The take home message

On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:29:45 -0400, Wes Groleau
<Groleau+news@FreeShell.org> wrote:

>Quentin Grady wrote:
>> FWIIW, the word rational came from ratios. The Greeks were slightly
>> obsessed with the notion of keeping everything in proportion. The
>> ability to do so was highly valued. Supposedly it is one reason why
>> irrational numbers like root two disturbed them so much.
>
>I recently saw a T-shirt on which a "2" was saying something about
>integrity, one-half was saying "Be rational!" and <Pi> said "Get real!"

ROTFL very sophisticated but very funny.

I love it. Thanks Wes. You're a wonderful source of good jokes.
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:24:45 -0600, Oleg Lego <> wrote:

>!st rule of safe math. Don't drink and derive!

We're on form tonight.
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:23:23 +0100, Trinkwasser
<spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:

>There's also a classic concept called "fighter pilot syndrome" where
>pilots trained on one plane who were subsequently cross-trained onto
>another type would under sufficient stress revert to their first
>training and turn the wrong switches etc.

I say students "regress under stress" to explain such incidents. It's
my terminology. Perhaps others also use it.

What I observed long ago in the secondary school classroom was
students behavior and emotional age regressing rapidly when they had
done something wrong and felt stressed by being found out.

I could mentally think, "Yes, eight years old." Some went to MUCH
younger ages. It was what they did.

Best wishes,
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:23:23 +0100, Trinkwasser
<spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:

>I used to combine the two approaches when driving a new truck, drive
>for a while then have an early breakfast. When I got back in somehow
>I'd integrated the different controls, different gearboxes etc.

I'm fascinated by the reference to an early breakfast. Not likely to
be coincidence IMHO. I've come across instructors who had their
students have a glass of water after learning something new. It's all
fascinating and illustrate how little we really know about achieving
understanding.

Best wishes and thanks for telling it like it is rather than how
others say it should be.
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On 27 Jun 2008 07:23:30 GMT, Chris Malcolm <cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk>
wrote:

>Quentin Grady <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>> On Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:06:10 +0100, Trinkwasser
>> <spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>>>>In reality understanding a particular step might well be unimportant,
>>>>its meaning will be made clear by what follows. I call it the jigsaw
>>>>puzzle effect. One approaches understanding from both sides of the
>>>>puzzle. The student often doesn't realise that. So the order of
>>>>presentation becomes vitally important to them.
>>>
>>>Yes! I can pick up on a lot of things if I can follow the logic in my
>>>own way.
>
>> G'day G'day Trink,
>
>> This is a topic I've spent quite a bit of time discussing today with
>> a friend. When we learn things our selves ideas come together as we
>> draw together various threads of our experience. Often we aren't even
>> aware how they assembled. They just seem to happen. In my metaphor
>> of events they come from ALL directions. There is no first, second or
>> third step to understanding.
>
>> When we are teaching something by telling people it or writing it in a
>> book it forces us to present ideas in a linear fashion, first this,
>> then that. If the learner misses a step then they often get the
>> feeling that they won't be able to understand what follows. It helps
>> if they realise from experience that for the most part this isn't
>> true. In reality most of the time we only sort of get things the
>> first time through. Our understanding improves with each pass. In my
>> experience it often takes three passes before we get a sense of
>> understanding. It is one reason why I give students three examples
>> with slight variations.
>
>There are some things which are inherently so stubbornly nonlinear and
>unsequential that they can't be explained in any logical sequence
>without doing them an injustice. In those cases logical sequences for
>the purposes of teaching have to be contrived artificially, a kind of
>didactic scaffolding which is kicked away once understanding is
>achieved.

I think of art and music as being like that. In some respects I do
them an injustice by doing so. The issue that currently bugs me is
how to ensure the student relaxes when they don't follow a particular
step. You and I both know the particular material can't be approached
in a linear fashion. When it happens to them they think, "Hey, See.
I'm stupid. Knew I was even though you assure me I'm not "

Long ago I learnt to live with NOT KNOWING. It's OK, not to know
something. I just filed it away in my NOT KNOWN basket certain that
one day he missing links would appear and I'd grasp it,. Students
don't have that sort of confidence. Besides the test is tomorrow.
<grin>

Thanks Chris,

--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:12:47 +0100, Nicky <ukc802466929@btconnect.com>
wrote:

>Learning styles... is one of the reasons I enjoy karate, is because my
>preferred learning style is very much to read about what I'm supposed
>to do. In karate, it's ALL about copying, with some experimentation.
>Bends my brain no end... My youngest, who's severely dyslexic, is
>exactly the opposite. She taught herself to read through sheer grit,
>but will ALWAYS fiddle with stuff before picking up the manual. Me, I
>read the manual cover-to-cover before taking the thing out of the box
>:P
>
>Nicky.

