more than one occasion I have spent so long trying to decide, that by the time I get to eating, the salad leaves are no longer crispy. I’m sure you’re experienced in this sort of thing, so what would you do with the nuts to address my limp rocket problem?

Thanks in anticipation,

HT

Uummm 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:23 GMT

Could you lend me twenty quid till the end of the month?

Stupid Me 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:28 GMT

"Tomorrow, our famed comments Moderatrix will provide strict guidance for those of you struggling to cope."

Passed right by that. When I read your VOID comment I got excited at the prospect of an answer and failure to note above statement resulted in expression of disappontment when answer did not arrive forthwith.

My head, previously only filled with the VOID now possesses a trace of hope.

Would it be presumptuous of me to call you 'trix?

I was actually asked this yesterday... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:43 GMT

Boffin

In the eyes of a 2 year old child a sheep could be described as a cloud if the child had never encounted a sheep before, what could the child describe a cow as??

Had me stumped for a day, but that is just me....

dilbert and caffeine 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 16:50 GMT

Heart

why does my work place feels more like a dilbert comic strip everyday?

why does everybody i know work in IT or teach?

and most importantly am i drinking to little caffeine ? i have about 20 cups of tea a week and 10 to 15 coffee's plus a minimum of 500ml of coke a day. as an sysems engineer i some times wonder if this is to little as i know we IT engineers(like jurno's) are supposed to live on the stuff. any suggests about upping or lowering my in take ?

heart cause this stuffs got to be bad for it.

@Yo-yo 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:04 GMT

What's the point of having your healthy and boring life. Get drunk. Get lardy food. Get women! But take a shower first.

But please, stop whining.

Crap, what am I doing here? It's pub-o'clock already!

EAfH

@Chirpy Breakfast Companion 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:06 GMT

Happy

'no'

'ah, so your a waffle man!!!'

@Yo-yoing AC 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:06 GMT

Gravity fluctuations due to solar flares. That, or you should stop eating bowling balls for dessert (I know, they're yummy, but still). Also, stop looking at your scale every couple of days.

@Yo-Yo 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:08 GMT

Happy

If you are not dehydrating It doesn't

Or you are an " Proper " runner banging out 140+ miles per week in training

Or your scales are buggered

Very simple 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:09 GMT

This has been troubling me for quite some time, and I fear that the question may haunt me until my dying days:

Which animal is better: Friesian cows or English badgers?

Your help would be most appreciated.

My cat is a perv. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:11 GMT

Alert

Sometimes my cat stares at me when I'm, you know, exercising my wrist. Am I traumatizing him? I make a point of not watching him while he's humping the throw pillows but sometimes I get the feeling he wants me to- it's creepy. Anyways, what do you think? New cat?

I've run out of drive screws 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:13 GMT

And I'm building an old machine out of spare parts so I can play Messiah and Future Shock. Rather than waiting a few days to be able to play my games, should I instead use what I've discovered to be the world's greatest adhesive - a combination of laminate plastic and female sweat.

Also, should I reveal exactly *how* I discovered the world's greatest adhesive?

Here's a simple one... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:16 GMT

How can I get 8 hours of sleep per day, wake up refreshed and on time whin I go to bed at 2300 or later and need to get up at 0600 and the alarm has serious issues a on getting any other response than a hit with whatevere is available...

A java related question 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:22 GMT

Unhappy

Since I'm the only guy at work who understands Java, why does the rest of the engineering staff lock me in a corner and refuse to let me out to meet customers?

PS I have showered..... once

What I really wanna know is 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:37 GMT

If I ask 10 women to show me their jubs, what will be the slap/exposure/slap+exposure ratio? And which category would you fall into?

Shower Fraud 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 17:44 GMT

That bit about having a shower is a complete and utter waste of time. I've told all kinds of women that I own a shower and not one of them has gone to bed with me.

@Michael_t 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 18:05 GMT

Joke

I would agree with your list except the last one. I defy you to show me a real troll in these comments. Those who would in ordinary venues be considered trolls are here celebrities and are not terribly effective (amanfromMars, Webster Phreaky, Andrew).The articles stir the s**t we just have to react and vitriol flows.

This One Keeps Me Up At Night... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 18:12 GMT

Alert

What do lemmings know that we don't?

Anon with IT Angle in his Pocket. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 18:16 GMT

IT Angle

How do I turn my vast and mostly useless knowledge of current and legacy computing systems into a valid business case for getting women to find me irresistable?

Is your moderatrix really a 45 year old man living in his moms basement with an uncanning knowledge of the finder points of warhammer?

