There's a strange character in Irish history named Wolfe Tone - an Enlightenment atheist who failed to start an American-style revolution. He fell on his pen-knife in jail, and became a posthumous hero for Catholics. Which would not have pleased him. But, in those days, nobody knew what to say after the Tone.

And today is different how? :s

<But do they make a *difference*?>

Many things are kinda subjective. Even kinda objective ones, if you look at them from the appropriate angle.

But, yes, generally. And thanks.

<Dom: <We are indeed indebted to the medical-industrial complex.>>

If I had to pick just one Neil Young album, it'd be On The Beach. Turnstiles, Vampires, that Nixon song ("I never knew a man could tell so many lies, he had a different story for every set of eyes...")

I must have done.

That's exactly how I think of it (in several ways, to be sure...) - that's why I like it! ;)

<You *are* aware that most people are retards by comparison?>

Galactimetaphor Alert! *This* galaxy has *legs* ... uh, you're not made of antimatter, by any chance?

Boom boom.

Anyhoo, I've been researching the use, provenance, etymology etc of those curious bits of paper - almost replaced by plastic now - known as checks or cheques.

I knew of two slang/argot terms for fraudulent use of same: 'kiting' and 'paper hanging'. What I didn't know is that they're not the same. A kiter never has the funds to back the check, but a paperhanger deposits money after writing the cheque.

That's where cultural differences come into play. It's illegal almost everywhere, but paper hanging is a minor misdemeanour in Ireland and almost a hanging offence in France.

I am *not*, btw, planning any criminal activity. I'm trying to find out how much trouble an ... associate ... of mine might be in. Long story. I'll file it with the other long stories and call it a novel, some fine day.

But I was intrigued to learn that all the uses of check/cheque in English originate with chess. Check and checkmate - from Shah mat - came first; then extended into general use such as 'the advance of the horde was checked by the soldiers' ... and so on.

<check>
<early 14c., "A call in chess noting one's move has placed his opponent's king in immediate peril," from O.Fr. eschequier "a check at chess" (also "chess board, chess set"), from eschec, from V.L. *scaccus, from Arabic shah, from Pers. shah "king," the principal piece in a chess game (see shah; also cf. checkmate). When the king is in check a player's choices are limited. Meaning widened from chess to general sense of "adverse event" (c.1300), "sudden stoppage" (early 14c.), and by c.1700 to "a token used to check against loss or theft" (surviving in hat check) and "a check against forgery or alteration," which gave the modern financial use of "bank check, money draft" (first recorded 1798 and often spelled cheque), probably influenced by exchequeur. Meaning "pattern of squares" (c.1400) is short for checker. Checking account is attested from 1923, Amer.Eng.>

So, uh, chess is responsible for, like, *economics*?

It makes me feel slightly unclean, like a pure mathematician informed that his equations have RL applications.

It implies that those of us not currently abstaining are *dirty*. And probably staining the carpet.

<dak> To answer your question: no. None whatsoever. I actually got back into chess in 2006 via poker ... chapter 4n+1 in the aforementioned long story ...

Actually, this would be a good time to do some work on that ... autobiography of a stick insect ... song from under the floorboards ... or metapeta starburst of cosmic somethingness with the answer to it all relegated to a footnote.

A *footnote*? I'm sorry, I have no idea what you mean. My footman handles those details. Now excuse me, I've kept the butler waiting long enough and you know how difficult it is to find capable staff.

Only the lonely.

Simply the pimply.

Pimp my titanium geranium.

Domestic Data, Dictionary Dreams

An Amateur God in a Professional Universe.

It doesn't matter...

<It makes me feel slightly unclean, like a pure mathematician informed that his equations have RL applications.>

Heh - and that's called a reality check.

<[titles, bad titles....]>

The last one is not half bad! :)

Ah, a feeling. Yep, I'm on the way back. I *will* be in touch.

Approximate quote from a Michael Moorcock novel -- approximate 'cos I last read it long before the early 1990s or even 80s ...

"You're coming to pieces all over the carpet. And you used to be such a nice young man too."

It's one of the Jerry Cornelius books: The Final Program, A Cure for Cancer, The English Assassin. I think actually looking for it might be a tad obsessive/displacementish, even by my rather dubious standards.

It's hard not to drown in resonances, these days. But *le tete* is above *l'eau*, sans doute.

I'd do a French smiley -- qui rire, vivre -- if I knew how.