"unhalfbricking" and "segway"

[Lionel Edwards]

Scottish poet Robert Tannahill doesn't get many mentions, but this
beautiful poem is his apparently:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJKlUKU90A

Which segways into "unhalfbricking"? My spell-checker doesn't
approve of either of those words.

[lar3ryca]

Not surprising. A Segway is a motorized vehicle and /Unhalfbricking/ is
the name of an album by /Fairport Convention/.

--
Yeah, Windows is great... I used it to download Linux.

[Peter Moylan]

Try your spelling checker on "segue".

I can't help with the other one. I know about bricking a camel, but
nothing about the unhalf version.

--
Peter Moylan http://www.pmoylan.org
Newcastle, NSW

[bil...@shaw.ca]

On Thursday, September 7, 2023 at 11:06:55 PM UTC-7, Peter Moylan wrote:.

>
> I can't help with the other one. I know about bricking a camel, but
> nothing about the unhalf version.
>

Is that thing about the camel the one that ends with the punchline
"Only when you get your thumbs caught"?

bill

[Peter Moylan]

That's the one.

[JNugent]

On 06/09/2023 06:39 pm, lar3ryca wrote:

> On 2023-09-06 10:35, Lionel Edwards wrote:

>> Scottish poet Robert Tannahill doesn't get many mentions, but this
>> beautiful poem is his apparently:
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJKlUKU90A
>> Which segways into "unhalfbricking"? My spell-checker doesn't
>> approve of either of those words.

> Not surprising. A Segway is a motorized vehicle and /Unhalfbricking/ is
> the name of an album by /Fairport Convention/.

Apparently, "halfbricking" was used by one of the group in a game of
Scrabble and accepted without having to use a dictionary.

Subsequently, another player added the "un" to turn the "word" negative.

Or at least, that's what was said at the time of the album's release.

I've never heard it and don't regard that as a disadvantage or failing.

[lar3ryca]

On 2023-09-08 00:06, Peter Moylan wrote:
> On 07/09/23 02:35, Lionel Edwards wrote:
>
>> Scottish poet Robert Tannahill doesn't get many mentions, but this
>> beautiful poem is his apparently:
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJKlUKU90A
>>
>> Which segways into "unhalfbricking"? My spell-checker doesn't approve
>> of either of those words.
>
> Try your spelling checker on "segue".
>
> I can't help with the other one. I know about bricking a camel, but
> nothing about the unhalf version.

unhalfbricking: v. Repairing damage caused by a trainee camelbricker.

--
I use the smoke alarm as my cooking timer.

[Lionel Edwards]

On Friday, September 8, 2023 at 3:33:04 PM UTC+1, JNugent wrote:
> On 06/09/2023 06:39 pm, lar3ryca wrote:
>
> > On 2023-09-06 10:35, Lionel Edwards wrote:
>
> >> Scottish poet Robert Tannahill doesn't get many mentions, but this
> >> beautiful poem is his apparently:
> >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJKlUKU90A
> >> Which segways into "unhalfbricking"? My spell-checker doesn't
> >> approve of either of those words.
>
> > Not surprising. A Segway is a motorized vehicle and /Unhalfbricking/ is
> > the name of an album by /Fairport Convention/.
> Apparently, "halfbricking" was used by one of the group in a game of
> Scrabble and accepted without having to use a dictionary.
>
> Subsequently, another player added the "un" to turn the "word" negative.

That makes sense. Bricking up a gap with bricks can be done, and then
undone, and in merely double the time you can half-brick it back up again.
If you can undo the one you can undo the other. A jargon term for brickies
to use down the pub perhaps?

I have heard the verb "to segway" used many times at handover time on the
radio. I wonder now whether it was a mispronunciation of "segue" (which
I have never heard), rather than a metaphor or mistake?

[Jerry Friedman]

It's the correct anglicized pronunciation (the first pronunciation in the OED)
of the Italian word meaning "follows", and you've apparantly heard it many
times.

--
Jerry Friedman

[TonyCooper]

On Fri, 8 Sep 2023 11:19:48 -0700 (PDT), Lionel Edwards
<lionele...@gmail.com> wrote:

Segue is pronounced "segway". When you hear "segway", they are saying
"segue".

--

Tony Cooper - Orlando,Florida

[Ross Clark]

"The title arose from the band playing the word game Ghost while
travelling to and from gigs. Its object was to "avoid completing a real
word", and "Unhalfbricking" was Sandy Denny's creation."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unhalfbricking

[Peter T. Daniels]

When you _see_ Segway, it's a toy form of "transportation" that was
hyped to high heaven and when it was finally revealed, turned out to
be a P.R. disaster on the level of Al Capone's Vault.

