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Month: April 2017
Should some of Mahler’s early symphonies be considered more collections of movements than unified statements?
does anyone regularly listen to the Third all the way through? *raises hand* In fact, the Third is so through-composed, that its original final movement, which ended up as the first movement of his Fourth, quotes the fifth movement of the Third. And the Third has a quite intentional, programmatic structure of building up from […]
Why can’t European Australians speak another language other than English but the Asian and Aboriginal Australians can?
My experience to Duke Skibbington’s is so utterly different, I’m all… “are you sure you’re Greek?” But of course, he’s 3rd generation, and I’m 1.5th generation. (2nd generation, but spent childhood in Greece.) It is of course to do with assimilation, which is to do with the timespan your family has been in Australia, and […]
In England, we have a curious habit of cheering when someone (especially staff) drops a load of glasses or plates. Is this the norm in other countries?
In Australia, in pubs, we yell “Taxi!” The premise is that the glass or plate was dropped by someone drunk, who therefore will be needing a taxi, as they are in no state to drive themselves home. Answered 2017-04-17 [Originally posted on http://quora.com/In-England-we-have-a-curious-habit-of-cheering-when-someone-especially-staff-drops-a-load-of-glasses-or-plates-Is-this-the-norm-in-other-countries/answer/Nick-Nicholas-5]
Do dogs understand the concept of dance?
I will not be confused with an ethologist. But I do know that whenever I try to dance with my honey, and our dog is anywhere near, Jenny gets excited, wags her tail, and jumps on us to join in. Fricking dog. My understanding with what little I know of ethology is, Jenny does so […]
What are the biggest reasons people choose to drive into towns by car instead of using the train?
This has been an issue of contention between me and my wife. My wife would rather be in a traffic jam for 2 hours, than catch the train. I’ve been an annoyed passenger on such occasions. None of the other reasons brought up by respondents applies. So long as you are heading to the CBD, […]
What would be your epic last words?
An adolescent question like this deserves an adolescent poem as its answer. Here’s one I prepared earlier. As an adolescent, in fact. Taktas jarojn tiuj, kiuj dankasDion – trance, kun vagstulta fido. Trafas kraŝon tiuj, kiuj tranĉaspor si hastan vojon – kun venkrido. Tanĝas homojn tiuj, kiuj talpas mensizole, ĉar en si kontentas. Transas homojn […]
How would you parody your own writing style on Quora?
I believe that everything that ever needed to be said about this has already been said by my friend Quora Quorason. Vote #1: Quora Quorason’s answer to How would you parody your own writing style on Quora? This answer is meant to be supplemental to that. Only it isn’t, because I am enamoured of my […]
As an Australian, what makes you think and feel that you’re different from the British?
Benjamin R. Drakenbourg is right: Australians have a lot invested in thinking they are egalitarian and not-British, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t class in Australia. The sneering at bogans that has happened over the last two decades is nothing if not class. So is the abundance of hipsters in the inner suburbs. But Australians […]
Why don’t Apple devices have an emoji of the flag of Ancient Rome?
The intention of the Unicode Regional Indicator Symbols was to represent current countries in existence (as encoded in ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), as locales for software; the flags are a lagniappe. (A rather unfortunate lagniappe.) Hence, no SPQR flag: the point of the codes is to indicate the country you live in, as a two letter […]
Which 7 people in history would you like to high-five?
Tough question, Habib le toubib: I don’t do heroes, I like my critical faculties about me, and I’ve been jaded for a while. And of course, anyone I’d choose would be morbidly obscure anyway. … OK, challenge accepted. Hubert Pernot. The underappreciated giant of Modern Greek historical linguistics. Not a polemicist, not a tub-thumper; he […]