Comments on: Epic hurricane is epic

By: FoolishOwl

FoolishOwl — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 07:23:00 +0000

The point with the Eddie Izzard clip is that superlatives get used for trivial things so much, that it becomes ineffective to use them to describe superlative events. DevinC was making this point sarcastically.

Seriously, I’d be more inclined to use “epic” to describe human achievements with historical importance, as in the Russians’ epic defense of Leningrad in World War II, and “awesome” to describe natural phenomena that fill me with a sense of wonder and terror at their scale, as in Hurricane Sandy is awesome.

And even writing that, I feel I have to point out that I’m not saying that Hurricane Sandy is a good and pleasant thing.

By: Aloisius

Aloisius — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:20:00 +0000

I still don’t understand.

Epic is used nearly identically as it was originally, except that it is being used as an adjective, and a once-in-a-lifetime hurricane larger than anything the Northeast has ever seen certainly fits with one of the characteristics of an epic to me. We could call it divine intervention (say Zeus casting down a storm in the Odyssey) or just the characteristic of its grand scale to legitimately call it epic (this hurricane will likely affect a huge area).

Now awesome I will give you though I believe this hurricane could also be considered awesome as well as epic.

By: SumAnon

SumAnon — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 17:29:00 +0000

It’s a disaster zone. Snuggles began at 11, the mayor urges more tummy rubs and head scratches.

By: IronEdithKidd

IronEdithKidd — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 15:52:00 +0000

A day with the ferrets, then. Enjoy!

By: SumAnon

SumAnon — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 14:04:00 +0000

Lol, it’s not that bad out yet. Drove in, punched in, said “it’s starting to flood, I’m leaving”, and drove home. A good days work,

By: IronEdithKidd

IronEdithKidd — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 13:00:00 +0000

It’s not worth your life. Take a vacation day if you have to. Stay safe.

By: IronEdithKidd

IronEdithKidd — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:58:00 +0000

No worries, the 33 ft waves are possible on Lake Michigan. You have other things to worry about today if you’re on the island.

By: IronEdithKidd

IronEdithKidd — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 12:46:00 +0000

I’ve seen 18 ft waves on Huron and I just can’t visualize nearly twice that height. It’s not computing.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:48:00 +0000

I forgot to click.

By: Ipo

Ipo — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:47:00 +0000

Has to do with how waves are measured.
A wave with a 33 ft face is not 33 feet above mean sea (lake) level.
It is 33 feet above the lowest part of the valley between two waves, about ten feet above sea level (amplitude).

A storm surge is when the mean sea level of an entire area of water is raised, with little 33 foot waves rippling on top. It is the real flood danger. The storm surge height is not just determined by wind speed and direction but also by the size of what pushes it.
Waves up to 115 ft in height occur in all oceans every year without making a splash onshore.

Bad graphic is bad, but here:

By: FoolishOwl

FoolishOwl — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:53:00 +0000

I think the Eddie Izzard clip linked by Snig explained the point pretty well.

By: vance_tam

vance_tam — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:43:00 +0000

The storm is a massive low pressure bubble. That low pressure allows the ocean water to rise. The circular motion of the storm’s winds pushes that water along with it in a circular pattern. The wind forces the water into coastal inlets (rivers, streams, bays, inlets, etc.). In addition, there is a spring tide (a tide heightened by a new or full moon) contributing a few extra feet at the high tide.

Hurricane Sandy is coincidentally trapped in the negative pocket formed by a northwest to southeast jetstream flow.

Although Sandy is only a category one hurricane, the storm surge in the target areas is more like that of a cat 3 or 4.

The circular flow is going to play hell on the great lakes, too. Areas that have never in memory flooded are in for a rough go of it. Storms on the lakes normally run northwest to south-southeast. Having the added winds from the hurricane is going to pile up the water along the southern and western edges.

A lot of people are in danger from the lakes for the first time due to this storm.

By: Lemoutan

Lemoutan — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 10:10:00 +0000

I accidentally your post. Is it dehumorousnessificating?

By: acerplatanoides

acerplatanoides — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:36:00 +0000

Sure thing, Homer.

By: Itsumishi

Itsumishi — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:34:00 +0000

And I’ve got people back home (Australia) asking why they’d shut the subway down! Because underground in big tunnels is exactly where I’d choose to be during massive flooding…

By: Aloisius

Aloisius — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:08:00 +0000

There seems to be some confusion about the use of the word ‘epic’. ‘Epic’ refers exclusively to mildly amusing and/or impressive phenomena, particularly when transmitted over the Internet. Ergo, Hurricane Sandy is not ‘epic’.

Mildly amusing? I’m sorry, what?

By: FoolishOwl

FoolishOwl — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 06:47:00 +0000

While I suppose I can imagine Hurricane Sandy being a child of a god, I really can’t imagine Hurricane Sandy founding a city and a dynasty.

By: Jardine

Jardine — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 05:45:00 +0000

As I understand it, their original intention was to make it about the Edmund Fitzgerald, but there’s a huge issue with trying to use the song. Gordon Lightfoot gave the rights to the descendants of the sailors. So to get the rights to use the song in a tv show, you need to go to each of them and get permission. That’s basically impossible, so they ended up writing their own song and story. Paul Gross said it was for the best anyway.

By: Snig

Snig — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 05:44:00 +0000

Pretend it’s all just particles? No, still pretty damn complex stuff.

By: Jim Saul

Jim Saul — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 05:19:00 +0000

That’s nuts.

By: Snig

Snig — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:58:00 +0000

Izzard’s exploration of superlative inflation is more awesomely epic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0rYT0YvQ3hs

By: danimagoo

danimagoo — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:39:00 +0000

What an ‘epic’ comment.

By: DevinC

DevinC — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:17:00 +0000

There seems to be some confusion about the use of the word ‘epic’. ’Epic’ refers exclusively to mildly amusing and/or impressive phenomena, particularly when transmitted over the Internet. Ergo, Hurricane Sandy is not ‘epic’.

The word once had other meanings, which no longer have any equivalent term today and are only remembered by militant grammarians and other syntax nudniks of our time.

By: Stefan Jones

Stefan Jones — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:13:00 +0000

Found on Twitter:

@LucyKafanov

Lower Manhattan during Hurricane Donna in 1960. #sandy #frankenstorm pic.twitter.com/8cePUV4W

Remarkable picture.

By: Jake0748

Jake0748 — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 04:08:00 +0000

Why do you wish that? Come up with a better meme, and maybe some people will tag along. Til then, buzz off.

By: Joshua Bardwell

Joshua Bardwell — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:59:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78s7DO5eehQ

Bohdi will be there.

By: Rich Keller

Rich Keller — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:58:00 +0000

Come up to Wisconsin. The surfing will be just as good as in Chicago and we have a rich tradition of cannibalism dating back to the 1950s.

By: cstatman

cstatman — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:44:00 +0000

freshwater, no sharks. surfing without getting eaten may be possible. I’l bet it is cold though. and the sets will be erratic. DO IT

By: nixiebunny

nixiebunny — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:37:00 +0000

Good thing the waves are only predicted to 33 feet. That leaves two whole meters of safety margin! The Wall Street banks would give you a big, big loan with those reserves.

By: SedanChair

SedanChair — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 03:24:00 +0000

IT’S GOING DOWWWWWWWN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDyyjmC9Mfw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW1Uc-grcMs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnEOR6FrkyE#t=3m