Apparently they now make scooters, or whatever those street
nuisances are called.

https://www.segway.com/

[TonyCooper]

On Fri, 8 Sep 2023 13:45:05 -0700 (PDT), "Peter T. Daniels"
<petert...@gmail.com> wrote:

That's an odd pairing of "P.R. disasters".

I remember "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault" on television in 1986.
Geraldo Rivera hosted it. I watched part, but not most, of the
two-hour show. I can only stomach Rivera in very small doses.

It turned out to be a "silly, high-concept stunt that failed to
deliver on its titillating promise" in Rivera's own words.

The Segway "personal transporter" failed to live up to its
expectations, but it was due to the initial price ($5,000) and a
number of injuries by riders. Still, 140,000 units were sold. They
now offer a $900 unit for invididuals.

It didn't help that Ellen DeGeneres crashed on hers during her show:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz6PGyJnN_k

Segways are still seen, but owned by tourist companies and not
individuals. Mt Dora, FL, for example, has a company that offers a
tour of the city on Segways for $64 (plus tax)

https://glideadventuretours.com/policies/

There's also a city tour on a Segway in St Augustine FL.

I thought of Mt Dora because we often go up there for lunch.
Interesting little town with some nice shops and restaurants.

Scooters, mopeds, and electric bicycles are very popular down here
because they can be ridden all 12 months of the year.

[Lionel Edwards]

We in Britain had Sir Clive Sinclair who prove himself a genius
with his computers, and then ruined his reputation with an
electric road-going and dangerous so-called "car".
Well done Sir Alan Sugar in that respect.

AC Motors of Molesey produced the AC Cobra, the fastest road
car in Britain? Also a life-terminating three-wheeled
disabled death-trap?

This was the fastest road-going car for several years. Imagine
buying the fastest and most expensive Ferrari, and having
this 27 litre Rolls Royce sweeping past you on the Autobahn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBVoO61a3f0

[Rich Ulrich]

On Fri, 08 Sep 2023 18:00:00 -0400, TonyCooper
<tonyco...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
>The Segway "personal transporter" failed to live up to its
>expectations, but it was due to the initial price ($5,000) and a
>number of injuries by riders. Still, 140,000 units were sold. They
>now offer a $900 unit for invididuals.
>
>It didn't help that Ellen DeGeneres crashed on hers during her show:
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz6PGyJnN_k
>
>Segways are still seen, but owned by tourist companies and not
>individuals. Mt Dora, FL, for example, has a company that offers a
>tour of the city on Segways for $64 (plus tax)
>
>https://glideadventuretours.com/policies/
>
>There's also a city tour on a Segway in St Augustine FL.
>
>I thought of Mt Dora because we often go up there for lunch.
>Interesting little town with some nice shops and restaurants.
>
>Scooters, mopeds, and electric bicycles are very popular down here
>because they can be ridden all 12 months of the year.

I've seen a new entry for a list of electric-scooter-like things.

A TV ad featured golf scooters. They are a beefed-up version
of the stand-on scooters that look like skateboards with a handle.
Beefed up: Larger wheels and wider stance, for mobility on grass;
and a place to hold a golf bag.

The stand-on electric scooters for rent in Pittsburgh, which replaced
the Vespa-style electric scooters for rent, suddenly went missing
last month. A news report said that they had been originally
"approved" (by whomever?) for a time-limited trial, and the time
ran out. I saw no other details. I had expected those to become
a permanent thing. Aren't they widely popular in cities around
the world?

--
Rich Ulrich

[TonyCooper]

Not, evidently, in Paris. Parisians voted to ban them.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/28/paris-becomes-one-of-the-only-european-cities-to-ban-e-scooter-rentals.html

Rental scooters are still available in Orlando, but the City Council
has requested that the ones available that are retired from service
not be replaced. Instead, the city wants e-bikes to replace them.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Friday, September 8, 2023 at 6:00:05 PM UTC-4, TonyCooper wrote:

> I remember "The Mystery of Al Capone's Vault" on television in 1986.
> Geraldo Rivera hosted it. I watched part, but not most, of the
> two-hour show. I can only stomach Rivera in very small doses.

Maybe it was a bigger story in Chicago than in your hinterlands.

