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Nitpicking Blinkenlights isn’t a german word it’s pseudo german for Blinklicht originating from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinkenlights#:~:text=on%20the%2

by croes 2y ago

Nitpicking Blinkenlights isn’t a german word it’s pseudo german for Blinklicht originating from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinkenlights#:~:text=on%20the%20panels-,etymology,-edit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinkenlights#:~:text=on%20the... But the Chaos Computer Club built light installations called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blinkenlights https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blinkenlights

emmelaich 2y ago
obvious? that's the fun of it.
- unkeen 2y ago
  The linked article begins with "[Blinkenlights] Probably the only German word I know"
  - Sharlin 2y ago
    Ironically the author likely knows some actual German words like Schadenfreude and Kindergarten.
    - teddyh 2y ago
      The list is quite long: <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_German_expressions_in_English&oldid=1267874277 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_German_ex...>
Over2Chars 2y ago
@croes I was thinking the same thing (knowing no german, but having a hunch). And the CCC project was a whole building. For his example, I was expecting a whole cage with some tricked out lights, maybe some smoke effects (I can see new colo signs being updated "no cardboard,no smoke machines allowed"), a sub-woofer playing some chiptunes, etc.
not2b 2y ago
I saw a version of that sign a very long time ago in a government lab at my high school summer intern job, attached to a PDP-11 that came with blinkenlights.
- gonzo 2y ago
  First time I saw it was 1981 on the front of a DEC-10
  - boznz 2y ago
    PDP-10 Was awesome. There is a nice version of the console you can buy here => https://hackaday.io/project/170111-pidp-10 https://hackaday.io/project/170111-pidp-10
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
danielbln 2y ago
I would also use "die" instead of "das* for Blinkslights, since it's plural.
jansan 2y ago
I wrote "I love you" on the CCC Blinkenlights in Berlin to my then girlfriend, who has been my wife now for 20 years. The most romantic thing I ever did :)
- boznz 2y ago
  In 1985 I made a similar panel which had 16 lights and mechanical switches and installed it in a rack in an operations center in GCHQ just to make it a bit more colorful. One day I came back from leave and the boss was really mad at me as they had been showing around some VIP, who stopped at the panel and asked the area director what it did. As all the technicians had been evacuated for the tour, nobody had a clue.
fuzztester 2y ago
>The Jargon File also mentions that German hackers had in turn developed their own versions of the blinkenlights poster, in broken English:[1] ATTENTION This room is fullfilled mit special electronische equippment. Fingergrabbing and pressing the cnoeppkes from the computers is allowed for die experts only! So all the "lefthanders" stay away and do not disturben the brainstorming von here working intelligencies. Otherwise you will be out thrown and kicked anderswhere! Also: please keep still and only watchen astaunished the blinkenlights.
- wizzwizz4 2y ago
  I have never been able to track down what "cnoeppkes" is supposed to mean.
  - kemitchell 2y ago
    Кнопки (k-nope-key) is Russian for "buttons". Maybe related.
    - pavel_lishin 2y ago
      There are so many words in our language that are very clear loan-words from German!
  - wongarsu 2y ago
    My guess is "Knöpfchen" (German for "little button"). The "chen" suffix is difficult to pronounce for English speakers, so it's replaced by the word "keys" (as in the buttons of a keyboard)
    - master-lincoln 2y ago
      > The "chen" suffix is difficult to pronounce for English speakers, so it's replaced by the word "keys" (as in the buttons of a keyboard) Not quite. The -ke ending here is just another regional variant of the diminutive. The s at the end is a colloquial plural form. So the transformation from German to this weird german-english would be: Knöpfe - Knöpfchen - Knöppkes - Cnoeppkes
distantsounds 2y ago
welcome to hackernews, where every article posted has something made up about it and the points don't matter
- CodeMage 2y ago
  "Whose Blog Is It Anyway"
i5heu 2y ago
Also Kindergarten is German :)

by croes 2y ago

emmelaich 2y ago

obvious? that's the fun of it.

unkeen 2y ago
The linked article begins with "[Blinkenlights] Probably the only German word I know"
- Sharlin 2y ago
  Ironically the author likely knows some actual German words like Schadenfreude and Kindergarten.
  - teddyh 2y ago
    The list is quite long: <https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_German_expressions_in_English&oldid=1267874277 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_German_ex...>

Over2Chars 2y ago

@croes I was thinking the same thing (knowing no german, but having a hunch). And the CCC project was a whole building. For his example, I was expecting a whole cage with some tricked out lights, maybe some smoke effects (I can see new colo signs being updated "no cardboard,no smoke machines allowed"), a sub-woofer playing some chiptunes, etc.

not2b 2y ago

I saw a version of that sign a very long time ago in a government lab at my high school summer intern job, attached to a PDP-11 that came with blinkenlights.

gonzo 2y ago
First time I saw it was 1981 on the front of a DEC-10
- boznz 2y ago
  PDP-10 Was awesome. There is a nice version of the console you can buy here => https://hackaday.io/project/170111-pidp-10 https://hackaday.io/project/170111-pidp-10

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

danielbln 2y ago

I would also use "die" instead of "das* for Blinkslights, since it's plural.

jansan 2y ago

I wrote "I love you" on the CCC Blinkenlights in Berlin to my then girlfriend, who has been my wife now for 20 years. The most romantic thing I ever did :)

boznz 2y ago
In 1985 I made a similar panel which had 16 lights and mechanical switches and installed it in a rack in an operations center in GCHQ just to make it a bit more colorful. One day I came back from leave and the boss was really mad at me as they had been showing around some VIP, who stopped at the panel and asked the area director what it did. As all the technicians had been evacuated for the tour, nobody had a clue.

fuzztester 2y ago

>The Jargon File also mentions that German hackers had in turn developed their own versions of the blinkenlights poster, in broken English:[1] ATTENTION This room is fullfilled mit special electronische equippment. Fingergrabbing and pressing the cnoeppkes from the computers is allowed for die experts only! So all the "lefthanders" stay away and do not disturben the brainstorming von here working intelligencies. Otherwise you will be out thrown and kicked anderswhere! Also: please keep still and only watchen astaunished the blinkenlights.

wizzwizz4 2y ago
I have never been able to track down what "cnoeppkes" is supposed to mean.
- kemitchell 2y ago
  Кнопки (k-nope-key) is Russian for "buttons". Maybe related.
  - pavel_lishin 2y ago
    There are so many words in our language that are very clear loan-words from German!
- wongarsu 2y ago
  My guess is "Knöpfchen" (German for "little button"). The "chen" suffix is difficult to pronounce for English speakers, so it's replaced by the word "keys" (as in the buttons of a keyboard)
  - master-lincoln 2y ago
    > The "chen" suffix is difficult to pronounce for English speakers, so it's replaced by the word "keys" (as in the buttons of a keyboard) Not quite. The -ke ending here is just another regional variant of the diminutive. The s at the end is a colloquial plural form. So the transformation from German to this weird german-english would be: Knöpfe - Knöpfchen - Knöppkes - Cnoeppkes

distantsounds 2y ago

welcome to hackernews, where every article posted has something made up about it and the points don't matter

CodeMage 2y ago
"Whose Blog Is It Anyway"

i5heu 2y ago

Also Kindergarten is German :)