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Duolingo Really Wants You To Keep Your Streak In The Holiday [Bad News Gone Right] Thread

AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
edited December 2024 in Last Christmas
It's the holiday edition of our outpost of the weird, and we have a story of aggressive language learning support as an owl takes over the top of one family's Christmas tree:
One family got a surprise visit from someone coming down their chimney Thursday — but it wasn’t Saint Nick.

Instead, it was a barred owl.

The huge bird flew into the family’s house, spotted their Christmas tree and decided he would make a nicer star than the one they already had on top.

After he knocked the star over and perched himself on top of the tree, the family called animal control to help them out. Sgt. Murray with the Animal Welfare League of Arlington was able to capture their new feathered friend and safely release him back into the wild.

(Being Native, where owls are seen as harbingers of death and winged psychopomps, this would have absolutely terrified my wife.)

XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
AngelHedgie on
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Posts

  • KarozKaroz Registered User regular
    I'll admit, not using Duolingo, my Spanish skills have gone down fast, but hearing they fired most their staff to correct things with AI sucked.

  • cooljammer00cooljammer00 Hey Small Christmas-Man!Registered User regular
    I heard they made some changes recently but I found Duolingo for Japanese to be completely useless

    They just start throwing squiggles at you and expect you to know or remember what they mean. No grammar tools either.

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  • King RiptorKing Riptor Registered User regular
    I heard they made some changes recently but I found Duolingo for Japanese to be completely useless

    They just start throwing squiggles at you and expect you to know or remember what they mean. No grammar tools either.

    It's a lot of nonsense. I can ask where a university is. Because as you know a tourist in Japan is gonna hit up all the big colleges
    Throwing hiragana at you is weird too. I need conversation literacy not spelling

    But hey they fucked me by not saying you pay for the no ad plan upfront instead of monthly so I'm gonna grind it for the next few months

    I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
  • cooljammer00cooljammer00 Hey Small Christmas-Man!Registered User regular
    It's also one of those things where you can learn how to ask, but learning how to understand a response is different

    I can ask how much something cost, I cannot understand the numbers they tell me

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    3DS Friend Code: 2165-6448-8348 www.Twitch.TV/cooljammer00
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  • ShadowhopeShadowhope Baa. Registered User regular

    I had been on Super Duolingo, but I stopped because there were so many ads for Duolingo Max.

    With all that said, using Duolingo my French has gotten to the point where I can read somethings like Asterix or Les Tuniques Bleues or the French translation of Frieren with minimal help from Google Translate. That's basically my current goal, to be fluent enough in French that I can read a newspaper article or a comic book or a museum guide book and understand it. I'm somewhere around a B1 or B2 level. When I've gone to France, I've occasionally found myself speaking to people with no English, and my understanding of French has been sufficient to get me through.

    Civics is not a consumer product that you can ignore because you don’t like the options presented.
  • EddyEddy Gengar the Bittersweet Registered User regular
    edited December 2024
    Hijacking this as the Duolingo thread

    Korean and Japanese both have tabs where you can learn the alphabets, but both seem to assume you kinda know what's going on a little. But I can't find a Kanji tab which is like the whole reason I switch over to Japanese! Bleh

    But for Asian languages, LingoDeer is considered superior (but oh my gosh the AI voice is tedious, and always switches back on for every lesson. ugh!).

    Anyway I'm dabbling in Babbel for Spanish and I am feeling utterly lost in the pronunciation and conjugation. I was told it was like French!

    Eddy on
    "and the morning stars I have seen
    and the gengars who are guiding me" -- W.S. Merwin
  • JonBobJonBob Registered User regular
    The podcast minigame is so irritating. It just takes forever, most of the time is spent with the intro and outro (which is in English for some reason), and the actual lesson is always way easier than the rest of the section. Why did they bother with this?

    jswidget.php?username=JonBob&numitems=10&header=1&text=none&images=small&show=recentplays&imagesonly=1&imagepos=right&inline=1&domains%5B%5D=boardgame&imagewidget=1
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  • 101101 Registered User regular
    Karoz wrote: »
    I'll admit, not using Duolingo, my Spanish skills have gone down fast, but hearing they fired most their staff to correct things with AI sucked.

    Disappointing but it doesn't surprise me. Duolingo is a shadow of what is was in the past. They've dropped a lot of useful features (like a proper set of notes for each module) seemingly in the name of streamlining and monetisation

  • TamerBillTamerBill Registered User regular
    JonBob wrote: »
    The podcast minigame is so irritating. It just takes forever, most of the time is spent with the intro and outro (which is in English for some reason), and the actual lesson is always way easier than the rest of the section. Why did they bother with this?

    They bothered because they're written by AI, and therefore cheap filler.
    Despite that, I do think it's useful to have them as pure listening exercises with no subtitles. And the intro/outro do swap to your target language when you get a bit further in.