Is that an IT angle in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?

Should I buy the current generation of the EEE, or always wait for the next model until I am too old to remember why I wanted a Banana in the first place?

How can I finish my quest of correcting everyone who are wrong on the internet?

Did you ever own one of the more flattering models of the C64, and if so, could you post any pictures of it? (e.g. C64 or GTFO)

Anon, because my future employers will probably know how to google.

Paris Hilton 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 18:22 GMT

Paris Hilton

I just don't get it.

Why do other men find her attractive? I find her repulsive. Is it her money?

Something 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 18:27 GMT

Heart

I just wish to add my own comment to the general surge of admiration for Sarah ;¬)

This probably counts as "Me Too" in the nascent classification system.

Politics 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 18:41 GMT

Thumb Up

So who's the biggest bunch of arseholes... the government of Burma or Zimbabwe?

Dear Moderatrix 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 18:48 GMT

How do I get this ubuntu off my shoe?

If a man speaks in a forest and there's no woman there to hear him 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 19:19 GMT

Boffin

is he still wrong?

Fantasies of Moderatrix 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 19:24 GMT

Stop

How and why do so many of us dream of the lovely Moderatrix when we've scarce seen a picture of her? Her wit does surely show a lass with some degree of intellect, perhaps we are all just lust-hounds for an educated girl?

Where's the picture? WE WANT PICTURES!!!! >>> Please.

Here's a Real One 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 19:29 GMT

Flame

I've got my first job interview tomorrow, what do I do?

Hello, Sarah Bee! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 20:08 GMT

Heart

Must admit, I'm a big fan of your work!

As I understand it, you were in Shaun of the Dead. Could you tell us which bit, so I can point at the screen and shout, "THAT'S SARAH BEE!"? Thanks!

Yo-yo 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 20:45 GMT

More information might help.

When I lwoke up 7 am today I weighed 13 stone 8 pounds.

Intput/output diary:

7:01 am peepee. volume: 15 seconds worth.

7:15 am approx. 500ml cold water from fridge.

7:40 am Everybody loves Raymond advert break, ate a pear.

8:20 am 1 skimmed milk cappuccino (sp.?) and 3 Marlboro lights outside cafe near work.

9:15 am Pack of M&S chicken and sweetcorn sandwiches (with the healthy eating sunflower on), cup of Earl gray and glass of sparkling water,

9:19 am Burp.

10:48 am Poo.

11:15 am approx 250 ml cold water.

12:00 pm Miso soup and tuna & salmon junior from Itsu.

12:45 pm approx 250ml room temperature water.

2:19 pm Columbian coffee machine coffee.

2:39 pm Peepee.

2:42 pm Marlboro light.

2:51 pm Apple.

4:47 pm aprrox. 250 ml cold water.

5:01 pm Marlboro light.

7.16 pm Peepee.

7:25 pm Lemon sole fillet x 2, mixture of salad leaves, lots of asparagus, 2x bottles of Becks alcohol-free.

7:48 pm Peepee.

8:19 pm Cornetto.

8:43 pm Ejaculation.

9:11 pm cup of chamomile (sp.?) tea.

Now I weigh 13 stone 3 pounds.

According to Shoe (the cartoon).. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 20:54 GMT

Joke

.. I already have the answer to "what is a good name for a sushi bar for lawyers".

It's Sosumi..

Dear Moderatrix... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 21:25 GMT

Happy

Please help me, I'm an undervalued software developer and I can’t stop writing pubic void when I should be writing public void. Am I suppressing something, should I learn a language that does not use the pubic keyword?

Please help,

Sexually Frustrated.

@yoyo 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 21:40 GMT

You're full of shit some days, and others not...

Question 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 21:50 GMT

Heart

If I have sex with my hoover, will it give birth to a cleaner?

If not, do you want to come round and tidy my flat instead?

Hope you can help,

Regards,

Steven "What is this shower you speak of? Surely, tis as if man has become god" Raith

PS: I'm so badly tempted to make some kind of smutty comment about staring into the void, but I do worry that Ms Bees pseudo-S+M connotations would be replaced by plain violence if I did that.

PPS: I make them ask nicely before I stare into the void. My that's a well aimed hammer Ms Bee *splunch*

bog reading 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 21:54 GMT

Which IEEE or ISO standards can you recommend for my toilet library ?

Never mind the woodchucks. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:17 GMT

The real question is..

How many pies can a porpoise poise on purpose if it pleases

(yes I know it dates me)

Comments here are pointless, heinous and horrible... 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:18 GMT

Thumb Down

...like watching animal liberation front members trying to free infected hamsters from Porton Down.