The actual building -- the old hotel (quite close to the R. R. Donnelley
plant you were familiar with) -- was a very handsome and solidly built
1880s or 1890s masonry highrise. It stood empty and imposing my
whole time in Chicago, with multiple suggestions for adaptive reuse.
Finally, it was somehow demolished.

[Rich Ulrich]

Thanks, interesting. "...one of the only cities to ban e-scooter
rentals" -- which leaves a lot of cities. An amazing 90% NO
vote, based on a 7% voter turnout. An organized campaign?

>
>Rental scooters are still available in Orlando, but the City Council
>has requested that the ones available that are retired from service
>not be replaced. Instead, the city wants e-bikes to replace them.
>

The article also suggests that e-bikes are the competition.
I still picture the e-scooters a a 'fun' thing, rather than being
basic transportation, though the relative of a friend recently
got one for use at college. I've never seen anyone on an
e-scooter carrying groceries.

I have not figured that I see more bikes on the road than I used
to, but I do notice lately that a number of what I see are e-bikes.

--
Rich Ulrich

[TonyCooper]

On Sat, 09 Sep 2023 13:15:38 -0400, Rich Ulrich

Orlando has both rental e-bikes and e-scooters scattered all over the
city. They're activated by inserting a credit card.

I recently worked on a photo competition where the subject was
architecture in an historical neighborhood. Parking was a problem, so
stopping to take a photograph was difficult. I rented an e-scooter
instead.

It worked well, but next time I'll rent an e-bike.

[Phil Carmody]

TonyCooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> writes:
> The Segway "personal transporter" failed to live up to its
> expectations, but it was due to the initial price ($5,000) and a
> number of injuries by riders. Still, 140,000 units were sold. They
> now offer a $900 unit for invididuals.
>
> It didn't help that Ellen DeGeneres crashed on hers during her show:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz6PGyJnN_k

I don't think this was good for publicity either:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
"""
Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall

Published 27 September 2010

The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.

Jimi Heselden, 62, crashed into the River Wharfe while riding the vehicle round his estate in Thorp Arch, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Sunday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. The scooter was found in the water.

Mr Heselden, who founded Leeds-based company Hesco Bastion, acquired the Segway operation in December 2009.

The devices are electric, two-wheeled, self-balancing machines. They
were invented by Dean Kamen and unveiled in 2001.
"""

Phil
--
We are no longer hunters and nomads. No longer awed and frightened, as we have
gained some understanding of the world in which we live. As such, we can cast
aside childish remnants from the dawn of our civilization.
-- NotSanguine on SoylentNews, after Eugen Weber in /The Western Tradition/

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:

> I don't think this was good for publicity either:
> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
> """
> Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
>
> Published 27 September 2010
>
> The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.

How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?

> Jimi Heselden, 62, crashed into the River Wharfe while riding the vehicle round his estate in Thorp Arch, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Sunday.

Which is it, "from cliffs" or "into the River Wharfe"?

> He was pronounced dead at the scene. The scooter was found in the water.
>
> Mr Heselden, who founded Leeds-based company Hesco Bastion, acquired the Segway operation in December 2009.

So he enjoyed losing money for less than a year.

[Janet]

In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11-
db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
says...

>
> On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:
>
> > I don't think this was good for publicity either:
> > https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
> > """
> > Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
> >
> > Published 27 September 2010
> >
> > The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.
>
> How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?

Same as one might get lost in the hills or the woods.

> > Jimi Heselden, 62, crashed into the River Wharfe while riding the vehicle round his estate in Thorp Arch, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Sunday.
>
> Which is it, "from cliffs" or "into the River Wharfe"?

Easy to do both; fall from the cliffs into the river
below.

Janet

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:50:53 AM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
> In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11-
> db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
> says...
> > On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:

> > > I don't think this was good for publicity either:
> > > https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
> > > """
> > > Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
> > > Published 27 September 2010
> > > The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.
> > How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?
>
> Same as one might get lost in the hills or the woods.

Nope, "falling" is punctual, "getting lost" is durative.

> > > Jimi Heselden, 62, crashed into the River Wharfe while riding the vehicle round his estate in Thorp Arch, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Sunday.
> > Which is it, "from cliffs" or "into the River Wharfe"?
>
> Easy to do both; fall from the cliffs into the river
> below.

Ah, "River Wharfe" isn't a cutesy olde-timey spelling of s tourist
attraction, a wharf on some river.

When one falls (off multiple cliffs?) into a river, does one ordinarily
"crash" into it? "Crashing" is usually into a wall, a tree, or some other
relatively immovabie object.

