Forum: Author Hangout

First Use of a Computer (off-topic)

awnlee jawking 🚫

I'm making another attempt to find what I remember as a series of short science fiction stories. I can remember them being published on SOL when one of my computers died in September some years ago.

The engineers put in a new hard drive and reinstalled the software the computer originally came with. If I can work out when I got the computer back, I can work backwards to the previous September and look for stories posted around then.

How can I find out when I got the computer back and started using it again?

AJ

Replies: Ross at Play madnige

Ernest Bywater 🚫

do you have a basic or premier account?

The other thing is will the tech be backing up and re-instating you software or just rebuilding the system?

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

The engineer (from the chain that sold me the computer) didn't back up the old disc. As a mass-produced computer system, I suspect they had a manufacturer's software installation disc that reinstalled the operating system and software bundle.

The folders in the 'Program Files' folder typically have 2003 dates which bear no relation to when the computer was reinstated.

AJ

Ernest Bywater 🚫

Depending on how bad the damage was and what the guy does, you may not be able to get any data or even dates of when it ceased working.

Do you remember anything about the story content or the characters, that may be a better way to find them again.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

I posted a request to the lost stories forum some time ago, but no joy :(

AJ

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@awnlee jawking

I posted a request to the lost stories forum some time ago, but no joy :(

which thread was it, most get answered unless the info provided is a bit too thin or the story was pulled.

Ross at Play 🚫

@awnlee jawking

How can I find out when I got the computer back and started using it again?

You could try asking a human.
I'd ask whoever repaired my computer to look up the date of my last payment to them in their customer record for me.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Ross at Play

Hi Ross,

A little diversion for you - is there a verb corresponding to the noun 'expletive'? I don't want to use 'swear' because of the implications of profanity.

AJ

Replies: madnige Ross at Play Bondi Beach TeNderLoin

madnige 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

The first one I thought of is 'ejaculate'

ETA: it's not quite right, but very amusing. I think a simple 'swear' would be OK, or maybe 'effin and blindin' for a little more colour (blue, as in 'turned the air blue with his...). Or 'curse'?

Ross at Play 🚫

@awnlee jawking

A little diversion for you - is there a verb corresponding to the noun 'expletive'? I don't want to use 'swear' because of the implications of profanity.

The most common suffixes I can find which when added onto nouns create a verb are '-ise' and '-ate'.
I would not use 'expletiveise'. John Hewson lost the 1993 election in Australia, which some had thought he could not loose. He used 'incentivise' in the party's election slogan and copped heaps from the media and public for that.
The difficulty is it already has an '-ive' suffix that changed an adjective into a noun, however it came into the language as a noun without the root adjective having been used before. The original meaning from Latin is no use to you; it just means something filling in a space.
Time for the thesaurus I think. I'd want to see the context you need something for before venturing any opinion.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Ross at Play

Apparently there's a verb 'to explete' in informal American English.

The perpetrator is a Goody Two-shoes character who would never say eg "Fuck!", but would say something like "Sugar!" instead.

AJ

Replies: Vincent Berg Ross at Play

Vincent Berg 🚫

@awnlee jawking

The perpetrator is a Goody Two-shoes character who would never say eg "Fuck!", but would say something like "Sugar!" instead.

"Fudge!" is probably much more popular, especially when there are young children in the house—who typically find the usage hilarious, since they know exactly what you meant to say! Still, it helps convey that cursing (say when you smash your thumb with a hammer) isn't allowed in the household.

Replies: Capt. Zapp

Capt. Zapp 🚫

@Vincent Berg

"Fudge!" is probably much more popular, especially when there are young children in the house

I remember Sugar shells, horse feathers, fudge, and bullhockey. I still use those and a few more as I really prefer not to curse, no matter who is around.

...when you smash your thumb with a hammer...

usually get's 'Son of a biscuit-eater that smarts!' from me.

Ross at Play 🚫

@awnlee jawking

Apparently there's a verb 'to explete' in informal American English.

That would be the correct back formation.
I stopped looking for it after not finding it in OxD and dictionary.com.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Ross at Play

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/explete - the second meaning. They claim it requires an object :(

AJ

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@awnlee jawking

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/explete - the second meaning. They claim it requires an object :(

That's a load of shit! 'D

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@Vincent Berg

Did you just explete your bowels? ;)

AJ

Bondi Beach 🚫

@awnlee jawking

A little diversion for you - is there a verb corresponding to the noun 'expletive'? I don't want to use 'swear' because of the implications of profanity.