I find with software that I need to fiddle a bit to find what the
playing field is all about. I love it if they provide a guided tour
that shows what happens if you push various buttons. It gives a
mental picture of the playing field.
Then I'm happy to read the manuals in detail.

Same with calculators. Sadly I have one I can't use thanks to not
having found out how to reset it to the default settings.
Something for me to do in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks,
Best wishes,
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:41:06 +1200, Quentin Grady
<quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:

>On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:41:35 +1000, Alan S
><loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>But I break it every time I fill with petrol when I'm
>>touring. First I work out the kilometres per litre to the
>>first decimal place, then I convert that to miles per gallon
>>using 5/8 for the kms to miles and 4.5 for the litres to
>>gallons. Maybe I'll then do it in US gallons using 3.8.
>>
>>Keeps the brain alive on a long drive.
>>
>>
>>Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
>
>Unbelievable.
>But then YOU are telling me so I think, "Well maybe"
>
>A friend composes poems. What people do on long drives would make a
>fascinating field for research.
>
>Best wishes,

Believe it. Totally useless, of course, but it's a habit
that's hard to break:-)

I use approximation tricks, rounding divisors to easy
numbers. For example, imagine I did 610km and filled with
54.7 ltrs. Dividing 610 km by 54.7 litres I would start by
either rounding down to 50 or up to 55. Rounding down would
be a reduction of approximately 10%. Therefore I reduce 610
by 61, to 549, then double it to 1098, divide by 10 to 10.98
and round it to 11.0 km/ltr.

Check that with a calculator and you'll find it's within
1.5%, close enough for fuel for me.

Rounding up to 55 is less error, with ~ 0.6% increase; a
quick calculation adds 3.6, rounded to 4 and the 610 becomes
614, divide by 5 gives 122, divide by 11 gives 11.16.

Fills in the time, better than swearing at the 25 yo female
tail-gaters...

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
--
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_s/
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com (On Indian Roads)

"Quentin Grady" <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
news:9uje64tef7jm0tgk4i6hikf5pjf351ig1a@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:12:47 +0100, Nicky <ukc802466929@btconnect.com>
> wrote:
>
>>Learning styles... is one of the reasons I enjoy karate, is because my
>>preferred learning style is very much to read about what I'm supposed
>>to do. In karate, it's ALL about copying, with some experimentation.
>>Bends my brain no end... My youngest, who's severely dyslexic, is
>>exactly the opposite. She taught herself to read through sheer grit,
>>but will ALWAYS fiddle with stuff before picking up the manual. Me, I
>>read the manual cover-to-cover before taking the thing out of the box
>>:P
>>
>>Nicky.
>
> I find with software that I need to fiddle a bit to find what the
> playing field is all about. I love it if they provide a guided tour
> that shows what happens if you push various buttons. It gives a
> mental picture of the playing field.
> Then I'm happy to read the manuals in detail.
>
> Same with calculators. Sadly I have one I can't use thanks to not
> having found out how to reset it to the default settings.
> Something for me to do in the next couple of weeks.
>
> Thanks,
> Best wishes,
> --
> Quentin Grady ^ ^ /

Some will reset if you remove the battery for a while, so you may
want to check if yours is one of them.

Michelle C wrote:
> In somewhat liberatarian Nevada, if the pedestrian/bicyclist does not follow
> the rules of the road, including crossing the street in a designated
> crosswalk and gets hit, the hapless driver is not cited. Stupidity is not
> rewarded here. I'll admit, it's different from other places I've lived.

In many parts of the USA, although it's obviously not enforced,
a bicyclist on wheels has the same rights and responsibilities
as a car driver. Thus, rear-end him, and you're at fault.
He crosses against a red light, he can get ticketed. He drives
on the sidewalk, he can get in serious trouble. (And I've seen
some that desperately need to get in serious trouble!)

