| Author |
|
Evan S. Kurtz
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 July 2022
Location: Canada
Posts: 361
|
| Posted: 14 May 2026 at 12:50am | IP Logged | 1
|
post reply
|
|
The word “prequel” has only existed since 1958, when it was coined by writer Anthony Boucher. Prequel is a “back-formation” without a Latin root. Source: Mother Jones.
With JB’s permission, it’d be pretty cool to have a dedicated thread to the topic, “Today I Learned.” I find this forum to be one of the more interesting repositories of random factoids. Perhaps there’d be an interest in others sharing their own, barring any which rely on links to Wikipedia?
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Evan S. Kurtz
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 04 July 2022
Location: Canada
Posts: 361
|
| Posted: 25 May 2026 at 6:00pm | IP Logged | 2
|
post reply
|
|
The history of "o.k." is fascinating and not one I knew before. Link goes to Meriam-Webster, but hat tip to Apple news site Daring Fireball.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Josh Goldberg
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 25 October 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 2145
|
| Posted: 25 May 2026 at 11:00pm | IP Logged | 3
|
post reply
|
|
They used to say that "OK." was the first word non-English speakers learned when they came to the USA. I'm reminded of a friend of my mother's who came to the USA from Poland after World War II. Nobody in her party spoke a word of English when they arrive at Ellis Island. All the spoken instructions and information they were given ended with "OK?" In very short order they realized that the appropriate response to "OK?" was "OK."
It seems that with the advances in communication technology over the past few decades, "OK" has become universal. No longer a new word that people learn when coming to the USA.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 136321
|
| Posted: 16 June 2026 at 3:34pm | IP Logged | 4
|
post reply
|
|
Sploosh
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Edward Aycock
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 July 2024
Location: United States
Posts: 209
|
| Posted: 16 June 2026 at 4:40pm | IP Logged | 5
|
post reply
|
|
QUOTE:
| It seems that with the advances in communication technology over the past few decades, "OK" has become universal. No longer a new word that people learn when coming to the USA. |
|
|
Struck me that in a lot of foreign language films, OK is used quite a bit, especially in French films.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Peter Martin
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 17 March 2008
Location: Canada
Posts: 16470
|
| Posted: 16 June 2026 at 8:42pm | IP Logged | 6
|
post reply
|
|
Today I learned that Airplane! was, to some significant degree, a remake of a film called Zero Hour!
Zero Hour! even has the exclamation mark and the lead character is called Ted Stryker. Stryker's story is the same as Striker's -- as is the main structure of both films. Never knew this!
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 136321
|
| Posted: 16 June 2026 at 9:03pm | IP Logged | 7
|
post reply
|
|
I remember seeing AIRPLANE for the first time and having seen ZERO HOUR! thinking wait a minute…….
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Cory Vandernet
Byrne Robotics Member
Henchman
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 883
|
| Posted: 17 June 2026 at 2:00am | IP Logged | 8
|
post reply
|
|
Police Squad was a spoof of the Lee Marvin TV series M Squad. They remade at least a couple of the episodes.
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
Petter Myhr Ness
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 02 July 2009
Location: Norway
Posts: 4239
|
| Posted: 17 June 2026 at 7:58am | IP Logged | 9
|
post reply
|
|
Apparantly, they bought the rights to the script ZERO HOUR and even kept much of the dialogue. Like this wonderful line:
"The life of everyone on board depends upon just one thing: finding someone back there who can not only fly this plane, but who didn't have fish for dinner."
|
| Back to Top |
profile
| search
|
| |
