Exchanges with People that Make Your Brain Hurt

[Diane AKA Traska]

My DH was trying to explain a quiz where you have clues to try and figure out the answer to an unknown question.   

Him: So it will come up and say the answer is "blank" and .....
Me: Wait, when does it come up and tell you what the answer is?
Him: It doesn't tell you the answer.
Me:  But you just said it comes up and gives you the answer.
Him: No I didn't, now listen. So after you finish these clues and you get them right, it will come up and say the "answer is blank".
Me: OK, so after you complete this portion of the game, it gives you the answer and then you have to figure out what the question was?
Him: No, it doesn't tell you what the answer is.  That's not what I said.
Me: Never, mind. I give up.

Next day, he decides to try again using an example of a game he completed.
Him: So I completed all of these answers. When the game came up and said the answer is "vaneeer", I knew I needed to...
Me: Wait, I need to understand when does it come up and tell you the answer.
Him:  Why do you keep asking me that?  It doesn't give you the answer.
Me: You just said it came up and told you the answer was vaneer.
Him: No I didn't, why are you making this so difficult?
Me:  Never mind.

I still don't know what he is talking about and he thinks I'm just being completely obtuse.

The first example, I thought he meant "the answer is ____"
Then you got to an actual example, and my face did this:   

[CakeBeret]

Syntax brain hurt.

The phrase "Up to $50 or more" always makes my brain twitch. You can have something up to $50, or you can have something $50 or more, but please do not say that it is "up to $50 or more".

[Iris]

Syntax brain hurt.

The phrase "Up to $50 or more" always makes my brain twitch. You can have something up to $50, or you can have something $50 or more, but please do not say that it is "up to $50 or more".

There is a local shop that always has a CD sale rack with a sign saying "From under $10". I often wonder if they realise that that description includes every single number.

[CakeEater]

That reminds me of when my mother moved from Liverpool to London in the 50's.  When she went back home to visit for a while, she went out with her friends and got home around 1:00 a.m.  There was her mother at the doorway, utterly furious, saying "WHAT TIME DO YOU CALL THIS?"  Mum said "You have no idea what I get up in London, Mum.  Face it, I've grown up."

I hurt my own brain by doing this. I know it's ridiculous, but I worry about people getting home when they've left my company, even though I realise that they spend the rest of their time travelling around without my knowledge or concern.

Stupid brain!

[ladyknight1]

It hurts my brain that their marketing folks DIDN'T - in this day and age, businesses need to take multiple cultures into consideration, lest they totally alienate a potential client base. Also, most of the folks I know who would be most interested in this development absolutely WILL associate both those names with those films, regardless of age. One of those films is something of a cinematic classic, even if it's not everyone's cup of tea.

Thank you! I wasn't quite sure how to respond, but this is perfect. And I had to do a couple of searches to make sure this wasn't a gag on his part, but apparently it's legit.

The folks at Universal Technical Institute didn't realize that the initials that they go by means something entirely different to the female half of humanity... (Yes, I know that men can get UTIs, but it's much rarer than for women.)

I laugh every time I have to request a transcript from there for a student.

[ladyknight1]

My project's initials are PMS.   

My college degree is in Applied Social Science.   Yeah, I have a degree in that.

Ah, but is it a Bachelor of Science degree? 

Mine is. At least I won't be a Master of BS.

[ladyknight1]

My father-in-law is a very smart man. He did a lot of the work on his house himself, and that is good, except that it will never pass inspection for sale and MIL is constantly talking about selling that house. While they were gone over the weekend, the 32 year old hot water heater had a major catastrophe and flooded the rear wing of the house. FIL is replacing the water heater, but trying to salvage the 32 year old carpet and padding.

It makes my brain hurt because they bought decent carpet back in 1981, off-white carpet, that has lasted through many children and a grandchild. The carpet will have to be replaced before they can sell the house, but they are trying to save 2000 sq ft of carpet, which sat in water for at least two days.

[mmswm]

My undergrad degree is a BS.  My sister's is a BM (Bachelor of Music). The school where she graduated changed the name shortly thereafter to Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music to avoid that lovely little acronym.

[Midnight Kitty]

Sorry for the double post, but a friend of mine posted this link

http://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-robot-suit-approved-for-worldwide-rollout-2013-2#ixzz2MPHiHSMa

The part that hurt my brain was the names of the device and the company that made said device.

My disabled DH could really use that robot suit.

[WillyNilly]

My DH was trying to explain a quiz where you have clues to try and figure out the answer to an unknown question.   

Him: So it will come up and say the answer is "blank" and .....
Me: Wait, when does it come up and tell you what the answer is?
Him: It doesn't tell you the answer.
Me:  But you just said it comes up and gives you the answer.
Him: No I didn't, now listen. So after you finish these clues and you get them right, it will come up and say the "answer is blank".
Me: OK, so after you complete this portion of the game, it gives you the answer and then you have to figure out what the question was?
Him: No, it doesn't tell you what the answer is.  That's not what I said.
Me: Never, mind. I give up.