[Janet]

In article <841392ba-8c94-45ff-847f-
33b791...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com

says...
>
> On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:50:53 AM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
> > In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11-
> > db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
> > says...
> > > On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:
>
> > > > I don't think this was good for publicity either:
> > > > https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
> > > > """
> > > > Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
> > > > Published 27 September 2010
> > > > The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.
> > > How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?
> >
> > Same as one might get lost in the hills or the woods.
>
> Nope, "falling" is punctual, "getting lost" is durative.

"Cliffs" isn't a verb.

>
> > > > Jimi Heselden, 62, crashed into the River Wharfe while riding the vehicle round his estate in Thorp Arch, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Sunday.
> > > Which is it, "from cliffs" or "into the River Wharfe"?
> >
> > Easy to do both; fall from the cliffs into the river
> > below.
>
> Ah, "River Wharfe" isn't a cutesy olde-timey spelling of s tourist
> attraction, a wharf on some river.
>
> When one falls (off multiple cliffs?) into a river, does one ordinarily
> "crash" into it?

If you landed on rocks, perhaps

"Crashing" is usually into a wall, a tree, or some other
> relatively immovabie object.

Rocks are pretty hard. So is a Segway, if he landed on
it.

Janet

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 12:09:28 PM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
> In article <841392ba-8c94-45ff-847f-
> 33b791...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
> says...
> > On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:50:53 AM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
> > > In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11-
> > > db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
> > > says...
> > > > On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:
> > > > > I don't think this was good for publicity either:
> > > > > https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
> > > > > """
> > > > > Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
> > > > > Published 27 September 2010
> > > > > The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.
> > > > How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?
> > > Same as one might get lost in the hills or the woods.
> > Nope, "falling" is punctual, "getting lost" is durative.
> "Cliffs" isn't a verb.

"Fall" is a verb. One can only fall once at a time, and if a cliff is involved,
it's from only one cliff.

> > > > > Jimi Heselden, 62, crashed into the River Wharfe while riding the vehicle round his estate in Thorp Arch, Boston Spa, West Yorkshire, on Sunday.
> > > > Which is it, "from cliffs" or "into the River Wharfe"?
> > > Easy to do both; fall from the cliffs into the river
> > > below.
> > Ah, "River Wharfe" isn't a cutesy olde-timey spelling of s tourist
> > attraction, a wharf on some river.
> > When one falls (off multiple cliffs?) into a river, does one ordinarily
> > "crash" into it?
>
> If you landed on rocks, perhaps

Then one fell onto rocks, not into a river.

> > "Crashing" is usually into a wall, a tree, or some other
> > relatively immovabie object.

> Rocks are pretty hard. So is a Segway, if he landed on
> it.

If one drives one's Segway off a cliff and falls, does one let go of
the handlebars? A human body may indeed provide more surface
area hence more air resistance than a Segway, so its fall might be
noticeably slower, so conceivably one's Segway might crash on the
rocks first. But if it landed in the river, as the BBC claimed, the depth
of the water becomes a factor.

[charles]

In article <f3264c3d-8e05-4443...@googlegroups.com>, Peter
T. Daniels <petert...@gmail.com> wrote:

The rocks could be IN the river. Quite a lot of rivers have rocks in them,
sticking above the water's surface.

--
from KT24 in Surrey, England - sent from my RISC OS 4t้ฒ
"I'd rather die of exhaustion than die of boredom" Thomas Carlyle

[Sam Plusnet]

I can't believe that any rational person would need to have that
explained to them, so what game is being played here?

[TonyCooper]

The usual suspect is playing his usual petty games.

[Peter T. Daniels]

And one falls onto the rocks, the ones sticking above the surface,
not into the river.

[Peter T. Daniels]

Maybe you-lot use prepositions differently.

I see you've not tried to defend falling off more than one cliff at a time.

[Janet]

In article <f3264c3d-8e05-4443-b7ac-
edcc17...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com

Many rivers contain rocks, sneakily concealed just
below the surface. Have you watched Meryl Streep in "River
Wild"?

> > > "Crashing" is usually into a wall, a tree, or some other
> > > relatively immovabie object.
>
> > Rocks are pretty hard. So is a Segway, if he landed on
> > it.
>
> If one drives one's Segway off a cliff and falls, does one let go of
> the handlebars?

Try it, and let me know.

Janet

[Janet]

In article <aad715c7-031c-4fbe-baf2-
5e5aca...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com

Why do you say "rocks"? Falling onto just one river
rock could be fatal.

