4 ms·

As someone whose mother tongue isn't English, I find the Urban Dictionary incredibly useful sometimes. It's sad sad it is blocked in virtually any corporate net

As someone whose mother tongue isn't English, I find the Urban Dictionary incredibly useful sometimes. It's sad sad it is blocked in virtually any corporate network.

wodenokoto 3y ago
You trusts it’s definitions as more than jokes?
- xanderlewis 3y ago
  Yeah; its usefulness is at least partially diminished by the fact that like 95% of entries are basically vandalism.
  - nerdponx 3y ago
    That's always been part of the fun.
  - vundercind 3y ago
    It used to be pretty good but the last three or four times I’ve tried to look something up I’ve not found anything that fits the usage I’ve seen, and most or all entries are clearly someone trying to “make fetch happen” (promote some definition their friend circle used for a week then dropped) or making a “joke” (just spam).
- grotorea 3y ago
  You think it's that bad? Usually when I search a definition it makes sense in the context that caused me to search for the definition.
  - weinzierl 3y ago
    Exactly, it often just gives the right clue. For native speakers connotation is often trivial, but for us it's difficult and a source that almost grotesquely exaggerates is perfect for picking up that.
- jaystraw 3y ago
  humor is independent of language edit: there are jokes that rely on a specific language or culture. but i think (correct me if i'm wrong) sarcasm and hyperbole span language
grardb 3y ago
As someone whose mother tongue is English, I also find Urban Dictionary incredibly useful sometimes.
playingalong 3y ago
I am not saying it doesn't happen, but why would it be blocked? Preventing hate speech in company culture? Is anyone thinking UD would be a go to place for finding a cool way to insult someone?
- weinzierl 3y ago
  I don't know. It's just pretty consistent across the companies I know and worked for.
- mhuffman 3y ago
  >but why would it be blocked? Preventing hate speech in company culture? I suspect it is more about legal exposure, rather than thinking someone is going to come up with a new insult. For example, I suspect you can imagine some words that even being seen on a device in your company would end up in a civil lawsuit settlement.
- RicoElectrico 3y ago
  OpenDNS classification maybe.
- wolverine876 3y ago
  It's blocked because it costs nothing, it incurs less risk than not blocking it, and nobody cares - corporate IT is extremely busy, overworked, trying to keep up with essential, high value tasks that impact the bottom line. More immediately, probably it's blocked because it's on some blocklist. It's on the blocklist for the same reason: Why not? Consider these scenarios: 1. You're the IT manager. It's not blocked and something on UD causes a problem - content, even malware. You may think it's valid or not, but regardless HR, legal, managers, some VP, multiple employees, IT are all dealing with it. The VP asks you: I am extremely busy doing high-return work for the company and so are all these other people, and now I and all of these people are wasting time on this useless nonsense. Why didn't you block it? Isn't this your job? - What do you respond? 2. It's blocked, you work there and want to lookup something on UD, and you ask IT to unblock it. IT manager forwards the request to your manager, noting that IT staff are very busy integrating the new acquisition, but would be happy to do whatever your people need for important projects. Your manager asks you why you contacted IT. What is your response? 3. It's blocked, you want to lookup something on UD, and you complain to your manager that it's blocked. Your manager says: If you can't find something profitable to do, you're fired. If you can't figure out to use your phone, you're fired. Do you go over your manager's head? 4. It's blocked, you work in IT and go through the blocklist - probably tens of thousands of items long - and unblock some things like UD. Your manager says (the same as #3). What do you think? 5. It's blocked and you bring up at a meeting that you think it should be unblocked. Nobody speaks. Why are they silent? You are there to achieve the organization's goals. UD has nothing at all to do with that or anything else of enough importance or value to even distract a co-worker for a half-second, causing them to refocus twice.
philbin 3y ago
[dead]

As someone whose mother tongue isn't English, I find the Urban Dictionary incredibly useful sometimes. It's sad sad it is blocked in virtually any corporate network.

wodenokoto 3y ago

You trusts it’s definitions as more than jokes?

xanderlewis 3y ago
Yeah; its usefulness is at least partially diminished by the fact that like 95% of entries are basically vandalism.
- nerdponx 3y ago
  That's always been part of the fun.
- vundercind 3y ago
  It used to be pretty good but the last three or four times I’ve tried to look something up I’ve not found anything that fits the usage I’ve seen, and most or all entries are clearly someone trying to “make fetch happen” (promote some definition their friend circle used for a week then dropped) or making a “joke” (just spam).
grotorea 3y ago
You think it's that bad? Usually when I search a definition it makes sense in the context that caused me to search for the definition.
- weinzierl 3y ago
  Exactly, it often just gives the right clue. For native speakers connotation is often trivial, but for us it's difficult and a source that almost grotesquely exaggerates is perfect for picking up that.
jaystraw 3y ago
humor is independent of language edit: there are jokes that rely on a specific language or culture. but i think (correct me if i'm wrong) sarcasm and hyperbole span language

grardb 3y ago

As someone whose mother tongue is English, I also find Urban Dictionary incredibly useful sometimes.

playingalong 3y ago

I am not saying it doesn't happen, but why would it be blocked? Preventing hate speech in company culture? Is anyone thinking UD would be a go to place for finding a cool way to insult someone?

weinzierl 3y ago
I don't know. It's just pretty consistent across the companies I know and worked for.
mhuffman 3y ago
>but why would it be blocked? Preventing hate speech in company culture? I suspect it is more about legal exposure, rather than thinking someone is going to come up with a new insult. For example, I suspect you can imagine some words that even being seen on a device in your company would end up in a civil lawsuit settlement.
RicoElectrico 3y ago
OpenDNS classification maybe.
wolverine876 3y ago
It's blocked because it costs nothing, it incurs less risk than not blocking it, and nobody cares - corporate IT is extremely busy, overworked, trying to keep up with essential, high value tasks that impact the bottom line. More immediately, probably it's blocked because it's on some blocklist. It's on the blocklist for the same reason: Why not? Consider these scenarios: 1. You're the IT manager. It's not blocked and something on UD causes a problem - content, even malware. You may think it's valid or not, but regardless HR, legal, managers, some VP, multiple employees, IT are all dealing with it. The VP asks you: I am extremely busy doing high-return work for the company and so are all these other people, and now I and all of these people are wasting time on this useless nonsense. Why didn't you block it? Isn't this your job? - What do you respond? 2. It's blocked, you work there and want to lookup something on UD, and you ask IT to unblock it. IT manager forwards the request to your manager, noting that IT staff are very busy integrating the new acquisition, but would be happy to do whatever your people need for important projects. Your manager asks you why you contacted IT. What is your response? 3. It's blocked, you want to lookup something on UD, and you complain to your manager that it's blocked. Your manager says: If you can't find something profitable to do, you're fired. If you can't figure out to use your phone, you're fired. Do you go over your manager's head? 4. It's blocked, you work in IT and go through the blocklist - probably tens of thousands of items long - and unblock some things like UD. Your manager says (the same as #3). What do you think? 5. It's blocked and you bring up at a meeting that you think it should be unblocked. Nobody speaks. Why are they silent? You are there to achieve the organization's goals. UD has nothing at all to do with that or anything else of enough importance or value to even distract a co-worker for a half-second, causing them to refocus twice.

philbin 3y ago

[dead]