Next day, he decides to try again using an example of a game he completed.
Him: So I completed all of these answers. When the game came up and said the answer is "vaneeer", I knew I needed to...
Me: Wait, I need to understand when does it come up and tell you the answer.
Him:  Why do you keep asking me that?  It doesn't give you the answer.
Me: You just said it came up and told you the answer was vaneer.
Him: No I didn't, why are you making this so difficult?
Me:  Never mind.

I still don't know what he is talking about and he thinks I'm just being completely obtuse.

I think the issue the word "answer". 

The quiz gives you the answer to the question, but the answer to the quiz is the question.  Sort of like the game show Jeopardy - they provide the "answers" and contestants need to come up with the question, the correct question is the answer to the quiz.

So if the answer is "vaneer" the answer to the quiz might be "the dresser wasn't solid wood, but appeared to be oak, what was it?"

[Reika]

Sorry for the double post, but a friend of mine posted this link

http://www.businessinsider.com/japanese-robot-suit-approved-for-worldwide-rollout-2013-2#ixzz2MPHiHSMa

The part that hurt my brain was the names of the device and the company that made said device.

My disabled DH could really use that robot suit.

I wasn't trying to knock the device, I think it's fantastic. It was just the names involved that made my brain implode.

[Diane AKA Traska]

My DH was trying to explain a quiz where you have clues to try and figure out the answer to an unknown question.   

Him: So it will come up and say the answer is "blank" and .....
Me: Wait, when does it come up and tell you what the answer is?
Him: It doesn't tell you the answer.
Me:  But you just said it comes up and gives you the answer.
Him: No I didn't, now listen. So after you finish these clues and you get them right, it will come up and say the "answer is blank".
Me: OK, so after you complete this portion of the game, it gives you the answer and then you have to figure out what the question was?
Him: No, it doesn't tell you what the answer is.  That's not what I said.
Me: Never, mind. I give up.

Next day, he decides to try again using an example of a game he completed.
Him: So I completed all of these answers. When the game came up and said the answer is "vaneeer", I knew I needed to...
Me: Wait, I need to understand when does it come up and tell you the answer.
Him:  Why do you keep asking me that?  It doesn't give you the answer.
Me: You just said it came up and told you the answer was vaneer.
Him: No I didn't, why are you making this so difficult?
Me:  Never mind.

I still don't know what he is talking about and he thinks I'm just being completely obtuse.

I think the issue the word "answer". 

The quiz gives you the answer to the question, but the answer to the quiz is the question.  Sort of like the game show Jeopardy - they provide the "answers" and contestants need to come up with the question, the correct question is the answer to the quiz.

So if the answer is "vaneer" the answer to the quiz might be "the dresser wasn't solid wood, but appeared to be oak, what was it?"

It doesn't seem that way.

[Margo]

That reminds me of when my mother moved from Liverpool to London in the 50's.  When she went back home to visit for a while, she went out with her friends and got home around 1:00 a.m.  There was her mother at the doorway, utterly furious, saying "WHAT TIME DO YOU CALL THIS?"  Mum said "You have no idea what I get up in London, Mum.  Face it, I've grown up."

I hurt my own brain by doing this. I know it's ridiculous, but I worry about people getting home when they've left my company, even though I realise that they spend the rest of their time travelling around without my knowledge or concern.

Stupid brain!

My mother is exactly the same. If I've visited my parents, I will always call to let her know once I've arrived safely back home. She knows perfectly well that it is irrational. She says she thinks it is because she knows for sure that one of us is on the road *right then that minute* coupled with a little bit of 'they were visiting me so their safety my responsibility'.

But she was always very good at letting us do stuff despite being worried. (I travelled to France by myself when I was 17, to stay with a pen pal. I remember my parents being encouraging and supportive. I must have been about 25 when the trip came up in conversation and my mum mentioned that she hadn't slept for 2 nights when I went because she was so anxious about me out there travelling through foreign places all alone..

[Thipu1]

And then there's the should-be-an-urban-legend-but-isn't story behind the Wgasa, the monorail at the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park. (Warning: naughty word)

That's hilarious and I know of a similar situation.

Back when on-line library catalogs were a rarity, the brain donors ruling the place got the bright idea that we had to have one although we barely had computers. 

The thing was absolutely awful but staff members were asked to suggest catchy titles for the thing.  Feeling a bit naughty, I suggested Polecat because it stank to high heaven.  I explained that the name stood for 'Public On-Line Experimental CATalog'. 

Wouldn't you know it, the name won.  Thank the Deity that it only lasted for a few months. 

[lowspark]

Syntax brain hurt.

The phrase "Up to $50 or more" always makes my brain twitch. You can have something up to $50, or you can have something $50 or more, but please do not say that it is "up to $50 or more".

There is a local shop that always has a CD sale rack with a sign saying "From under $10". I often wonder if they realise that that description includes every single number.

I get that. What they are trying to say is that this rack has some CDs in it that are as cheap as (probably) $9.99 (under $10), but also some which are more than $10. Yes, that encompasses all possible prices but I think the emphasis here is on how low they go (under $10) which is to say (in their estimation and for the sake of advertising) incredibly cheap!

In other words, the sign is saying, "Look in this rack! there are some CDs in here that are so cheap, they are less than $10! Be aware, though, they're not all that cheap, just some of them."