Thursday, February 23, 2023

Foolishness...Or Is It? Has Been Around Since 2006. I Think It Is High Time We Had a Pop Quiz.

Which bullet point is not true? (I’ll give you a hint. Pick the middle one.)

  • Abraham Lincoln could count to 87.
  • You can trust the Internet to always give you the correct information.
  • Thomas Jefferson was a good writer.

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I have been stumbling around the Internet again and I just stumbled across a Writing Tool named The Paraphrasing Tool that would make My Dear Readers believe I can write better than I can write...Or could it make them believe that?

The people who invented The Paraphrasing Tool say that it is a Paraphraser and Grammar checker for faster, smarter, and better writing.

...Or is it?

You know I am a Noticer but did you know some people say I am a Quibbler? My computer tells me a Quibble is, “An Unimportant Distinction or Petty Objection”.

I want to come to the defense of myself and say I am not a Quibbler especially with regards to my objection to the Paraphrasing Hatchet Job The Paraphrasing Tool did to Abraham Lincoln’s Words below but first let’s look at what they did to Thomas Jefferson’s Words.

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Jefferson Wrote: “When in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the Separation.”

The Paraphrasing Tool Rewrote: “A decent respect for the opinions of mankind necessitates that they declare the reasons that drive them to the separation whenever, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands that have connected them to another and to assume among the Powers of the Earth the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them.”

Would you think Fella would be Quibbling if he asked, Is This Better or Is It Just Different?

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Father Hatrel said to me back in High School, “Fella, Mathematics Is an Exact Science” and, in this case The Paraphrasing Tool is Exactly Wrong!

Lincoln Wrote: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal”.

The Paraphrasing Tool Rewrote: “Our ancestors established a new nation on this continent four hundred and seven years ago, founded on the idea that all men are created equal.”

I don’t think I am pointing out anything Unimportant or Petty if I point out that a score of years is 20. This means four score and seven years ago is 87 years ago (1863 – 1776 = 87) and not 407 years ago.

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Last but not least. How does The Paraphrasing Tool handle Foolishness?

Fella Wrote: Foolishness...Or Is It?

The Paraphrasing Tool Rewrote: Is it foolishness, or not?

My Dear Readers, that is an unimportant distinction all wrapped around a petty objection if I ever saw one.

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Here is the URL for The Paraphrasing Tool... https://paraphrasing-tool.com/

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: Final Pop Quiz...Can you define any of these: an Ostent or a Vinal or a Tun or a Katun?...

Term

Equivalent Time

1 minute

60 seconds

1 ostent

6 minutes

1 hour

60 minutes or 3,600 seconds

1 solar day

24 hours or 1,000 swatch beats

1 week

7 days

1 fortnight

14 days

1 vinal

20 days

1 lunar month

29.531 days

1 financial month

30 days

1 nodical month

27.212 days

1 quarter

91.3125 days

1 tun (financial year)

360 days

1 year

365 days

1 solar year

365.242 days

1 leap year

366 days

1 decade

10 solar years

1 katun

7,200 days

1 score

20 solar years

1 generation

30 solar years

1 century

100 solar years

1 millennium

1,000 solar years

1 bismuth half-life

2000042716454701.5