But if he/she is on foot (walking the bike), the same rights
and responsibilities as a pedestrian. We love the rights, but
most of us don't like to hear about the responsibilities.

Lest other cyclists think I'm down on bikers, no. I'm down on
the jerks that make motorist angry at the rest of us.

--
Wes Groleau

There ain't no right wing,
there ain't no left wing.
There's only you and me and we just disagree.
(apologies to Jim Krueger)

Quentin Grady wrote:
> <Groleau+news@FreeShell.org> wrote:
>> I recently saw a T-shirt on which a "2" was saying something about
>> integrity, one-half was saying "Be rational!" and <Pi> said "Get real!"
>
> ROTFL very sophisticated but very funny.
>
> I love it. Thanks Wes. You're a wonderful source of good jokes.

There was also something with either "imagine" or "imagination"
but I can't remember it, other than it wasn't "imaginary"

--
Wes Groleau

"A man with an experience is never
at the mercy of a man with an argument."
-- Ron Allen

"MI" <quilchenapark@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:C48C1CEE.2BC17%quilchenapark@shaw.ca...
>
>
>
> On 6/28/08 12:03 PM, in article g461uk$s98$1@registered.motzarella.org,
> "Michelle C" <bookbug_35@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>
>> "bgl" <bjones44@verizon.net> wrote in message
>> news:6pWdnbTyM-taGvvVnZ2dnUVZ_jqdnZ2d@giganews.com...
>>> "Michelle C" <bookbug_35@yahoo.com> wrote in message
>>> news:g45nqj$gf2$1@registered.motzarella.org...
>>>>
>>>> While I would never want to take away the ability to sue where one was
>>>> truly an innocent victim (like the guy down in Florida a few years back
>>>> in
>>>> which the surgeon amputated the wrong leg),
>>>
>>> I think that (or a similar type incident) happened between my left
>>> shoulder op & my right shoulder op -- at the second one, the surgeon
>>> initialled the correct site with some sort of indelible ink, after
>>> discussing/confirming
>>> that we both knew & agreed on what was going to be done.. They gave me
>>> the
>>> pen, too (it was, after all, "used medical equipment"!). Of course, with
>>> it being a shoulder I was having done, I'd have noticed when the
>>> anesthesiologist started putting his needle in the wrong side & said
>>> something "how can he operate with that thing hanging out there?". Some
>>> people put big marks on themselves "NO" "OTHER SIDE" "DO NOT TOUCH" etc.
>>>
>>> The lady in the other corner had found on check-in that "the computer"
>>> had
>>> the *wrong hip* specified! *She* knew, & *her doctor* knew, which was
>>> being
>>> done so all was well -- but I don't know if they ever got the computer
>>> corrected.
>>>
>>>> When I worked in a small midwest hospital, the OB/GYN doc got sued
>>>> because
>>>> a patient developed a known possible complication to a procedure. She
>>>> was
>>>> informed ahead of time that this complication was a possibility.
>>>> Unfortunately, she did develop said complication. The doctor offered
>>>> to
>>>> fix it for her free of charge. Instead, she decided to sue him for
>>>> incompetence, pain and suffering, anything that would wring more money
>>>> of
>>>> out him.
>>>
>>> The "informed consent" forms get ever-longer. Probably because of things
>>> like this.
>>> bj
>>>
>> Yep, I agree.
>
> They call it informed consent and yet sometimes in an emergency you don't
> have time to read it all, let alone carefully. Last year I took my husband
> to hospital with unknown problems. The ER staff immediately wanted to give
> him a blood transfusion. This was before he was even admitted. I signed
> it.
> What else could I do. He still with us one year later. It turned out he
> was
> haemorrhaging from the bowel and his brain. The found the bowel right away
> of course because to the bleeding. Unfortunately, it was 2 days before the
> found the brain haemorrhage. I know I made the right decision but it would
> have been nice to have been able to read the blasted form. The resident
> who
> gave me the form was confused when I said, "What choice have I got?" He
> took
> me literally, of course and didn't realize anything about a person's
> helpless.
>
> --
> Martha T2 Canada
> 1500mg. Metformin, 4mg. Avandia
>
Hi Martha,
Yes, I agree. There's all this "legalese" to cover one's butt, and it
makes for unnecessary hardship, and less than informed decisions. And as
you pointed out, in the situation you and your husband were in, you had no
choice.