Janet

[Peter T. Daniels]

No.

Nor did I see, or hear of, that movie or her in it.

> > > > "Crashing" is usually into a wall, a tree, or some other
> > > > relatively immovabie object.
> > > Rocks are pretty hard. So is a Segway, if he landed on
> > > it.
> > If one drives one's Segway off a cliff and falls, does one let go of
> > the handlebars?
>
> Try it, and let me know.

Such hostility!

[Peter T. Daniels]

****

> > > > > If you landed on rocks, perhaps

****

> > > > Then one fell onto rocks, not into a river.
> > > The rocks could be IN the river. Quite a lot of rivers have rocks in them,
> > > sticking above the water's surface.
> > And one falls onto the rocks, the ones sticking above the surface,
> > not into the river.
>
> Why do you say "rocks"? Falling onto just one river
> rock could be fatal.

If you have s question for yourself, then introspect. (See at asterisks above.)

[Lionel Edwards]

You did say to her "I see you've not tried to defend falling off more than

one cliff at a time".

You can fall off the White Cliffs of Dover if Vera Lynn takes you to
Beachy Head.

[Phil Carmody]

Janet <nob...@home.com> writes:
> In article <aad715c7-031c-4fbe...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com says...

>> > > > > > In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11- db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com says...

>> > > > > > > How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?

>> And one falls onto the rocks, the ones sticking above the surface,
>> not into the river.
>
> Why do you say "rocks"? Falling onto just one river
> rock could be fatal.

Thread won.

[Sam Plusnet]

On 12/09/2023 16:02, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:50:53 AM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
>> In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11-
>> db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
>> says...
>>> On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:
>
>>>> I don't think this was good for publicity either:
>>>> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
>>>> """
>>>> Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
>>>> Published 27 September 2010
>>>> The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.
>>> How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?
>>
>> Same as one might get lost in the hills or the woods.
>
> Nope, "falling" is punctual, "getting lost" is durative.

I see no problem with "cliffs" in this context.

You might get a puncture[1] in the woods - that's pretty punctual.

Or fall off that bike in the woods, or in the hills etc.

[1] How long the puncture endures might depend on your skills with a
puncture repair kit.

[Sam Plusnet]

See elsewhere in this thread.

[Sam Plusnet]

The neat, tidy world of your imagination has yet to be created.

Lots of rivers have rocks in them. Get used to the idea and live with
it (unlike Mr Heselden).

[Sam Plusnet]

That's unfair.
It would ruin the Segway.

[Sam Plusnet]

On 13/09/2023 12:23, Janet wrote:

Did she play a rock?

I bet she nailed the accent.

[Lionel Edwards]

Skills? There is only one skill involved there. I know because I have
been out and measured it.

[Sam Plusnet]

But many of those who do are thought to have jumped.

I wonder if they do all 'jump', or if some just topple over the edge?

[Peter T. Daniels]

Yes, she didn't.

> You can fall off the White Cliffs of Dover if Vera Lynn takes you to
> Beachy Head.

That would be a cliff over here, and a cliff over there, and a cliff over
there -- but they're all one long cliff.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 4:46:02 PM UTC-4, Sam Plusnet wrote:
> On 12/09/2023 16:02, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> > On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:50:53 AM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
> >> In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11-
> >> db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
> >> says...
> >>> On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:

> >>>> I don't think this was good for publicity either:
> >>>> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
> >>>> """
> >>>> Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
> >>>> Published 27 September 2010
> >>>> The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.
> >>> How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?
> >> Same as one might get lost in the hills or the woods.
> > Nope, "falling" is punctual, "getting lost" is durative.
> I see no problem with "cliffs" in this context.
>
> You might get a puncture[1] in the woods - that's pretty punctual.

Did Segways have that sort of tire?

> Or fall off that bike in the woods, or in the hills etc.

It's not a bike.

[J. J. Lodder]

Janet <nob...@home.com> wrote:

> In article <f3264c3d-8e05-4443-b7ac-
> edcc17...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
> says...
> >
> > On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 12:09:28 PM UTC-4, Janet wrote:

[-]

> > > If you landed on rocks, perhaps
> >
> > Then one fell onto rocks, not into a river.
>
> Many rivers contain rocks, sneakily concealed just
> below the surface. Have you watched Meryl Streep in "River
> Wild"?
>
>
>
> > > > "Crashing" is usually into a wall, a tree, or some other
> > > > relatively immovabie object.
> >
> > > Rocks are pretty hard. So is a Segway, if he landed on
> > > it.
> >
> > If one drives one's Segway off a cliff and falls, does one let go of
> > the handlebars?
>
> Try it, and let me know.

