Completely random PS to borders post

[jack]

I remembered the point I forgot in the borders post! OK, I should just let it go, but I was trying to decypher my handwriting for ten minutes before, so I'm pleased I figured it out. But hopefully it will give me other things to talk about while I'm here.

Walking through town I intersected a group of about a dozen young people wearing slightly lacy black with 9 inch white Crosses[1] hanging round their necks.

I wasn't sure what they represented: a christian group? a goth group? a christian goth group? a bad taste party?

Which also makes me think: I know lots of really lovely goths, but I'm not really. The same goes for most *other* groups. How do I define myself?

[1] Is there a good word to use here to indicate a crucifix-shaped (and oriented) cross? Crucifix might imply it had a little man on, which it didn't, but they might have been addition signs or multiplication signs[2] or inverted crosses or St Peter crosses[3] or anything if I just said 'cross'

[2] Though in cambridge, whilst a more likely place than most to have multiplicative goths prading through the shopping arcades, would probably less likley use a 'x' as the symbol than "*", "." or "λx.λy.xy" (sp?)

[3] Which might *look* the same, but the inverted cross is more satanic :)

Comments

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

If I were a betting woman, I'd be willing to put a couple of quid on their being Catholics. I've seen a few Catholic young people's groups, and some of them go in for a distinctive look.

I like the idea of multiplicative goths. :-)

I don't define myself, personally. I just happen!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. It being fresher's week I nearly could have stopped and asked them. But they'd likely have been miffed by at least all but one of my assumptions :)

I like the idea of multiplicative goths. :-)

Indeed. And how else would you get more goths? :)

[simont]

Multiplicative goths, of course, are precisely what you find in a goth group...

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Wrong time of day for them to be commuting, though...

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

Yes, but they don't have to be Abelian goths.

[senji.livejournal.com]

They aren't black and equivilent to Zorn's Lemon then?

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

*shakes head* I don't get the reference, unfortunately. Sorry!

[mair_in_grenderich]

*looks smug*

I do :p

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*puts in box*

:)

[mair_in_grenderich]

aw. you're so good to me.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*feeds chocolate snacks into box*

[mair_in_grenderich]

*munches*

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

*pats head*

*takes for walk*

*fits collar*

[mair_in_grenderich]

aw. why the collar? I'm very good when I'm being taken for walks.

*begs for more chocolate*

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

aw. why the collar? I'm very good when I'm being taken for walks.

It's the law? I'm not even sure I'm allowed to import flurbles into the country *at all*, they must be an unrecognised specied :)

*begs for more chocolate*

*feeds*

*trains* :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

*searches for flurbles*

Here's an even better question: How does a flurble...?
(What's that? You don't know what a flurble is? And you don't know what the "..." stands for? Well! Perhaps that wasn't a better question after all.)

and

When you're doing physics research, what would you say if someone told you that you have to admit that flurbles possibly exist? You'd probably ask what they are - how can you research something, or admit to anything about it - without being told what you're talking about? But you're told that flurbles are just flurbles, and any attempt to define, describe or understand them would lead to them no longer being flurbles.
My response would probably be to point out that if that's the case, then the definition of a flurble is that which ceases to exist once defined, and now that I've defined it, it no longer exists. QED.

and

This is the equivalent of demanding that sex shops don't have the words
"Sex Shop" on the outside in case they upset somebody. But if you call
them Flurble shops instead, that same somebody is going to walk in to ask
what a flurble is and get the shock of their life.

I'd be careful, checking up on the species, if I were you :)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

ROFL.

Thought (1) We often investigate things we don't know what they are, when we have a sometimes individual, sometimes group, intuitive understanding...

(2) I can get flurbles from sex shops??

[mair_in_grenderich]

I rather the post was implying the other way. But why don't you go and look?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I can get sex shops from flurbles? How many do you have?

[mair_in_grenderich]

ssssh, I don't tell people about my chain of, uh, bookshops. it might interfere with my phd funding.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

My PS posts are always the most interesting to people, apparently...

[senji.livejournal.com]

Well, there's a traditional mathematician joke that goes What's green and commutes? // An Abelian Grape. Another traditional mathematician joke is What's yellow and equivilent to the axiom of choice? // Zorn's Lemon.

Among some groups it is seen as funny to cross the two jokes.

[miss-next.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :-)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

s/the two/as many as possible of that sort of/ :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

How do I define myself?

Hmmm, yes. I'm Naath CartesianDaemon. I don't fit into boxes...

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I have an idea for a photo...

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Does it involve me not being in a box?

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Actually any or all of you or Naath succeeding or failing at fitting in a box would do.

[mair_in_grenderich]

I'm Catrin. I fit in a box (and I'm Carole, and I fit in a (phone) box!)

[ewx.livejournal.com]

Phone boxen are cheating.

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

We're Wild Hunt and 10 of us fit in a phone box all at once, with space for more...

[mair_in_grenderich]

peeeeeeeeeectures!

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

As soon as I can get them off Tony and onto the Wild Hunt website will let you know...

[fluffle.livejournal.com]

spreading photos of me without permission, how could you! :P

[mair_in_grenderich]

<a href="[etc]">It's Cat!</a>

there, now you can do it too!

[senji.livejournal.com]

That sounds like a challenge.

[mair_in_grenderich]

oh yeah. I think the word you want is "cruciform".

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ooh, information! Thank you.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Lots of crosses to be found here, naturally. I think you want "Christian cross, also known as the Latin cross or crux ordinaria".

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

:(

OK, thank you.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

No, "cruciform" just means "cross-shaped". A plus-sign is cruciform. Chromosomes are cruciform.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Ah, ok. Nevermind.

OTOH, it might have the right connotations

[ptc24.livejournal.com]

I once saw someone refer to what I thought were hexadecimal goths, but those were OxGoths and not 0xGoths.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Awww!