  • EddyEddy Gengar the Bittersweet Registered User regular
    I see @Shazkar Shadowstorm has rejoined Duolingo

    De dónde eres, or something

    "and the morning stars I have seen
    and the gengars who are guiding me" -- W.S. Merwin
  • King RiptorKing Riptor Registered User regular
    TamerBill wrote: »
    JonBob wrote: »
    The podcast minigame is so irritating. It just takes forever, most of the time is spent with the intro and outro (which is in English for some reason), and the actual lesson is always way easier than the rest of the section. Why did they bother with this?

    They bothered because they're written by AI, and therefore cheap filler.
    Despite that, I do think it's useful to have them as pure listening exercises with no subtitles. And the intro/outro do swap to your target language when you get a bit further in.

    They would be if they made fucking sense.

    Half the time it's two people taking about umbrellas or some nonsense

    I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
  • Shazkar ShadowstormShazkar Shadowstorm Registered User regular
    Eddy wrote: »
    I see @Shazkar Shadowstorm has rejoined Duolingo

    De dónde eres, or something

    I mean
    I opened it cuz someone mentioned it also I saw they had some job postings

    But I’m not using it really

    poo
  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    So, back to the actual topic of the thread, we have Defector's annual rundowns of What We Got Stuck In Our Various Orifaces and What We Did To Mr. Happy in 2024. (I'm sure this will amuse @Atomika muchly.)

    Also, this:
    "TOOK A PIECE OF PLASTIC COATED PAPER FROM A MILK CONTAINER, ROLLED IT TIGHTLY, WRAPPED IT WITH TAPE TO THE SIZE OF 'GREATER THAN A CRAYON' AND INSERTED IT AS FAR AS HE COULD INTO HIS PENIS SEVERAL HOURS AGO"

    ...is just horrible sounding.

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    Honestly not the worst thing I’ve pulled out of somebody’s genitals 🤭

  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Atomika wrote: »
    Honestly not the worst thing I’ve pulled out of somebody’s genitals 🤭

    I know I'm going to regret this, but out of morbid curiosity - what was the worst thing?

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Also, The Most American Injury Ever:
    SLIPPED ON DOCK TRYING TO EXIT BOAT, HAD ABOUT 6 BEERS, FELL FACE FIRST IN WATER, HAD GUN IN PANTS POCKET THAT FIRED. GUNSHOT WOUND TO PENIS

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • edited January 2
    This content has been removed.

  • MadicanMadican No face Registered User regular
    I already saw the most horrific injury to the penis this week on YouTube shorts. There's a medic who does recreations of some of his more interesting calls and one of them involved someone pulling their catheter out.

    While it was still inflated.

    And I'll just say this...they succeeded before the medic arrived.

  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Madican wrote: »
    I already saw the most horrific injury to the penis this week on YouTube shorts. There's a medic who does recreations of some of his more interesting calls and one of them involved someone pulling their catheter out.

    While it was still inflated.

    And I'll just say this...they succeeded before the medic arrived.

    I was going to say that sounds like Fire Department Chronicles, and...yep, it was FDC:

    Just...ow.

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • GnizmoGnizmo Registered User regular
    Madican wrote: »
    I already saw the most horrific injury to the penis this week on YouTube shorts. There's a medic who does recreations of some of his more interesting calls and one of them involved someone pulling their catheter out.

    While it was still inflated.

    And I'll just say this...they succeeded before the medic arrived.

    Gotta say we have very different definitions of success.

  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    That is unfortunately super common

  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

  • TynnanTynnan seldom correct, never unsure Registered User regular
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    That's not... entirely true. Adverse outcomes of
    reverse cowgirl
    .

  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    Tynnan wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    That's not... entirely true. Adverse outcomes of
    reverse cowgirl
    .

    That’s more of a misadventure 😉

  • GnizmoGnizmo Registered User regular
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

    Spoiler for hospital-talk
    I’ve seen a few different kinds of cases, like vaginal prolapse, vaginal injury, vaginal detachment…. it’s a “put everything on ice and go straight to the OR” situation

    The external vulva degloving was a super weird case, caused by the awful trifecta of someone overdosing on their immunosuppressants, being a mental invalid (a very weird case, to say the least), and being functionally incontinent.

    Just their whole crotch sloughing completely off.

  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Atomika wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

    Spoiler for hospital-talk
    I’ve seen a few different kinds of cases, like vaginal prolapse, vaginal injury, vaginal detachment…. it’s a “put everything on ice and go straight to the OR” situation

    The external vulva degloving was a super weird case, caused by the awful trifecta of someone overdosing on their immunosuppressants, being a mental invalid (a very weird case, to say the least), and being functionally incontinent.

    Just their whole crotch sloughing completely off.

    (just violently shudders)

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • This content has been removed.

  • GnizmoGnizmo Registered User regular
    Atomika wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

    Spoiler for hospital-talk
    I’ve seen a few different kinds of cases, like vaginal prolapse, vaginal injury, vaginal detachment…. it’s a “put everything on ice and go straight to the OR” situation

    The external vulva degloving was a super weird case, caused by the awful trifecta of someone overdosing on their immunosuppressants, being a mental invalid (a very weird case, to say the least), and being functionally incontinent.

    Just their whole crotch sloughing completely off.

    Well, I asked.

