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For those (like me) on mobile who can't read this (well): "In an effort to get people to look into each other’s eyes more, and also to appease the mutes, the g
by cornstalks 9y ago
For those (like me) on mobile who can't read this (well):
"In an effort to get people to look into each other’s eyes more, and also to appease the mutes, the government has decided to allot each person exactly one hundred and sixty-seven words, per day.
"When the phone rings, I put it to my ear without saying hello. In the restaurant I point at chicken noodle soup. I am adjusting well to the new way.
"Late at night, I call my long distance lover, proudly say I only used fifty-nine today. I saved the rest for you.
"When she doesn’t respond, I know she’s used up all her words, so I slowly whisper I love you thirty-two and a third times. After that, we just sit on the line and listen to each other breathe."
The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel
- pitaj 9y agoPeople could just use > like the internet has for ages: > In an effort to get people to look into each other’s eyes more, and also to appease the mutes, the government has decided to allot each person exactly one hundred and sixty-seven words, per day. > When the phone rings, I put it to my ear without saying hello. In the restaurant I point at chicken noodle soup. I am adjusting well to the new way. > Late at night, I call my long distance lover, proudly say I only used fifty-nine today. I saved the rest for you. > When she doesn’t respond, I know she’s used up all her words, so I slowly whisper I love you thirty-two and a third times. After that, we just sit on the line and listen to each other breathe. - The Quiet World by Jeffrey McDaniel
- hkmurakami 9y agoWell it's a poem, so each of the verses being represented properly, matters.
- skissane 9y agoUsual shorthand is to separate verses with / Of course, the effect is best when the poem is laid out properly (which sometimes includes using indentation). But using slashes is better than alternatives like using commas (which is ambiguous, since a comma can mean a pause or clause boundary within a line)
- gsich 9y agoOr they could use a browser that displays stuff correctly.
- wtallis 9y agoThe browser's displaying things just fine. The problem is forums that provide custom markup implementing an insufficient subset of what HTML allows for. In this case, HN provides formatting for blocks of code, but not quoted blocks of prose.
- justinator 9y agoOh, and HN is still using tables within tables within tables (within...) for their text formatting. I'm sure someone here will defend that. looks at calendar Anyways, flying cars everyone! We're going to be the VC for flying cars!
- gsich 9y agoThen what's the problem? I can see the poem on a mobile browser. Although you have to use landscape.
- always_good 9y agoNot sure what you think you're improving since you still removed all the verse data of a poem.
- ProAm 9y agoHe also removed the exif data
- baddox 9y agoNow I feel silly after having just read the parent comment on mobile by constantly scrolling left and right.
- supergreg 9y agoI just rotated my phone.
- asloma 9y agoThe 80 character line limit is making it's return (for me it never left though).
- jessaustin 9y agoI agree, but the longest line in the poem has 45 characters.
- numerum-bestiae 9y agoMaterialistic (HN app) sorts formatting out pretty well, at least the comments.