A few years back, we bought a house in Las Vegas (have since sold it).
The contract was a half inch thick at least. When we sat down with the
agent, there was really no way to read all the fine print unless we spent
two days doing it. However, the contract included such forms as an
acknowledgement that we understood there was gambling in Las Vegas. What
gives? Did someone really sue a realtor in Vegas because they didn't know
about the gambling?

Best regards,
Michelle C., T2
diet & exercise
BMI 21.5

"Wes Groleau" <Groleau+news@FreeShell.org> wrote in message
news:g48352$jem$1@aioe.org...
> Michelle C wrote:
>> In somewhat liberatarian Nevada, if the pedestrian/bicyclist does not
>> follow the rules of the road, including crossing the street in a
>> designated crosswalk and gets hit, the hapless driver is not cited.
>> Stupidity is not rewarded here. I'll admit, it's different from other
>> places I've lived.
>
> In many parts of the USA, although it's obviously not enforced,
> a bicyclist on wheels has the same rights and responsibilities
> as a car driver. Thus, rear-end him, and you're at fault.
> He crosses against a red light, he can get ticketed. He drives
> on the sidewalk, he can get in serious trouble. (And I've seen
> some that desperately need to get in serious trouble!)
>
> But if he/she is on foot (walking the bike), the same rights
> and responsibilities as a pedestrian. We love the rights, but
> most of us don't like to hear about the responsibilities.
>
> Lest other cyclists think I'm down on bikers, no. I'm down on
> the jerks that make motorist angry at the rest of us.
>
> --
> Wes Groleau
>
> There ain't no right wing,
> there ain't no left wing.
> There's only you and me and we just disagree.
> (apologies to Jim Krueger)

Very good points, Wes.
--
Best regards,
Michelle C., T2
diet & exercise
BMI 21.5

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:07:48 +1000, Alan S
<loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:41:06 +1200, Quentin Grady
><quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:41:35 +1000, Alan S
>><loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>But I break it every time I fill with petrol when I'm
>>>touring. First I work out the kilometres per litre to the
>>>first decimal place, then I convert that to miles per gallon
>>>using 5/8 for the kms to miles and 4.5 for the litres to
>>>gallons. Maybe I'll then do it in US gallons using 3.8.
>>>
>>>Keeps the brain alive on a long drive.
>>>
>>>
>>>Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
>>
>>Unbelievable.
>>But then YOU are telling me so I think, "Well maybe"
>>
>>A friend composes poems. What people do on long drives would make a
>>fascinating field for research.
>>
>>Best wishes,
>
>Believe it. Totally useless, of course, but it's a habit
>that's hard to break:-)
>
>I use approximation tricks, rounding divisors to easy
>numbers. For example, imagine I did 610km and filled with
>54.7 ltrs. Dividing 610 km by 54.7 litres I would start by
>either rounding down to 50 or up to 55. Rounding down would
>be a reduction of approximately 10%. Therefore I reduce 610
>by 61, to 549, then double it to 1098, divide by 10 to 10.98
>and round it to 11.0 km/ltr.
>
>Check that with a calculator and you'll find it's within
>1.5%, close enough for fuel for me.
>
>Rounding up to 55 is less error, with ~ 0.6% increase; a
>quick calculation adds 3.6, rounded to 4 and the 610 becomes
>614, divide by 5 gives 122, divide by 11 gives 11.16.
>
>Fills in the time, better than swearing at the 25 yo female
>tail-gaters...

Gosh, my car has a computer, you just have to press a button.

On Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:47:07 -0400, "bgl" <bjones44@verizon.net>
wrote:

>> On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:42:22 -0400, "bgl" <bjones44@verizon.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>I came way-too-close to hitting a cyclist years ago. He was a dark-skinned
>>>fellow wearing dark clothes on a fairly narrow street with few lights, at
>>>night, riding without any lights or reflectors on his bike, going the
>>>wrong way on a one-way street.
>>>
>>>Scared me shitless, since I knew who'd be blamed & $ued for it.
>
>"Trinkwasser" <spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote in message
>news:7cvc641m6q99vuddeo9aaofdpspgbvdlj0@4ax.com.. .
>> I met his relative on a rainy night dressed in black, walking a black
>> dog on a black lead down an unlit lane, I nearly never saw him because
>> the oncoming car didn't dip his headlights.
>
>He ought to be cited for animal endangerment!
>(just as people can be arrested for child endangerment even if they're
>allowed to do stupid things to *themselves*.)
>I think there's a club for those jerks somewhere.
>There are enough of them to form one, that's for sure.

the scary thing is, they get to vote . . .

