bâtonnage — Noble Dust

I'll drink to that.



Our golden retriever could make 3 departure distinctions: She was going to get a ride, she was going get a walk, she wasn't going to get anything. Dogs are good observers. What was it about our behavior that tipped her off to the presence of a pill in a little snack?

No worries.

One neologism I coined years ago, which has never been used to my knowledge, is 'spielfest' (although I now learn via quick Google search that it is actually a German word.) But it is just such a perfect word for a summit, gathering of business persons, politicians, sales conferences, and so on. I do note the awkward-sounding 'gabfest' is sometimes used, but I think 'spielfest' is superior.

I dunno but my guy just thinks 'going in the car' is just the best ever thing. And, hates being left alone. I do have 'exit bribes', i.e. a container of strategically placed dog treats to toss to aforesaid dog at the point of departure. But the minutes leading up to the actual decampment remain, well, 'dogatory' :-(

I do note the awkward-sounding 'gabfest' is sometimes used, but I think 'spielfest' is superior. — Wayfarer

'Talkfest' is a conventional term, too. The German word 'spiel' is not really along the lines of 'talk' or 'discussion' but more akin to 'game', 'play', 'exhibition' or 'performance'. In English it is often said something like 'one gives their spiel'. Could be a sales-pitch, for example; the word seems to carry that German implication of signifying a performance

In English it is often said something like 'one gives their spiel' — Janus

That's what I meant - hence, 'spielfest' for an event where there are many speakers. The German word does indeed mean something different.

The etymology of 'spiel' suggested that the meaning, "a sales pitch" is late 19th century -- relatively recent. As a matter of usage, 'spiel' is at its all time high. The word is quite common in my neck of the woods (a lot of German immigrants around here).

I find "gobsmacked" to be both repellant and very evocative. It means literally, smacked in the mouth, or shocked by a blow to the mouth, as in "shut yer gob". I thought it was derived from "gobbet", a piece or lump of flesh, food, or other matter, to get hit in the face with some disgusting offal of some sort.

But no. Seems to be mostly a Brit thing; I've come across it in the comments sections of the Guardian. It should stay there.

So this is a thread about deepfakes and not cool words - that is now a thread about cool words. I can't distinguish the reality of this thread from... wait. Ah. I get it. Nicely played.

Ingravescent inimicalities. Meaning, starting out bad and getting worse; something brought on by the 'oscillating grundy'.

Don't forget about:

The problem is that no one is even knowingly playing. Is the game that's being played even real?...

You'll never know.

Perhaps the participation of players makes the game real, despite lack of knowledge or game structure.

It's lovely. Just adorable.

:fire:

Thanks for bringing the thread back on track, and I think the vid does a good job canvassing the issue. I mean, it is very easy to be blasé about it, but a lot of serious mischief could be done with such technologies. Like he suggests, I think it's fundamentally immoral, if only on the basis of violation of the dignity of the victims.

A few years back, there was a farcical court case in the US, about whether child porn with simulated children ought to be illegal. (I have a vague memory that the judgement was 'no'.) But it brings up similar issues.