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brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
10,665
18,217
North Alabama doesn't have the pronounced accent of the rest of the state. This is military, space and aeronautics, and International part of the state. This is where all of the rocket scientists live. You pretty much have to be a millionaire to live up there.

I see. Yeah, I'd say they could definitely retain fancy status then. This is all fascinating to me...trying to follow you dueling Alabamans. The only thing I know about Alabama is from the Skynyrd tune.

EDIT: Oh, and also from the Neil Young song...but Skynyrd refuted that.
 

cosmicfolklore

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 9, 2013
36,465
89,336
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
I see. Yeah, I'd say they could definitely retain fancy status then. This is all fascinating to me...trying to follow you dueling Alabamans. The only thing I know about Alabama is from the Skynyrd tune.

EDIT: Oh, and also from the Neil Young song...but Skynyrd refuted that.
I live in Central Alabama. Look up Mountain Brook, Vestavia, and Helena. North Alabama is where I grew up, but do not live. My uncle actually grew up going to school in a one room, k-12 school, and became one of NASA's first rocket scientists. This is Huntsville.

The rest of the state is on the government tit, supported by North and Central Alabama. These folks don't leave their decrepit towns, because they'd have to actually get jobs. puffy
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
23,036
58,803
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
Cursive is about as dead as Latin or Sanskrit and its only modern day use IMO is to teach mindfulness and how to form your signature. Like it or not society is now dependent on technology.
Latin still has its uses, though they seem to be largely ceremonial. Sanskrit certainly doesn't figure into my ordering from my local pizza delivery, so I can't argue there.

The dependence upon technology is all too real and probably contributing to societal brain atrophy. If something breaks in the house my son is all about "let's call someone" and I'm all about "hand me a wrench". Sure, there are times when it's efficient to call a pro, but a lot of stuff can be fixed efficiently by laymen.
 

cosmicfolklore

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 9, 2013
36,465
89,336
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
Like it or not society is now dependent on technology.
Actually, many people who have smart phones have started just leaving them at home these days. Except for when I am on here, I don't keep a phone on me. Devices just causes so much stress and unneeded strain in our lives.
Anything I have to write down, I write in cursive. There was a time when cursive was called "writing" and non-cursive was called "print." Printing takes about ten times as long to write something down, unless you're an absolute slob and don't care.

But, I can leave a note for my wife on paper and be out the door before someone could bring up the TM app and use big assed thumbs to type the same thing out. Technology just slows us down and makes people stupid.
You'll find that the happies most well balanced people don't carry technology around with them like the countless sheep who walk around staring at a brain draining reel feed.
 
Dec 9, 2023
1,958
27,074
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Actually, many people who have smart phones have started just leaving them at home these days. Except for when I am on here, I don't keep a phone on me. Devices just causes so much stress and unneeded strain in our lives.
Anything I have to write down, I write in cursive. There was a time when cursive was called "writing" and non-cursive was called "print." Printing takes about ten times as long to write something down, unless you're an absolute slob and don't care.

But, I can leave a note for my wife on paper and be out the door before someone could bring up the TM app and use big assed thumbs to type the same thing out. Technology just slows us down and makes people stupid.
You'll find that the happies most well balanced people don't carry technology around with them like the countless sheep who walk around staring at a brain draining reel feed.
I see we have a Luddite here lol 😂

I don’t disagree with much of your opinion I’m just stating my observations of the world. And for me, I’m much quicker lettering than writing in cursive and always have been. Had a teacher in grade school make the same claims about writing faster in cursive so I challenged her to a race which she accepted. I won. My lettering was good and legible. And she shut her hole and I moved forward with learning cursive.

I keep my smartphone on silent the majority of the time and when I’m out cycling or hiking I only take it out to check my location. It becomes overwhelming after a while.
 
Dec 9, 2023
1,958
27,074
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Latin still has its uses, though they seem to be largely ceremonial. Sanskrit certainly doesn't figure into my ordering from my local pizza delivery, so I can't argue there.

The dependence upon technology is all too real and probably contributing to societal brain atrophy. If something breaks in the house my son is all about "let's call someone" and I'm all about "hand me a wrench". Sure, there are times when it's efficient to call a pro, but a lot of stuff can be fixed efficiently by laymen.
I agree. But I cut a middle road and look up how to fix something online and then fix it.
 

cosmicfolklore

Moderator
Staff member
Aug 9, 2013
36,465
89,336
Between the Heart of Alabama and Hot Springs NC
I see we have a Luddite here lol 😂

I don’t disagree with much of your opinion I’m just stating my observations of the world. And for me, I’m much quicker lettering than writing in cursive and always have been. Had a teacher in grade school make the same claims about writing faster in cursive so I challenged her to a race which she accepted. I won. My lettering was good and legible. And she shut her hole and I moved forward with learning cursive.