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:53:45 +1200, Quentin Grady
<quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:

>On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:23:23 +0100, Trinkwasser
><spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>>I used to combine the two approaches when driving a new truck, drive
>>for a while then have an early breakfast. When I got back in somehow
>>I'd integrated the different controls, different gearboxes etc.
>
>I'm fascinated by the reference to an early breakfast. Not likely to
>be coincidence IMHO. I've come across instructors who had their
>students have a glass of water after learning something new. It's all
>fascinating and illustrate how little we really know about achieving
>understanding.
>
>Best wishes and thanks for telling it like it is rather than how
>others say it should be.

I don't think it was necessarily the food (usually a bacon sarnie and
cup of coffee, hey what did I know in those days, I was told
categorically I was not diabetic) but the fact that I had stopped
acting and yet was (presumably) still learning.

I do know that the first day I really got my act together on the
training course was the day we drove in convoy to a distant town, went
on the funfair and had a pub lunch including half a pint of beer. The
instructors obviously knew something about the combination of letting
the pressure off for a while and having a small amount of drink.

Nowadays some of the things we had to put up with are probably
illegal: direct top Fullers had the gears in an H pattern which you
went round twice (low range and high range), overdrive Fullers were
almost identical but the gears were in a square which you went round
anticlockwise, ZFs had the low gears on the right and the high gears
on the left . . . then you could have indicator and wiper switches on
different sides of the column, and so on. You only ever change gear
using the handbrake once . . .

In later years we had to alter the controls on one piece of machinery
so that faster was pushing the hydraulic valve forward and slower
pulling it back AND the logo had to be changed from a graduated arrow
to a tortoise and a hare. I'm not joking . . . a friend nearly had a
serious accident once driving an agricultural loader which unlike his
usual tractor had the reverser on the steering column where he was
used to having the indicator switch. He indicated at a junction and
suddenly found himself reversing at speed . . . so I suppose this kind
of legislation does make some sense.

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:44:01 +0100, Trinkwasser
<spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:

>On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:07:48 +1000, Alan S
><loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:41:06 +1200, Quentin Grady
>><quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:41:35 +1000, Alan S
>>><loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>But I break it every time I fill with petrol when I'm
>>>>touring. First I work out the kilometres per litre to the
>>>>first decimal place, then I convert that to miles per gallon
>>>>using 5/8 for the kms to miles and 4.5 for the litres to
>>>>gallons. Maybe I'll then do it in US gallons using 3.8.
>>>>
>>>>Keeps the brain alive on a long drive.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
>>>
>>>Unbelievable.
>>>But then YOU are telling me so I think, "Well maybe"
>>>
>>>A friend composes poems. What people do on long drives would make a
>>>fascinating field for research.
>>>
>>>Best wishes,
>>
>>Believe it. Totally useless, of course, but it's a habit
>>that's hard to break:-)
>>
>>I use approximation tricks, rounding divisors to easy
>>numbers. For example, imagine I did 610km and filled with
>>54.7 ltrs. Dividing 610 km by 54.7 litres I would start by
>>either rounding down to 50 or up to 55. Rounding down would
>>be a reduction of approximately 10%. Therefore I reduce 610
>>by 61, to 549, then double it to 1098, divide by 10 to 10.98
>>and round it to 11.0 km/ltr.
>>
>>Check that with a calculator and you'll find it's within
>>1.5%, close enough for fuel for me.
>>
>>Rounding up to 55 is less error, with ~ 0.6% increase; a
>>quick calculation adds 3.6, rounded to 4 and the 610 becomes
>>614, divide by 5 gives 122, divide by 11 gives 11.16.
>>
>>Fills in the time, better than swearing at the 25 yo female
>>tail-gaters...
>
>Gosh, my car has a computer, you just have to press a button.

I do that after I've done the mental arithmetic to see if
the car computer is getting it wrong...

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
--
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_s/
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com (On Indian Roads)

On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:24:15 -0700, "Michelle C"
<bookbug_35@yahoo.com> wrote:

>> Wes Groleau
>>
>> I've noticed lately that the paranoid fear of computers becoming
>> intelligent and taking over the world has almost entirely disappeared
>> from the common culture. Near as I can tell, this coincides with
>> the release of MS-DOS.
>> -- Larry DeLuca

LOL. Too cruel.

