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What is the correct abbreviation for the word “byte”? What about the word “bit”? For example, isn't it common to see in printed media that “Kb”, “Mb” and “Gb” are used in place of “KB”, “MB” and “GB”, respectively? Is the usage different, depending on the medium? Has this changed over time? Although I don't specifically recall encountering this very-very recently, a quick Google easily reveals a example from about a decade ago, circa 1998/1999: http://archive.arstechnica.com/paedia/celeron_oc_faq3.html If you are going to use a 100 MHz bus speed, you should plan on getting PC-100 SDRAM memory. Many people have reported successfully using their old PC-66 memory, however, if you do try it and have problems overclocking, memory would be a likely suspect. You should also plan on starting with a minimum of 64 Mb. It's best to get 64 or 128 Mb DIMM modules since the number of memory sockets is usually only 3, or 4 at the most. Two 32 Mb DIMM modules will limit your ability to up...

Consider this example: Sustainability management in large organisations is an important activity that helps to achieve one’s business goals while at the same time reducing their environmental impact and improving benefits to wider society." Does it make sense to use both one’s and their to refer to organisations in the quoted sentence above? Answer Whether it makes the best possible sense, one cannot comment upon with certainty, but it is neither uncommon nor new to arrange one’s pronouns in this way. In this instance, you cannot help but wonder whether using two different pronouns necessarily implies two different referents, and so you reread and reassign trying to make some pair of choices so it reads sensibly. You waste a bad bit of time this way, and you aren’t ever quite sure your guesses are right. A careful writer might well wish to make both their pronoun references look the same, for if they were to do so, there would be little cause for complaint. Well, except that...

I was once reminded by Robusto-san of a Japanese popular saying, ‘出る釘は打たれる - the nail that pops up is always hammered down,’ when I complained about sequential down-votes that I received. I wondered at that time if this expression is unique to the Japanese collectivity-oriented patterns of thinking, which Shichihei Yamamoto defined as ‘rice-growers’ mindset’ to simply mimic what others do without having your own thought - when the neighboring farmer starts planting rice, you plant rice. When your neighbor crops rice, you crop yours. When the neighboring farmer starts to repair a thatched roof made of rice straw, you mend the thatch of your cottage. In the famous book, “Japanese and Jew ” written by the pseudonym of Isaiah Ben-Dasan, Yamamoto argues basic differences of the ways of thinking between the Japanese and the Jew - agricultural people vs pastoral people in his definition. We have a lot of proverbs to teach us to be meek, or flexible at best, such as “泣く子と地頭には勝てぬ‐You cannot arg...

I seek a word for one who is up-to-date, enlightened, and extremely well informed about the latest developments or research in a particular field. An example is a person who complains about a recent encyclopedic book publication, criticising it for being out-of-date despite its recent publication date. I want to be somewhat ironic and say something about his or her obsession with "up-to-date-ness" and his failure to appreciate this truly magnificent book. Any suggestions?

What is the origin of the expression "legislate from the bench" used to describe "judicial activism" in the United States? Do judges have different seating arrangements from congressmen? In more detail, do legislators (congressmen) sit on different appliances as compared to judges? Why does "bench" imply the judicial branch more than the legislative branch? Do judges sit on benches while senators sit on armchairs? In other words, what is the origin of describing the judges as sitting specifically on a "bench"? I assume what they sit on is padded just as much as your typical senator's seat. Note1: @TimLymington pointed out in a comment that what is relevant is the length of the bench, with several judges sitting on it. Meanwhile, members of other branches of goverment usually sit on individual seats. This seems to be the explanation of the expression dating back to the 13th century. TimLymington can format his comment as an answer so I coul...

For example, having had long standing plans to attend a late night event, I suddenly realized that I was really tired and it will not be a good idea to attend. While I made the decision to not attend the event, I was filled with regret, despite still being able to attend despite being tired. I usually understand regret is a feeling about something that happened in the past. What would you call a feeling that happens about something that is about to happen in the future, where you in theory can avoid it, although perhaps not in practice (since there was some reason to avoid it). Answer In the situation you describe, I would use regret with no qualms. This is perfectly fine, for example: I’m already regretting my decision to stay home tonight, but I really am too tired to go. The thing you're regretting is your decision to stay in, which is in the past, so there is no problem. There's also the colloquial (though not yet dictionary-codified) pregret , which is specifically kno...

Why is it “geometric” but “theoretical”? They're all adjectives, so how do you know when to use one over the other? Does it matter? I think it does...