What are the people within your listening range talking about?

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The ladies in my office (not sexist, I am the only male in the open part of the office) are talking about Michael Jackson again. This has become a weekly ritual over the past 3 or 4 months, to get into a half hour discussion about how weird MJ is, what an irresponsible parent, etc., etc. One woman in particular is obsessed, and she is quite the talker. She is the inciter. I am amazed at their inability to use up this topic of conversation, although that may have something to do with their willingness to say the same things over and over again without adding any new information or opinions.

So, let's take a poll on what issues the world is discussing today: what can you hear people talking about?

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

nothing people don't really talk here when the big boss man is in the house.

― Chris V. (Chris V), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

We're talking the Embankment of the Thames, The Adelphi and what S. Pepys had to say about the area we're sitting in right now.

Oh and they're looking at me a bit bemused as I tell them about how the big Anish Kapoor in the Tate Modern is at least in part concerned with Greek myth.

― Tim (Tim), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

My next door neighbors are in the hallway within earshot, arguing about spackling and drywall.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Which drinking establishment they should go to.

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Martha Nussbaum.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

they're freaking out about getting some PR project done...again...for the 50th time since i've been here

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Nothing. I'm the only one back here.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:46 (twenty-two years ago)

I just heard someone say, "It has an image of a butt silkscreened on the back."

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 20 February 2003 17:59 (twenty-two years ago)

The possible choices of locale for law school -- San Diego? New Orleans? Seattle? The joy of returning to a carful existence after 7 yrs in NYC going without. Pick up trucks vs vans.

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I hear people trying desperately to get our Canon fax/printer/copier/scanner multipurpose machine working again.

I hear people discussing what they had for lunch. One's midday meal involved chicken with jasmine rice and mango chutney. I'm jealous of her.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

.idl and .idt files and the impossiblity of working within our PMF.
This morning it was Liverpool and Celtic banter and a discussion on how badly our country got destroyed in cricket.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:15 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm alone now, but around about the time this question was asked, someone was saying "How do you work out 25% of 42000? I'll ask Maris - she's clever."

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:26 (twenty-two years ago)

bullshit

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:28 (twenty-two years ago)

"How do you work out 25% of 42000? I'll ask Maris - she's clever."

yikes.

― Aaron A., Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:31 (twenty-two years ago)

To be fair, after Maris the brainbox said 'you divide it by four', the questioner laughed and said 'Oh yeah - I'm so thick'.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Attorney to his (stupid) assistant: "WHAT DID YOU DO? OH MY GOD, YOU DIDN'T SEND THAT? OH FUCK, THIS IS A DISASTER - THIS IS A DISASTER!!!!"

― luna (luna.c), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Will Smith is asking his girlf to get nekkid. Krishnan Guru-Murphy is discussing the Whitehouse and the U.N. My housemates are complementing each other's attire and discussing the "Brookes Restaurant Idea".

― Graham (graham), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:38 (twenty-two years ago)

"do you have news and announcements for today? okay! *laughs* okay. mm hmm. right. right. right. right. okay! *laughs* that's good. *clears throat* really. REALLY? oh that's so funny. right. okay! so there's some little things that we're still working on but it won't matter. okay! bye!"

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Thursday, 20 February 2003 18:42 (twenty-two years ago)

library chatter, books being put on tables, soft telephone convesations, clatter of keyboard keys, padding of feet on carpets.

― anthony easton (anthony), Thursday, 20 February 2003 19:08 (twenty-two years ago)

a radio check in. over.

― isadora (isadora), Thursday, 20 February 2003 19:23 (twenty-two years ago)

The 50 sexiest men in Blender, now that's more like it!

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 20 February 2003 19:51 (twenty-two years ago)

yes.

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Thursday, 20 February 2003 19:59 (twenty-two years ago)

I just heard someone say, "It has an image of a butt silkscreened on the back."

I know what this is about.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 20 February 2003 20:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, please do tell.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 20 February 2003 20:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I am alone in the house.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 20 February 2003 21:03 (twenty-two years ago)

All I can hear is the occasional cry of delight or frustration from Jerry the Nipper, who is watching Liverpool underperform but win (as at 9.23pm) in the sitting room as I convalesce in bed.

― Mark C (Mark C), Thursday, 20 February 2003 21:23 (twenty-two years ago)

law school again, how when one turns 35 one should be able to be in a nice place for themselves

― Mary (Mary), Thursday, 20 February 2003 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

A ski trip to Vermont this weekend. I'm jealous.

― shtencil, Thursday, 20 February 2003 22:04 (twenty-two years ago)

100+ people on my floor, I can't hear any of them. It's actually pretty nice...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Thursday, 20 February 2003 22:26 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know, as they are talking in Swedish. They all sound grebt though

― J0hn Darn1elle (J0hn Darn1elle), Thursday, 20 February 2003 22:44 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry, can't upload the butt-pic at the moment but promise I will when I get home. (I think they just put some new security spyware sumthin on our computers, oh well.)

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 20 February 2003 22:52 (twenty-two years ago)

oh, ha, I just found it, of course, on Snopes.

http://www.snopes.com/photos/graphics/skirt04.jpg

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 20 February 2003 22:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Ha! I was overhearing the passing on of an urban legend! I feel like an anthropologist.

― Nemo (JND), Thursday, 20 February 2003 23:10 (twenty-two years ago)

" . . . they created a database of 75,000 people's personal information and it somehow became available to the public."

VERY LOUDLY ( = one speakerphone + 2 next=door office occupants + door open

Apparently there was an article about it in the Feb. 5 [Nat'l?] Law Journal.