OK a big one 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:19 GMT

Been bugging me for years this. Was the answer really 42?

My real question: 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:20 GMT

Heart

I've heard rumor that it is perfectly legal to engage in extra-hour activity in public in France; as long as you don't manage to ... leave anything behind on public property. Is this true?

And given the accuracy of the average couple in full swing, would falling asleep on a park bench in France make me a whore?

Mine's the one that sticks.

@RKP 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:32 GMT

Pictures? You want Pictures?

Well your obviously either not an avid Reg reader, or have a very poor memory, I believe you'll find some pictures of el Moderatrix in the article on El Reg's 10th Birthday.

I would include the link, but well, I'm feeling evil, and seeing if you can use the search function properly.

P.S. Nice glasses El Moderatrix....

Pervy cat 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:41 GMT

ROFLCOPTERS

Ms. BEE, have you seen Touching the Void?

real question 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:43 GMT

when im drink i find java too complicated and girls very attractive

when im sober i find java very interesting and girls very unattractive

i can understand the java thing, but why are girls so unattractive when im sober?

Lust-hound for an educated girl.. 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 22:44 GMT

IT Angle

.. yup! That's me. Why else would I be signed up to Guardian SoulMates, eh? LOL

;¬)

Another question for the inimitable Ms Bee 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 23:03 GMT

Paris Hilton

I have a very good lady friend in the US who is very much into me. I have lady friends who are very into me on this side of the Atlantic, but they are all quite unavailable.

Should I blow my VAT money on a ticket to the US, and shag her in ways which, should they be recorded, would now probably get a UK based viewer arrested?

Or should I continue on with the UK slog and carry on having half a dozen married women swear that they haven't got a clue as to why I am single?

Go on, lets hear your opinion on that one, m'dear!

Paris - because her video antics should be illegal too.

Steven R

Oh no there are photos 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 23:16 GMT

Flame

Be afraid guys...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/18/el_reg_birthday/

She looks mean :-0

Good morning - It's Groundhog Day ! 

Posted Thursday 15th May 2008 23:30 GMT

Joke

Reg Comments seems to be taking on a life of its own. However most of the time it's just like Groundhog Day with the same content regardless of the story.

Can we have a clear classification system for posters?

The "Me Too" - Nothing to say so I'll agree with someone else just to get a posting on the board.

The "Knocker" - Doesn't know the subject that well but that smug know-it-all who does needs taking down a peg or two!

The "Last one Laughing" - Take everything literally and suffers a total humour failure

The "First Past The Post" - Reads every other word in 10 sec flat and posts inflammatory drivel in a surge of adrenalin.

The "Troll" - The traditional stirrer position

There are more of course. I think this system could really streamline the comments

:o)

Problem 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 00:00 GMT

Heart

I have this girl I really like, it's going really well.

I've just got a problem. I haven't told her my dirty secret.

I'm, I'm, (swallow), an IT Manager.

I desperately love her, but I'm scared if I tell her my dirty secret she'll leave me for a "graphic artist" or some other tosser.

On the other hand, I'm scared she'll ask me one day to fix her computer, and find out my dirty secret anyway.

How do I approach this subject?

the Usenet Oracle has pondered your question: 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 00:06 GMT

"Are puppies crunchier than kittens?"

The Oracle answers: Ewwww!

"Strict Guidance"?! 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 00:19 GMT

Happy

Sounds like a business opportunity!

If you need any (ahem!) "equipment" to ensure the guidance is strict...!

I have a problem... 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 01:40 GMT

I live in Seattle (no, that's not the problem).

Several years ago, I was about to attend a relative's funeral, when the phone rang. It was my boss, at the plant hire company where I worked. He asked me to call in on their biggest client (a well known softare company), and check on a reported Aulacosternum Nigrorubrum infestation attacking the bonsai in the boardroom.

As it happened, they were interviewing candidates for a senior position that day, and mistook me for someone who, as I later discovered, was tragically killed in an electric toothbrush accident that same morning. The upshot is that I found myself being interviewed, and my observations on plant care were misconstrued as an insightful metaphor on maintaining bug free software.

So far I have been able to fake it, but now that a major release has taken place, my position as head of Product Testing is being threatened by some perceived inadequacies in the software.

What should I do?

What the dickens... 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 02:49 GMT

Happy

...am I doing reading this nonsense at nearly four in the morning?

I shall now retire, and wonder why so few Reg readers have real life problems that they are keen to share with a community of smutty, showerless and very occasionally witty people, few of whom know the function of the shift key, and who may indeed only have three fingers, given that they can't reach far enough left to find the apostrophe.

