real-time

[Joel S. Berson]

Anne Compton (of CBS?) is recorded as saying that Obama et al. had
the opportunity to "watch the raid in real time."  (Heard today on radio.)

Joel

At 5/3/2011 08:24 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
>Does it make a difference if one says "watched the *mission* in real
>time" vs. "watched the *video* in real time"?
>
>I don't object to the former, so I must be further left than Jon.
>
>Joel
>
>At 5/2/2011 09:20 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>>I understand your point.  But there's only one kind of time in this neck of
>>the cosmos.  Suppose they were watching it on a video recording. Forget what
>>the %0^^2#* video is doing - they're still *watching* the video in *real*
>>time. The clock is ticking away as they watch. Time doesn't get any realer
>>than that. It would make as much sense to me to have said, "In the White
>>House, they watched the raid and breathed real air."
>>
>>Not to mention that given the *real-world* context and who's watching what,
>>the default assumption would be that they are indeed watching it as it
>>happens. If it were a tape or a classic rerun, *that's* what would require
>>explanation.
>>
>>Now, if the genius of Inglish wishes to replace meaningful phrases like "as
>>it happened" - or "as it unfolded," "on a live feed," "on live TV" (or just
>>plain "live," since that's short for the preceding and even shorter than "in
>>real time"), or even "glued to their closed-circuit TV monitor" - with an
>>idiot phrase like "in real time," you'll have noticed that I can't stop it.
>>
>>But I will resist its use.
>>
>>JL
>>
>>
>>
>>On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 8:55 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
>> >
>> >
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> > 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.
>> >
>> >  ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> >
>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>>
>>------------------------------------------------------------
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>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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