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Question regarding the WA threads

 
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Is it just me or is the coupling of words a bit too loose in the Word Association thread?

Example: "stone" in one post became "building" in the next post. The coupling/association is not even close as far as I'm concerned, mostly because buildings are not made of stone nowadays. There should have been at least a few more posts in between in order to get from stone to building. Also, I appreciate subtle, fun or surprising connections between words.

It just annoys me, and this is of course only one example out of hundred. I know I'm nitpicking here and I know that the WA thread is just for spamming and all, but why not put in a little bit effort while we are at it?

Thus, I'm thinking of creating a new thread regarding Word Association with some rules attached.. What do you think?
 
Bartender
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I've got your rules right here

Usually, players write down the next word by merely using the first word that comes to their mind after they hear the previous one.


Who are you to judge someone else's non-linear thought process?
 
author and iconoclast
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While we're on the subject: I notice that many people do not put two spaces after a period when they post here. That's how I learned to type and you should all be doing it, too. I'm aware that HTML won't show the two consecutive spaces, but I enjoy reading the Ranch in "View Page Source" format, and there the spaces -- or lack of them -- show up. This really irks me -- can people please cut it out?
 
lowercase baba
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i'm annoyed by people who don't use proper case in their post on the javaranch. they should try to do better.

in all seriousness, you are welcome to create a new thread with whatever rules you want.

good luck enforcing them.

 
Oggi Olli
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Originally posted by Joe Ess:
I've got your rules right here

Who are you to judge someone else's non-linear thought process?



"Usually" yes, however I think I'll be looking into one of the variants.

Maybe I expressed myself in an unclear way: I'm not judging anyones thought process, I'm just questioning someones ability to come up with good associations. Who are you to question what is a good association you might ask? Well, judge for yourself I say.
 
Oggi Olli
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Originally posted by Fred Rosenberger:
i'm annoyed by people who don't use proper case in their post on the javaranch. they should try to do better.

in all seriousness, you are welcome to create a new thread with whatever rules you want.

good luck enforcing them.



I couldn't agree more!

Enforcing the rules will be the fun part. Problem is that people might stop writing there, being afraid of writing something "wrong" and getting arrested.
 
Rancher
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Originally posted by Steinar Steinnes:
I'm not judging anyones thought process, I'm just questioning someones ability to come up with good associations.


That goes back to the same question - who is to judge what is a "good" association? If people get the feeling that they have to guess which of their associations might fall within the rules you set out, then Fred is right: good luck enforcing those rules, and, actually, good luck getting people to post at all.
 
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Indeed, any one association is no better than the other one. One the recent issues of "Scientific American" had an article about the so called Rorschach inkblot test. It's when a psychiatrist shows you a formless inkblot and asks you about what you see. If you see a cow, you a crazy. If you see a dog, you are healthy. Or something of that sort. Anyway, this test has been used for decades to diagnose patients with mental disorders. That is, until now, since the latest research has demonstrated that the inkblot test means shit. In short, there are no "good" or "bad" associations.
 
fred rosenberger
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I'm thinking of creating a new thread regarding Word Association with some rules attached



I am curious though as to what your rules would be.
 
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snowcone
 
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Originally posted by Ernest Friedman-Hill:
I notice that many people do not put two spaces after a period when they post here. That's how I learned to type and you should all be doing it, too. I'm aware that HTML won't show the two consecutive spaces, but I enjoy reading the Ranch in "View Page Source" format, and there the spaces -- or lack of them -- show up. This really irks me -- can people please cut it out?



So stop being irked.
Two spaces after a period is a convention from typewriter and other fixed spacing devices.

With proportional fonts, you should use one EM space. Not two spaces.

Proper spacing, punctuation, etc. is based on technology since Guttenberg
 
Oggi Olli
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Originally posted by Fred Rosenberger:


I am curious though as to what your rules would be.



Maybe a game that doesn't allow the following:

Word Disassociation (sometimes called Dissociation) is sometimes played. In this game, the aim is to say a word that is as unrelated as possible to the previous one. In such games, however, it is often found that creativity is lowered and the words stray towards having obvious associations again.



Because I think the current game is a game mixture of Word assocciation and disassociation.

Maybe my thread should be something like this:

The associations between words must be strictly obvious, rather than the usual "first word that comes to mind", which can often require explaining to see how it is connected with the previous word.



Both variants can continue in their own right, but the moderators might rename the ongoing WA thread to WA && WD, whereas my thread can have the title WA (variant), or something like that.

So, to conclude, in this process I've learnt that it is the thread titleing that is the source of my frustrations. Not peoples abilities to associate words.
 
Sheriff
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Originally posted by Pat Farrell:
...Two spaces after a period is a convention from typewriter and other fixed spacing devices...


I think EFH knows this. He's just interjecting a bit of satire.
 
marc weber
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Originally posted by Steinar Steinnes:
...I appreciate subtle, fun or surprising connections between words...


:roll:
 
Marc Peabody
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crestfallen
 
fred rosenberger
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The associations between words must be strictly obvious


Strictly obvious to whom? You? I can't tell you how many times my wife and I have looked at, read, or heard <something>, and one of us didn't get it. The other found it obvious.
 
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What is this?
 
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