Nor am I a Spanish expert - I just feel the need to point out that if, as you infer, Scott's Spanish is incorrect, surely it is more realistic if cartoon-Scott's Spanish is incorrect also?
I'm not a Spanish expert either, but "del" is a combination of "de" and "el". However, "de el" or "del" translates to "of the". Therefore, you propose changing "ball of fire" to "ball of the fire" which I hope you agree doesn't make sense. And to the person who suggested "Tierra del fuego", that's a group of islands. Minus all internets!
No, you guys who think it's "Del" and not "de" are wrong, Tierra Del Fuego means "Land of THE fire" as in making the fire really important, while "fireballs" is written just "bola de fuego" because fire is just the material it is made of, without real significance
indeed, it should be bola del fuego---- while bola de fuego sounds correct to an english speaker (ball of fire) spanish speakers include el/la (the) in front of nouns. correct version is ball of the fire, as weird as that seems to us...bola de el fuego, which becomes bola del fuego due to grammar rules (de el , deeehh eel, sounds weird, said fast becomes del) note if the noun is feminine 'de la' stays de la, same with plurals.
lesson aside, looove BI, and as I don't comment often, assume that won't change
To the language police: Any authors whose characters all speak perfectly, with no errors in pronounciation or grammar, are reducing the realism, and creating an unnatural, stilted style. Most people who write dialogue know better, and try to recreate the speech habits of different individuals they know, or have heard. This will include the errors they are likely to make.
Ok, I AM a native spanish speaker (Mexican, besides), so "bola de fuego" is entirely correct. And just for the record, only older mexican soap operas look like that. It's been a while since they abandoned that strobe filter that was intended to make the video footage look more like film, and mostly made it look weird. Not that I spend more than 30 seconds each month watching soap operas, though.
I wish I could rename the options on my tv set so I could have a "Mexican Soap Opera Mode" button. Good to know my impressions on that feature are shared.
PS: If u wanna add a "Brazilian Soap Opera Mode" just install a feature that inserts a panoramic view of Rio every minute or so.
Funny, I thought American soap operas did the same thing. Along with many sitcoms from the '80s and '90s, game shows, reality shows, cooking shows, the news, sports... seriously, why single out the Mexican soap operas?
I'm more of the Randall Munroe opinion that more frames per second is better. It's more realistic, and unlike 3D, it doesn't sacrifice anything on the viewer's part. How it came to be that movies and more expensive shows used cheaper methods is unclear to me.
People have complained that high FPS makes it too real. Has that complaint ever been lodged against another advance in movie technology? Were earlier audiences freaked out by good sound and color?
I've been looking through the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) for quite a while now, intending to categorize Mr. Meyer for appropriate treatment by professionals. But I find that there is no specific category for cartoonists. It's as if he is on the outside, looking inside at *us*. It gives me the heeby jeebys, which I also do not find a definition for in the DSM-IV. This troubles me. I must find a way out into the world of Mr. Scott Meyer. I shall read further into his art and mind -- it's my only hope.
Great; just when I thought the grammar nazis had finally either died off or been apprehended and brought to the Hague, the grammar conquistadors show up.
I don't know who the heck you hear from who complains about high FPS Classic Steve. For me anything below 120hz makes me sick (genuinely sick, I will throw up if I am forced to watch your cheap, crappy TV). Basically the higher the better. I have similar issues with 3D (refresh rate is way too low, usually half of whatever they say it is, and I end up having to take off the glasses after about 5 minutes).
Also, I hate Mexican soap opera mode... It's the first thing that I turn off.
Actually... yes. Early audiences were freaked out by a lot of things, including the fact that HOLY CRAP THAT PICTURE IS MOVING IT IS WITCHCRAFT!