Some people have a delightful ability to drop irony into their
messages.

Thanks Wes,
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:38:48 +1000, Alan S
<loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:44:01 +0100, Trinkwasser
><spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:
>
>>On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:07:48 +1000, Alan S
>><loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:41:06 +1200, Quentin Grady
>>><quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:41:35 +1000, Alan S
>>>><loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>But I break it every time I fill with petrol when I'm
>>>>>touring. First I work out the kilometres per litre to the
>>>>>first decimal place, then I convert that to miles per gallon
>>>>>using 5/8 for the kms to miles and 4.5 for the litres to
>>>>>gallons. Maybe I'll then do it in US gallons using 3.8.
>>>>>
>>>>>Keeps the brain alive on a long drive.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
>>>>
>>>>Unbelievable.
>>>>But then YOU are telling me so I think, "Well maybe"
>>>>
>>>>A friend composes poems. What people do on long drives would make a
>>>>fascinating field for research.
>>>>
>>>>Best wishes,
>>>
>>>Believe it. Totally useless, of course, but it's a habit
>>>that's hard to break:-)
>>>
>>>I use approximation tricks, rounding divisors to easy
>>>numbers. For example, imagine I did 610km and filled with
>>>54.7 ltrs. Dividing 610 km by 54.7 litres I would start by
>>>either rounding down to 50 or up to 55. Rounding down would
>>>be a reduction of approximately 10%. Therefore I reduce 610
>>>by 61, to 549, then double it to 1098, divide by 10 to 10.98
>>>and round it to 11.0 km/ltr.
>>>
>>>Check that with a calculator and you'll find it's within
>>>1.5%, close enough for fuel for me.
>>>
>>>Rounding up to 55 is less error, with ~ 0.6% increase; a
>>>quick calculation adds 3.6, rounded to 4 and the 610 becomes
>>>614, divide by 5 gives 122, divide by 11 gives 11.16.
>>>
>>>Fills in the time, better than swearing at the 25 yo female
>>>tail-gaters...
>>
>>Gosh, my car has a computer, you just have to press a button.
>
>I do that after I've done the mental arithmetic to see if
>the car computer is getting it wrong...

I didn't know you were related to my mother

Quentin Grady wrote:
> On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:24:15 -0700, "Michelle C"
> <bookbug_35@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>>> Wes Groleau
>>>
>>> I've noticed lately that the paranoid fear of computers becoming
>>> intelligent and taking over the world has almost entirely disappeared
>>> from the common culture. Near as I can tell, this coincides with
>>> the release of MS-DOS.
>>> -- Larry DeLuca
>
> LOL. Too cruel.
>
> Some people have a delightful ability to drop irony into their
> messages.
>
> Thanks Wes,
bwha ha ha

thanks for catching this Quentin
i missed it the first time thru

i LOVE IT


--
kate
type 1 since 1987
www.diabetic-chat.org
www.diabetic-talk.org
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/n...diagnosed.html

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:36:33 -0400, Wes Groleau
<Groleau+news@FreeShell.org> wrote:

>Wes Groleau
>
> There ain't no right wing,
> there ain't no left wing.
> There's only you and me and we just disagree.
> (apologies to Jim Krueger)

Tell that to the birds.
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:46:25 +0100, Trinkwasser
<spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:

>>I do that after I've done the mental arithmetic to see if
>>the car computer is getting it wrong...
>
>I didn't know you were related to my mother

That's OK son, I won't tell anyone if you don't...

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
--
d&e, metformin 1500mg, ezetrol 10mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alan_s/
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com (On Indian Roads)