Too bad Wile E Coyote never knew about Segways,
or he might have demonstrated,

Jan

[Janet]

In article <BjpMM.221$AfZ...@fx45.iad>, n...@home.com
says...

She rocked navigating a flimsy raft down a treacherous
river. Some nasty little chaps foolishly tried to take
advantage and rapidly found themselves up the creek
without a paddle, out of their depth.

Janet

[Jerry Friedman]

Note the lack of article in the article: "falling from cliffs", not "falling from
the cliffs". We woodn't (or wooden't) say someone got a flat tire in woods
or in hills, I think.

"Woods" is a bit of a red herring here because, at least in my English, it's
not semantically plural. You can get a flat tire in the woods even if there's
only one wood in the area.

With the "the" in there--I take it you can't say "He died after falling out (of)
the windows" or "He shot himself with the guns" (supposing he got into
a place where guns were kept). What makes the difference?

It's a bit like "He ran aground in the islands" versus "He ran aground on
an island" (not "on the islands"). "In the islands" means in an region
of islands known to the reader. "On an island" refers to a specific island.
If there's a region called "the cliffs" somewhere, "He fell in the cliffs" would
work for me, but you can't fall from a region, so "he fell from the cliffs"
and "he fell off the cliffs" seem wrong.

--
Jerry Friedman

[TonyCooper]

On Wed, 13 Sep 2023 13:59:50 -0700 (PDT), "Peter T. Daniels"
<petert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 1:15:19?PM UTC-4, Lionel Edwards wrote:
>> On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 5:34:19?PM UTC+1, Peter T. Daniels wrote:

I thought it was mountains that molehills are transformed into.
Evidently, it's cliffs.

If a betting man, I'd take the "over" on how many times PTD will post
on the "cliffs" issue regardless of where the over/under is set.

Already it's enough to make Walter Kent and Nat Burton want to jump
off the cliffs.

[TonyCooper]

Oh, but he did! At least he knew about the ACME veersion:

https://segwaynz.wordpress.com/2011/06/19/road-runner-vs-wile-e-coyote-on-a-segway/

[J. J. Lodder]

Great. That settles Janet's question, at least for the Coyote.
And how could a mere human do better?

Not what I would have expected though. I would have expected him to make
a half turn in mid-air, to slam into the rock face somewhat lower.
(and to fall all the way after that)

Jan

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 8:20:57 PM UTC-4, TonyCooper wrote:

> I thought it was mountains that molehills are transformed into.
> Evidently, it's cliffs.
>
> If a betting man, I'd take the "over" on how many times PTD will post
> on the "cliffs" issue regardless of where the over/under is set.

No one is more expert in erecting mountains out of less than nothing
than stoogemaster Anthony Cooper, who has never seen one in his life.

[Mack A. Damia]

My beloved cat of 11 years died last night of a heart attack, and I am
devastated.

[Peter T. Daniels]

On Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 11:14:46 AM UTC-4, Mack A. Damia wrote:

> My beloved cat of 11 years died last night of a heart attack, and I am
> devastated.

I know how that is.

I never took in another one.

[lar3ryca]

On 2023-09-14 09:14, Mack A. Damia wrote:
>
> My beloved cat of 11 years died last night of a heart attack, and I am
> devastated.
>

So sorry to hear that.

In the past two years we have lost two cats and a dog, all of which were
beloved and considered family

They do leave their footprints on your heart.

[Mack A. Damia]

On Thu, 14 Sep 2023 08:21:59 -0700 (PDT), "Peter T. Daniels"
<petert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 11:14:46?AM UTC-4, Mack A. Damia wrote:
>
>> My beloved cat of 11 years died last night of a heart attack, and I am
>> devastated.
>
>I know how that is.
>
>I never took in another one.

I have another one who is two years older than the one that died.
Seems to be in good shape, but i guess you never know. Bubba was 11
years old, and I thought she would last another five years at least.

My housekeeper and her husband came here from the Valle last night and
took her to the vet at 11 PM in the city, but it was too late. She
had died by then.

One of the big problems is that she died in front of me.

[Mack A. Damia]

On Thu, 14 Sep 2023 09:33:50 -0600, lar3ryca <la...@invalid.ca> wrote:

>On 2023-09-14 09:14, Mack A. Damia wrote:
>>
>> My beloved cat of 11 years died last night of a heart attack, and I am
>> devastated.
>>
>So sorry to hear that.

