11 thoughts on “Speed (82)”

1. Hi,

   If you like Skymaul, you’d probably like Jonathan Coulton’s song Skymall as well… it’s at http://www.jonathancoulton.com/lyrics/skymall

2. Ah yes, Jonathan Coulton’s song is brilliant (as is practially everything he does).

   I intend to use some of Jonathan’s music on TWN in the future.

3. I was finally able this week to find you in itunes again, re-subscribe and get your latest. I hope you’ll have more podcasts soon!

4. I’m a new listener to the Word Neds podcasts. The podcast on speed touched home. I’m a Southern boy, reared in South Carolina. I went to undergraduate school and medical at Tulane in New Orleans. I had a deep south accent at the time. After medical school I spent 4 years in Cleveland, Ohio for residency. Most of my colleagues had graduated from schools in the northeast and most of my professors were also northerners. Th slow cadence of my speech worked to my advantage because people assumed that I was thinking as slowly as I spoke. I discovered that if I just “held my tongue” for a few minutes on rounds when others tried to answer questions, everyone was really impressed when I knew the correct answers. It actually took a few months for people to catch on to my trick!

   I also enjoyed hearing “semper ubi sub ubi” in one of the casts. I studied Latin afew years in high school and started again with a Latin tutor a few years ago.

   I look forward to future podcasts. I’d love to hear one on the accusative (objective) case in English – how many people still use “whom” correctly? See, I am also a word nerd – or simply a nerd if you ask my kids.

   Steve Cavalier

5. Hi, I’m a first-time listener to your podcast. I know this was just a bit of an aside in your podcast, but it seems you misunderstand why phrases such as “people with mental retardation” are used rather than phrases such as “mentally retarded people” (you said it made it sound like mental retardation was like cancer or bronchitis). The point of this type of phrasing is to put the person, instead of the disability, first. People should not be defined by their limitations. A search for “people first language” will yield plenty of further reading if you are interested. After graduating with a degree in communication disorders, and understanding why this type of phrasing is used, I find that alternatives such as “mentally retarded people” now sound quite offensive to me.

   Looking forward to hearing more podcasts from you,
   Erin

6. Happy New Year Word Nerds
   I haven’t heard you for a while because I was slowing down over Christmas and the speed of my connection wasn’t sufficient to download you. I guess I needed the break because I was so stressed that I tore a book in half during a freak-out-moment. The irony is that the book (now repaired) is James Gleick’s Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything. We must have been on the same wavelength, you Nerds and I, since about the time you were recording this episode on “speed,” I was recording my episode on “deadline” (posted Friday Jan 5th). My complements especially to Howard for his “clat” or “gabble” (neither word really applies since “clat” once meant “to talk fast, with but little meaning” and Howard had meaning, nor “gabble” “to read so fast as to be unintelligible” since Howard was (astoundingly) intelligible). Here’s to a great 2007!

7. Hi Charles!
   Thanks for the comment. It is so good to hear from you, although, actually, I hear from you every day when I drive into work. Podictionary is one of my four or five must-listen podcasts. I’m in awe of you for keeping it going five times a week.

   Another book that picks up on the “speed” theme is one of which I was aware 23 years ago or so, when Barbara and I were thinking about having kids. The Hurried Child by David Elkind addressed the acceleration of childhood in the early 1980s. So the sense that the world is moving too fast has been around for awhile.

   You Nerd-fans: please check out http://podictionary.com. You will become hooked!

8. Hi Word Nerds,

   I’ve just resumed listening after a lengthy pause and really enjoyed the episode. As a german, I sadly have to inform you that “Eilzüge” are no longer, they are a thing of the past. Really fast german trains are called InterCityExpress, which even expresses (sic!) the speed within the word. Keep up the good work, I really enjoy the show.

   alech

9. Hi there nerds!

   It’s been a while since last time I sent you any comments – but as a blogger I know feedback is our fuel (of course donations won’t hurt)!

   I really don’t how to thank you all for this great show. TWN podcasts are just like that fresh new book you look forward to read, that great movie you watched the trailer so many times and that you already bought a ticket in advance. Thanks forever!

   Regarding the show: TWN always touches these current subjects. You prove it with “Sports Language” not so long ago, and now you made it again with “Speed”. As a Brazilian, it’s kind of awkward how bad you consider this speed up thing in lower grades since here in my country we’re always complaining how much kids have been losing in school from time to time. It’s a different thing and that drives our eduction to poor levels.

   Well, I have some others matters to discuss with you, but I’d rather write them down on a e-mail to you.

   Keep up the excellent work guys!

   Rodrigo

10. I was surprised that the word/term “slowpoke” didn’t appear as a rude word.

    …Just thought I’d mention it.

    -Eric

11. Hi there, word nerds! I just wanted to let you know that right this minute I am sitting in one of the fast German trains (ICE) going 200 mph, listening to you talking about German trains in this “Speed”-episode and writing a comment! All the best from Germany, Annik