Theatrical names and reference

Names and reference in user interfaces

This short paper argues that references in user interfaces, in particular names and the values they denote, are often designed in a way that is incomplete and inconsistent thereby causing problems for users. This paper explores names and values through illustrations in order to clear the way for a more systematic approach to the design of names and reference.

Direct Reference, Empty Names and Implicature

Acupuncture is theatrical placebo.

P ain is a big problem. If you read about pain management centers, you might think it had been solved. It has not. And when no effective treatment exists for a medical problem, it leads to a tendency to clutch at straws. Research has shown that acupuncture is little more than such a straw. Although it is commonly claimed that acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, it has not always...

Theatrical fire pursuant exploratory laparotomy

Fire in the operating theater is a rare but potentially fatal complication. We report igniting an intraperitoneal fire while preforming an exploratory laparotomy for perforated viscus. Fortunately, the patient suffered no injuries as a result.

direct reference theory and the substitutivity of co-referent proper names in propositional attitude sentences

inadequacy of descriptive theories to account for the mechanism of reference led to the emergence of the direct reference theory. this theory, however, has its own problems. if the only component of the meaning of a proper name is its referent, then how is it that the substitution of two co-referent proper names in propositional attitude sentences changes the truth value of the sentence? the pr...