Thanks very much, Larry!

>In the past two years we have lost two cats and a dog, all of which were
>beloved and considered family
>
>They do leave their footprints on your heart.

"Not the least hard thing to bear
When they go from us, these quiet friends,
Is that they carry away with them
So many years of our lives"

~John Galsworthy

[Sam Plusnet]

On 13/09/2023 22:01, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
> On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 4:46:02 PM UTC-4, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>> On 12/09/2023 16:02, Peter T. Daniels wrote:
>>> On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 10:50:53 AM UTC-4, Janet wrote:
>>>> In article <c509ab2c-2061-49fa-9b11-
>>>> db8767...@googlegroups.com>, petert...@gmail.com
>>>> says...
>>>>> On Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at 7:29:48 AM UTC-4, Phil Carmody wrote:
>
>>>>>> I don't think this was good for publicity either:
>>>>>> https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leeds-11416654
>>>>>> """
>>>>>> Segway boss Jimi Heselden dies in scooter cliff fall
>>>>>> Published 27 September 2010
>>>>>> The millionaire owner of the Segway company has died after falling from cliffs while riding one of his firm's motorised scooters.
>>>>> How does one fall from multiple "cliffs"?
>>>> Same as one might get lost in the hills or the woods.
>>> Nope, "falling" is punctual, "getting lost" is durative.
>> I see no problem with "cliffs" in this context.
>>
>> You might get a puncture[1] in the woods - that's pretty punctual.
>
> Did Segways have that sort of tire?

I thought that was a neat segue.

>
>> Or fall off that bike in the woods, or in the hills etc.
>
> It's not a bike.

But that wasn't.

[Sam Plusnet]

Have we reached a pondial impass? A cliffhanger?

In my BrE it would be entirely natural to say "he fell from the cliffs
overlooking the river Wharfe". It's a general statement which doesn't
attempt to specify _exactly_ which bit of cliff was involved. The
speaker might not know the exact location, nor is it important in the
context.

Would an AmE speaker remain silent on the matter unless they can specify
the exact point to within one square yard?

[Peter T. Daniels]

We've got the most spectacular cliffs in the world, but I doubt anyone
would say "She fell off the cliffs into the Grand Canyon."

BTW I just noticed that the original says he fell "from cliffs," just generic
"cliffs," not "from the cliffs," not from cliffs near/overlooking the Wharfe.

Shall we complicate it by introdusingf "bluffs"? The Upper Mississippi (I
saw it/them near Dubuque) is bordered by bluffs, not cliffs. It is said to
be an Americanism.

[Jerry Friedman]

I'd say, "He fell off/from a cliff overlooking the River Wharfe." Or maybe
"into" instead of "overlooking", if he actually went into the river.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Sam Plusnet]

I believe it is. We BrE speakers have never been known to bluff.

[TonyCooper]

On Thu, 14 Sep 2023 20:56:35 +0100, Sam Plusnet <n...@home.com> wrote:

>On 13/09/2023 23:52, Jerry Friedman wrote:

>> On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 2:46:02?PM UTC-6, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>>> On 12/09/2023 16:02, Peter T. Daniels wrote:

It evidently depends on the speaker. This speaker would accept
"cliffs" without question if the geography in question was somewhat
extensive. This photograph is of a section of the Upper Iowa River:

https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/700x/www.onlyinyourstate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/1bluffton.jpg

If I were to decribe someone falling into the river from anywhere
along that line of cliff-face, I would say they fell from the cliffs.

If, however, the person fell from a named point - ie: "Peter's
Precipe" - then I might say he fell from the cliff at Peter's
Precipe.

[TonyCooper]

On Thu, 14 Sep 2023 13:49:58 -0700 (PDT), "Peter T. Daniels"
<petert...@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Thursday, September 14, 2023 at 3:56:42?PM UTC-4, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>> On 13/09/2023 23:52, Jerry Friedman wrote:

>> > On Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 2:46:02?PM UTC-6, Sam Plusnet wrote:
>> >> On 12/09/2023 16:02, Peter T. Daniels wrote:

Ill-founded doubt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPVY_zBrgmc

https://www.kcci.com/article/iowa-man-falls-nearly-300-feet-off-cliff-in-grand-canyon/9144748

[Thomas Joseph]

On Wednesday, September 6, 2023 at 12:35:05 PM UTC-4, Lionel Edwards wrote:
> Scottish poet Robert Tannahill doesn't get many mentions, but this
> beautiful poem is his apparently:
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeJKlUKU90A
>
> Which segways into "unhalfbricking"? My spell-checker doesn't
> approve of either of those words.