Good morning :)

Into the VOID 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 04:57 GMT

By Sarah Bee

"Come on, folks. Dig deeper. Stare into the void.

Into the VOID."

I looked up VOID and it the all knowing Interweb said...

–noun

8. an empty space; emptiness: He disappeared into the void.

9. something experienced as a loss or privation: His death left a great void in her life.

10. a gap or opening, as in a wall.

11. a vacancy; vacuum.

Does this mean that The Register is a vacuum, vacant or an opening?

If so, are we wasting time here and should I just stick to my slashdot overlords?

Are we able to ask more than one question?

If not, how will we know, as it's not the first one I asked?

Lastly, I think I have some Ubuntu on my shoe, it tastes a bit nutty. :S

I didn't respond yesterday ... 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 06:29 GMT

Coat

Because I was flying across the international date line from Los Angeles to Sydney. I went straight from the 14th to the 16th. Where was I on the 15th?

Mine's the coat with ... er, its just not there right now.

self restraint needed 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 06:59 GMT

Just how in the name of Dawkins can i stop my primal urges to choke the living sh1t out of stupid people?

Quick! they're coming to ask me questions again.. must .. not... reach... for .. gloves...

too late.

wy does evrey body critizie my spellng? 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 07:32 GMT

and how do I gte thme to stpo?

and 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 07:33 GMT

how can I make enought time to read all the el-reg articles and play world of warcraft and install linix and also do my job

re:Re: Chirpy Breakfast Companion 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 07:34 GMT

the next question is

"what the hell are you going to do about it"

is there threpory 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 07:34 GMT

for comment thred addiction??

The Rules 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 07:49 GMT

Every male knows the One Rule of the Gents:

Thou Shalt Not Speak To Another Man While You Both Are In The Bog.

For this is true and right and good. Most of the people I know who were brought up in civilized society, and even some Americans, know the rule.

A co worker doesn't. Upon seeing me engaged in the favoured pass-time of Dr. James Riddle he had the bare-faced cheek to address me by name! I didn't answer, but my observance of the rules didn't enlighten him. He continued, delving into some horribly boring technical support problem. I finished and brushed past the incompetent in a hurry to exit (men aware of the rules know better than to wash their hands), and he *carried on speaking*.

So, my question is thus: Just what revenge should I take for this gross breach of human decency?

Question 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 08:22 GMT

Why is there only one monopolies commission?

One of lifes big questions 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 08:49 GMT

Does tea cool at a linear rate ?

I mean - in the pre and post milk phase ?

will my tea cool quicker without milk or once the cooling effect of the milk itself is removed from the equation will it cool quicker from that lower tempreture ?

I really need to know

@One of lifes big questions 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 09:13 GMT

Boffin

Chris,

Liquids cool more quickly the hotter they are compared with their surroundings. So, for maximum cooling wait a few minutes then add the milk.

However, you are probably one of the iconoclasts who make tea with a tea-bag in a cup - Do yourself a favour and invest in a teapot. Making your tea in a cup will make it taste terrible. You really should put the milk in the cup first, then add the brewed tea. This prevents degradation of milk proteins which is liable to occur if milk encounters temperatures above 75°C.

Ref: http://www.rsc.org/pdf/pressoffice/2003/tea.pdf

Why does my nose run and my feet smell? 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 09:20 GMT

Coat

Why does my nose run and my feet smell?

Just wondered as it seems perverse.

@Jonathan Richards - Shift keys. 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 09:27 GMT

>few of whom know the function of the shift key

nO, i StIlL dOn'T gET It.

wHAt CoULd It bE FOr?

and sixthly 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 09:46 GMT

What genius launched a comment magnet like this article on a day when Sarah is just waiting for pub o'clock?

Re: and sixthly 

Posted Friday 16th May 2008 09:55 GMT

(Written by Reg staff.)

Truly it's a hard life, Sam.

Thanks all for these. Answers soon. Stop chewing on your nails, it is unsightly.

Don’t Miss

Warning: roadworksNetbooks and Mini-Laptops

Buyer's Guide They're little and we love 'em. But which ones are best?

SSL covers security embarrassments with EV figleaf

Whitepaper Helping you know scammers from Adam

Emails show journalist rigged Wikipedia's naked shorts

Overstock's Byrne vindicated amidst economic meltdown

Warning StopYours truly, angry mob

Book extract Bringing Nothing To The Party: Cleaning up the net, one satirical vigilante page at a time