ilogical resteraunt menu

[Nominal Animal]

In human text, square brackets are often used within quotes to indicate uppercase/lowecase initial change (when around a single letter), replace or clarify indirect and implicit references, or to add clarifications like [sic] (to indicate an error in the original).  In general, it specifies a difference to the exact original.

For example, if I said "I like apples.  I know it is said that eating one a day keeps the dogtor away.", one can quote me precisely using "[I]t is said that eating one [apple] a day keeps the dogtor [sic] away."

You can find this in several style guides, I believe.

[IDEngineer]

Completely agree, for regular writing! But I thought the context here was software.

[cv007]

read the menu .......Fish with chips and salad or vegetables.
Because logical complements ( not ) are performed first, logical conjunctions ( and ) are performed next, and logical disjunctions ( or ) are performed next.
so menu should read...........Fish with chips, AND salad OR vegetables

You created the same menu- your fellow lawyers will still read it wrong, and the normal person who had no problem before will now be thoroughly confused.

A simple word swap would probably satisfy anyone-
Fish and chips with salad or vegetables

[xrunner]

read the menu .......Fish with chips and salad or vegetables.
Because logical complements ( not ) are performed first, logical conjunctions ( and ) are performed next, and logical disjunctions ( or ) are performed next.
so menu should read...........Fish with chips, AND salad OR vegetables

You created the same menu- your fellow lawyers will still read it wrong, and the normal person who had no problem before will now be thoroughly confused.

A simple word swap would probably satisfy anyone-
Fish and chips with salad or vegetables

People are already brain-trained to know what type of "variable" the foods in a menu are

If you think of programming, then menu "variables" in people minds are these types

main_meal

side_dish

drink

dessert

So we have these variables already set up in people's wetware (brain) and the brain knows what to do with them when a menu is read -

main_meal fishAndChips;

side_dish salad, vegetables;

drink coke, tea, water;

So when they see

Fish and chips with salad or vegetables

They know what the variable types are already and can decode it easily.

It decodes to -

main_meal + (side_dish || side dish);

Sortof like that. It's already set up in the brain (for most people).

[coppice]

read the menu .......Fish with chips and salad or vegetables.
Because logical complements ( not ) are performed first, logical conjunctions ( and ) are performed next, and logical disjunctions ( or ) are performed next.
so menu should read...........Fish with chips, AND salad OR vegetables

You created the same menu- your fellow lawyers will still read it wrong, and the normal person who had no problem before will now be thoroughly confused.

A simple word swap would probably satisfy anyone-
Fish and chips with salad or vegetables

People are already brain-trained to know what type of "variable" the foods in a menu are

If you think of programming, then menu "variables" in people minds are these types

main_meal

side_dish

drink

dessert

So we have these variables already set up in people's wetware (brain) and the brain knows what to do with them when a menu is read -

main_meal fishAndChips;

side_dish salad, vegetables;

drink coke, tea, water;

So when they see

Fish and chips with salad or vegetables

They know what the variable types are already and can decode it easily.

It decodes to -

main_meal + (side_dish || side dish);

Sortof like that. It's already set up in the brain (for most people).

Americans have been trained to think "entre" on a menu doesn't mean the starters.

[Simon]

At the Post Office, when they display the "does your parcel contain any hazardous materials" prompt, the YES button is green and the NO button is red.

Guess what happens.

Yea, it's like power switches, red is off and green is on. The safe state, green should be off.

[Halcyon]

At the Post Office, when they display the "does your parcel contain any hazardous materials" prompt, the YES button is green and the NO button is red.

Guess what happens.

Yea, it's like power switches, red is off and green is on. The safe state, green should be off.

I get confused with the red and green status LEDs on those magnetic door locks you often see above glass doors.

Does green mean locked or unlocked? If green, what if unlocked is undesirable, does that mean green=bad?

[tom66]

Am I the only one who always reads POS (point-of-sales) as piece-of-shit? 

Brings a whole new meaning to Windows XP POSedition.

[electr_peter]

IMO, "Fish and chips and salad or vegetables" translates to "Fish and chips" AND ("salad" OR "vegetables"), i.e. main AND (side OR side). "Fish and chips" is a dish by itself, "and" in the middle is not logical operation - it should be interpreted as a frase from 3 words.

[Nominal Animal]

"Fish and chips, and salad or vegetables" would be unambiguous, I believe.  Poor comma, so neglected.

[AVGresponding]

"Fish and chips, and salad or vegetables" would be unambiguous, I believe.  Poor comma, so neglected.