Unhalfbricking is when you take two small but uniform pieces of
broken brick and glue them together united as one before smashing
it down with feral force onto your enemy's head. Half bricking is
using both pieces of brick separately (or at the same time). You
unhalf them when you piece them together as one unit to de-skullify
your target.


Everything has a meaning if you look hard enough, even if you
have to make it up yourself. Never give up. Don't ever give up!

[Phil Carmody]

Jerry Friedman <jerry.fr...@gmail.com> writes:
> Note the lack of article in the article: "falling from cliffs", not "falling from
> the cliffs". We woodn't (or wooden't) say someone got a flat tire in woods
> or in hills, I think.

An interesting distinction - it might be too reliant on there being
consistent logic in how English is used. Which isn't the case in any of
the idiolects I've ever encountered.

> "Woods" is a bit of a red herring here because, at least in my English, it's
> not semantically plural. You can get a flat tire in the woods even if there's
> only one wood in the area.

But how many boondocks are there in your nearest boondocks?

The only people I know who use that in the singular are winkers (of the
tiddly variety).

Phil, ex-winker (of the tiddly variety)
--
We are no longer hunters and nomads. No longer awed and frightened, as we have
gained some understanding of the world in which we live. As such, we can cast
aside childish remnants from the dawn of our civilization.
-- NotSanguine on SoylentNews, after Eugen Weber in /The Western Tradition/

[Phil Carmody]

TonyCooper <tonyco...@gmail.com> writes:
> On Wed, 13 Sep 2023 23:07:21 +0200, nos...@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J.
> Lodder) wrote:
>>Too bad Wile E Coyote never knew about Segways,
>>or he might have demonstrated,
>
> Oh, but he did! At least he knew about the ACME veersion:

Is that the one with the dodgy steering?

Phil

[Peter T. Daniels]

Ooh, quick! Get thee to Las Vegas -- and the poker tables!

[Peter T. Daniels]

You made me waste more than three minutes waiting for some
occurrence of a plural form? "Cliff" is singular throughout.

> https://www.kcci.com/article/iowa-man-falls-nearly-300-feet-off-cliff-in-grand-canyon/9144748

Do you expect your stooges to believe you refuted me by citing
a news story that uses only the singular form?

What possessed you to go hunting for such things? Spite? Hatred?

[Jerry Friedman]

On Friday, September 15, 2023 at 4:02:18 AM UTC-6, Phil Carmody wrote:
> Jerry Friedman <jerry.fr...@gmail.com> writes:
> > Note the lack of article in the article: "falling from cliffs", not "falling from
> > the cliffs". We woodn't (or wooden't) say someone got a flat tire in woods
> > or in hills, I think.

> An interesting distinction - it might be too reliant on there being
> consistent logic in how English is used. Which isn't the case in any of
> the idiolects I've ever encountered.

I was responding to Sam +, who argued that "falling from cliffs" was
consistent with "in the woods" and "in the hills".

> > "Woods" is a bit of a red herring here because, at least in my English, it's
> > not semantically plural. You can get a flat tire in the woods even if there's
> > only one wood in the area.

> But how many boondocks are there in your nearest boondocks?

I'm pretty sure there's more than one stick there. (Or here, as many would
say I live in the boonies.)

> The only people I know who use that in the singular are winkers (of the
> tiddly variety).
>
> Phil, ex-winker (of the tiddly variety)

Never even seen it (them?) played, though derogatory references to them
it?) were common in my childhood.

--
Jerry Friedman

[Sam Plusnet]

I spent 3 hours in a casino once.
I had been given a couple of 'chips' (Casino tokens?) on entry (having
paid an entry fee).
Not much of a gambler.
When I left I still had those same chips.

[Sam Plusnet]

That all accords with how BrE would handle those situations.

[Phil Carmody]

Watch me fail: http://fatphil.org/images/winks/scr...@240.mov

I don't have footage of an actual boondock, but I do have the compound
shot of boondock (send the opponent a long way away) and squop (cover
the opponent) in one shot:
http://fatphil.org/images/winks/len...@240.mov

Sorry about the flickering, they were filmed at 240 fps, and the 50Hz
electric lights had a different opinion about how well things should be
lit at any point in time. And those clips were from 13 years ago.

Phil