"Ejaculate" would work, but only about as well as "intercourse" in another context. And it hasn't been the 19th century for a while now.

What is an example of an expletive that is not a profanity? "Ouch"?

bb

Replies: Ernest Bywater Ross at Play KimLittle

Ernest Bywater 🚫
Updated:

@Bondi Beach

What is an example of an expletive that is not a profanity? "Ouch"?

Shoot, that works darn well, damn it. :-)

Replies: Dominions Son

Dominions Son 🚫

@Ernest Bywater

Shoot, that works darn well, damn it. :-)

Cheese and crackers got all muddy. :)

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Dominions Son

Cheese and crackers got all muddy.

Or, if it really hurts: "Son of a moldy biscuit-eating sugary, fudge-feathered horse playing bullhockey!"

Ross at Play 🚫

@Bondi Beach

What is an example of an expletive that is not a profanity? "Ouch"?

Yes. Its meaning includes exclamations that are not profanities. That's why Nixon used to word: to avoid stating that the words being deleted were profanities.

KimLittle 🚫

@Bondi Beach

What is an example of an expletive that is not a profanity? "Ouch"?

I'm fond of "Mother Francis" and "For fire trucking's sake".

Replies: Vincent Berg

Vincent Berg 🚫

@KimLittle

What is an example of an expletive that is not a profanity? "Ouch"?

I'm fond of "Mother Francis" and "For fire trucking's sake".

Of my ex-grandfather's favorite, which always delighted us kids when we were young: "Holy Jump Up and Sit Down!"

Replies: Capt. Zapp

Capt. Zapp 🚫

@Vincent Berg

What is an example of an expletive that is not a profanity? "Ouch"?

I'm fond of "Mother Francis" and "For fire trucking's sake".

Of my ex-grandfather's favorite, which always delighted us kids when we were young: "Holy Jump Up and Sit Down!"

Another along that line is "Cheese and Crackers Got All Muddy!"

Replies: JohnBobMead

JohnBobMead 🚫

@Capt. Zapp

Jiminy Christmas!

TeNderLoin 🚫

@awnlee jawking

expletive

"to exclaim" would be the non-profane verb form.

Replies: TeNderLoin

TeNderLoin 🚫

@TeNderLoin

As for euphemisms, try these:
https://wehavekids.com/parenting/101-Great-Cuss-Word-Alternatives

Ross at Play 🚫

Phone the manufacturer of the hard drive quoting its serial number and ask if its still under warranty.

madnige 🚫
Updated:

@awnlee jawking

Look at the create dates of the main system directories (e.g., /windows ); they'll probably all be the same and the date of the install of the OS. If they're not, or are obviously wrong, that's an indication that the repair shop may have pulled a fast one.

Another option is to look at your bank statements for the payment to the shop, assuming you paid by bank transaction around the time.

ETA: I had a caller at the door whilst composing my reply and dealing with them delayed my response a half-hour, so it's a bit out-of-date.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫

@madnige

Windows folder created 2003 :(

I'm optimistic they didn't pull a fast one because they gave me the old hard drive.

The repair took place some years ago and the bank statements are not readily available. I'm not even sure which account I paid from :(

AJ

Replies: madnige

madnige 🚫

@awnlee jawking

How about looking at the user directory dates (c:/users/whatever I think) as it seems they've done a bitwise restore of an empty system, but the user directories should be specific to your machine so created at the time.

Replies: awnlee jawking

awnlee jawking 🚫
Updated:

@madnige

You're a genius!

There isn't a c:\users per se but there's a c:\Documents and Settings folder that lists all the users. The year was 2013!

Thank you,

AJ

sejintenej 🚫

Oh, sugar

Ernest Bywater 🚫

Gee, golly, darn, dang it, I thought five flaming flying fish used to be bad, but bless my soul there's a lot worse out there. So just look out for Jiminy Cricket.

sejintenej 🚫

another I use in slightly more adult company is to say the letters and number
S H one T

Forum: Author Hangout

First Use of a Computer (off-topic)

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