― felicity (felicity), Thursday, 20 February 2003 23:51 (twenty-two years ago)

my brother talking to himself while playing a video game

― Maria (Maria), Friday, 21 February 2003 01:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Toby sitting behind me reading a recipie book. Quiet, with bursts of 'ooh goat's cheese', 'I must go to Berwick Street market', 'that sounds lovely', 'what are you posting?'.

― Anna (Anna), Friday, 21 February 2003 12:07 (twenty-two years ago)

They are talking about how rubbish Bayer Leverkusen are now.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Friday, 21 February 2003 12:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Student conversation. I don't know what they're saying because it's in Chinese (with a bit of Spanish filtering in from the computer room), but I suspect it involves mobile ring tones.

― Archel (Archel), Friday, 21 February 2003 12:15 (twenty-two years ago)

'you can't spell recipe'

[whatever]

― Anna (Anna), Friday, 21 February 2003 12:16 (twenty-two years ago)

I *WANT* that skirt!

However, it would look pretty silly on me, considering how large my thighs are, to have a tiny butt silkscreened on.

― kate, Friday, 21 February 2003 12:20 (twenty-two years ago)

i think they're making fun of me....

― g-kit (g-kit), Friday, 21 February 2003 12:20 (twenty-two years ago)

"i'll kick yer fucking dog"

― Alan (Alan), Friday, 21 February 2003 12:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I am listening to a German lawyer with an LLM give US legal advice, and it's ALL WRONG. We'll discuss this quietly later.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Friday, 21 February 2003 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

at work everyone keeps talking about what jail was like and how they were addicted to crack. i don't have much to add. oh, but then they talk about payday

"muthafuckin bitch better pay our asses since we fuckin be here all day uknowhatimayin"

― Vic (Vic), Friday, 21 February 2003 16:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Nothing thank God. It is too early in the morning (11.45) and I'm on one cup of coffee.

― Mary (Mary), Friday, 21 February 2003 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

"so how much is THAT gonna cost? (chuckle) (silence) perfect! yeah. yeah. (silence) wow. great. uh. no, thank YOU. bye sweetie!"

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 21 February 2003 17:51 (twenty-two years ago)

All other occupants of house either absent or downstairs. My hearing, at the age of thirty, is too poor to detect anything above the whirr of the PC's internal fan. Or maybe Nic and Emma are being really, really quiet. Conversing sotto voce. Whispering? Conspiring...? I could really use a drink right now, but not allowed to because I had an extraction this afternoon (looked more like a tusk than a tooth) and alcohol, kids, is an anti-coagulant. Is it worth bleeding profusely for a beer?

― Matthew Adam Thurgood (Matt T), Friday, 21 February 2003 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

This thread is a lot less interesting than I anticipated when I started it.

(This isn't directed at anyone in particular. Or maybe it's directed at me, since I started the damn thing).

― Nick A. (Nick A.), Friday, 21 February 2003 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

The two people closest to me are reciting names and addresses of people my company is hiring, over and over again.

― hstencil, Friday, 21 February 2003 20:30 (twenty-two years ago)

"i'm marking some undergraduate's work. i think they must have had a forceps delivery or been starved of oxygen at birth or something".

― toby (tsg20), Friday, 7 March 2003 14:30 (twenty-two years ago)

nine months pass...

Behind me, the Sunday Hera ld editor:

"There's this really cool band, I don't know if you've heard of them - they're called Snowpatrol."

Bizarre.

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

"Nick's music is up pretty loud. Does that band's guitar player even know what he's doing?"

I'm listening to Gang of Four.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 17:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I have no idea what they are talking about. This is because they are speaking in Spanish.

― MarkH (MarkH), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 17:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Bitching again in the hallway about how long it's taking to get the SF86s and the clearance paperwork finished and forwarded and how long it's taking to get people (eg ME) downtown so we can actually do what we're being paid for. I can't argue with that.

― TOMBOT, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 17:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Every other dept. got Xmas bonuses (boni?) except us, because we're union.

― Huckleberry Mann (Horace Mann), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 17:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Now I hear two of our execs talking about a life & health insurance deal one of 'em just closed over lunch at Olive Garden for a real estate company with over 900 employees that is saving these people %15 in premiums compared to last year...a %15 that comes to almost $400K.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Someone just poked their head through my office door and asked if I wanted a cookie. I said no, I've just had a couple of ginger snaps.

― Hanna (Hanna), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 19:02 (twenty-one years ago)

From some rocker/actor dudes coming out of a Blink 182 video casting session: "I said 'I sing white soul', they said 'we want White Stripes' and I said , 'Well, you don't want me!'

Everyone else is talking about LotR and Baja Fresh's new low carb menu.

― Arthur (Arthur), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 22:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Sauron has collaborated with Baja Fresh on a diet plan?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

Will this merchandising madness ever end?

― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 22:47 (twenty-one years ago)

they're talking about how many cars there are and how many people there are and whether these numbers are compatible for transport to a picnic.

― isadora (isadora), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

yeesh snowpatrol. pity you.

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

The grocery store union strike

― luna (luna.c), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 23:09 (twenty-one years ago)

My housemate is shouting at his computer, he worries me slightly.

― Matt (Matt), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 23:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I've got the TV on at present and the commercial on at the moment is a Cingular Wireless commercial -- the one with the teenaged girl who complains about how her father wants to be around her all the time. Strange. Ok, now there's a Time Warner Cable commercial on.

The rest of the air is full of silence and the whir of the computer.

― Tenacious Dee (Dee the Lurker), Thursday, 18 December 2003 02:48 (twenty-one years ago)

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