Ok… Data are a character on Star Trek.
As Wiktionary puts it:
The word data is more often used as an uncountable noun with a singular verb than as a plural noun with singular datum.
It’s like “hair”. You can hold a single ‘hair’, you can also hold three hairs. But if you’re looking at an entire mane, you ain’t counting, so it’s referred to as “hair” again.
And the word “data” is only one word, so “data is plural”
The piece of data and the data overall suggest that…
Over categorization is a lie that only causes more problems. Stop the forcing of categorizing things. Just let things exist.
Three whole hours and the descriptivists haven’t come by to tell us there are no rules to language. This might be a record.
I guess I tend to use data as a mass noun when referring to computer data (“there’s a lot of data on that drive”) and as a regular noun when referring to data in the scientific sense (“these data show xyz”)
I’m kinda getting the urge to lick between this guy’s front teeth just to see what it feels/tastes like.
I’m getting the urge to run screaming and call the authorities.
