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The small 8s are exponents (the relevant article is at
exponentiation, but it's only written for folks with forty years experience with mathematics). Basically, it means that you multiply 99 (in the first example) by itself 8 times, as in 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99. Randall's point is that when you do that, you get a decently accurate number of meters in a
light year. I'm not sure what you mean by "expressions in culture"; it's just a handy way of remembering some oddball values.
Matt Deres (
talk)
16:31, 14 June 2013 (UTC)reply
Maybe I should expand on that a bit. Most of the values he's used are expressed in ways that have little or nothing to do with the way he's expressed them. For example, the population of the world has nothing to do with the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina; he's just stuck that in there for students to use in homework and tests so that they still get the right answer but arrive at it in completely the wrong way, thus "trolling" (i.e. messing with the mind of) the teacher.
Matt Deres (
talk)
16:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)reply
Well, kind of. "69" could certainly a reference to
69 (sex position) and 99 has been used as a modified version of the 69 gag to depict male homosexuals or other rear entry sex (though that's not nearly so widely understood as the 69 thing), but I don't think those are any part of the joke. See also
this XKCD for more "numerical sex positions".
Matt Deres (
talk)
01:34, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
No. When you set up a wiki (for instance using the
MediaWiki package), you decide whether the wiki is to be editable (or viewable, for that matter) by logged in users only. You can disable auto-registration of new users, thus restricting editing (and viewing, if you like) to accounts that are created by an administrator. A private wiki can be quite useful for collaborative work. --
NorwegianBluetalk11:31, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
They missed a couple of facts. One is that the image used by the Pythoneers was
W. G. Grace, a joke that would certainly be lost on Americans or anyone who wasn't a major fan of cricket. A film they missed entirely is The Ten Commandments (1956 film), in which God does not appear on-screen, but was voiced by... well, the article says it was Heston, and I had heard long ago that it was the director,
Cecil B. DeMille. In any case, I didn't see it on the list. ←
Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→
00:49, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
That Python representation was the first one I thought of when I saw this thread. thanks for mentioning it Bugs. I suspect that most actors would have a long list of "directors who thought they were God" and the would probably start with
Eli Cross.
MarnetteD |
Talk03:03, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
The two performances (three if you acknowledge JC and Jack in TRC) did receive many comparisons after TSM's release. IMO they are bravura performances by O'Toole that are markedly different from one another. I hope that you get to see the second one some day Jack. I don't think you would be disappointed.
MarnetteD |
Talk03:20, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
Bill Cosby's early routine about Noah had him voicing God. The cartoon "The Old Grey Hare" had the voice of God (Mel Blanc, of course) talking to Elmer. I don't know that I would count those examples, though. ←
Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→
05:22, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
It does raise the question of whether the god or gods of other current faiths have been portrayed. I think we can assume not for Islam's interpretation of God. And of course the Greek and Roman mythological gods have been portrayed many times. But what about Hindu gods, for example? ←
Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→
05:24, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
Welcome to the Wikipedia Entertainment Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a
transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the
current reference desk pages.
The small 8s are exponents (the relevant article is at
exponentiation, but it's only written for folks with forty years experience with mathematics). Basically, it means that you multiply 99 (in the first example) by itself 8 times, as in 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99 x 99. Randall's point is that when you do that, you get a decently accurate number of meters in a
light year. I'm not sure what you mean by "expressions in culture"; it's just a handy way of remembering some oddball values.
Matt Deres (
talk)
16:31, 14 June 2013 (UTC)reply
Maybe I should expand on that a bit. Most of the values he's used are expressed in ways that have little or nothing to do with the way he's expressed them. For example, the population of the world has nothing to do with the number of leap years since hurricane Katrina; he's just stuck that in there for students to use in homework and tests so that they still get the right answer but arrive at it in completely the wrong way, thus "trolling" (i.e. messing with the mind of) the teacher.
Matt Deres (
talk)
16:36, 14 June 2013 (UTC)reply
Well, kind of. "69" could certainly a reference to
69 (sex position) and 99 has been used as a modified version of the 69 gag to depict male homosexuals or other rear entry sex (though that's not nearly so widely understood as the 69 thing), but I don't think those are any part of the joke. See also
this XKCD for more "numerical sex positions".
Matt Deres (
talk)
01:34, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
No. When you set up a wiki (for instance using the
MediaWiki package), you decide whether the wiki is to be editable (or viewable, for that matter) by logged in users only. You can disable auto-registration of new users, thus restricting editing (and viewing, if you like) to accounts that are created by an administrator. A private wiki can be quite useful for collaborative work. --
NorwegianBluetalk11:31, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
They missed a couple of facts. One is that the image used by the Pythoneers was
W. G. Grace, a joke that would certainly be lost on Americans or anyone who wasn't a major fan of cricket. A film they missed entirely is The Ten Commandments (1956 film), in which God does not appear on-screen, but was voiced by... well, the article says it was Heston, and I had heard long ago that it was the director,
Cecil B. DeMille. In any case, I didn't see it on the list. ←
Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→
00:49, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
That Python representation was the first one I thought of when I saw this thread. thanks for mentioning it Bugs. I suspect that most actors would have a long list of "directors who thought they were God" and the would probably start with
Eli Cross.
MarnetteD |
Talk03:03, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
The two performances (three if you acknowledge JC and Jack in TRC) did receive many comparisons after TSM's release. IMO they are bravura performances by O'Toole that are markedly different from one another. I hope that you get to see the second one some day Jack. I don't think you would be disappointed.
MarnetteD |
Talk03:20, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
Bill Cosby's early routine about Noah had him voicing God. The cartoon "The Old Grey Hare" had the voice of God (Mel Blanc, of course) talking to Elmer. I don't know that I would count those examples, though. ←
Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→
05:22, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply
It does raise the question of whether the god or gods of other current faiths have been portrayed. I think we can assume not for Islam's interpretation of God. And of course the Greek and Roman mythological gods have been portrayed many times. But what about Hindu gods, for example? ←
Baseball BugsWhat's up, Doc?carrots→
05:24, 15 June 2013 (UTC)reply