Hey, they made fun of Gandalf. "You shall not pass"

> First of all the joke's on me...
you got that much right. any deja vu lately? how's that tail doin'?

> ...for trying to deprogram Hopebots.
aww shucks. we appreciate all the effort.
i'm having a considerably easier time, deprogramming Fearbots.

> "The Emperor wears no clothes!"
funny. seen more & more of that parable, over the last 7 years.

> Obama's spell is powerful.
mmm yes, you should see his Magic Missile. puts Gandalf to shame.
(skipping past a lot of other minor funny bits, to...)

> I hate spoiling others' "good vibes" ...
actually, i doubt that. you attempt little else here.

but, on the off chance you were being sincere there? then you needn't worry.
they remain unspoiled by you. indeed, untouched.

so, when's the last time you started a good vibe, shroomy?
any deja vu lately?

Great sift, and thread as well. Ah, where's Westy when you need him?

Whenever I hear people say between you and I, irregardless, or it's instead of its, I am constantly resisting the urge to correct them. Of course, we can all be a language Nazi, but words and their usage will always evolve, as Ferdinand de Saussure first noted; he classified language study into two groups—the static (a snapshot of a language at a given moment in time, which we call a dictionary) and the dynamic (the fluid usage of words, which changes so quickly that it's impossible to put into a dictionary). Unless you are working with an artificial language like Esperanto or mathematics, where its definitions are clearly explained from the outset, every word's etymology will be a Frankenstein to some degree. For instance, when should we use "that" instead of "which"? There is no One True Answer, only a messy history of usage which we must dig through to agree one usage is better than the others because... well, because we like the sound of it.

Still, it's frustrating. Why do we bother learning grammar and spelling rules if it's okay to suddenly not follow them? Here's a poem I wrote about exactly that:


Ode to Our Mislaid Apostrophes

O wonderful, mischievous, slippery mark:
I want to punctuate, but youre location is stark.
My meanings are loose, my intentions skewed—
my editors pens could leave me quite screwed!
They often complain that theyre English is good
while my typewritten words barely understood
If only Id divine when its was not it's
they just might be able to keep all there wits
Or not mistake they're when it really is there,
or swap out a your when you're is somewhere...
I find it so silly. Cant you understand my thought?
Is my english so bad that new laws must be wrought?
I suppose who and whom can go fly with the dodo
for who really cares, but Gandalf and Frodo
In fact, I will drop all punctuation at once
and no one around will suspect me a dunce
for they too will know what I mean with my word
so why need I try its so pointless absurd
lets assassinate all grammer and speling as well
im sure every school kid would love to us tell
how much they hate engish and other dim arts
no need to learn standards when its old pompous farts
insisting they bend to the will of those rules
like all human beings are grammatical mules
o wunderful mischevious slipery mark
i would use you if only i knew where you park
but no one cares now if youre lost to the wind
since apostrofe rules they wish to recind
its a simple mater of its usage you kno
wheter your is correct in your sentance flow
ah who cares no one maybe only a fyew
i do wish theyd speek up oh how I doo


P.S. And "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" is actually "Eats, Shoots & Leaves". Normally, I wouldn't say anything, but in this case, the author's comma placement is explicitly intentional. Tee hee.

P.P.S. I also agree with oxdottir that neither the internet nor this forum is a formal medium; we are not paid editors and nobody is expected to write as if they are paid journalists (least of all those for whom English is a second language). So, sorry in advance to anyone if I reach out and tag you. Westy, of course, is exempt.

It's a small detail, but I love how Glamdring, Gandalf's sword, sings to him as he dives toward and catches it (it's hard to make out on the youtube version). It has this hum that sounds like menace and doom.

The craftsmanship that went into these movies is simply stunning.

Huzzzah Zifnab! your diamond is here! Some of my favs:
Gandalf vs The Balrog (you…shall not….pass!!!)
X-files Intro
Star Wars Episode I, Duel of the Fates
No Capes! (Edna is too cool…)
The Princess Bride: To the Pain
(Plus he’s the currently atop the leaderboard in mlx’s R&R collective, those are good too!)
Well done, here's to 250 more!
[EDIT] He also leads in Matt Groening, Parody, Cinema, Commercial...damn! The Z cannot be stopped!

"Gandalf!"....."Rowsdower!"

One of the things I love most about this clip is when Gandalf turns to confront the Balrog. It flames and roars, and as Gandalf starts his speech it begins to dawn on you that this feeble guide who entertained children with fireworks is nothing you thought he was. And just as you realize this, *poof*, he is lost. This is what movies are all about.

I thought about posting that version , but I liked the mix with the Two Towers to get Gandalf's battle all in one.

Thought I'd give Gandalf a whirl for a while, I'll probably switch back to a Dragon again soon

In reply to your comment:
“You're quite welcome! I've always liked Escher...
aw, where did your dragon go?!

Man, thought I saw Gandalf there. "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!"

Reminds me of Gandalf's fall with the Balrog

You're all wrong... that's really Gandalf pretending to be Sir Ian.

yeah, he was the guy that played gandalf.

He's not really Gandalf?

gandalf could sail a carrier wing through one of those