Timeline for What are the origins of the names "Just Read The Instructions" and "Of Course I Still Love You"?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
38 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 20 at 6:03 | comment | added | O. R. Mapper | @Peter-ReinstateMonica: Doesn't make much sense to me. Read which f*ing manual? Again, it becomes meaningful if we assume it refers to the (unwritten) manual about how to treat that ship properly (lest it nehave in an "unpleasant" way toward you). YMMV. | |
| Feb 19 at 21:24 | comment | added | Peter - Reinstate Monica | @O.R.Mapper I read your "I had assumed it's a joking way to express that there's a right and a wrong way to behave towards that vessel" and thought it's missing the point: That the ship wants you to rtfm. I also would think that it's not necessarily about a manual for the ship (because it is so smart it won't need one) but in general: Like so many ship names in the novels don't have a specific relation to the specific ship. Of course my comment is also directed at the answer author. It's funny because everybody effectively says "rtfm" every time the use that drone ship's name. | |
| Feb 19 at 19:42 | comment | added | O. R. Mapper | @Peter-ReinstateMonica: I'm a bit confused by your comment. 1) Why is it directed at me? 2) "RTFM" seems to require just as much of an explanation/interpretation of how it is fitting as a ship name (or what a ship would want to express by choosing such a name, if you will). 3) "And it's very funny ..." - I'm afraid I don't understand this statement at all. Neither does the name come from SpaceX - it comes from the novel series mentioned already in the question, unlike the alternative "BFR" you suggest -, nor do I see any evidence that "everybody [uses it] like (...) a (...) normal name". | |
| Feb 19 at 14:51 | comment | added | Peter - Reinstate Monica | @O.R.Mapper "Just Read the Instructions" is, for me, a euphemism for RTFM. That was not obvious? And it's very funny but not surprising that it comes from SpaceX and everybody is using it like it's a totally normal name, if a bit cryptic. It's a bit sad that Elon couldn't keep BFR ("B is for big and R is for rocket!"). I'd have loved to have all the Very Serious NASA and government officials and news people say that with a straight face... | |
| Jun 10, 2020 at 15:52 | comment | added | jarm | Would love to upvote this answer. Unfortunately, it already stands at 42. | |
| Feb 4, 2019 at 5:05 | comment | added | endolith | @WhatRoughBeast Well it's linked from the Wikipedia article you linked to, probably why I thought it was linked here | |
| Feb 4, 2019 at 5:03 | comment | added | endolith | @WhatRoughBeast I thought it was linked earlier but I guess not: theguardian.com/books/2000/sep/11/iainbanks-science-fiction | |
| Feb 4, 2019 at 5:01 | comment | added | endolith | @WhatRoughBeast What do you mean sarcasm? It's a Banks quote | |
| Feb 4, 2019 at 4:59 | comment | added | endolith | @MarkRogers I don't even understand why this discussion exists and I am fine with deleting it | |
| Feb 3, 2019 at 19:50 | comment | added | Mark Rogers | You guys should probably take this to chat, because its starting to become a two-way discussion. | |
| Feb 3, 2019 at 19:31 | comment | added | WhatRoughBeast | @endolith - Did I miss something? All of my comments are based on your comments, "Though there were at least 20 ships with "Gravitas" names" "I am so sad I have a separate list of the Gravitas ships at home. It currently runs to about 20, I think." Was the latter comment intended as sarcasm? | |
| Feb 3, 2019 at 16:04 | comment | added | endolith | @WhatRoughBeast You'll have to ask Banks' estate for the list. I certainly don't have it. XD | |
| Feb 2, 2019 at 17:29 | comment | added | WhatRoughBeast | @endolith - That way, I can start with a single title. If I find your list inaccurate for a single title, I don't need to check all the others. I look forward to seeing your list. | |