I keep my smartphone on silent the majority of the time and when I’m out cycling or hiking I only take it out to check my location. It becomes overwhelming after a while.
One more reason to not rely too much on technology is that we have become 100% reliant on satellites for GPS. We dropped our ground based systems back when George W was president, while Russia and China beefed up their ground based systems.
Now :::cough cough::: Russia has nukes in orbit that could wipe out all satellites.

Also, for money, paying bills, and basic services, ask people in Western North Carolina if it is important to keep a cash based system. After natural disasters it may take up to three months to get basic services back up and going, and if you don't have cash, you'd better have something to trade.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
18,416
33,501
47
Central PA a.k.a. State College
I don't find it to be slow at all. As a matter of fact, cursive was originally taught in schools to be a FASTER way to write. I can absolutely write faster in cursive than I can print.
completely and that's actually the reason it's dying. Since everyone has devices that can speak to text or just type out words, the need for cursive is not considered (in my opinion accurately) as broadly helpful to the youngins. Also anyone that really wants to learn cursive can find and practice online pretty easy.
 
Dec 9, 2023
1,958
27,074
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
One more reason to not rely too much on technology is that we have become 100% reliant on satellites for GPS. We dropped our ground based systems back when George W was president, while Russia and China beefed up their ground based systems.
Now :::cough cough::: Russia has nukes in orbit that could wipe out all satellites.

Also, for money, paying bills, and basic services, ask people in Western North Carolina if it is important to keep a cash based system. After natural disasters it may take up to three months to get basic services back up and going, and if you don't have cash, you'd better have something to trade.
Meh. I can still read a compass and map and still own both. As for the rest of society, well we’re still trucking along, at least for now. Though I think you’ve mentioned one of your hobbies is being a prepper so I’ll make sure I send you a message via carrier pigeon if disaster strikes lol
 

brian64

Lifer
Jan 31, 2011
10,665
18,217
The rest of the state is on the government tit, supported by North and Central Alabama. These folks don't leave their decrepit towns, because they'd have to actually get jobs.

Seems like a pretty broad brush you're using there...but then I'm a native Arizonan, and the product of the public schools here. All of you Alabamans north or south are rocket scientists compared to us.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
23,036
58,803
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
I agree. But I cut a middle road and look up how to fix something online and then fix it.
Absolutely! I did that recently with my Jacuzzi.

Early on, before my career took off, I spent a few years doing construction and renovation, during which time I learned a bit about electrical, wiring, as well as plumbing, etc.

When I had my house in Glendale I rebuilt the horse barn in the back so that I could turn it into my painting studio as well as office. On the other hand, when I had the house repiped I called in plumbers as that was more efficient by far, then me doing it. Same with modernizing and improving the electrical, got in a master electrician. It's smart to know when to hold them and when to fold them.
 

Briar Lee

Lifer
Sep 4, 2021
6,958
23,522
Humansville Missouri
A benevolent psychopath ??? :rolleyes:

Forgive me , I have no psychiatric education , but doesn't the definition of a psychopath include ruthless devotion to SELF ? Other people are of no value , and are only to be cleverly used , manipulated & deceived to attain selfish goals ?

Please infer no sarcasm , I'm simply having trouble wrapping my head around your statement.........

Yes, there are benevolent psychopaths.

I was friends with one, if he had any friends.

No laughter, no smiles, no tears, and only Emmylou Harris might prompt him to say

She’s rather pretty with a nice voice.:)

Once we were negotiating a settlement and were talking $100,000 increments with the insurance company, and he said, what we call “points” is more than our clients will ever see in a lifetime in one place.

Let’s see if we can hold out for them another house.:)

In 2017 when the Las Vegas massacre happened another lawyer called me and wondered it if was Dick, until it became apparent he wasn’t there.:)

What empathy he had, I always considered fabricated for display.
 

Richmond B. Funkenhouser

Plebeian Supertaster
Dec 6, 2019
6,041
26,846
Dixieland
I see. Yeah, I'd say they could definitely retain fancy status then. This is all fascinating to me...trying to follow you dueling Alabamans. The only thing I know about Alabama is from the Skynyrd tune.

EDIT: Oh, and also from the Neil Young song...but Skynyrd refuted that.

Neil Young is quite relevant here I think.
 
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Hillcrest

Lifer
Dec 3, 2021
4,905
27,866
Connecticut, USA
Any time that I am required to sign legal documents I write my name. Do others simply print their names, or just use an X?
I write in cursive faster than I can print. I only print when writing notes to people who require printing. (;))
I still write with fountain pens as well and used to collect them for actual use. I have even ground some nibs to preferred Hebrew/Aramaic/Architect nib which is the opposite of italic. The old sheaffer cartridge pens of the 60s and 70s in fine point and extra fine point were factory architect nibs. I have a pronounced signature larger than my writing style and sign my full name in cursive out of habit. I wrote all of my notes in school in neat cursive - Palmer method I believe. In some countries there is a difference between a signed name signature and a signature ... which could be a pictograph ... I recall a gentleman from Nigeria providing both once on a form.