are computers masculine or feminine?

Falstaff · Mar 3, 2005, 05:29 AM

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike
English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. A
student asked, "What gender is 'computer'?"

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two
groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves
whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation.

The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the
feminine gender ("la computer"), because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic
2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers
is impossible to understand for everyone else;
3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for
possible later retrieval;
4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself
spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(No chuckling... this gets better!)

The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be
Masculine ("el computer"), because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on;
2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves;
3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time
they ARE the problem; and
4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that
if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a
better model.

The women won.

shortstuff · Mar 3, 2005, 05:37 AM

Good find Jeff.

Drakon · Mar 3, 2005, 05:39 AM

LMAO

CDsDontBurn · Mar 3, 2005, 08:10 AM

w0w......put guys down more.....lol

. Good stuff though

.

any ways. after the teacher put the groups together and after the girls won the debate, the teacher should have said that a computer is femenen (sp?): "la computadora".

mkk · Mar 3, 2005, 11:24 AM

I think it's about the sum of the parts. My current system is so stable and manageable I'm convinced it must be primarily male. Through the years though I must have had a few younger females, much less stable and always on the phone.

But I think I just made this system some 5% more feminine than before, since after adding this Audigy2 he/she is making nicer noises...

Asmoday · Mar 3, 2005, 11:35 AM

HAHA! Good find Jeff..

Danhill · Mar 3, 2005, 11:51 AM

Great one Jeff.

Falstaff · Mar 3, 2005, 01:09 PM

my father sent that to me, I set him up with a computer while he gets his chemo and he loves to comb the internet for humour like this.

Zardon · Mar 3, 2005, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fallang_jeff

The women won.

That goes without saying, especially as computers dont spend 23 hours a day talking meaningless nonsense, I guess they should be classed as male.

Falstaff · Mar 3, 2005, 01:20 PM

bwahahahhahahhah....okay Allan...LOL

Vikingod · Mar 3, 2005, 02:01 PM

that better model remake hits close to home, LOL.
I am surprised there isn't anything in their about getting obsolete after six months!
Good find Jeff.

GutterPunk · Mar 3, 2005, 04:20 PM

lol thats a good one!

crlorentzen · Mar 3, 2005, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

w0w......put guys down more.....lol

. Good stuff though

.

any ways. after the teacher put the groups together and after the girls won the debate, the teacher should have said that a computer is femenen (sp?): "la computadora".

actually that is a Spainglish word...the true term, as far as I learned, is "el ordenador"

LeanWolf · Mar 3, 2005, 08:36 PM

actually, i've found that the fourth point of the women's argument, the newer model one, is a much better argument for the men.

CDsDontBurn · Mar 4, 2005, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crlorentzen

actually that is a Spainglish word...the true term, as far as I learned, is "el ordenador"

"el ordenador" means "the orderer" explained as the person who orders. Neither in family nor in school, i have never heard a computer be called "el ordenador". It has always been "la computadora."

Geminiwave · Mar 4, 2005, 05:46 AM

gotta love sexist propoganda.

crlorentzen · Mar 4, 2005, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

"el ordenador" means "the orderer" explained as the person who orders. Neither in family nor in school, i have never heard a computer be called "el ordenador". It has always been "la computadora."

In discussion with my friends who have been to spain "el ordenador" is a computer, as well in high school this is what I was taught. "la computadora" is used mainly in Mexican dialects.

Just did a translation using googles translator...

Spanish - English
ordenador - computer

English - Spanish
computer - computadora

Judas · Mar 4, 2005, 06:09 AM

It's both Femine and Masculin..... As far as i understand... for French, Spanish, (other languages i probably couldn't spell that reguire a "la/ el/" whatever in front....

CDsDontBurn · Mar 4, 2005, 07:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crlorentzen

In discussion with my friends who have been to spain "el ordenador" is a computer, as well in high school this is what I was taught. "la computadora" is used mainly in Mexican dialects.

Just did a translation using googles translator...

Spanish - English
ordenador - computer

English - Spanish
computer - computadora

I guess that would be the reason why in our differences. Me living in Southern California and all, i get all that "south of the border" (from Mexico down) spanish influence. However, I wouldn't be surprised if it's called "la computadora" by a large majority of spanish speaking people here in the US.

Senor_Mota · Mar 4, 2005, 04:28 PM

Damn women...ever since we unchained them from the stove and created birth control and high heels, they've gotten such a big head about themselves.

Sargentwhitey · Mar 4, 2005, 08:06 PM

*saves what Senor Mota said* Now I'll just save this until I need something from you

jasonbourne · Mar 5, 2005, 08:37 PM

right , my wife agrees computers are definatly masculine

Mar 3, 2005, 05:29 AM	#1
Falstaff Old Codger Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: USAFA Posts: 19,048 Rep Power: 207	are computers masculine or feminine? A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine. A student asked, "What gender is 'computer'?" Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun. Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation. The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computer"), because: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic 2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is impossible to understand for everyone else; 3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; 4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it. (No chuckling... this gets better!) The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be Masculine ("el computer"), because: 1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on; 2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves; 3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem; and 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model. The women won. __________________ "Inspiration is always a surprising visitor."