  • BlackDragon480BlackDragon480 Bluster Kerfuffle Master of Windy ImportRegistered User regular
    edited January 2
    Atomika wrote: »
    That is unfortunately super common

    Long term rehab/senior care vet... at least monthly at my facility.

    And working in senior care at the advent of the Viagra/Cialis age was an adventure in the world of Byzantine medical/ethical/legal intersections.

    BlackDragon480 on
    No matter where you go...there you are.
    ~ Buckaroo Banzai
  • DiscoPirateBunnyDiscoPirateBunny CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

    Spoiler for hospital-talk
    I’ve seen a few different kinds of cases, like vaginal prolapse, vaginal injury, vaginal detachment…. it’s a “put everything on ice and go straight to the OR” situation

    The external vulva degloving was a super weird case, caused by the awful trifecta of someone overdosing on their immunosuppressants, being a mental invalid (a very weird case, to say the least), and being functionally incontinent.

    Just their whole crotch sloughing completely off.

    Well, I asked.

    At least you asked.

    I stupidly clicked on the spoiler-ed response anyway.

    "Let's take a look at the scores! The girls are at the square root of Pi, while the boys are still at a crudely drawn picture of a duck. Clearly, it's anybody's game!"
  • KarozKaroz Registered User regular
    The nurse in me without pictures is oddly delighted.

    I imagine it's less interesting in person.

  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Seen elsewhere:
    "PATIENT STATES SLIPPED AND FELL IN THE BATHTUB LANDING ON A SHARK TOY"

    BABY SHARK TOY

    Anal shark, doo doo doo doo doo

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • KarozKaroz Registered User regular
    edited January 2
    I probably will never work in an ER, but I know the advice is always to have a flared base please and thank you.

    Shark fin if long enough might work.

    Karoz on
  • AtomikaAtomika Live fast and get fucked or whatever Registered User regular
    Karoz wrote: »
    The nurse in me without pictures is oddly delighted.

    I imagine it's less interesting in person.

    Imagine changing a baby’s diaper twice an hour but the baby is a full-grown adult and instead of pee in the diaper it’s sanguinous effluence

  • KarozKaroz Registered User regular
    Atomika wrote: »
    Karoz wrote: »
    The nurse in me without pictures is oddly delighted.

    I imagine it's less interesting in person.

    Imagine changing a baby’s diaper twice an hour but the baby is a full-grown adult and instead of pee in the diaper it’s sanguinous effluence

    Again me at the desk, brain is going "that's absolutely fascinating."

    <3

  • see317see317 Registered User regular
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

    Spoiler for hospital-talk
    I’ve seen a few different kinds of cases, like vaginal prolapse, vaginal injury, vaginal detachment…. it’s a “put everything on ice and go straight to the OR” situation

    The external vulva degloving was a super weird case, caused by the awful trifecta of someone overdosing on their immunosuppressants, being a mental invalid (a very weird case, to say the least), and being functionally incontinent.

    Just their whole crotch sloughing completely off.

    Well, I asked.

    And I clicked the spoiler.
    I need to stop clicking the spoiler.

  • DiscoPirateBunnyDiscoPirateBunny CaliforniaRegistered User regular
    see317 wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

    Spoiler for hospital-talk
    I’ve seen a few different kinds of cases, like vaginal prolapse, vaginal injury, vaginal detachment…. it’s a “put everything on ice and go straight to the OR” situation

    The external vulva degloving was a super weird case, caused by the awful trifecta of someone overdosing on their immunosuppressants, being a mental invalid (a very weird case, to say the least), and being functionally incontinent.

    Just their whole crotch sloughing completely off.

    Well, I asked.

    And I clicked the spoiler.
    I need to stop clicking the spoiler.

    Stop clicking all the spoilers. They're all just traps.
    see?

    "Let's take a look at the scores! The girls are at the square root of Pi, while the boys are still at a crudely drawn picture of a duck. Clearly, it's anybody's game!"
  • KarozKaroz Registered User regular
    see317 wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    Gnizmo wrote: »
    Atomika wrote: »
    I think the worst thing I’ve ever seen a patient intimately commingled with was a live fish (those dorsal spines only flex in one direction 😬)

    After that, a glass bottle of Louisiana™ Hot Sauce

    But I’ve seen several genital deglovings (of both genital types), and lots of genital injuries.



    Y’all dunk on us vanilla people but y’all don’t ever see us in the ER with sex injuries

    How... How do you treat a degloved vagina? Assuming that means what I think that means it is not going to be a great experience for anyone.

    Spoiler for hospital-talk
    I’ve seen a few different kinds of cases, like vaginal prolapse, vaginal injury, vaginal detachment…. it’s a “put everything on ice and go straight to the OR” situation

    The external vulva degloving was a super weird case, caused by the awful trifecta of someone overdosing on their immunosuppressants, being a mental invalid (a very weird case, to say the least), and being functionally incontinent.

    Just their whole crotch sloughing completely off.

    Well, I asked.

    And I clicked the spoiler.
    I need to stop clicking the spoiler.

    Stop clicking all the spoilers. They're all just traps.
    see?

    Yer not my parental unit!

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