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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:18:27 +0100, Stephen wrote:
>>Well, you know what I mean. I was initially surprised by the mileage
>>the car we drove got until I realised why that was. ;-)
>>
> Well if you will insist on having 16 fluid ounces to a pint instead of
> 20 what can you expect? (BTW for the metric brigade there are 16 ounces
> in a pound (weight) and if you have 20 fluid oz in a pint, a pint of
> water weighs a pound) [You know it makes sense :)]
Well, hey, it's not my fault alcohol evaporates when transported
overseas. ;-)
>>>>> Only if you're innumerate :P
>>>>
>>>>You forget that America is the land of the innumerate. ;-)
>>>
>>> The young here are not much better. But then I was brought up before
>>> calculators were affordable. In fact they were not allowed in exams.
>>> Today's kids look aghast if you offer the correct money in a shop.
>>> Sad!
>>
>>I actually look for situations to exercise my mind in that way - doing
>>what should be simple math without starting bc or using a calculator.
>>
>>I wonder how many others 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 - 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).
Jim
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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 ;-) ).
> 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.
Jim
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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:55:07 -0300, Nicolas Alvarez wrote:
> Jim Henderson wrote:
>> Last time I was over there, I remember commenting on it talking to a
>> friend as I was driving his car (first time out, always good to drive
>> with someone who actually knows - and he had a vested interest, since
>> it was his car), and his comment was that it came down to a cost issue
>> - replacing perfectly good signs with other perfectly good signs wasn't
>> seen as cost-effective.
>>
>>
> Some vandal should destroy the current signs then :)
Get on that, will ya? ;-)
Jim
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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. :-)
Jim
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On Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:30:34 +0100, Stephen wrote:
> On 15 Oct 2008 13:47:45 -0400, Jim Henderson <nos### [at] nospam com> wrote:
>
>
>>That's right - but I want to say the kph was on the outside whereas on
>>US cars it's on the inside.
>>
>>
> I am contradicting you tonight :P.
You are. Stop it. ;-)
> On my car the kph is on the inside
> and it is in red so that it does not distract (I think) this was not
> helpful to me when I drove it for 9 months on the continent a few years
> ago and could not make out the speed at night.
Ouch.
>>More fun in your head is to convert the cost there to US dollars per US
>>gallon....
>
> If only the exchange rate would stay the same at the end of a journey as
> it was at the beginning :)
Well, yeah, that would be useful. It was more stable when we were last
there.
Still not favourable to us, though.
Jim
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Bill Pragnell wrote:
> I think it's military - quicker to say 'klick' than 'kilometre/er'. That
> you think of SF speaks volumes about how much military-heavy SF there is
> out of hollywood!
Mostly books, really. And I have read a number of SF books involving
futuristic armies and such, so I suppose that explains it.
Of course, space ships are just like ocean ships, so of course you use
military terms in space, yes? ;-)
--
Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
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Darren New wrote:
> Bill Pragnell wrote:
>> I think it's military - quicker to say 'klick' than 'kilometre/er'.
>> That you think of SF speaks volumes about how much military-heavy SF
>> there is out of hollywood!
>
> Mostly books, really. And I have read a number of SF books involving
> futuristic armies and such, so I suppose that explains it.
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.
> 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
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Stephen wrote:
>>>>> I thought that Klicks were a SF term for K/s
>>>> I think it's military - quicker to say 'klick' than 'kilometre/er'. That
>>>> you think of SF speaks volumes about how much military-heavy SF there is
>>>> out of hollywood!
>>>>
>>> Not Hollywood for me, Robert Heinlein maybe. Same thing, really :)
>> Of course, you said SF not sci-fi. How remiss of me. Come to think of
>> it, Heinlein might have been my first encounter with the klick too!
>
> I think that you need a trip to London for a drink or two ;)
LondonPovCon? Anything ever come of BrumPovCon? I'll keep my ears to the
ground, whichever.
Haha, reminds me of a joke. The Lone Ranger and Tonto are riding across
the desert, when Tonto stops and puts his head to the dust.
"Buffalo come," he intones.
"That's amazing," says the Lone Ranger, "How can you tell?"
"Ear stuck to ground."
:-)
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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 ;)
>> 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.
> - 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 :)
--
Regards
Stephen
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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. :-)
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