Mar 3, 2005, 05:37 AM	#2
shortstuff Sweetness Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 1,835 Rep Power: 0	Good find Jeff. __________________ [color=Indigo]Joe "Roadee" Dawson R.I.P my friend. You will be missed [/color] If we keep doing what we've always done, we'll keep getting what we've always got.

Mar 3, 2005, 08:10 AM	#4
CDsDontBurn Lurking DriverHeaven Join Date: May 2003 Location: Southern California Posts: 22,779 Rep Power: 235 System Specs	w0w......put guys down more.....lol . Good stuff though . any ways. after the teacher put the groups together and after the girls won the debate, the teacher should have said that a computer is femenen (sp?): "la computadora". __________________ Her First Day \| A year later Last edited by CDsDontBurn; Mar 3, 2005 at 08:23 AM.

Mar 3, 2005, 11:35 AM	#6
Asmoday Demonic Join Date: May 2002 Location: In the cold, dark north... Posts: 5,198 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	HAHA! Good find Jeff.. __________________ How You can help Hardwareheaven by using Digg

Mar 3, 2005, 11:51 AM	#7
Danhill DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 4,112 Rep Power: 0	Great one Jeff. __________________ MOBO: [color=white]ASUS A8N-SLI Premium[/color] CPU: AMD 64 3200+ (Venice) @ 2,50 Ghz MEM: 2 x 512 DDR 466, VGA: 2 x 6600 GT in SLI, HDD1: WD Raptor HDD2: Maxtor Diamond Plus 9, Case: Antec Plus View 1080, PSU: ThermalTake PurePower 500W, MX 1000, Dell 2001 FP, Aud. 2 SZ

Mar 3, 2005, 05:39 AM	#3
Drakon DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Floatin'... Posts: 4,957 Rep Power: 0	LMAO

Mar 3, 2005, 11:24 AM	#5
mkk Cthulhu/Dagon 2012 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Gefle, Sweden Posts: 4,490 Rep Power: 132 System Specs	I think it's about the sum of the parts. My current system is so stable and manageable I'm convinced it must be primarily male. Through the years though I must have had a few younger females, much less stable and always on the phone. But I think I just made this system some 5% more feminine than before, since after adding this Audigy2 he/she is making nicer noises...

Mar 3, 2005, 01:09 PM	Thread Starter #8
Falstaff Old Codger Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: USAFA Posts: 19,048 Rep Power: 207	my father sent that to me, I set him up with a computer while he gets his chemo and he loves to comb the internet for humour like this. __________________ "Inspiration is always a surprising visitor."

Mar 3, 2005, 01:20 PM	Thread Starter #10
Falstaff Old Codger Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: USAFA Posts: 19,048 Rep Power: 207	bwahahahhahahhah....okay Allan...LOL __________________ "Inspiration is always a surprising visitor."

Mar 3, 2005, 02:01 PM	#11
Vikingod Int'l Fish Liaison Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: By the light of lamp I sit and type... Posts: 16,197 Rep Power: 112 System Specs	that better model remake hits close to home, LOL. I am surprised there isn't anything in their about getting obsolete after six months! Good find Jeff.

Mar 3, 2005, 04:20 PM	#12
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	lol thats a good one! __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Mar 3, 2005, 08:36 PM	#14
LeanWolf alpha male Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Skyrim Posts: 5,713 Rep Power: 84 System Specs	actually, i've found that the fourth point of the women's argument, the newer model one, is a much better argument for the men. __________________

Mar 4, 2005, 05:46 AM	#16
Geminiwave I Have lovely Breasts Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: In the closet... Posts: 5,395 Rep Power: 63	gotta love sexist propoganda. __________________

Mar 4, 2005, 04:28 PM	#20
Senor_Mota 悪魔の方法 Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ee-duh-ow Posts: 2,384 Rep Power: 99 System Specs	Damn women...ever since we unchained them from the stove and created birth control and high heels, they've gotten such a big head about themselves. __________________

Mar 4, 2005, 08:06 PM	#21
Sargentwhitey Has a JOB.. Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 1,473 Rep Power: 0	saves what Senor Mota said Now I'll just save this until I need something from you __________________ Mobile:Intel Celeron M 1.5GHz, 40GB WD, 1GB PC24000, Intel Mediocre Graphics 2, SB Audigy 2 Notebook

Mar 5, 2005, 08:37 PM	#22
jasonbourne DriverHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: great yarmouth uk Posts: 1,082 Rep Power: 0	right , my wife agrees computers are definatly masculine __________________ http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y28...asonBourne.jpg