• al177@lemmy.sdf.org
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    10 months ago

    You know what, Madred, if you want me to see five lights, like your pretty boy over there, Brian, why don’t you just make them five lights?

  • mirror_slap@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I was rolling laughing at this, and then I had to try to explain it to my wife. It is basically unexplainable.

    • doctorcrimson@lemmy.today
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      10 months ago

      So basically, it’s a meme originating from Star Trek wherein a species communicates exclusively through idioms and descriptions of events, making it impossible to translate without an understanding of their overall culture and history. Shaka When the Walls Fell probably means failure, it can be translated as “wow” in best case or “this is devastating” in the worst case.

      If my Ink Tank Printer suddenly posted SHAKA WHEN THE WALLS FELL then I would be taking a few steps back and grabbing some towels.

      • Floey@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        This almost sounds like a prediction of contemporary meme culture where every situation or emotion is conveyed though a shared collection of phrases and images.

      • mirror_slap@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        Now If you had said towel, I would have assumed it was the ultimate Douglas Adams reply, lol.

  • hperrin@lemmy.world
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    10 months ago

    I always thought this was a funny scene, because if you know what the parts of a printer are called, it’s obvious what “PC Load Letter” means. So Michael is obviously just bad at his job.

    Load letter sized paper into the paper cassette, in case you didn’t know.

      • Zoidberg@lemm.ee
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        10 months ago

        Freedom paper! 8.5"x11". There’s also legal for when you’re in trouble or spending a ton of money: 8.5"x14".

      • Aqarius@lemmy.world
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        10 months ago

        In the US, they don’t use A4, they use “letter”, which is slightly wider, and “legal”, which is slightly longer.

        • gmtom@lemmy.world
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          10 months ago

          Wait, so printers from the rest of the word wouldn’t work properly in America with American paper? (Assuming they don’t have an adjustable paper tray or something)

          • Aqarius@lemmy.world
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            10 months ago

            I don’t think I’ve ever seen a printer that doesn’t have some sort of adjustable tray.

              • Aqarius@lemmy.world
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                10 months ago

                Weird, all the ones I’ve seen could at least switch between A4 and US sizes.

  • Izzy@startrek.website
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    10 months ago

    How could translators possibly know what is a proper noun and what isn’t in an alien language?