real-time

[Joel S. Berson]

I don't remember who was speaking when I heard "watching the mission
in real time", and it was in the afternoon.  So you could very well
have heard what you reported.  That leaves me with only the
speculation that CNN erred in the morning (either the script said
"launch" or Starr misread it) and had corrected itself by the afternoon.

Jon, I'm not clear on something else.  Did you mean to say "watching
in real time" is silly for this ... er, situation?  It seems quite
sensible to me -- they were watching the events as they occurred, not
later via a recording.

Joel

At 5/2/2011 08:43 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Joel, this is not inconceivable. I saw exactly the segment you describe as
>well and didn't hear anything unusual. The quoted ex. was uttered earlier
>this morning by Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr.
>
>I suppose I could have misheard it, though I was listening attentively.
>(Uh-oh.)
>
>However, "watching in real time" would be less ambiguous than "launching" in
>real time. It can only mean they were watching as it happened. In that case
>it's plain silly. "Real" time is the only time available.
>
>JL
>
>
>On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 8:21 PM, Joel S. Berson <Berson at att.net> wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       "Joel S. Berson" <Berson at ATT.NET>
> > Subject:      Re: real-time
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Jon, are you sure CNN didn't way "The White House *watched* the
> > mission against Bin Laden in
> > real time."?  I'm sure I heard that at least once, accompanying the
> > still photo of Obama, Biden, et al. in ... a situation room?
> >
> > Joel
> >
> > At 5/2/2011 06:42 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > >CNN reports that "The White House launched the mission against Bin Laden
> > in
> > >real time."
> > >
> > >It seems to mean "using super electronic devices that allowed for
> > >instant communications between people in Washington and others in
> > >helicopters, in Pakistan, in Afghanistan, at sea, and God knows where-all
> > >else."
> > >
> > >That may be. But it's only a guess.

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