There was one famous movie of a man with a gun (loaded with blanks, obviously) pointed at the camera, and he fired it, and people in the theaters would flip out.
aaaa finally someone who understand me about the "non fiction aspect" those tv's give to the films, i mean, who wants to see a tranformer as if it where real. thanks again scott
ok. everyone, listen up, i'm mexican and i think i do know how is the correct form of the "bola de fuego" expression, so trust me if i'm telling you that the correct way of saying it would be "bola fogosa" yyeeaahhhhhhhhhh
May 29, 2011
Reader Comments (48)
Last line + having seen it in action = dark chuckles
NGAH!
That's as good as BDARG!
I don't know much Spanish, so "bola de fuego" might be correct - but don't you think "bola del fuego" looks funnier?
Also, NGAH is the female version of BDARG.....I thought everyone knew that!
I won't even walk past the TV department in stores because of the weird way they all seem to look now. Thanks for giving it a name!
Funny and informative. The next time I go TV shopping I'll be sure to avoid anything where the motion smoothing can't be turned off.
Thanks for validating my disgust! I've got friends who can't see the difference.
I notice you're trying some new shading in that last panel, to simulate the TV's "glow". Good artistic expansion.
Oh, and funny last line, too.
I'm not a Spanish expert by any stretch, but by analogy to "Tierra del Fuego," I think that last line should be "del," not "de."
Nor am I a Spanish expert - I just feel the need to point out that if, as you infer, Scott's Spanish is incorrect, surely it is more realistic if cartoon-Scott's Spanish is incorrect also?
"Bola de Fuego" -- Ball of Fire
"Bola del Fuego" -- Ball of the Fire
Scott got it correct.
Tiera del fuego is correct because it's the Land of the Fire.
Source: Highschool spanish. Worked at thrift store in a town with a high Hispanic population.
No, "Bola de fuego" is correct. "Bola del fuego" would be "ball of the fire", which sounds about as ridiculous in Spanish as it does in English.
I'm not a Spanish expert either, but "del" is a combination of "de" and "el". However, "de el" or "del" translates to "of the". Therefore, you propose changing "ball of fire" to "ball of the fire" which I hope you agree doesn't make sense. And to the person who suggested "Tierra del fuego", that's a group of islands. Minus all internets!
No, you guys who think it's "Del" and not "de" are wrong, Tierra Del Fuego means "Land of THE fire" as in making the fire really important, while "fireballs" is written just "bola de fuego" because fire is just the material it is made of, without real significance
I'm mexican, I know this stuff LOL
I'm from Spain. It's "bola de fuego". "Bola del fuego" sounds horrible. It's alluding an specific fire. "Ball of the fire"? Of what fire?
indeed, it should be bola del fuego---- while bola de fuego sounds correct to an english speaker (ball of fire) spanish speakers include el/la (the) in front of nouns. correct version is ball of the fire, as weird as that seems to us...bola de el fuego, which becomes bola del fuego due to grammar rules (de el , deeehh eel, sounds weird, said fast becomes del) note if the noun is feminine 'de la' stays de la, same with plurals.
lesson aside, looove BI, and as I don't comment often, assume that won't change
To the language police:
Any authors whose characters all speak perfectly, with no errors in pronounciation or grammar, are reducing the realism, and creating an unnatural, stilted style.
Most people who write dialogue know better, and try to recreate the speech habits of different individuals they know, or have heard.
This will include the errors they are likely to make.
From now on I'll refer to motion smoothing as Mexican soap opera mode.
I have so much hate for that feature.
Good strip as always.
Bola de fuego is correct.
"Bola del fuego" would mean "Ball of the fire", and not "ball of fire".
I loved the second panel! When I look for people's comments on products, I have the same frustration.
Ok, I AM a native spanish speaker (Mexican, besides), so "bola de fuego" is entirely correct.
And just for the record, only older mexican soap operas look like that. It's been a while since they abandoned that strobe filter that was intended to make the video footage look more like film, and mostly made it look weird.
Not that I spend more than 30 seconds each month watching soap operas, though.
