Starship Asterisk*

What in the world would we do without words? I enjoy them and, I suspect, so do others.

Sean Carroll gives us his view on the Word of the Year.

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• Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Act 2, Scene 2

LORD POLONIUS: What do you read, my lord?

HAMLET: Words, words, words.
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• Troilus and Cressida Act 5, Scene 3

TROILUS: Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart:

• The effect doth operate another way.
  
  • [Tearing the letter]
  
  Go, wind, to wind, there turn and change together.
  My love with words and errors still she feeds;
  But edifies another with her deeds.

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neufer wrote:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Act 2, Scene 2

LORD POLONIUS: What do you read, my lord?

HAMLET: Words, words, words.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Troilus and Cressida Act 5, Scene 3

TROILUS: Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart:

• The effect doth operate another way.
  
  • [Tearing the letter]
  
  Go, wind, to wind, there turn and change together.
  My love with words and errors still she feeds;
  But edifies another with her deeds.

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If someone had never read a single Shakespeare play, and I'm not saying who, which one would you recommend as a first? Besides the first one… unless that's the best one to start with. Movie's and plays notwithstanding. I know the lingo takes some getting used to and I suspect that's why I am asking.

This would be too much work. Your knowledge of his works is becoming infectious. Actually that was long ago but it might be time to - bite the bullet.

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:If someone had never read a single Shakespeare play, and I'm not saying who, which one would you recommend as a first?

I'd recommend a comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Or if you (sorry... someone) want something a little more dramatic, but not a tragedy, The Merchant of Venice.

Chris Peterson wrote:

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:If someone had never read a single Shakespeare play, and I'm not saying who, which one would you recommend as a first?

I'd recommend a comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream. Or if you (sorry... someone) want something a little more dramatic, but not a tragedy, The Merchant of Venice.

Thanks. For ̶m̶e̶ that person something not too serious might be best.

Chris Peterson wrote:

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:
If someone had never read a single Shakespeare play, and I'm not saying who, which one would you recommend as a first?

I'd recommend a comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

I'd recommend checking out a Shakespeare DVD at your local library.

I would also strongly recommend getting your hands on the book: Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare

If authorship interests you then get John Michell's Who Wrote Shakespeare?

neufer wrote:

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Chris Peterson wrote:

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:
If someone had never read a single Shakespeare play, and I'm not saying who, which one would you recommend as a first?

I'd recommend a comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream.

I'd recommend checking out a Shakespeare DVD at your local library.

I would also strongly recommend getting your hands on the book: Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare

If authorship interests you then get John Michell's Who Wrote Shakespeare?

Great ideas! Asimov's Guide to the Bible and his autobiographies were available on recently so I picked them up. I am more of an audio "reader" because I drive a lot but that will hopefully transition to more reading as I get closer to retirement. Appreciate the suggestions.

Sean tweets.

Space X reports.

Merriam defines.

"Stuff" happens.

Not necessarily in that order.

They may not be real words but they are quite descriptive. For instance I might be accused of being "seccentric" from time to time.

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:They may not be real words but they are quite descriptive. For instance I might be accused of being "seccentric" from time to time.

Time to time?? I thought that was pretty much your normal state of being.

Careful

Beyond wrote:

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:They may not be real words but they are quite descriptive. For instance I might be accused of being "seccentric" from time to time.

Time to time?? I thought that was pretty much your normal state of being.

Careful or I'll turn you into Darth Matter.

Moonlady wrote:

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Hah! I should probably show that to my students!

Ann

I support the Oxford comma.

bystander wrote:I support the Oxford comma.

Why? Maybe because:

Ann wrote:

Moonlady wrote:

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

Hah! I should probably show that to my students!

Ann

You should! And please let them write a paper on English grammar by using the lyrics of this song (they will hate this song after listening it for multiple times )

I was pranked along with my fellow students at the medical school when I was an aspiring nurse by medical students who were already in the third year of their training. The first half year is usually a probationary time and it is easier for the medical school to expel students if they think they have any objection that someone is not qualified for a medical profession and by the employment legislation they can easier terminate the contract between the student and the clinic and vocal school. That puts a lot of pressure on students since it is known that they will choose only half of the attending students who can continue their education.
Two students appeared as physicians one was a "psychiatrist" and the other one pretended to be an assistent physician. They played on a casette player songs and music from different categories like death metal, rock, pop, classic music etc and we had to analyse which music is good for health and which music category is bad for a healing process
The pranking included other parts too, but after this, we were called for the announcement of the "test results" to another part of the schoolbuilding where our teachers had prepared a big welcome party for us. The students from the third year training had baked us cakes etc and we had fun. Other than that, as a person working in a medical profession, one leg is always in "prison".
My fellow students and me pranked the newbies when we were in our third year of our training by examining their "physical fitness" since a nurse has to walk a lot in a big clinic building, the clinic I attended was a big university clinic and it had a big tower and many other buildings. You ran a lot. We let them run, messure their vitals, get urine sample from them (we told them that we will check the samples for any illegal drugs) and let them run more, yes we were really mean. By the law, every student is examined by the clinic physician anyway, but this was an extra examination, since our education system was more elitist in the country. But hey, we baked cakes and prepared a great party for them afterwards, too
(Oh music therapy exists, I visited even a museum where treatment rooms for mental ill patients were decorated with paintings, art and the patients listened music while watching the paintings)

Just giving you ideas Ann, haha.

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:Careful

Beyond wrote:

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:They may not be real words but they are quite descriptive. For instance I might be accused of being "seccentric" from time to time.

Time to time?? I thought that was pretty much your normal state of being.

Careful or I'll turn you into Darth Matter.

May the unknown force be with you.

Moonlady wrote:

bystander wrote:I support the Oxford comma.

Why? Maybe because:

Or "I only trust people who use the Oxford comma such as my parents, Mother Teresa and the Pope."

There are some good reasons as others have pointed out.

Beyond wrote:

Ron-Astro Pharmacist wrote:Careful

Beyond wrote: Time to time?? I thought that was pretty much your normal state of being.

Careful or I'll turn you into Darth Matter.

May the unknown force be with you.

I think I'd need that unknown force to go "Beyond" and prove some "seccentricisms".

Ron-Astro pharmacist wrote:I think I'd need that unknown force to go "Beyond" and prove some "seccentricisms".

Be careful! IF you go too far "Beyond", you may find that time runs very slow, or is even non-existent, which will defeat your proving any "seccentricisms".

Beyond wrote:

Ron-Astro pharmacist wrote:I think I'd need that unknown force to go "Beyond" and prove some "seccentricisms".

Be careful! IF you go too far "Beyond", you may find that time runs very slow, or is even non-existent, which will defeat your proving any "seccentricisms".

Yes. I would hate to be accused of trumpeting!

v. trump • et – to speak in such a manner as to render the listener void of rational thought mainly by use of loud, irrational logic.

n. trump • ette - those rendered by irrational logic causing suffrage.

n. trump•o•line – platform on which to trumpet known to provoke hillarity.

I'd better stop right there or I'll have to change my last name to McDonald.

Another good thing that came from today’s press conference was a new word for me – ringdown.

From the simulation - it looked like a tunnel moving through space. Lots to follow.

Most beautiful?

"In the beginning was the Word ..."