Hi, Dave. I know you're a stickler for what you deem correct words, but our language is filled with metaphors. One is metonymy, which refers to an item that stands for something larger. When we say, "He lived by the sword and died by the sword," we're saying he lived and died as a warrior. You disparaged the idea of a steering wheel to mean a car, but lots of people say "wheels" for a car. For whatever reason, "wheels" has entered the language as a metaphor for a car, while "steering wheel" has not.
If you genuinely misunderstood your boss, that's one thing. But if you were baiting him (as we say in America) or taking the mickey (as we say in England), you were actually demonstrating a lack of appreciation of how language works.
I say this with respect. I share your concern for using words correctly so that we can understand each other, but I think you're mistaken in this instance and couldn't let your story go without comment. Apologies to the list monitor, and I promise to contribute no more messages to this thread.
----- Original Message ----- From: "dave-d0619" <dave-d0619@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 2:59 PM So many people these days, particularly Americans, confuse what is a CPU.A CPU, is not a substitute name for the box that contains the devices that make up a machine that is called a computer.
A CPU or (Central Processing Unit), is a chip that is plugged onto motherboards of many digital devices, including computers.
A Central Processor's job, is to distribute data and commands to the various components for many of the various digital devices we all use in our daily lives.
So, when someone calls a computer a CPU, they are incorrect. Some years ago, my boss asked me to bring my CPU to the conference room.Not knowing, that in the US, many Americans call a computer a CPU and, knowing what a CPU was, I proceeded to open my computer and removed the CPU chip from the mother board, put it into an anti-static pouch, and took it to the conference room. By the way, I had not yet turned on my computer that day.
My boss asked me "where is your CPU". I said, "hold out your hand". He asked me "why". I repeated that he should hold out his hand. When he put out his hand, I placed the bag containing the CPU chip into it. He asked, "what is this?" I said, "as you asked me to bring my CPU, that is what I have brought you". He said, "I meant the whole machine"."Ah!", I said, "you meant that I should have brought the whole machine, which, by the way, is called a computer, to the conference room".
He accused me of being sarcastic and he went on to say that I new exactly what he meant.
I replied, "if you ask a person who knows what a CPU is and you ask them to bring you a CPU, then, that is what they will bring you".
I went on to say, "if you called a car a steering wheel, instead of a car, and you then asked a mechanic to bring you the steering wheel, would you have been just as surprised if the mechanic brought you a Steering Wheel!"
He then said I was being facetious.I took the bag from his hand and letting out a big sigh, I gave him a look on my face that said, "you just do not get it, do you!" and left the room and went back to my office in disgust.
As frustrating as it was at the time, looking back on it, I get a good chuckle when I think about the incident.
Calling something by its correct name, reduces misunderstanding, frustration and aggravation.
Sincerely: Dave Durber ----- Original Message ----- From: "Cy Selfridge" <cyselfridge@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 11:26 AM Subject: RE: Tandem questionHi, As an aside to this thread Tandem was also the name of a computer company in the eighties. Their computers were some of the first to link micro computers together rather than a single CPU. I have no idea whether or not they are still around but I do not think they ever gained much of a market share as IBM was running rampant long about then. Cy, The Anasazi.
-----Original Message-----From: jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jfw-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Bob Verity
Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 8:55 AM To: jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: Tandem question Part of the confusion is that that the word tandem is not an acronym it is a word that you can look up in any English dictionary. ----- Original Message ----- From: "mostafa almahdy" <mostafa.almahdy@xxxxxxxxx> To: <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2009 4:04 AM Subject: Re: Tandem questionI' know that as well, and I' used the feature for many time's ago, unless I'm curious to know what the word tandem refer's to, the acronym itself, not the feature description.
On 7/1/09, Jeremy Hartley <jeremyhartley@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Hi there.Well, I have mainly heard tandem spoken, when referring to riding bicycles built for two. Meaning, that the bike is two seated, and both are in charge of making the bike run. So, Jaws Tandem is one person connecting to another person, helping out.
I know someone can explain this more eloquently than I can, but I think I got the right idea. grin
Jeremy ----- Original Message ----- From: "mostafa almahdy" <mostafa.almahdy@xxxxxxxxx> To: "jfw" <jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 11:59 PM Subject: Tandem questionHey all!, can someone describe what the acronym name tandem refer's to? any assist, that's tremendously would be appreciated!.!
-- Sincerely. best regard It's always hope that give's meaning to life. ___________ -- JFW related links: JFW homepage: http://www.freedomscientific.com/ Scripting mailing list: http://lists.the-jdh.com/listinfo.cgi/scriptography-the-jdh.com JFW List instructions: To post a message to the list, send it to jfw@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send a message to jfw-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word unsubscribe in the subject line. Archives located at: //www.freelists.org/archives/jfw Alternative archives located at: http://n2.nabble.com/JAWS-for-Windows-f2145279.html If you have any concerns about the list, post received from the list, or the way the list is being run, do not post them to the list. Rather contact the list owner at jfw-admins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
