# Tiny errors that drive you insane **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 29, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557 "2016-02-29T19:58:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/181 "2016-03-09T02:57:49Z")
Have I mentioned “utilize” when “use” is appropriate in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/182 "2016-03-09T05:42:34Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > When people use two spaces after a sentence. Grrr… Consider it a convenient filter to indicate a high chance that the person doing it will tell you to get off your lawn. > [@](#): > > You know the removable boxy thing you put rifle or handgun cartridges in? It is not called a “clip.” It is a magazine. And while we’re at it, you don’t put “bullets” in a gun. You put in rounds or cartridges. The M1 Garand, among others, begs to differ. > [@](#): > > When people confuse weight and mass. This comes up often in your experience? > [@j666](#): > > Have I mentioned “utilize” when “use” is appropriate in this thread? It makes me think of Idiocracy, where the idiots use the word to sound smart when talking about sex. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/183 "2016-03-09T05:59:50Z")
I love ‘Breaking Bad’. I love ‘Better Call Saul’. But in the latter, the continuity errors are driving me batshit (this from a guy who has a loose definition of continuity and a loose definition of batshit). Mike’s grand-daughter is the same age in this series as she is in ‘Breaking Bad’ Mike and Jimmy obviously have a long and deep-seated antagonism vis-a-vis the parking situation for a very long time in Albuquerque, until tne day Mike needs some help with some cops who investigating him because he just arrived in Albuquerque… yesterday? Granted these aren’t tiny errors but I need some validation on this. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/184 "2016-03-09T07:28:44Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > When people use two spaces after a sentence. Grrr… . . . That’s standard and proper manuscript format. MS format also has you use underlining to indicate italics, two hyphens to indicate a one-em dash, etc. These are all less necessary today, as typesetting is done by computer, not by guys with inky fingers on composing sticks, but the proper format is still the same. Two spaces after periods and colons: it’s not just a good idea, it’s comme il faut. (Now, I knew a guy who tried to demand that the newsletter editor retain the two spaces in the published newsletter, but that’s wrong. That leads to the “rivers of white” visual effect. The editor was correct to take out the double spaces. But the author was correct to put them in his submitted manuscript.) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/185 "2016-03-09T08:25:25Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Now, I knew a guy who tried to demand that the newsletter editor retain the two spaces in the published newsletter, but that’s wrong. That leads to the “rivers of white” visual effect. The editor was correct to take out the double spaces. And this is why it’s nearly always wrong now: We use proportional typefaces (in specific fonts) for practically everything now, and the double-space rule only obtained on fixed-with typefaces. It’s a hold-over from typewriter technology, a greatly simplified version of _real_ movable-type printing, which was then carried over into early computer displays, first for actual ink-and-paper printing terminals and line printers and similar, then for character cell terminals, even the ones which had features well beyond what could be accomplished by teletypes. Of course, if you try to explain this to people who have spent most of their lives living in a peever’s paradise, they won’t believe you. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/186 "2016-03-09T14:53:39Z")
[Two spaces!](http://www.gocomics.com/bloom-county/2015/10/01) ---
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/187 "2016-03-09T17:39:01Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Nope, if there’s only one of each they are equally unique. THANK YOU! That drives me insane also. It’s either unique, or it isn’t. Nothing can be more unique than anything else. If there is only one of something, then it is unique. If there is more than one, it isn’t. Something that personally drives me nuts is how time travel is commonly treated in movies and television. Take “Looper”, for example. I recall people talking about how SMART its take on time travel was, when I’m there silently screaming at the screen in the movie theater, as someone cuts a person’s arm in the past, and suddenly the future version of that person starts bleeding. THAT COMPLETELY VIOLATES one of the most basic rules of reality and logic and causality. If you are cut in the past, it means you’ve ALWAYS had those cuts from the time they occurred. They can’t suddenly appear in the future as if by magic. That’s not time travel, that’s voodoo. I can somewhat forgive when it happens in stupid comic book shows like “The Flash”, because I figure that’s geared for people who aren’t going to think about things too deeply. But don’t claim that your movie is smart when it does dumb things like that that violate basic common sense. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/188 "2016-03-09T21:10:58Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > I once read a blog of a young student named Deb who was studying in Japan. English-Language words tend to get “Japanified” by native speakers; this often includes appending a vowel sound after the final syllable, so (for example) “ice cream” becomes “aisu kurimu.” In keeping with this practice, native Japanese folks pronounced her name as “Debu,” which happens to be Japanese slang meaning roughly “fatso”. I believe it is physiologically impossible for a Japanese person to pronounce my name, “Darryl”. Dar-ru is about the best you can expect. ---
**Author:** ![norvalnormal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@norvalnormal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norvalnormal)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/189 "2016-03-09T21:23:42Z")
Some tv movie where a kid in the 1960s or 1970s broke his (her?) arm, and had a blue fabric sling vs. the off-white plaster of paris “cast” which would have been used. And, yeah, I get the concept of stock footage, but when an episode of _Homicide_ used a few seconds of 1970s NYC subway train (with scads of graffiti) footage for a cutaway that was ostensibly the modern-day Baltimore/DC subway … ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/190 "2016-03-09T21:52:43Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I believe it is physiologically impossible for a Japanese person to pronounce my name, “Darryl”. Is there a name that can be spelled more ways? ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/191 "2016-03-09T22:53:44Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Mispronunciations of any word. In this Internet Age, it is totally inexcusable. > > Criminal Mind’s resident genius Spencer Reid pronounced Samhain “Sam-han.” Google it, you idiot, and find out it’s correctly pronounced Sow-een. On that note, I’ll mention the pronunciation of the common tan ice cream topping as _kar’-mel_. The word has three syllables: _ **kare’-a-mel** _! Carmel is a mountain in Israel. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/192 "2016-03-09T23:03:37Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Totally disagree. There are alternative pronunciations for many, many words in the English language, as well as goofy regionalisms. (e.g., the citizenry of the town of Monticello, in Utah, are viciously adamant that the pronunciation is “Monti-SELL-oh.” Do it wrong, and you will get snapped at with astonishing vituperation.) Not to mention Weiser (Weezer not Wizer) and Helena, MT (Emphasis on the Hell, when the ladies name has the accent on the middle syllable). On the other hand, Ucon gets pronounced as Yukon. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/193 "2016-03-09T23:17:28Z")
Managers who don’t use their closer in a tie game in the ninth inning. Or who let struggling pitchers continue in search of a save or win. What? Baseball is on TV. It’s entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/194 "2016-03-09T23:23:52Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > My mom was in a college class with an earnest young woman who was going on about how important Evelyn Waugh’s female perspective was. :o Women named Aubrey. It means Golden KING. Girl form is Audrey. Also all the female Mackensies, McKennas, etc. The mac prefix means “son of.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/195 "2016-03-09T23:24:17Z")
> [@MacLir](#): > > On that note, I’ll mention the pronunciation of the common tan ice cream topping as _kar’-mel_. The word has three syllables: _ **kare’-a-mel** _! > > Carmel is a mountain in Israel. :dubious: I basically agree, but that battle is already lost. Also, people who pronounce the y in “syrup” extra, EXTRA long. > [@gigi](#): > > My mom was in a college class with an earnest young woman who was going on about how important Evelyn Waugh’s female perspective was. :o I mean, she’s mostly known for being married to him for a short time, but Evelyn Waugh’s influence on Evelyn Waugh’s writing may have been significant. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/196 "2016-03-09T23:34:36Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > It alwys bugs me to hear Professor Xavier pronounced **Gz** avier in X-Men. Initial X in English is pronounced as Z, for God’s sake. We don’t play **gz** ylophones. 😕 Yeah… I’ve never heard anyone pronounce that name as “Gzavier.” That’s a strange typo to make twice. