CASTalk.com

I read in sci.electronics.design that Paul Burke <paul@scazon.com> wrote
(in <32d0hnF3jhgr6U1@individual.net>) about 'Circuit that produces a
tingling sensation in the fingers.', on Thu, 16 Dec 2004:

John Woodgate wrote:

I don't know whether the kids are taught hexadecimal or '16 ounces = 1
pound'.

When it's not 14. Remember the table on the back of school exercise
books that began "2 glasses - one noggin"? Fortunately nobody ever asked
me to convert the Yorkshire Woollen Ell to centimetres.

Well, it's 114 cm, give or take a small amount. But there are other

ells: one is almost exactly 99 cm.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

I read in sci.electronics.design that John Woodgate <jmw@jmwa.demon.cont
raspam.yuk> wrote (in <DXFlj6BBbVwBFwPN@jmwa.demon.co.uk>) about
'Circuit that produces a tingling sensation in the fingers.', on Thu, 16
Dec 2004:

Why not zoctometres?

Because it's a typo for yoctometres.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

John Woodgate wrote:

OTOH, no-one has yet mentioned the cause of pricking of thumbs.

By the thumbing of my prick
Something wicked! Coming quick!

Paul Burke

In article <32d0p3F3k7lcqU1@individual.net>, paul@scazon.com says...

Keith Williams wrote:
FSF[*] system.
[*] - Furlong Stone Fortnight


Good one! Why are mountains (well eminences anyway) always measured in
feet in the UK, but yards in the USA?

I've always seen mountain heights and altitude listed in feet in left
pondia.

And why were horses' prices always quoted in guineas?

In the US they're listed in $, often M$.

Why haven't men cottoned on to millimetres as a more
impressive unit of penile shortness?

Why not "hands" like horses? ;-)

--
Keith

On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 08:47:07 +0000, Paul Burke <paul@scazon.com>
wrote:

Keith Williams wrote:
FSF[*] system.
[*] - Furlong Stone Fortnight


Good one! Why are mountains (well eminences anyway) always measured in
feet in the UK, but yards in the USA?

? I've never seen mountains measured in yards in the US. Feet is the
usual, though I have seen feet and meters.

And why were horses' prices always
quoted in guineas? Why haven't men cottoned on to millimetres as a more
impressive unit of penile shortness?

Paul Burke

--
Al Balmer
Balmer Consulting
removebalmerconsultingthis@att.net

Alan Balmer wrote:

Paul Burke <paul@scazon.com> wrote:
Keith Williams wrote:

FSF[*] system.
[*] - Furlong Stone Fortnight

Good one! Why are mountains (well eminences anyway) always measured
in feet in the UK, but yards in the USA?

? I've never seen mountains measured in yards in the US. Feet is the
usual, though I have seen feet and meters.

Here in leftpondia yards are normally used for foot/swimming races
(under about 1 mile/1500 km) and naval gunnery ranges AFAICT.
Mountains and altitudes get feet. For most internatinal purposes,
such as records, meters become supreme, even in the US.

A few obstreporous types measure automobile fuel consumption in
acres, or more conveniently, picoacres. I have a machine that
consumes between 15 and 20 picoacres.

--
Chuck F (cbfalconer@yahoo.com) (cbfalconer@worldnet.att.net)
Available for consulting/temporary embedded and systems.
<http://cbfalconer.home.att.net> USE worldnet address!

I read in sci.electronics.design that CBFalconer <cbfalconer@yahoo.com>
wrote (in <41C1F2AB.A66EC5E9@yahoo.com>) about 'Circuit that produces a
tingling sensation in the fingers.', on Thu, 16 Dec 2004:

A few obstreporous types measure automobile fuel consumption in acres,
or more conveniently, picoacres. I have a machine that consumes between
15 and 20 picoacres.

Clever: volume/distance = area.

Reminds me of specific piezoelectric sensitivity;

volts/meter divided by newtons/sq. meter = voltmeters/newton

Can't be right, because voltmeters weren't invented in Newton's time.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

"John Woodgate" <jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote in message
news:YR3DCyE3SyvBFwl3@jmwa.demon.co.uk...

I read in sci.electronics.design that Nicholas O. Lindan <see@sig.com
wrote (in <zwEvd.4831$Yj4.2677@newsread3.news.atl.earthlink.net>)
about
'Circuit that produces a tingling sensation in the fingers.', on Tue,
14
Dec 2004:

There is no such thing as no such thing.

Quite right. Now I have a special bargain for you. A hundred $6 bills
for $500.