I wish I could rename the options on my tv set so I could have a "Mexican Soap Opera Mode" button. Good to know my impressions on that feature are shared.
PS: If u wanna add a "Brazilian Soap Opera Mode" just install a feature that inserts a panoramic view of Rio every minute or so.
I'm pretty sure it should be "de". Now its "ball Of fire", and with "del" it would be "ball Of The fire"
As a Spanish prof, I applaud your correct usage in the last line. And I enjoyed it immensely.
Funny, I thought American soap operas did the same thing. Along with many sitcoms from the '80s and '90s, game shows, reality shows, cooking shows, the news, sports... seriously, why single out the Mexican soap operas?
I'm more of the Randall Munroe opinion that more frames per second is better. It's more realistic, and unlike 3D, it doesn't sacrifice anything on the viewer's part. How it came to be that movies and more expensive shows used cheaper methods is unclear to me.
People have complained that high FPS makes it too real. Has that complaint ever been lodged against another advance in movie technology? Were earlier audiences freaked out by good sound and color?
JAY-ZUZZ people! who gives a fat flying Philadelphia froot-loop if it is de or del? give it up.
Thanks, Scott, for giving me a name for that horrid mode on my long-distance viewing machine.
NGAH! Our TV does that. Now maybe I'll know what to look for in Settings to switch it off and save my sanity.
Thanks, Basic Instructions! Your basic instructions have.basically, instructed me. On the basics. Instructionally.
I've been looking through the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) for quite a while now, intending to categorize Mr. Meyer for appropriate treatment by professionals. But I find that there is no specific category for cartoonists. It's as if he is on the outside, looking inside at *us*. It gives me the heeby jeebys, which I also do not find a definition for in the DSM-IV. This troubles me. I must find a way out into the world of Mr. Scott Meyer. I shall read further into his art and mind -- it's my only hope.
Not sure it was mentioned already, but "bola de fuego" is correct whereas "bola del fuego" just sounds ridiculous.
:)
If anyone says "ball of THE fire" again I am going to BDARG!! oh, AND NGAH!!!
Great; just when I thought the grammar nazis had finally either died off or been apprehended and brought to the Hague, the grammar conquistadors show up.
My thanks to the Spanish speakers who corrected my correction.
I don't know who the heck you hear from who complains about high FPS Classic Steve. For me anything below 120hz makes me sick (genuinely sick, I will throw up if I am forced to watch your cheap, crappy TV). Basically the higher the better. I have similar issues with 3D (refresh rate is way too low, usually half of whatever they say it is, and I end up having to take off the glasses after about 5 minutes).
Also, I hate Mexican soap opera mode... It's the first thing that I turn off.
Funny that people keep discussing about de and del..
Let's settle this!
http://magiccards.info/itp/es/17.html
I just want to say that "bola del fuego" would be "ball of THE fire", so "bola de fuego" (ball of fire) is correct.
I know no Spanish. My source on this is about a dozen different posts above.
Actually... yes. Early audiences were freaked out by a lot of things, including the fact that HOLY CRAP THAT PICTURE IS MOVING IT IS WITCHCRAFT!
There was one famous movie of a man with a gun (loaded with blanks, obviously) pointed at the camera, and he fired it, and people in the theaters would flip out.
aaaa finally someone who understand me about the "non fiction aspect" those tv's give to the films, i mean, who wants to see a tranformer as if it where real.
thanks again scott
ok. everyone, listen up, i'm mexican and i think i do know how is the correct form of the "bola de fuego" expression, so trust me if i'm telling you that the correct way of saying it would be "bola fogosa" yyeeaahhhhhhhhhh
Well, the human eye can only take in so many frames a second. If people are complaining of superhigh FPS, they're probably making it up in their head.
Hey guys
"Bola del fuego" would be Ball Of The Fire
I am posting this because I have read through all the comments and thus know that absolutely nobody has said this yet