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/197 "2016-03-09T23:40:11Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > I believe it is physiologically impossible for a Japanese person to pronounce my name, “Darryl”. Dar-ru is about the best you can expect. You learn to hear the sounds in your native language, and warp other similar sounds in other languages to fit your preconceptions. Hence any number of “shibboleths” and mispronunciations. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/198 "2016-03-09T23:53:16Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > And this is why it’s nearly always wrong now: We use proportional typefaces (in specific fonts) for practically everything now . . . Even today, proper manuscript format uses a non-proportional font. The final published version may use a proportional font, but the manuscript you submit to the publisher is still preferred in traditional manuscript format, and the reason is still the same: maximum visibility. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/199 "2016-03-10T01:28:21Z")
> [@norvalnormal](#): > > And, yeah, I get the concept of stock footage, but when an episode of _Homicide_ used a few seconds of 1970s NYC subway train (with scads of graffiti) footage for a cutaway that was ostensibly the modern-day Baltimore/DC subway … There is no Baltimore/DC subway. Each city has its own separate subway. There was a movie set in DC (I can’t remember which one) that shot its subway scenes in the Baltimore subway. Not an error, just a production logistics decision. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557/200 "2016-03-10T01:44:18Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > It takes a lot of work to form a beret and I assume the ones on TV are pretty much straight out of the box. You have to pull out the liner, wet it, shave it, squish it, wet it again, shave it some more, wet it, squish it into the right shape (put something really heavy on top of it), repeat a few more times until it looks sharp. Shave it? > [@Flyer](#): > > The idea that a beret is useful or practical in any sense whatsoever is utterly laughable. It’s a practical way to show how badass the person is, that they wear a beret in public. 😉 > [@Seanette](#): > > Phrases like “should of”, “off of”, and so on. Substitution of “of” for “have” is bad enough, but “off of” is just awful, IMO. Okay, here is my peeve. I’m saying “should 've”, i.e., I’m using the contraction form of “have” - _'ve_. I can’t help it that you hear “of”. > [@Chronos](#): > > What bugs me in movies? When they show the night sky, and it isn’t any night sky ever visible from Earth. OK, I understand that cameras have much less dynamic range than eyes, so they can’t just shoot the actual night sky. I understand that they have to put in a simulated sky. But is there any reason that the simulated sky can’t simulate the real constellations? Because the constellations visible in the sky will differ by latitude, longitude, and season. Unless the point of the scene is to examine the night sky, if it is just a background for a night shot or something it isn’t worth the effort. > [@buddha\_david](#): > > The thing that really bugs me is that dreadful “day for night” effect, where they shoot the scene in daylight with a blue filter to simulate nighttime. Even in the hands of a skilled director, it always looks bad – in the night scenes of _Mad Max: Fury Road,_ the characters were CASTING SHADOWS, fer Cripes’ sake! > [@Skammer](#): > > I mostly agree with you, but a near full moon _will_ cast shadows on a clear night. Not even near the full moon. Any moon on a clear night. It just isn’t common to see when you live around city lights. > [@Abner\_Ravenwood](#): > > Is it okay to call the outlets [holes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2bsRaBH-Os)? Was that supposed to be a different scene, 'cause I’m not seeing a reference to that line. > [@j666](#): > > Big and fast are not comparative, and no, something cannot be partially unique; unique is an absolute. Big and fast only make sense in reference to something else, even if it is just common experience. The doctor got to me within 15 minutes of my arrival. “That was fast.” The traffic light didn’t turn green for 15 minutes. Certainly not fast. It took me 15 minutes to drive to work from home. “That was fast.” It took me 15 minutes to walk from my car to my desk. Not fast. What is a fast car? > [@j666](#): > > Have I mentioned “utilize” when “use” is appropriate in this thread? What about not in this thread? 😉 > [@MacLir](#): > > On the other hand, Ucon gets pronounced as Yukon. :rolleyes: How else would it be pronounced? 😕 > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > 😕 Yeah… I’ve never heard anyone pronounce that name as “Gzavier.” That’s a strange typo to make twice. I think he means “Exavier” versus “Zavier”. But don’t pronounce it “Hahvier”. And don’t pronounce Javier as “jay vee air”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiny-errors-that-drive-you-insane/747557.md?page=11)