Programmer in NYC

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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: May 7th, 2023

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  • This points to an interesting feature that appears in English: phrasal verbs. This is where a verb is made up of a verb word used in combination with one or more prepositions or “particles”. For example in the phrase “put cheese on the pizza” the verb word “put” combines with the preposition “on”. (There is no particle in this example.) Even though the words “put” and “on” are not consecutive, and even though “on” has its own function as a preposition, “put on” together form a verb that is lexically distinct (has different meaning and rules) from “put” used with a different preposition or particle.

    IIUC you even get a different meaning if you use the same words with a different function. With “on” as a preposition you get, “put cheese on the pizza”. But with the particle form of “on” you get a different verb with a different meaning: “put on a coat”.

    The use you posted, “put cheese”, looks like a transitive form of “put” which would be distinct from both of the phrasal verbs I described. My guess is that this is dialect-specific: maybe some English speakers perceive transitive “put” as valid, while others only use “put” as part of a phrasal verb.

    Language is messy, and there is no authoritative set of rules for English so you’ll find lots of cases where people disagree about correct grammar. One of the classics is whether “where” substitutes for a prepositional or a noun phrase. Lots of people feel it is correct to say, “Where is that at?” while others think that sounds wrong, like saying, “It’s at by the corner.” (I think this might be the basis for the made-up rule, “don’t end sentences with a preposition”.)




  • There are a few history channels I enjoy:

    • History Buffs
    • History Matters
    • Extra History

    For the rise and fall of modern empires: AntsCanada

    If you’re interested in history, but specifically in relation to painted works of art, I very much enjoy: Art Deco

    For in-depth social justice analysis: ContraPoints

    For gamers: TierZoo


  • I think the takeaway from that episode is that many carbon offsets are scams, not necessarily all. So don’t take corporate claims that they offset their emissions at face value, and consider carefully before you buy offsets.

    Take a look at my other comment about Wren and Wendover Productions. (This John Oliver episode happens to include an excerpt from the Wendover piece I mentioned.)




  • It’s likely fixable. It might need some switches replaced, or there might be some damaged circuit board connections or traces that could be re-soldered or bypassed. I think any fix is going to require soldering, and maybe a multimeter. Whether fixing it is cheaper than buying a new board depends on whether you can borrow tools, and the cost of replacement switches if you need those.

    I know the switches are not hot-swappable, but you can de-solder switches on just about any mechanical keyboard. Add a solder sucker to your tools list if you need to do that. There are guides online for replacing keys on the specific board you have.

    More details would be helpful for diagnosing the problem:

    • Are there rows or columns of keys that don’t work? (This could indicate a problem with the circuit board, or maybe a diode that needs to be re-soldered or replaced. I don’t know if the Blackwidow has diodes or not. In any case it’s multimeter time.)
    • Or is it a key here and there that doesn’t work? (This is more likely to be a problem with switches. The might need their solder joints touched up, or they might need to be replaced.)