Trinkwasser wrote:
> On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:38:48 +1000, Alan S
> <loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:44:01 +0100, Trinkwasser
>> <spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:07:48 +1000, Alan S
>>> <loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:41:06 +1200, Quentin Grady
>>>> <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:41:35 +1000, Alan S
>>>>> <loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> But I break it every time I fill with petrol when I'm
>>>>>> touring. First I work out the kilometres per litre to the
>>>>>> first decimal place, then I convert that to miles per gallon
>>>>>> using 5/8 for the kms to miles and 4.5 for the litres to
>>>>>> gallons. Maybe I'll then do it in US gallons using 3.8.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Keeps the brain alive on a long drive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
>>>>> Unbelievable.
>>>>> But then YOU are telling me so I think, "Well maybe"
>>>>>
>>>>> A friend composes poems. What people do on long drives would make a
>>>>> fascinating field for research.
>>>>>
>>>>> Best wishes,
>>>> Believe it. Totally useless, of course, but it's a habit
>>>> that's hard to break:-)
>>>>
>>>> I use approximation tricks, rounding divisors to easy
>>>> numbers. For example, imagine I did 610km and filled with
>>>> 54.7 ltrs. Dividing 610 km by 54.7 litres I would start by
>>>> either rounding down to 50 or up to 55. Rounding down would
>>>> be a reduction of approximately 10%. Therefore I reduce 610
>>>> by 61, to 549, then double it to 1098, divide by 10 to 10.98
>>>> and round it to 11.0 km/ltr.
>>>>
>>>> Check that with a calculator and you'll find it's within
>>>> 1.5%, close enough for fuel for me.
>>>>
>>>> Rounding up to 55 is less error, with ~ 0.6% increase; a
>>>> quick calculation adds 3.6, rounded to 4 and the 610 becomes
>>>> 614, divide by 5 gives 122, divide by 11 gives 11.16.
>>>>
>>>> Fills in the time, better than swearing at the 25 yo female
>>>> tail-gaters...
>>> Gosh, my car has a computer, you just have to press a button.
>> I do that after I've done the mental arithmetic to see if
>> the car computer is getting it wrong...
>
> I didn't know you were related to my mother

Sorta reminds me of the guy who used to count the sheep's legs then
divide by 4 to get the tally.

(- -)
=m=(_)=m=
RodS T2
Australia

RodS wrote:
> Trinkwasser wrote:
>> On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:38:48 +1000, Alan S
>> <loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 19:44:01 +0100, Trinkwasser
>>> <spam@devnull.com.invalid> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 22:07:48 +1000, Alan S
>>>> <loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:41:06 +1200, Quentin Grady
>>>>> <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> On Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:41:35 +1000, Alan S
>>>>>> <loralgtweightandcarbs@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> But I break it every time I fill with petrol when I'm
>>>>>>> touring. First I work out the kilometres per litre to the
>>>>>>> first decimal place, then I convert that to miles per gallon
>>>>>>> using 5/8 for the kms to miles and 4.5 for the litres to
>>>>>>> gallons. Maybe I'll then do it in US gallons using 3.8.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Keeps the brain alive on a long drive.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
>>>>>> Unbelievable.
>>>>>> But then YOU are telling me so I think, "Well maybe"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> A friend composes poems. What people do on long drives would
>>>>>> make a fascinating field for research.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best wishes,
>>>>> Believe it. Totally useless, of course, but it's a habit
>>>>> that's hard to break:-)
>>>>>
>>>>> I use approximation tricks, rounding divisors to easy
>>>>> numbers. For example, imagine I did 610km and filled with
>>>>> 54.7 ltrs. Dividing 610 km by 54.7 litres I would start by
>>>>> either rounding down to 50 or up to 55. Rounding down would
>>>>> be a reduction of approximately 10%. Therefore I reduce 610
>>>>> by 61, to 549, then double it to 1098, divide by 10 to 10.98
>>>>> and round it to 11.0 km/ltr.
>>>>>
>>>>> Check that with a calculator and you'll find it's within
>>>>> 1.5%, close enough for fuel for me.
>>>>>
>>>>> Rounding up to 55 is less error, with ~ 0.6% increase; a
>>>>> quick calculation adds 3.6, rounded to 4 and the 610 becomes
>>>>> 614, divide by 5 gives 122, divide by 11 gives 11.16.
>>>>>
>>>>> Fills in the time, better than swearing at the 25 yo female
>>>>> tail-gaters...
>>>> Gosh, my car has a computer, you just have to press a button.
>>> I do that after I've done the mental arithmetic to see if
>>> the car computer is getting it wrong...
>>
>> I didn't know you were related to my mother
>
> Sorta reminds me of the guy who used to count the sheep's legs then
> divide by 4 to get the tally.

Sounds ok to me.