| Feb 2, 2019 at 17:14 | comment | added | WhatRoughBeast | @endolith - The list is composed of a sublist, "The ships mentioned in...", followed by the specific names. It is easy to scan the lists and total the number which include "gravitas". Which I did. Which does not total 20. As I say, if you have a more exhaustive list which includes another 16 ship names, you should update the Wiki article. As it happens, I have read all of Banks' books, and am quite certain, even without checking, that your number of 20 is very badly in error. You are, of course, free to educate me: simply provide your list, making sure to include the title where each appears. | |
| Feb 2, 2019 at 17:07 | comment | added | endolith | @WhatRoughBeast Why? That article doesn't say anything about how many names there are | |
| Feb 1, 2019 at 16:41 | comment | added | WhatRoughBeast | @endolith - Then you should edit the Wiki page en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_spacecraft_in_the_Culture_series. | |
| Feb 1, 2019 at 16:30 | comment | added | endolith | @WhatRoughBeast "I am so sad I have a separate list of the Gravitas ships at home. It currently runs to about 20, I think." | |
| Feb 1, 2019 at 16:19 | comment | added | WhatRoughBeast | @endolith - "Though there were at least 20 ships" - Well, 4 in the books, and another 6 (including Low Gravitas Warning Signal) which were mentioned in an interview. | |
| Feb 15, 2018 at 14:56 | comment | added | endolith | @Whelkaholism Though there were at least 20 ships with "Gravitas" names (Zero Gravitas, Very Little Gravitas Indeed, Low Gravitas Warning Signal, etc.), so this could just be another variant. | |
| Feb 13, 2018 at 14:52 | comment | added | Whelkaholism | In the books, the name of the third is "Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall", so Elon obviously decided to shorten it a bit. Which appropriately enough, gives it less gravitas. | |
| Feb 28, 2017 at 19:09 | comment | added | Nick T | @RoyalCanadianBandit the list may be comprehensive, but is also pretty uninformative, it just lists ship names and their class. | |
| May 7, 2016 at 18:17 | comment | added | Timpanus | Not all shops have such ironic names though. I remember from one of the novels (I think it was The Hydrogen Sonata) the General System Vehicle Empiricist. | |
| May 1, 2016 at 18:34 | comment | added | O. R. Mapper | For "Just Read The Instructions", I had assumed it's a joking way to express that there's a right and a wrong way to behave towards that vessel - that choosing the right way isn't all that difficult (essentially, as easy as "reading instructions"), and implicitly, that choosing the wrong way instead is not a good idea for one's own sake. | |
| Apr 8, 2016 at 23:41 | comment | added | Indolering | The name for the next ship should definitely be, "Funny, It Worked Last Time..." | |
| Jun 29, 2015 at 11:20 | comment | added | Royal Canadian Bandit | The Wikipedia entry on Culture ship names is quite informative. The purpose built warships have particularly bleak names, such as the Torturer-class demilitarised Rapid Offensive Unit Xenophobe (Xeny to its friends) in the novella The State of the Art. | |
| Feb 9, 2015 at 6:20 | vote | accept | Nick T | ||
| Feb 8, 2015 at 20:58 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 1 character in body
|
| Feb 8, 2015 at 20:50 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 678 characters in body
|
| Feb 8, 2015 at 14:44 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 1065 characters in body
|
| Feb 8, 2015 at 4:50 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 12 characters in body
|
| Feb 8, 2015 at 4:44 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 626 characters in body
|
| Feb 8, 2015 at 2:49 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 198 characters in body
|
| Feb 8, 2015 at 2:41 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 163 characters in body
|
| Feb 8, 2015 at 2:34 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 308 characters in body
|
| Feb 7, 2015 at 20:34 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 154 characters in body
|
| Feb 7, 2015 at 20:28 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 75 characters in body
|
| Feb 7, 2015 at 20:17 | history | edited | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 75 characters in body
|
| Feb 7, 2015 at 20:12 | history | answered | Mark Rogers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |