English Language - what "Does your head in" ??

[Mick F]

Rubbish.

1, 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, I million.
Repeat in multiples.
How can 1,000 million be called a billion?

Daft, other than making numbers seem bigger than they are.

End of.
Over and out.

[Jdsk]

There were two different meanings. It was obviously necessary to decide which to use. Users of the other were likely to be disappointed. As above, half a century is more than long enough to stop resenting what was a necessary clarification.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

PS: In case anyone doesn't know what a "data mile" was...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_mile

A typical example of a craft unit made necessary by an irrational system of units of measure. And yet another type of "mile" with all of the possible confusion. See also "radar mile"/"radar nautical mile":
https://www.tpub.com/neets/book18/79a.htm

The USA military have predominantly operated on metric units for a long time, but apart from the international aviation systems still use some English units for naval gunnery and calculation, including the wonderful kiloyard!

Jonathan

[sjs]

Well if kiloparsecs can be a thing I don't see what's wrong with kiloyards.

[Jdsk]

Kiloparsecs are useful craft units. And they're now derived from the SI unit of length, so there isn't a problem of definition.

Kiloyards appear to be useful craft units, but I wouldn't know. The humour in using kiloyards comes from the de facto admission that the Imperial or US Customary systems or some other version of the mile isn't suitable for the job. And of course they're also now derived from the SI unit of length.

Jonathan

[sjs]

I do nearly all my diy in micro data miles

[mattheus]

<snip>

Blame the USA yet again.

As discussed here:
viewtopic.php?p=1651013#p1651013

The debate about usage within the UK is over, and the only interest here is now in its history.

But there's still enormous variation around the world:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_ ... rent_usage

Jonathan

I do like a map that uses a shades of greeny-blue colour-codeing

[Mick F]

In the loft, there's a box.
In it, are all my apprenticeship notes - handwritten of course as I started in March1970 and qualified in October 1973.
Also, many my handwritten and published leaflets regarding the training for the weapon systems throughout the 70's and 80's and into the 90's.
Did a few courses on cryptology equipments and communication equipments over the years, but I wasn't allowed to keep them personally as they were Secret - or at least Confidential. Some of my courses were Secret Atomic.

This one for instance.
I wasn't even allowed to take notes!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WE.177

[sjs]

In the loft, there's a box.
In it, are all my apprenticeship notes - handwritten of course as I started in March1970 and qualified in October 1973.
Also, many my handwritten and published leaflets regarding the training for the weapon systems throughout the 70's and 80's and into the 90's.
Did a few courses on cryptology equipments and communication equipments over the years, but I wasn't allowed to keep them personally as they were Secret - or at least Confidential. Some of my courses were Secret Atomic.

This one for instance.
I wasn't even allowed to take notes!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WE.177

Did you write the wiki article Mick?

[Mick F]

No I didn't!

The main danger with those weapons, was the parachute.
The nuclear part of it was as safe as houses, as are all nuclear weapons.
I order to set the nuclear explosion off, many many criteria have to be fulfilled.

With those, the device has to be mounted, the key inserted, the aircraft connected, the key in the aircraft inserted, the "bomb" to be released, dropped from high enough to deploy the parachute, and the device to go to the correct sea depth before it had any chance of an explosion.

The parachute OTOH, was set off by a detonator. The slightest knock or misguided hit, would deploy it.
Walking round it on the floor, one had to take a WIDE berth past the back end. Better still, keep away from the tail.

[Mick F]

Heard on R4 just now, a Tory politician (can't be bothered to even know who he is) saying that he "reconizes" the issue.
Greg Something or someone.

For goodness sake, it's RECOGNISE or recognize perhaps.

Note the C.

[Jdsk]

Heard on R4 just now, a Tory politician (can't be bothered to even know who he is) saying that he "reconizes" the issue.
Greg Something or someone.

For goodness sake, it's RECOGNISE or recognize perhaps.

Note the C.

That seems to be dropping a G rather than a C...

Jonathan

[Mick F]

Oops, correct of course.

Reconise ............... why do they pronounce words incorrectly?

I'm a Wiganer and speak with a Lancashire accent despite not living there since I was 19, but at least I can say February, Wednesday, Tuesday, recognise, temperature, veterinarian, twenty ...................... etc etc

[Jdsk]

Why do you consider that variation "incorrect"?

Thanks

Jonathan

[Mick F]

Why do YOU think they are incorrect?

Tuesdy, Wensdy, tempriture, vetrinairian, reconise, twenny .....................

All ok by you?