On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 07:25:56 -0500, "Robert Miles"
<robertmiles@bellsouthNOSPAM.net> wrote:

>
>"Quentin Grady" <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
>news:9uje64tef7jm0tgk4i6hikf5pjf351ig1a@4ax.com.. .
>> On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:12:47 +0100, Nicky <ukc802466929@btconnect.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Learning styles... is one of the reasons I enjoy karate, is because my
>>>preferred learning style is very much to read about what I'm supposed
>>>to do. In karate, it's ALL about copying, with some experimentation.
>>>Bends my brain no end... My youngest, who's severely dyslexic, is
>>>exactly the opposite. She taught herself to read through sheer grit,
>>>but will ALWAYS fiddle with stuff before picking up the manual. Me, I
>>>read the manual cover-to-cover before taking the thing out of the box
>>>:P
>>>
>>>Nicky.
>>
>> I find with software that I need to fiddle a bit to find what the
>> playing field is all about. I love it if they provide a guided tour
>> that shows what happens if you push various buttons. It gives a
>> mental picture of the playing field.
>> Then I'm happy to read the manuals in detail.
>>
>> Same with calculators. Sadly I have one I can't use thanks to not
>> having found out how to reset it to the default settings.
>> Something for me to do in the next couple of weeks.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Best wishes,
>> --
>> Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
>
>Some will reset if you remove the battery for a while, so you may
>want to check if yours is one of them.
>
Thanks. I hadn't tried that.
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin

"Quentin Grady" <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
news:2esk64hqtnob5uojl8hhhueuri9m4ingmj@4ax.com...
> On Sun, 29 Jun 2008 07:25:56 -0500, "Robert Miles"
> <robertmiles@bellsouthNOSPAM.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Quentin Grady" <quentin@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
>>news:9uje64tef7jm0tgk4i6hikf5pjf351ig1a@4ax.com. ..
>>> On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:12:47 +0100, Nicky <ukc802466929@btconnect.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Learning styles... is one of the reasons I enjoy karate, is because my
>>>>preferred learning style is very much to read about what I'm supposed
>>>>to do. In karate, it's ALL about copying, with some experimentation.
>>>>Bends my brain no end... My youngest, who's severely dyslexic, is
>>>>exactly the opposite. She taught herself to read through sheer grit,
>>>>but will ALWAYS fiddle with stuff before picking up the manual. Me, I
>>>>read the manual cover-to-cover before taking the thing out of the box
>>>>:P
>>>>
>>>>Nicky.
>>>
>>> I find with software that I need to fiddle a bit to find what the
>>> playing field is all about. I love it if they provide a guided tour
>>> that shows what happens if you push various buttons. It gives a
>>> mental picture of the playing field.
>>> Then I'm happy to read the manuals in detail.
>>>
>>> Same with calculators. Sadly I have one I can't use thanks to not
>>> having found out how to reset it to the default settings.
>>> Something for me to do in the next couple of weeks.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Best wishes,
>>> --
>>> Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
>>
>>Some will reset if you remove the battery for a while, so you may
>>want to check if yours is one of them.
>>
> Thanks. I hadn't tried that.
> --
> Quentin Grady ^ ^ /

You're welcome.

On Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:50:02 -0600, Tiger_Lily <me@privacy.net> wrote:

>Quentin Grady wrote:
>> On Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:24:15 -0700, "Michelle C"
>> <bookbug_35@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>>> Wes Groleau
>>>>
>>>> I've noticed lately that the paranoid fear of computers becoming
>>>> intelligent and taking over the world has almost entirely disappeared
>>>> from the common culture. Near as I can tell, this coincides with
>>>> the release of MS-DOS.
>>>> -- Larry DeLuca
>>
>> LOL. Too cruel.
>>
>> Some people have a delightful ability to drop irony into their
>> messages.
>>
>> Thanks Wes,
>bwha ha ha
>
>thanks for catching this Quentin
>i missed it the first time thru

IMHO that is what makes it special. It is easy to miss the irony at
the end of the paragraph when one's attention naturally moves on to
other things.

>i LOVE IT

So do I. Isn't there something wonderful about the sort of humour
that one could easily miss UNLESS one pays careful attention.
Appreciating the subtlety adds to the enjoyment.

Glad you also enjoyed it.
What after all would a joke be worth if it wasn't shared?

Has anyone ever had a clever friend who tells jokes know one else
gets?

Best wishes,
--
Quentin Grady ^ ^ /
New Zealand, >#,#< [
/ \ /\
"... and the blind dog was leading."

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin