On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:25:30 +0100, Bill Pragnell <bil### [at] hotmailcom>
wrote:

>
>I don't use them either, although that's partly because most models are 
>still more expensive than my car(!). 

Mine too! 

>But you're right, the signs aren't 
>just numerous, they're incredibly helpful, especially the way road 
>numbers are specified. :-)

Except for Cardiff. There are so many roundabouts and the signs are in both
English and Welsh I had to buy one because I was getting dizzy.
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On 15-Oct-08 23:17, Stephen wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:46:35 +0200, andrel <a_l### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:
> 
>>> That sounds a bit like snobbery to me.
>> Why? I have seen quite a few skillful carpenters and constructors (or 
>> whatever their job description is in English) in mechanical workshops 
>> and I have simply never seen any indication that any size was more 
>> special to them than others. So I think it is logical to assume that 
>> anyone who thinks 40 is more basic than 33 is forcing himself to think 
>> in numbers in stead of in materials.
> 
> I think that this is a cultural thing and I am guilty of being British.
> Engineers and artisans are looked down on in the UK (but not on the Continent)

But at least we can agree on the managers, I hope.

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Stephen wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:25:30 +0100, Bill Pragnell <bil### [at] hotmailcom>
> wrote:
> 
>> I don't use them either, although that's partly because most models are 
>> still more expensive than my car(!). 
> 
> Mine too! 
> 
>> But you're right, the signs aren't 
>> just numerous, they're incredibly helpful, especially the way road 
>> numbers are specified. :-)
> 
> Except for Cardiff. There are so many roundabouts and the signs are in both
> English and Welsh I had to buy one because I was getting dizzy.

Lucky there was a GPS shop in the middle of a roundabout or you might 
still be there.

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Stephen wrote:
>> LondonPovCon? Anything ever come of BrumPovCon? I'll keep my ears to the 
>> ground, whichever.
>>
> 
> No, it was more scary than Beirut in the 60's <ducks and runs>

I'll bring my railgun.

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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 23:58:51 +0200, andrel <a_l### [at] hotmailcom> wrote:

>
>But at least we can agree on the managers, I hope.

In my experience, yes.
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:58:28 +0100, Bill Pragnell <bil### [at] hotmailcom>
wrote:

>
>Lucky there was a GPS shop in the middle of a roundabout or you might 
>still be there.

Tell me about it!
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Stephen wrote:
> On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:16:03 +0100, Bill Pragnell <bil### [at] hotmailcom>
> wrote:
> 
>> Yup, SF vs sci-fi, sorry. Joe Haldeman's a favourite of mine, read any 
>> of his? The Forever War is a particularly scintillating military-based 
>> novel.
>>
> 
> Me too
> 
>>> Of course, space ships are just like ocean ships, so of course you use 
>>> military terms in space, yes? ;-)
>> There's Klingons off the starboard bow, cap'n
> 
> It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead, Jim;
> it's worse than that, he's dead, Jim, dead, Jim, dead. 
> 
Star Trekking across the Universe
Always going forward 'cos we can't find reverse

John

-- 
"Eppur si muove" - Galileo Galilei

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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:34:35 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 15 Oct 2008 15:52:07 -0400, Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
> 
> 
>>Well, hey, it's not my fault alcohol evaporates when transported
>>overseas. ;-)
>>
>>
> You need to keep the corks damp ;)

I think you'll find it's someone on your side of the pond that needed to 
do that. ;-)

>>> Yeah! It keeps your mind muscle fit.
>>
>>And that's a good thing to do.  The interesting thing is the tie between
>>physical fitness and mental agility
> 
> It well known that men used to fade away when they stopped working.

Yep.  But interesting even with my dad to see the change in his mental 
agility from before going for a walk and afterwards.

>> - some interesting studies done about
>>that in alzheimers' patients (my dad was one, so I used to read a lot
>>about it - and apparently there is a genetic predisposition for it, so
>>I've tried to keep up with the research).
> 
> Scary! It is one of my fears that I'll end up talking to the fairies
> when I'm old.
> Well talking out loud :)

Heh, I do that *now*. ;)

Jim

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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:46:52 +0100, Stephen wrote:

> On 15 Oct 2008 15:53:26 -0400, Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospamcom> wrote:
> 
>>On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:25:07 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>> government often re-brand companies
>>
>>Huh?  Over here, companies may rebrand, but the goverment doesn't do
>>that.  (We just give the failing ones money ;-) ).
>>
>>
> In living memory, the GPO (General Post Office) turned into the PO then
> Royal Mail and BT (British Telecom) which split off its mobile (cell)
> arm to O2 all changes needed rebranding. The telephone system changed
> its numbering so all companies had to reprint their headed papers and
> adverts. (London went from 01 to 071 for inner London and 081 for outer
> London then to 0171 and 0181 now it is 0207 and 0208)

Ah, *government* businesses, not businesses in general. ;-)

>>> enough for the bible then it's good enough for me, attitude) And Wales
>>> and parts of Scotland have dual language signs.
>>
>>True, hadn't thought about that.
>>
>>
> And why should you?

Because I have friends in Scotland and Wales as well - have been to 
Scotland but not Wales...Come to think, don't know that the guy from 
Wales is there any more.  Now I wonder where he did end up.

Jim

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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 21:25:30 +0100, Bill Pragnell wrote:

> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:25:01 +0100, Bill Pragnell wrote:
>> 
>>> Haha, not a hope, we're the most thoroughly nay exhaustively
>>> signposted country in the world.
>> 
>> Hey, now *that's* certainly true.  I didn't need a GPS to get where I
>> was going, and printed directions were no use to us - just knowing the
>> signs to look for got us around better than anything. :-)
> 
> I don't use them either, although that's partly because most models are
> still more expensive than my car(!). But you're right, the signs aren't
> just numerous, they're incredibly helpful, especially the way road
> numbers are specified. :-)

Yeah - the first couple times out I printed directions from 
maps.google.co.uk and got hopelessly lost.  I learned quickly that if I 
took those directions and just identified the next marker I needed to 
look for, it was a LOT easier to get around.

It is fairly counterintuitive to me that a map is a hinderance, but I 
can't argue with the results. ;-)

Jim

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