At work, I often go to lunch at this British pub down the street, and
they have a bunch of stuff such as British coins in collages on the
walls. Messes with my head when I try to make sense (or cents) of their
old coin system. ;-)

--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

I read in sci.electronics.design that Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun, the
Dark Remover" <NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote (in <10s90ldp1fr3k88@corp.su
pernews.com>) about 'Circuit that produces a tingling sensation in the
fingers.', on Sat, 18 Dec 2004:

At work, I often go to lunch at this British pub down the street, and
they have a bunch of stuff such as British coins in collages on the
walls. Messes with my head when I try to make sense (or cents) of their
old coin system. ;-)

4 farthings = 2 halfpennies = 1 penny
4 pence = 1 groat
6 pence = 1 sixpence
2 sixpences = 1 shilling
2 shillings = 1 florin
2.5 shillings = 1 half-crown
2 half-crowns = 1 crown
2 crowns = 1 half-sovereign
2 half-sovereigns = 1 sovereign
21 shillings = 1 guinea
50 sovereigns = 1 pony
500 sovereigns = 1 monkey

I don't see the problem.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

On 2004-12-18, Watson A.Name - "Watt Sun, the Dark Remover" <NOSPAM@dslextreme.com> wrote:

At work, I often go to lunch at this British pub down the street, and
they have a bunch of stuff such as British coins in collages on the
walls. Messes with my head when I try to make sense (or cents) of their
old coin system. ;-)

Why? It wasn't any more complicated than US coinage. We've got
pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, dollars
(1,5,10,25,50,100). It was just a different series of numbers:
(1/2,1,2,6,12,120,240). I left out a few, I guess there was a 3
and 24. Oh, and I forgot about guineas. OK, it was a bit more
complicated than US coinage...

--
Grant Edwards grante Yow! Are the STEWED PRUNES
at still in the HAIR DRYER?
visi.com

The abbreviation for penny was "d" for reasons lost in the mists of
time. There was the circular threepenny bit (3d), which when changed
from silver to something cheaper became octagonal. And you missed off
all the low value slang names, tanner (6d), bob (1s), quid (£1).
Peter

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 19:51:06 +0000, John Woodgate
<jmw@jmwa.demon.contraspam.yuk> wrote:

4 farthings = 2 halfpennies = 1 penny
4 pence = 1 groat
6 pence = 1 sixpence
2 sixpences = 1 shilling
2 shillings = 1 florin
2.5 shillings = 1 half-crown
2 half-crowns = 1 crown
2 crowns = 1 half-sovereign
2 half-sovereigns = 1 sovereign
21 shillings = 1 guinea
50 sovereigns = 1 pony
500 sovereigns = 1 monkey

Where's the thruppeny bit? And, I gather, shilling=bob and sixpence=tanner.
Also, a 2 bob bit was called never really called a florin, despite the word
being on the 2 bob bit, right?

Now, was this the Brit system for money just on Tuesdays? ;)

Jon

I read in sci.electronics.design that peterk <peterk.vt80@gmail.com>
wrote (in <1103403323.997475.232480@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com>) about
'Circuit that produces a tingling sensation in the fingers.', on Sat, 18
Dec 2004:

The abbreviation for penny was "d" for reasons lost in the mists of
time.

Well, about 200 years, but not lost. It's from the Latin 'denarius', a
silver coin of considerable value. Equally 'shilling' si 'solidus and
the £ symbol is from 'libra' - a pound weight, not a coin.

There was the circular threepenny bit (3d), which when changed
from silver to something cheaper became octagonal. And you missed off
all the low value slang names, tanner (6d), bob (1s), quid (£1).

I did think about including them, but I really wanted to concentrate on
the counting bases (slightly on-topic). Besides, there are so many of
them, especially for a pound, that it would make a very long article.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

I read in sci.electronics.design that Jonathan Kirwan
<jkirwan@easystreet.com> wrote (in <df79s09ha9p31erm7581kmvjecb2t2fue4@4
ax.com>) about 'Circuit that produces a tingling sensation in the
fingers.', on Sat, 18 Dec 2004:

Also, a 2 bob bit was called never really called a
florin, despite the word being on the 2 bob bit, right?

The word was in use up to about 1940, but even I am not old enough to
remember it clearly.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk

I read in sci.electronics.design that Grant Edwards <grante@visi.com>
wrote (in <41c495c4$0$86400$a1866201@visi.com>) about 'Circuit that
produces a tingling sensation in the fingers.', on Sat, 18 Dec 2004:

Why? It wasn't any more complicated than US coinage. We've got pennies,
nickels, dimes, quarters, half-dollars, dollars (1,5,10,25,50,100). It
was just a different series of numbers: (1/2,1,2,6,12,120,240). I left
out a few, I guess there was a 3 and 24.

A long time ago, there was a 'mark', whose value varied from time to
time but was once 6s 8d, a third of a pound. Queen Victoria minted
double-florins (4 shillings), quarter, half and one-third farthings.

Crowns were rarely common items of currency, partly because some people
considered them unlucky - big and heavy enough to wear a hole in your
pocket and 5 shillings was a lot to lose! They were mostly commemorative
coins, as were also two pounds and five pounds gold coins.

Oh, and I forgot about
guineas. OK, it was a bit more complicated than US coinage...

Only a bit.
--
Regards, John Woodgate, OOO - Own Opinions Only.
The good news is that nothing is compulsory.
The bad news is that everything is prohibited.
http://www.jmwa.demon.co.uk Also see http://www.isce.org.uk