Indeed, the Oxford comma is underutilised. Lynne Truss wrote a rather good book about it "Eats, Shoots and Leaves".

[IDEngineer]

"Fish and chips, and salad or vegetables" would be unambiguous, I believe.

Better: "Fish and chips, *with* salad or vegetables."

Best: "Fish and chips, includes your choice of either salad or vegetables."

[Hydro]

IMO, "Fish and chips and salad or vegetables" translates to "Fish and chips" AND ("salad" OR "vegetables"), i.e. main AND (side OR side). "Fish and chips" is a dish by itself, "and" in the middle is not logical operation - it should be interpreted as a frase from 3 words.

Being a programmer, I know several jokes.

First one.

The wife says to her programmer husband, “Dear, go to the store and buy one piece of sausage.
and IF there are eggs, THEN buy a dozen"

The programmer husband returns and brings eleven pieces of sausage.

[vk6zgo]

Hehe, just had the same thing happen with a credit card.
It was $5, and terminal menu said PIN OR ENTER
So, I did exactly what it said, and just pressed enter. 

It failed, turns out that really mean PIN THEN ENTER ( or PIN AND ENTER)

Why would you need to enter your PIN if you are buying something worth $5?
With normal EFTPOS terminals these days you just touch your card & you are done, up to a particular value when you need your PIN.

[BradC]

I get confused with the red and green status LEDs on those magnetic door locks you often see above glass doors.

Does green mean locked or unlocked? If green, what if unlocked is undesirable, does that mean green=bad?

Green is "I'm powered and can detect my armature is sufficiently bonded". Red is "I'm powered and can't detect a good magnetic bond with the armature". Off is "I'm unlocked".

Of course being a magnetic bond the strength reduces significantly with distance, so it can still be green but with a compromised bond that a good 'hip and shoulder' will pop.

Mag locks suck.

[Halcyon]

I get confused with the red and green status LEDs on those magnetic door locks you often see above glass doors.

Does green mean locked or unlocked? If green, what if unlocked is undesirable, does that mean green=bad?

Green is "I'm powered and can detect my armature is sufficiently bonded". Red is "I'm powered and can't detect a good magnetic bond with the armature". Off is "I'm unlocked".

Of course being a magnetic bond the strength reduces significantly with distance, so it can still be green but with a compromised bond that a good 'hip and shoulder' will pop.

Mag locks suck.

I'm assuming it's largely model dependant. I've seen examples where the same doorway (with two doors) shows two states while both doors are closed. One door is red, the other is green. Obviously in this case it means one is locked and one is unlocked. Which is which? I couldn't tell you until I try the door and find the one that opens.

[BradC]

I'm assuming it's largely model dependant. I've seen examples where the same doorway (with two doors) shows two states while both doors are closed. One door is red, the other is green. Obviously in this case it means one is locked and one is unlocked. Which is which? I couldn't tell you until I try the door and find the one that opens.

That would be highly unusual. It means one is bonded and the other isn't. Often due to bad fitting seals or just plain lack of maintenance, the door needs a shove to get both sides to bond. To unlock a mag lock, they simply drop power from it. When it powers back up it'll indicate its bond state. Mag locks are often used on double leaf doors which are unsuitable for other locking systems (ie when they often need both leafs open).

[SiliconWizard]

Wondering how some people ever manage to eat.

[babysitter]

Let me just please, check how I can {trigger you] [annoy you} (get you
frustrated
}!

[Nominal Animal]

Let me just please, check how I can {trigger you] [annoy you} (get you
frustrated
}!

Witch is it's?

[bingo600]

This one makes sense to me 

[SiliconWizard]

That said, it's probably a joke for old chaps. I dare you to find many younger developers that even know what octal is.

[mendip_discovery]

My choice would be,
"Fish and chips, with a side of salad or vegetables."

I do love the pedants, I would drive them up the wall with my abuse of the English language. But if you ever went shopping with them in a supermarket going past the "10 items or less" section would have them twitching with annoyance.

[aargee]

There is logic... then there is the English language.

[Nominal Animal]

I do love the pedants, I would drive them up the wall with my abuse of the English language.

I love abusing languages for fun.  Dad jokes, puns, mispronunciation when the opportunity strikes, et cetera.

You haven't heard true abuse of the English language until you have heard me say "bi'cycle" (for bicycle) in my Finnish Rally English.  I also like to pronounce the c in "miscellaneous" as a k.  In Finnish, I pronounce "lastenkodinkadulla" as "las tenko dinka dulla".